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

Chapter 390: Instructions

Third-person POV

Jella stared at Electra for a long moment after hearing her words about the throne. The statement had come out so calmly that it almost sounded like an ordinary observation rather than something that could change the entire kingdom. Still, the meaning behind it was impossible to misunderstand. Electra was not joking, and that realization sent a cold wave through Jella’s chest.

"Are you seriously thinking of becoming queen?" Jella asked shakily. Her voice held a mixture of disbelief and nervous anger, and she found herself searching Electra’s face for any hint that this was just another attempt to frighten her, but unfortunately for her, Electra did not answer the question.

Instead, she tilted her head slightly as if something else had just crossed her mind. The faint amusement that had been present in her expression earlier had disappeared, replaced by a more focused look. "Exactly where is my so-called father?" she asked suddenly.

The unexpected question caught Jella off guard, and for a brief second she simply stared at Electra, clearly reluctant to answer. Her eyes shifted toward the door as if considering whether she could avoid the question entirely.

Electra noticed the hesitation immediately.

She let out a slow sigh, the sound carrying a warning that made Jella stiffen. "Don’t test my patience, Your Majesty," Electra said calmly. "I don’t have much time left to stand here talking, so we need to wrap this up quickly and get moving to other important things."

Her voice grew slightly colder as she continued. "I can’t leave without making sure you understand exactly what needs to be done once the sun comes out, so when I ask you a question, you need to respond immediately."

Jella blinked, both confused and unsettled by the urgency in Electra’s tone. "What do you mean you don’t have time? What exactly are you thinking in that head of yours, child?" she asked, but the question came out weaker than she intended.

Electra simply waited. The silence between them stretched for several seconds before Jella finally spoke again, clearly realizing that refusing to answer would only make the situation worse.

She sighed. "Like I mentioned to you earlier, he’s... confined," she started reluctantly. "Your father is currently being held in one of the underground dungeons."

Electra’s expression shifted slightly at that information.

The change was subtle but noticeable. Even though she had no memories of the man Jella was referring to, the idea of a former king being thrown into a dungeon still felt strangely unsettling. She had never met him, didn’t know what he looked like, and had no emotional attachment to him whatsoever.

Still, something about the situation felt deeply ironic.

A man who had once ruled an entire kingdom had been locked away under the palace by the woman who was supposed to be his wife. The thought alone made Electra let out a quiet sigh.

"Of course he is," she murmured, simply shaking her head.

Jella watched her carefully, trying to guess what Electra might do next. The girl’s reactions were difficult to read, which made the entire situation feel even more dangerous.

Electra lifted her gaze again. "When morning comes," she said, "you will have him released immediately."

Jella frowned immediately.

"You will take him out of that dungeon and treat him the way a former king should be treated," Electra continued, her voice calm but firm. "Make sure he’s not treated with any kind of disrespect, and there should be no more confinement. That will not be tolerated."

She paused briefly before adding the next instruction. "After that, you will call a meeting."

"A meeting?" Jella repeated suspiciously.

Electra nodded slightly. "A meeting with every person in this kingdom who has a say in how things are run. I don’t know what you call them, or what their positions are, but you are to call up anyone important to the decision-making of this kingdom."

Her gaze remained fixed on Jella’s face as she spoke. "And you will inform them that I want to meet them."

Jella stared at her in disbelief.

Electra continued as if she hadn’t noticed. "Make sure they understand something very clearly," she added. "This is an order, not a suggestion. Anyone who fails to show up can forget about keeping whatever position they currently hold."

Jella’s mouth opened slightly, and for a moment she looked completely stunned.

"Do you even understand what you’re asking?" she demanded. "The council of this kingdom is not something you can summon like a group of servants. These are powerful people, and they do not answer to just anyone who calls for them."

Electra tilted her head slightly, as if the answer were obvious. "But I’m not just anyone," she said calmly. "As far as I’m concerned, I’m the heir to the throne, and they should answer to me."

Her expression remained completely serious. "Whatever people think about my origin doesn’t change that fact."

Jella scoffed loudly, the sound filled with disbelief. "I can’t believe what I’m hearing," she said, shaking her head. "What exactly makes you think I’m going to do anything you just asked?"

Electra opened her mouth to respond, but then she stopped.

For a moment she simply looked at Jella, studying the stubborn defiance in the woman’s expression. The longer she watched, the more obvious it became that speaking politely was accomplishing absolutely nothing.

In fact, the more she tried to reason with Jella, the bolder the woman seemed to become.

Electra slowly exhaled. She had clearly wasted enough time talking, so without saying another word, she stepped forward.

The sudden movement made Jella stiffen in alarm, but before she could react properly, Electra had already closed the distance between them. The speed of the action was enough to make Jella instinctively step backward, her eyes widening with fear.

"What are you..."

The words never finished leaving her mouth before Electra raised her hand and placed her palm directly against Jella’s face. For half a second nothing happened, but then the heat came, and Jella screamed.

The sound exploded through the bedroom as the burning sensation spread across her skin. Electra’s palm had become unbearably hot in an instant, and the heat sank into Jella’s flesh like a brand.

Jella tried to jerk away immediately, her hands flying up to push Electra back, but it was useless. Electra was stronger and faster, and she held Jella firmly in place.

"Stop!" Jella shrieked. "Stop!"

Her voice cracked with panic as the pain intensified. The burning sensation grew worse with every second, and the smell of scorched skin began to fill the room.

Electra didn’t move. Her expression remained calm as she watched Jella struggle beneath her hand. Her screams echoed against the walls as she begged desperately for the pain to end. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to twist away, but Electra’s grip was unbreakable.

Finally, after several agonizing seconds, Electra removed her hand, and Jella staggered backward instantly.

She clutched her face in shock before rushing toward the large mirror on the wall. Even in the dim light of the room, she could clearly see the damage. A red, angry burn marked her cheek where Electra’s hand had been. The skin was already blistering, and the pain throbbed sharply under the surface.

Jella’s breath caught in her throat.

"It’s going to scar," she whispered in horror.

Tears filled her eyes as she stared at the reflection. The mark on her face was unmistakable, and the realization that it would likely remain there forever made her chest tighten with rage and humiliation.

Slowly, she turned to look at Electra.

Electra stood exactly where she had been before, watching the scene with what looked almost like satisfaction.

"That," Electra said calmly, "was the easy warning."

Her voice held no sympathy at all. "I’ll be back later today."

Jella’s fingers trembled as she pressed them against her injured cheek.

Electra continued speaking as if the entire situation were completely ordinary. "By the time I return, the council should already be gathered, and my father should also be released from confinement."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked directly at Jella. "If those things are not done when I come back," she added quietly, "then a burn on the cheek will seem very small compared to what happens next."

The threat was delivered so calmly that it sounded even more terrifying, and Electra turned away from her without another word. She walked toward the door slowly, her footsteps echoing faintly in the quiet room. The broken door still hung crookedly from the frame, and she stepped over the damaged wood without hesitation.

Within seconds she had disappeared into the hallway, and the room fell silent again.

Jella remained standing in front of the mirror, her entire body shaking with anger and humiliation. Tears continued streaming down her face as she stared at the red mark on her cheek, unable to stop replaying the moment in her mind.

The pain throbbed relentlessly, and the rage building in her chest burned just as fiercely as the wound on her skin.