Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 46: Disgust

Third-person Pov

On hearing Electra's words, Seraphina felt the same conflicting emotions she had felt before walking in here—rage, shame, and a deep, bitter sense of betrayal.

Electra's mocking smile only deepened the ache inside her, reminding her of how she'd abandoned Yuna, her first real friend, for a reckless moment of passion with the very girl who had almost killed off and destroyed Yuna's family.

It felt like a slap to the face, like a shameful act she could hardly believe she'd let herself fall into, and now here she was, humiliated, staring at Electra's smug, amused face as if her mistake was some private joke only she was too naive to understand.

But despite everything—despite the guilt gnawing she felt, as well as the subtle self-loathing—she wasn't about to let Electra have the last word. She wouldn't let Electra turn her guilt into something she could use against her and something that made her feel small. At least not today.

She forced herself to straighten, swallowing down her shame, and met Electra's gaze again.

"Fine," she said, her voice calm, even though her hands trembled. "I'll admit that I'm pathetic for abandoning my friend. I can even admit that it makes me foolish and weak, but it also doesn't change the fact that you're just as pathetic, Electra."

Electra's eyebrow arched, but she kept silent, her expression smugly curious, as if waiting to see what Seraphina would say next.

"You may have your authority as princess and your minions, who may not even like you," Seraphina continued, her voice thick with disdain. "But that doesn't make you strong. Hurting people doesn't make you powerful; it just makes you unnecessarily cruel and shows that you're a dumb and unhappy teenager. And frankly, I still can't wrap my head around how in the world you could burn someone's neck like that. What kind of person does that, Electra? How can you do that to someone and feel nothing? How did you even manage to pull that off?"

Electra shrugged, crossing her arms, a lazy smirk playing on her lips. "Why are you so concerned about how I did it?" she asked, her tone light, mocking. "If you really want to know, why don't you ask Yuna yourself? Maybe she'll tell you. Though I doubt she'll give you the full story."

Seraphina's heart sank at Electra's words. Electra seemed almost proud, as if what she had done to Yuna was an artful act worth bragging about. That smug indifference, that total lack of remorse—it was as if a veil had finally lifted from Seraphina's eyes.

She could see clearly now, clearer than she ever had before, and it made her sick. Yuna had been right all along. She was right to warn her, to try to protect her, and she had been a fool not to listen.

For the first time, Seraphina looked at Electra not with longing or confusion but with genuine disgust.

Electra noticed the shift in her expression, the way her eyes had gone from fire to something cold, even repulsed, and for some reason, seeing that look—a look of pure, unfiltered contempt—stirred something in Electra she hadn't expected.

It didn't thrill her; it unsettled her.

The cute boldness in Seraphina's anger had started to be more amusing and less annoying to Electra, almost endearing, but the look of disgust that had replaced it was different.

It was as if Seraphina had seen a side of her Electra hadn't wanted her to see—one she couldn't charm her way around. It was like Seraphina was looking at something vile, something beyond redemption, and the thought infuriated her, and, though she wouldn't admit it out loud, it stung.

Electra's face darkened, her eyes narrowing into slits as she glared at Seraphina. She wasn't used to feeling this way—out of control, almost vulnerable—and she loathed every second of it.

She needed to reassert herself, to reclaim the upper hand, and to feel like she was the one holding the strings again. Her voice dropped to a venomous tone as she fixed Seraphina with an icy stare.

"What exactly did you expect to hear from me?" Electra sneered, her words dripping with barely concealed fury. "Did you really barge in here hoping I'd apologize? Or did you come thinking I'd suddenly feel bad about what I did because little Seraphina's mad?"

The question took Seraphina aback, leaving her speechless. She hadn't thought about what she really wanted, and her mind raced as she tried to understand her feelings and piece together why she had stormed into Electra's class so brazenly, something she never imagined herself capable of doing.

But now, as she stood here, face-to-face with Electra's cold and mocking gaze, she realized the truth: she'd been hurt.

She had foolishly thought she meant something to Electra. That somehow she'd held a unique place in Electra's life, but knowing that Electra had hurt her friends and lied to her had shattered that illusion, leaving her feeling betrayed, used, and humiliated.

Still, she wasn't about to give Electra the satisfaction of knowing just how much she'd gotten under her skin. Electra didn't deserve her explanation. Besides, the look in Electra's eyes told her that she didn't care one bit how Seraphina felt. She probably found her outrage amusing, like some kind of pathetic display.

A heavy sigh escaped Seraphina's lips, and she turned on her heel to leave, deciding that no response was better than anything she could say, but just as she took a step forward, Electra's voice rang out behind her, laced with a smug and taunting edge.

"Oh, leaving so soon?" Electra mocked, an insidious smile spreading across her face. "How about I do you a favor and tell Yuna about what happened between us since you're too afraid to?"

Seraphina's blood ran cold, and the thought of Yuna discovering the truth made her stomach twist. She dreaded the thought of Yuna's disappointment, her anger, and the possibility of losing the only friend she'd ever made, but she quickly reminded herself that Electra shouldn't hold that kind of power over her.

She refused to let herself be blackmailed.

With a steady breath, she met Electra's gaze, trying to ignore the flicker of fear inside her. "Do whatever you want, Electra," she said, her voice surprisingly calm. "I don't care." frёewebηovel.cѳm

Turning away again, Seraphina was determined to leave without giving Electra any more satisfaction, but before she could make it to the door, Electra's hand shot out, grabbing her arm and yanking her back with startling force.

In one swift motion, Electra pressed her mouth to Seraphina's in a rough, forceful kiss, trying to seize control of the situation, to assert her dominance, and to force Seraphina into reacting and into surrendering her anger to something else.

For a second, Seraphina felt paralyzed, her mind reeling as she processed the intensity of Electra's lips on hers, but instead of softening, the anger and the disgust—all of it rose up, overwhelming her fear and hesitation. She gathered every ounce of strength she had and pushed Electra off of her, hard enough that Electra stumbled back a step, her face momentarily stunned.

Electra's shock quickly morphed into a glare, and she reached out as if to grab Seraphina again, but before Electra could touch her, Seraphina acted on pure impulse, raising her hand and striking Electra across the face with a sharp, resounding slap.

The force of the slap left Electra stunned, frozen in place. For a split second, she seemed genuinely shocked, her eyes wide as she processed what had just happened. She didn't move, didn't react, just stood there motionless.

Breathing heavily, Seraphina stared at her, her heart pounding with a mixture of disbelief and fear. Without another word, she turned and bolted out of the classroom, leaving Electra behind, still too stunned to respond.