Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 85 85: He's gone

Seraphina's Pov

As I watched my father's lifeless body being carried out of the house, a strange numbness settled over me.

The once-mighty Koran Hook, a man respected by the kingdom of Aldoria and trusted by the king himself, was gone. Just like my mother years ago, he had died in my hands, and now, I was truly alone. An orphan.

The air around me felt cold despite the warmth in the house, and despite how truly devastated I was, I couldn't bring myself to cry. Everyone in the living room was watching me, waiting for the daughter of the great Koran Hook to break down, but I couldn't give them what they wanted.

Tears would come later, perhaps when the realness of it all finally sank in, but not now.

From behind me, the sound of loud sobbing filled the room, and I turned slowly to see Gianna crumbling into a dramatic display of grief. Her face was red, streaked with tears, and her cries echoed through the room like that of a truly devastated widow.

I scoffed quietly. Her performance was flawless, I'll give her that, and if I didn't know better, I'd think she was really sad to see my father go, but I knew better. Those tears were as fake as the affection she used to feign for my father, and my father's final words before his death had confirmed that Gianna had played a role in his demise.

According to him, the doctors would claim he'd succumbed to illness, but it didn't start off as an illness. Unfortunately, Gianna was a serpent, capable of wrapping her venomous lies around anyone until she got what she wanted, and now, with my father out of the picture, she had everything.

The thought made my stomach churn.

I clenched my fists, struggling to keep my composure as I turned back toward the door. My eyes followed the ambulance until it disappeared into the night, and only then did I allow myself to take a shaky breath.

"Seraphina," Gianna's voice broke through my thoughts, shaking with what she wanted to sound like sorrow. "What are we going to do? What will become of us now? I can't imagine how devastated you must be."

I turned to face her, unable to hide the disgust etched on my face. She stood in the center of the room, her black mourning dress already perfect, as if she'd had it prepared well in advance. Her hands trembled as she reached for me, but I took a step back, unwilling to let her touch me.

"You're not fooling anyone, Gianna," I said, my voice colder than I intended. "Save your tears for someone who believes them."

Her eyes widened slightly, the faintest hint of irritation flashing across her face before she quickly masked it with an expression of hurt. "How could you say such a thing? I loved your father. I just lost my hus—"

"Don't." I cut her off sharply, my voice rising in anger. "Don't you dare say you loved him. You didn't love anyone but yourself."

The room fell silent, save for the faint ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner. Gianna's lips trembled, but her eyes told a different story—calculated and diabolical, like the predator she was.

"You're grieving," she said softly, taking a step closer. "I'll forgive your harsh words because I know you're hurting."

"Forgive me?" I let out a bitter laugh. "You killed him."

Her eyes narrowed, and for the first time, the mask of the grieving widow began to slip. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

I wanted to yell. The words were there, sitting on the edge of my tongue, itching to be released. I wanted to tell her that I knew everything—about how she manipulated my father into marrying her after Mom died, about the secrets he had revealed to me before his death, and about how I knew that she was responsible for the death of my only living parent.

But I bit my tongue, my father's warning playing in my mind: *"Play dumb until you're old enough, Seraphina. Don't confront her now—it won't end well."*

I hated that he had been right. At eighteen, I was still trapped by the laws of Aldoria, and Gianna was to be my legal guardian for another two years. Two unbearable years before I turned twenty and could finally sever the chains that tied me to her.

Thankfully, my father never married her legally, which meant she could never claim the title of my mother, only that of my aunt—the aunt she had always been.

Her sharp voice interrupted my thoughts; I winced in irritation. "What did you just say?" she demanded, her tone laced with disbelief and anger.

I could feel every pair of eyes in the living room turning toward me, and I glanced around and saw the servants and doctors still loitering around, their gazes filled with curiosity and confusion. They were all waiting for me to repeat what I had just blurted out—to accuse Gianna openly of being responsible for my father's death, and the attention made my skin crawl.

My head throbbed as I tried to think of the right response. I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced my voice to remain calm.

"You know what, just do your part and announce that my father's funeral will be held tomorrow, Gianna," I stated, not bothering to elaborate on what I had said earlier.

She glared at me, but I refused to waver, even as her eyes narrowed dangerously.

Her lips curled into a mocking sneer. "It's not for you to decide, child," she shot back. "I am his wife. It's for me to decide."

I scoffed, unable to stop myself. "We both know that's not true," I said, meeting her gaze head-on. "You were never legally recognized as his wife, Gianna. You're still legally just his sister-in-law, and that's all you'll ever be. Only I have the authority to decide how my father is to be buried."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, and Gianna's face darkened, her expression a mix of rage and humiliation. For once, she had no immediate retort, and I couldn't help but be pleased that she was speechless.

Not bothering to wait for her to recover, I turned on my heel and walked out of the room, leaving her seething in the silence.

My chest felt tight, and I hated how my breathing was uneven. I needed to gather myself and to process everything before my emotions overwhelmed me.