Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 229 229: House guest

Seraphina's POV

Stepping out of the car, I could feel my nerves—tight and unrelenting, coiling in the pit of my stomach as I walked toward my family house with Electra beside me.

I still wasn't entirely sure how I let this happen.

After Electra and I finally made it out of the storage without getting caught, thanks to Darius saving us, I continued to get through the engagement ceremony with Darius teasing me endlessly.

But before I knew it, Electra suddenly decided that she would rather stay at my house instead of the luxurious royal suite prepared for her, as she didn't want to be separated from me.

Then, I wasn't sure if she was being serious or if she was just trying to tease me, especially since we had agreed that we would meet up tomorrow to talk properly, but when she asked in front of King Orion and Darius, I confirmed that she was being serious, and I also couldn't refuse without making things seem… strange.

I was nervous at the idea of her staying in the same room with me, because I knew keeping my hands to myself would not exactly be an easy task, and I didn't even want to imagine what would happen if someone overheard having sex at night and informed Gianna.

The thought of having my sexuality known by the person who hated me the most and would happily oust me just to hurt me made my blood run cold, but I had to trust that Electra would keep her naughtiness at bay like she promised to.

Now, as we walked into my house, I tried to mentally prepare myself, ignoring the way my heart skipped a beat when she looked around, taking in her surroundings with sharp, analyzing eyes.

"The place looks different from how it did in the dream," she blurted out, tilting her head slightly as she examined the hallway.

I rolled my eyes, trying to seem unfazed despite the fact that just hearing her mention the dream made me feel on edge. I had momentarily forgotten about it, but now that she brought it up, I realized that it was also one of the many things we still needed to talk about.

Good. More things to talk about to keep them from getting distracted and eating each other out.

"Of course, it does," I muttered. "The dream was in black and white, and it was from twenty years ago. This is the present."

Electra hummed, clearly amused, before stepping further inside.

"Yeah, but it still feels kind of strange," she mused, trailing her fingers lightly along the wall. "It's creeping me out a little that I've been here before in a way, and I just feel weird."

I let out a frustrated sigh, resisting the urge to shove her for being so damn dramatic.

"If you knew you were going to feel so strange, why did you decide not to stay at the hotel and come here instead? I'm pretty sure the hotel would be much more convenient." I snapped, crossing my arms.

Electra smirked, turning her attention back to me, her eyes glinting with something mischievous, something that made me feel like she was up to something.

"Why? Are you still scared of me being here? Does it make you nervous?" she teased, stepping closer.

I took a step back instinctively, but the moment I did, Electra's smirk grew wider.

"You're scared," she whispered, voice lower, almost taunting.

"I'm not scared," I lied, my voice not nearly as firm as I wanted it to be.

Electra laughed, a low, satisfied sound, before finally stepping away, allowing me to breathe again.

"Relax, Sera," she said playfully. "What you're scared of isn't going to happen. I already told you that you and I aren't doing any funny business that's going to get us caught, so you can be rest assured that you'll be getting a good night's sleep, except, of course, if we end up talking for too long."

I glared, but before I could respond, we heard footsteps approaching from the main hall, and my body stiffened immediately.

I knew that sound by instinct.

Gianna.

I turned toward the entrance of the living room just as Gianna stepped into view, her displeased gaze landing on both me and Electra.

I felt my fingers curl into fists at my sides.

"Who is she, and what is she doing in my house?" Gianna demanded, her voice sharp and already dripping with irritation.

I was confused as to how come she didn't recognize Electra since at some point during the ceremony, everybody had been talking about Electra's presence, but then I remembered that she had left the party quite early, probably because she couldn't stand that I was the center of attention.

Before I could respond, Electra stepped forward, tilting her head with a mocking smile.

"She?" Electra echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Do you mean me, old lady? Do you not realize who you're talking to?"

I nearly choked on my breath at Electra's instantly rude tone, even though I wasn't sure why I was surprised in the first place. Electra was naturally rude without even trying.

Gianna's lips pressed into a thin line, her glare hardening, and by the time she turned her attention to me, her expression was already seething with disgust.

Her lips curled in disgust, her eyes flashing with pure disdain as she pointed a sharp glare at Electra, who still had a smug look on her face.

"Who the hell is this girl?" Gianna snapped, her voice venomous. "And why does she think she has the right to refer to me as 'old lady' in my own damn house?"

I sighed heavily, already feeling the headache coming. Before I could get a word in, Electra—being Electra—beat me to it again.

With that same smug smirk, she stepped forward, crossing her arms with her usual air of confidence.

"Oh, my apologies, ma'am," she purred, clearly enjoying herself. "Let me properly introduce myself, then."

She paused dramatically, tilting her head ever so slightly before continuing.

"I am Electra Vale, daughter of King Vale of Elmeria, Crown Princess of the Kingdom, and heir to the Elmerian throne. Does my introduction suffice?"

I saw Gianna freeze immediately, her mouth parting slightly and her eyes widening in utter disbelief.

She looked genuinely caught off guard and blinked rapidly, almost as if she couldn't process what she had just heard, and when she finally spoke, her voice came out stuttering.

"Y-You're joking…" she muttered, shaking her head as if trying to convince herself that Electra was playing some kind of elaborate trick and couldn't possibly be who she claimed she was. "You can't be serious—"

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, please," I cut in, exasperated. "Do you really think she'd joke about something like that?"

Gianna's gaze snapped to mine, clearly baffled, but I couldn't even be bothered enough to enjoy her bewilderment.

"The princess is staying with me tonight," I said firmly, my tone making it clear that this conversation was over. "So you should probably mind your business and stay out of our way."

Her jaw clenched so hard, I thought she might break a tooth, but before she could come up with another snarky response, I turned away, walking past her and grabbing Electra's wrist as I led her away from the disaster that was my aunt.