Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 226 226: Her Territory

Third-person POV

Electra had never considered herself the patient type.

She just wasn't the kind of person to wait for answers to come to her, and instead, she was the kind of person who demanded them.

So, after spending thirty excruciating minutes smiling at officials, nodding at their pointless praises, and enduring their incessant questions about whether she was well-served, while obviously trying to put themselves in her good book, like she would even care to remember their names when she was out of here, she'd had enough.

She hadn't come here to be paraded like some honored guest. She had come here to get answers—answers that only Seraphina Hook could give her, and for the past hour, Seraphina had been doing a damn good job of avoiding her.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she tipped her champagne glass back and downed the rest in one swift gulp, ignoring the slight burn as it slid down her throat.

Technically, she wasn't supposed to be drinking, not when she was still considered underage at nineteen, but did she care? Not in the slightest.

Tossing the empty glass on the nearest server's tray, she made her move.

Without hesitation, without doubt, and with all the confidence in the world, she walked straight toward Seraphina, who stood beside Darius, engaged in conversation with some nobleman she couldn't care less about.

Since Seraphina had been avoiding her all evening and skirting around her like she was a plague, and she was sick of it, she didn't care how interrupting their conversation would make her look.

If Seraphina wouldn't come to her, then she would go to Seraphina, and this time, there would be no way for Sera to avoid her.

She continued to walk across the hall, with the train of her gown trailing behind her, and the moment she reached them, she didn't hesitate.

"Seraphina," she said, her voice loud, commanding, and impossible to ignore.

Seraphina visibly tensed, and Darius turned first, his usual easygoing demeanor unchanged, though there was something sharp in his gaze as he took in Electra's expression.

The noble they had been speaking to looked startled by her bold interruption, but Electra didn't care.

Seraphina, clearly flustered, finally turned to her, her expression carefully neutral, but her eyes—those beautiful, frustratingly innocent eyes—betrayed a flicker of something else.

Something Electra wasn't sure she was ready to decipher.

"You're still here, Electra. Thank you so much for staying," Seraphina said, her tone cool, as if she hadn't been actively dodging her all evening.

Electra's lips curled into a smirk, though there was nothing amused about it. "I'm starting to think you're avoiding me, Seraphina," she said smoothly, though the bite in her voice was undeniable. "Did I perhaps do something wrong?"

Seraphina let out a breath, clearly trying to compose herself.

"Of course, not. I've just been busy," she replied. "There are a lot of people to speak to tonight since it is, after all, my engagement ceremony."

Electra arched a brow, feigning innocence.

"Oh? And here I thought you were just trying to avoid explaining to me how in the world you ended up engaged to a prince without ever mentioning it before. I'm still quite surprised by this sudden development."

She watched as Seraphina's fingers twitched at her sides, as if resisting the urge to clench into fists, and she smirked.

Darius, realizing that the situation was getting even more tense between them, would quietly ask Seraphina and Electra to follow him, leading them away from the prying eyes of the noble with them, who had also started noticing the tension between them.

As soon as they were out of earshot, he turned to them with a knowing smile, his golden eyes flickering between them.

"As much as I'm enjoying the show," he started, his tone light, "I think it's best you two talk privately before someone else picks up on whatever this… thing between you is."

Seraphina exhaled slowly, trying to ignore the sharp pang of irritation crawling under her skin.

Electra, who had been biting her tongue this entire time, let out a sharp scoff before crossing her arms. "Glad to see that you're at least perceptive, Prince Darius," she drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Seraphina shot her a sharp look, already irritated by how Electra was turning this into a spectacle.

With a sigh, she turned to Darius. "Is there a private room nearby where we can speak alone?" she asked, her voice calm.

Darius raised an eyebrow before his grin widened slightly, mischief dancing in his eyes. "Ah, so it's serious," he teased. "Well, if you want absolute privacy, you could use my lair."

Seraphina rolled her eyes. "I need somewhere closer," she muttered. "It will only be for a few minutes."

Electra let out a mocking scoff. "Doubt it," she muttered, arms still crossed, her eyes glinting with amusement.

Seraphina ignored her, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. Turning back to Darius, she sighed.

"Do you have any other suggestions?"

Darius pretended to think for a moment, then finally responded. "There's a small storage room at the back of the hall," he said. "It's not the most comfortable, but it's private enough. Just don't shout too much, or people might start getting curious."

Seraphina nodded quickly. "That works."

Darius sighed dramatically, tilting his head as he studied the two women in front of him.

"Well, you two are something else," he muttered, amusement clear in his voice.

Seraphina ignored him, her focus solely on finding a secluded place to get Electra off her back. She had no intention of dragging this out any longer than necessary.

Electra, on the other hand, had her arms crossed, her smirk never faltering.

"A storage room?" she mused, arching a brow. "How romantic."

Seraphina shot her a glare before turning back to Darius again. "Could you please just show us where it is?" she asked, trying not to sound impatient even though she was.

Darius grinned knowingly before gesturing for them to follow him; without waiting for Electra's input, Seraphina grabbed Electra's wrist and dragged her along.

Electra, still smirking, let herself be pulled along. "Oh, Seraphina," she mused, "if you wanted to get me alone this badly, you should have just said so."

Seraphina gritted her teeth, mentally swearing that—if she made it through this conversation without strangling Electra—it would be a miracle.