Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 91 91: Electra's Secret

Seraphina's POV

As I watched Irina, Roxana, Deena, and Penelope approach me, my stomach twisted into knots. They all moved with an effortless confidence that was both intimidating and mesmerizing, and if I wasn't supposed to be their friend right now, I would have run in the opposite direction just because of how intimidating they were.

Each of them seemed impossibly tall, and their sharp features and striking appearances made them look more like supermodels than students. I couldn't help but shrink a little under their gazes.

Compared to them, I felt like a child—barely 5'2 and utterly out of place. I couldn't help but think about how unfair it was that whoever or whatever had swapped my life with Electra's hadn't thought to give me her body too.

How was I supposed to fill the shoes of someone like Electra Vale, when I looked and felt so… small?

My thoughts spiraled as they drew closer. Do they even take me seriously? I wondered. Electra's minions—or my minions now—had always seemed to be fiercely loyal to her, but was it really possible that they saw me as their leader despite falling so short in the height department?

And as for loyalty, I couldn't help but wonder if they were truly loyal. My mind raced back to everything I'd overheard about Deena's intention to kill Electra just days before I'd found myself trapped in this alternate reality.

If Deena had plotted to take down Electra, what was to say she wasn't thinking of doing the same thing even in the new reality?

She happened to reach me first, and her sharp, dark eyes locked on mine as she extended a hand toward my hair. My instincts kicked in before I could think, and I flinched, jerking my head back and swatting her hand away.

Her touch sent a jolt of panic through me, and for a brief second, her eyes widened in surprise, and I immediately regretted it.

"Hey!" she snapped, her voice sharp and irritated. "What's your problem?"

I frowned at her, her hand still too close for comfort after brushing against my hair. "Why the hell would you just touch my hair?" I asked, unable to hide the irritation in my voice.

She rolled her eyes, her lips curling into a half-smirk.

"I was just surprised to see you've cut it," she said casually like her invasion of my personal space was no big deal. "I wanted to check if it was real. So no need to get so defensive."

I didn't respond, but my irritation didn't fade. Before I could dwell on it, Roxana chimed in. "Are you okay, Sera? I mean, really, okay?"

The question caught me off guard, and I glanced at her suspiciously. "Why wouldn't I be?" I asked cautiously.

"Well," Roxana began, her tone casual but her words pointed, "you've been holed up in your room for over a week now, and at some point, we started to think you'd never leave. Honestly, I didn't expect to see you out here at all."

Her words made me freeze. A week? What was she talking about?

Confused, I asked, "What do you mean? I don't remember being in my room for that long, so what are you talking about?"

Roxana exchanged a look with Penelope and Deena, who both seemed equally puzzled. "You don't remember?" she asked, her voice softening slightly.

Deena cut in before I could answer. "Yeah, you've been avoiding everyone—except Irina, apparently." Her voice had a slight edge to it. "She's the only one you've let in, while the rest of us? Completely shut out."

The mention of Irina drew my attention to her. She had been silent the entire time, her face unreadable except for a flicker of worry in her eyes.

Something about her expression set me on edge, and I needed answers—immediately. Without thinking, I turned to her, my voice firmer than I expected. "Irina, we need to talk."

The others didn't hide their displeasure, and Penelope was the first to speak up, her tone dripping with annoyance. "Seriously? You're making it so obvious that Irina's your favorite, and she's the only one you trust among us. We're all supposed to be best friends, Sera, and this favoritism of yours is getting old."

I didn't understand what she meant by favoritism, but I figured that it probably meant that Electra must have trusted Irina more than the rest of them, so instead of addressing her comment, I ignored her.

I couldn't deal with her petty remarks right now, not when my mind was spinning with confusion. Irina hesitated for a second before nodding silently and following me as I turned to walk away from the group.

As soon as we were out of earshot, I spun around to face her. "What the hell is going on?" I demanded, my voice barely calm. "Why are they saying I've been locked in my room for a week? I wasn't—was I?"

Irina looked at me with an expression I couldn't decipher. For a long moment, she didn't say anything, and her silence made my skin crawl. Finally, she sighed. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?" she asked, much to my frustration.

Whatever she was talking about must have happened to Electra herself, and it made me even more curious to know what could have happened that would make Electra stay in her room for over a week without leaving.

Her face twisted slightly, as though she couldn't decide whether to pity me or be annoyed. "You were sick, Sera," she replied, her tone calm but laced with something I couldn't quite place. "So sick you couldn't even get out of bed."

My brows furrowed further. "Then why wasn't I taken to the hospital or something?" I countered, my confusion turning into irritation. "If I was that sick, why was I left in my room for over a week? That doesn't make any sense."

For a moment, Irina just stared at me, her expression unreadable. Then, to my surprise, it was her turn to look puzzled. "You're serious," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You really don't remember."

"Remember what?" I snapped, the frustration in my voice bubbling to the surface. I hated the way she was looking at me, like I was supposed to know something I didn't. "What are you even talking about?"

She exhaled sharply, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're telling me you don't remember why you couldn't be taken to the hospital? Or why you couldn't let anyone else know about your illness?"

Her words stopped me cold. "What illness?" I asked, my voice dropping into a whisper. My stomach churned uneasily as her gaze narrowed, scrutinizing me like she was trying to figure out if I was lying. "What are you talking about?"

For a moment, Irina didn't say anything. Her eyes flicked over me, her lips pressed into a tight line, and the silence stretched uncomfortably between us. Finally, she sighed again, a long sound that seemed to carry all the seriousness of whatever she was about to say.

"Well," she began, stepping closer to me. "I guess this wouldn't be the first time you've experienced losing your memory for a bit. You did say it was one of the symptoms."

Losing my memory? My pulse quickened as she leaned down, her face now so close I could feel her breath against my ear. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper, but her words hit me with a shock I couldn't even begin to explain.

"The long story short is, you're part human and part phoenix," she said quietly, her tone matter-of-fact, like it was the most normal thing in the world. "And for that reason, there are… certain illnesses you experience that no one else can know about. No one except me because you trusted me enough to tell me about three years ago."

I froze, her words sinking into me like ice water. My chest felt tight, and my mind reeled, struggling to process what she had just said. Part phoenix? Certain illnesses? My breath hitched, and before I could stop myself, the word slipped out of my mouth in a barely audible whisper.

"Shit."

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