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

Chapter 431: Stressful conversation

Third-person POV

Irina was taking a smoke in the garden by herself after sending everyone else that she had found there back into the dormitory, and the silence that followed felt heavier than it should have been. The night had already stretched far past dinnertime, and while the rest of the students had either returned to their rooms or gathered somewhere indoors, she remained outside, leaning slightly against the cold metal railing that bordered the garden path.

The faint light from her cigarette lit up her face every few seconds, the small ember burning steadily as she brought it to her lips, inhaled slowly, and let the smoke drift out into the night. She hadn’t bothered to eat, hadn’t even thought about it long enough for hunger to matter, because the truth was simple. She wasn’t hungry, and even if she had been, she wouldn’t have cared enough to fix it.

Her mind was too full.

There were too many thoughts pressing against each other, too many things she couldn’t sort out no matter how hard she tried, and the worst part was that she had no one to say them to. Electra already had enough on her plate, more than enough, and on top of that, she didn’t even remember anything. That alone made it impossible for Irina to rely on her the way she used to, not because Electra wouldn’t listen, but because there were things she simply wouldn’t understand anymore.

Things that required context, memory, and a shared past that no longer existed in the way it should have. So Irina did what she always did when things got like this. She kept it to herself. She held it in, pushed it down, and dealt with it alone.

The cigarette burned slowly between her fingers as she stared ahead, her eyes unfocused, her thoughts moving in circles that led nowhere. The silence around her should have been calming, but it wasn’t. It only gave her more space to think, more room for everything in her head to grow louder, and she hated it. Still, she didn’t move. She stayed exactly where she was, letting the silence stretch out, letting the smoke fill her lungs and leave again, over and over, like it was the only thing grounding her.

Then she heard footsteps.

They were faint at first but clear enough for her to notice, and the moment they reached her ears, her entire posture shifted slightly, her body reacting before her mind fully caught up. She straightened just a bit, her grip on the cigarette tightening as she turned her head sharply toward the sound, her eyes narrowing slightly in irritation. She had made it very clear that she didn’t want anyone in the garden. She had said it plainly, without room for misunderstanding, and the fact that someone had chosen to ignore that was enough to put her on edge immediately.

Her gaze landed on the figure approaching, and for a second, she didn’t react beyond a slight roll of her eyes.

Of course it was Penelope.

Irina let out a quiet, almost tired breath as she turned back slightly, not even bothering to hide the annoyance on her face. "I’m not in the mood to talk," she said flatly, her voice carrying just enough weight to make it clear she wasn’t joking. "And I want to be alone. So if you’re here to start anything stressful, don’t."

She didn’t look at Penelope as she said it. She didn’t need to. The message was clear enough.

Penelope didn’t stop walking. Instead, she scoffed softly under her breath, the sound loud in the quiet night as she continued forward until she was standing right beside Irina. The closeness didn’t seem to bother her, even though it was obvious Irina wanted space, and that alone made something in Irina tighten slightly in irritation.

"What’s wrong with you?" Penelope asked, her tone not exactly gentle, but not harsh either. It sounded more like she was trying to understand something she didn’t quite get.

Irina didn’t hesitate. "Nothing," she replied immediately, her voice sharp, almost dismissive. She took another drag from her cigarette before adding, "And I said I want to be alone."

The words came out colder this time, more direct, like she was done repeating herself.

Penelope didn’t move away. Instead, she let out a shaky breath, the sound uneven in a way that didn’t match her usual false composure, and when she spoke again, her voice carried something different, something that made Irina pause, even if only slightly.

"Do you hate me that much?"

The question hung in the air, and for a moment, Irina didn’t react the way she normally would have. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she slowly turned her head to look at Penelope, the irritation still there, but now mixed with something else. Disbelief.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" she asked, her tone blunt, her expression clearly showing that the question made no sense to her at all.

Penelope didn’t look away. She held her gaze, her expression steady despite the slight tension in her posture. "I’m asking a simple question," she said, her voice firmer now, even though there was still that underlying shakiness to it. "Do you hate me or not?"

Irina stared at her for a second longer, her confusion only growing as she tried to understand where this was coming from. Then she shook her head slightly, letting out a breath as she brought the cigarette back to her lips, taking another slow drag before turning away again.

"Why would you even ask that?" she said after a moment, her tone calmer but still edged with irritation. "We’ve been friends for over a decade."

She exhaled the smoke slowly, watching it disappear into the night air before continuing. "And the first thing you decide to do after I tell you I don’t want any stressful conversation is ask me something that stupid?"

Penelope let out another breath like she had been holding something in for too long and didn’t know how to say it properly. "That’s exactly my point," she said quietly.

Irina glanced at her again, her expression tightening slightly. "What point?"

Penelope hesitated for just a second before answering, and when she did, her voice was steadier, but there was something raw in it that made the words hit harder than expected.

"The only reason you tolerate me," she said, "is because Electra likes me."

Irina’s expression didn’t change immediately, but there was a slight shift in her eyes, something subtle that showed she was listening more carefully now.

Penelope continued before she could respond. "You act like we’re friends," she said, her voice still controlled but carrying that same underlying tension, "but if Electra wasn’t in the picture, you wouldn’t even look at me twice."

The words settled between them, heavier than anything that had been said before.

"Not as a friend," Penelope added, her gaze fixed on Irina now, searching for something in her expression. "Not as anything."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Irina stared at her, her cigarette forgotten between her fingers for a second as she processed what she had just heard. The irritation was still there, but it had shifted slightly, mixing with something else she didn’t immediately name.

"Are you serious right now?" she asked finally, her voice lower than before.

Penelope didn’t answer right away. She just looked at her, her expression steady despite the tension in her shoulders, like she was waiting for Irina to say something that would either confirm or deny what she had just said.

Irina let out a short breath, shaking her head slightly as she turned away again, bringing the cigarette back to her lips and taking another drag, this one slower than the last. The smoke filled her lungs, giving her a moment to think and to steady herself before she spoke again.

Because as ridiculous as the question sounded, as irritating as it was to hear, there was something about the way Penelope said it that made it impossible to brush off completely.