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

Chapter 388: Finding Jella

Third-person POV

Jella heard every word Electra said.

Her voice carried easily through the dark bedroom, calm and steady in a way that made Jella’s fear grow worse with every second. Even though Electra claimed she had not come to hurt her, something about the tone of her voice did not sound convincing. It was too relaxed and too casual, like someone who was speaking without any real concern for what might happen next.

That was what terrified Jella the most, so she did not move.

She stood perfectly still behind the thick curtains near the tall window, pressing her back against the cold wall as she tried to keep her breathing quiet. The fabric of the curtain brushed softly against her shoulder each time she shifted slightly, and even that tiny sound made her heart jump in fear.

It was the only hiding place she could find.

When the guards had come to her door earlier, warning her that Electra was at the palace gate, panic had taken over her mind completely. She had locked every latch on the bedroom door and looked around desperately for somewhere to hide. The wardrobe had seemed too obvious, the bathroom had no place to conceal herself, and the bed was useless.

The curtains had been the only option.

Now she stood behind them, her entire body tense as she listened to Electra walking slowly through the room.

She could hear the faint sound of footsteps on the floor, calm and unhurried, as if the person moving through the room had all the time in the world.

Jella swallowed hard, and she still could not believe it had come to this.

For years Electra had been the one afraid.

She had been a child who avoided eye contact, who flinched when Jella raised her voice, and who had learned very early that speaking back would only lead to punishment. Jella remembered those years clearly. Electra had spent most of her childhood trying to stay out of trouble, trying to stay invisible whenever possible, but now the situation had completely reversed.

Now Jella was the one hiding, and the thought made something bitter twist in her chest, but fear quickly drowned it out.

She knew exactly how much pain she had caused Electra over the years. There had been too many punishments to count, too many cruel words, and too many moments where she had made it clear that the girl was nothing more than a burden she had been forced to tolerate and would use at her will.

If Electra wanted revenge for all of it, Jella could hardly blame her, and that was exactly why she had no intention of revealing herself.

The memory of the execution day flashed in her mind again. Electra standing on the platform, surrounded by guards, the flames, the way the chains had melted, and the look in her eyes.

Jella shivered.

If Electra had decided to kill her tonight, she had no doubt she could do it easily. So she was determined to not reveal herself even when Electra spoke again.

"I know you’re here."

Jella squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.

Electra’s voice sounded closer now. "I really didn’t come here to hurt you."

The words hung in the air, but Jella didn’t believe them. She had heard that kind of calm voice before from people who were seconds away from doing terrible things. It sounded too controlled and too steady.

So she stayed hidden. Maybe if she remained silent long enough, Electra would eventually leave the room and search somewhere else. The palace was large, and there were plenty of other places to look.

But then Electra spoke again. "You really think finding you would be difficult for me?"

Jella’s heart nearly stopped. Her hands clutched the curtain tightly as she forced herself to remain still. She even held her breath, terrified that the smallest sound might give her position away.

The room fell completely silent, and seconds passed, then more seconds.

Jella waited, barely daring to breathe as the silence stretched longer and longer. For a brief moment she started to hope that maybe Electra had walked away. Maybe she had given up.

Maybe...

The curtain suddenly flew open, and the movement was so sudden and violent that Jella didn’t even have time to react. Standing directly in front of her was Electra, but her feet were not touching the ground.

She was hovering slightly above the floor, her body suspended in the air like she had floated there intentionally to avoid making a single sound while approaching. A small smirk rested on her face, and Jella screamed.

The sound burst out of her before she could stop it as she stumbled backward, pressing herself against the wall as if trying to merge with it. Her hands lifted instinctively in front of her like they could somehow protect her from the person standing just inches away.

"Stay away from me!" she shouted in panic.

Electra did not move. She simply hovered there, watching Jella with the same calm expression she had worn since entering the room.

"If you do anything to hurt me," Jella continued quickly, her voice shaking with desperation, "it will only make your situation worse!"

The words rushed out of her mouth as fear took control of her thoughts.

"You think you’re powerful now," she said, pointing a trembling finger toward Electra, "but you cannot handle the consequences of murdering the Queen of the most powerful kingdom in all seven kingdoms!"

Her breathing had become uneven as the panic built inside her chest.

"You would make yourself the enemy of every royal family in the world! They would hunt you down until you were dead!"

She was speaking too quickly now, her words stumbling over each other as she tried to find anything that might stop Electra from attacking her.

Electra watched her silently. The expression on her face slowly shifted into something closer to confusion, and for a few seconds she said nothing at all.

Then she tilted her head slightly. "You must have done some truly terrible things to me," she said calmly.

Jella blinked. Electra’s tone held no anger. If anything, it sounded almost thoughtful.

"You seem very certain that I came here to kill you."

Jella stared at her, and for a moment she didn’t know how to respond, then her expression twisted.

"If you had never been born," she said suddenly, her voice sharp with years of buried resentment, "I would never have suffered the way I did!"

The words left her mouth before she could stop them, and Electra’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

Jella continued speaking, her anger pushing past the fear that had controlled her moments earlier. "Do you know what it was like having to raise you?" she demanded bitterly. "You were a constant reminder of everything I hated!"

Her hands curled into fists at her sides. "It was either that," she said harshly, "or I could have killed you when you were a baby and spared myself the trouble entirely!"

The room fell silent again. Electra’s expression remained unchanged, but her eyes had sharpened slightly.

Jella took a shaky breath before continuing. "So if anything," she added bitterly, "you should be grateful. I could have ended your life before you were even old enough to walk, but instead I allowed you to live."

The words hung heavily in the air, and Electra stared at her for several seconds without speaking.

She didn’t fully understand the depth of the hatred behind Jella’s words. Without her memories, much of the history between them was missing from her mind. The insults, the punishments, the years of fear, none of it existed clearly in her thoughts, but one thing was obvious.

The woman standing in front of her hated her deeply. Even now, even while trembling in fear, Jella’s eyes still carried a level of resentment so strong it could almost be felt in the air between them.

Electra recognized that emotion immediately. It was the kind of hatred that did not disappear with time, and if Jella had the power to do it, she would kill her without hesitation. That much was clear.

Electra slowly tilted her head. For a brief moment she studied Jella carefully, as if seeing her properly for the first time.

Then she spoke. "You should have killed me when you had the chance."