Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 207 207: Locked in

Seraphina's POV

When I finally woke up, the first thing I noticed was the sunlight streaming through my curtains, brighter than it should have been. Blinking against the light, I groggily turned my head toward the clock on my bedside table.

11:23 AM.

I stared at the time for a second, my brain still catching up. I never slept in this late on a normal day, and even on my worst days, I was up on or before 9. But after the emotional exhaustion of yesterday—my father's funeral, the meeting with the king, and the ridiculous marriage proposal—I suppose it wasn't all that surprising. My body had needed the rest.

Still, I couldn't shake the mild frustration at having wasted half the morning.

Sitting up, I reached for my phone instinctively, my fingers moving on their own as I checked for any notifications. Specifically, I checked to see if Electra had called me.

Nothing.

I swallowed, my grip tightening around the device. A part of me knew she wasn't going to call, but another part had still hoped she would. That she would reach out first and that she'd acknowledge what we had been through, but there was nothing.

And for reasons I didn't want to admit, it hurt.

Letting out a sharp breath, I forced myself to shake it off, pushing the thoughts aside. I refused to let my mind dwell on the fact that Electra seemed to have no recollection of our time in each other's lives.

I also refused to let myself dwell on the fact that I had admitted to having feelings for her, and she had responded positively, because now? Now, it was as if none of it had ever happened.

But I remembered. I remembered everything, and until I returned to Elmeria and saw her in person, I wouldn't know what the hell was going on.

Not that I even knew when I was going to return.

I exhaled sharply, tossing my phone onto the bed. My situation was complicated. As much as I wanted to book a flight and head back immediately, I couldn't. Gianna was my legal guardian—at least until my father's estate was settled, and she was the only one who could approve my travel arrangements.

Which meant I was at her mercy.

The thought alone made my stomach churn. The idea of having to ask her for permission made my skin crawl, but if I wanted to go back to school—if I wanted answers—then I had no choice but to deal with her.

I sighed again, running a hand through my hair.

One problem at a time.

For now, I needed to figure out how I was going to convince Gianna to let me leave Aldoria. Because if I knew anything about her, it was that she wouldn't make this easy for me, and I had a sinking feeling she was going to enjoy making things difficult.

I let out a deep sigh, forcing myself to push aside the emotions threatening to take over. Lying in bed and overthinking wasn't going to help anything.

If I wanted to get back to Elmeria, I needed to take action—starting with getting through the day without losing my mind.

Dragging myself out of bed, I headed straight to the bathroom. The cold water was more than enough to help me clear my head, as well as wash away the remnants of sleep and the lingering stress from yesterday.

The plan was simple: get through breakfast, then find a way to convince Gianna to arrange my flight back to Elmeria for the day after my father's will was read.

I wasn't sure if I was even allowed to leave without giving King Orion an answer about his proposal, but that was a problem for later. Right now, my priority was getting out of this house. The sooner, the better.

I had no intention of being trapped under the same roof as Gianna for more than two or three days.

After drying off, I changed into casual clothes—a simple black top and jeans—before grabbing my phone from the bed. I was just about to head downstairs when I reached for the door, unlocking it from the inside, but when I turned the knob and tried to push it open—

Nothing happened.

I frowned, trying again. The door didn't budge.

For a brief second, I thought maybe it was just stuck. It was an old house, after all. Maybe the wood had expanded from the humidity, but then I tried again, twisting the knob harder, pushing at the door with more force.

Still. Nothing.

A cold sensation trickled down my spine as I kept trying. My breathing turned shallow, and with a sinking feeling, I realized—I had been locked in.

Just like I always used to be.

Memories came rushing back, uninvited and relentless. The nights I had spent pounding at the door, screaming until my throat was raw, begging to be let out.

Days spent locked inside this very room, pacing back and forth like a caged animal while Gianna or my father punished me for the smallest things.

The air in the room suddenly felt nonexistent, and I had to step back, gripping my phone tightly to ground myself.

I wasn't a child anymore, and I sure as hell was no longer the foolish Seraphina that she used to know. I wasn't going to let her do this to me again.

Taking a deep breath, I quickly dialed her number. My hands were trembling slightly, but I ignored it. The phone rang once. Twice. Then—

Straight to voicemail.

I clenched my jaw.

Of course she wasn't answering.

Forcing down the panic clawing at my chest, I moved toward the window, but as soon as I reached for the handle, I froze.

The bars were still there.

I had forgotten about them.

They had been there since a few months after Gianna moved in as my dad's wife. She had, with the permission of my father, installed them herself to keep me from sneaking out whenever she locked me in.

For some reason, she managed to convince my father that the Seraphina Hook of three years ago was capable of sneaking out through the window. Ridiculous, right?

And now? Now I was right back where I started.

Trapped.

For a moment, I just stood there, gripping the window sill as I tried to steady my breathing.

I should have just known that witch wouldn't let me leave so easily. I should have expected this, but like an idiot, I didn't, and now I was locked in for god knows how long, just like the not-so-good old days.