novelraw Chapter 435: Your Choice
Chapter 435: Your Choice
Seraphina’s POV
I stood there in front of Yura, the silence between us stretching so long that it almost felt like time itself had slowed down just to trap us in that moment. Neither of us moved, neither of us spoke, and yet there was so much tension in the air that it felt suffocating. My chest rose and fell slowly as I tried to keep myself calm, but the longer she stared at me with that cold, guarded look in her eyes, the more I realized that this wasn’t going to be easy.
It wasn’t just anger I was seeing in her expression. There was something else there too, something deeper, something she was trying very hard to hide.
I let out a sigh, breaking the silence because I knew if I didn’t, we would just keep standing there, going nowhere. My voice came out softer than I expected, but there was still a firmness to it that I couldn’t hide. "Is Yuna really dead?" I asked, my eyes locked on hers, searching for anything that would give me an answer beyond her words.
The question felt heavy even as it left my mouth, and for a brief second, I wondered if I had made a mistake asking it so directly.
Yura’s reaction was immediate, and it wasn’t what I had hoped for. Her expression darkened even more, and she took a sharp breath like she was trying to control herself. "Do you want me to call security?" she snapped, her voice filled with irritation and something that sounded dangerously close to anger. "Is that what it’s going to take for you to understand that I want you out of my house?"
I didn’t flinch, even though the threat was clear. Instead, I took a small step forward, refusing to let her push me out so easily. "Just answer the question," I said, my voice steady despite the tension building inside me. "Is Yuna alive or not?"
That seemed to push her over the edge. She stepped closer to me without hesitation, closing the distance between us until there was barely any space left. I could feel the heat of her anger, see it clearly in her eyes as she stared directly at me, unblinking, unyielding. "What happened to my sister is none of your business," she said slowly, each word stern and deliberate, like she was trying to make sure I understood every part of it. "So you had better leave now before I lose my patience."
For a moment, I just stood there, looking back at her, trying to find something in her expression that would tell me what was really going on, but she had shut herself off completely, and it was painfully obvious that no matter what I said, she wasn’t going to just open up and tell me the truth. That realization settled heavily in my chest, and I knew right then that I was running out of options.
I took a small step back, not because I was giving up, but because I needed a moment to think. My mind raced as I tried to figure out what to do next, and it quickly became clear to me that I only had two choices. I could leave, accept that I wasn’t going to get any answers from her, and walk away like she wanted me to, or I could push harder, even if it meant crossing a line I wasn’t sure I should cross. The thought made me uneasy, but at the same time, I couldn’t ignore the feeling that something was very wrong here, and walking away without understanding it didn’t sit right with me.
When I looked back at her, my decision had already been made.
"Some of the students in Elysium still have pictures of the moment Yuna’s body was found," I said, my voice calm but firm, even though I knew I was taking a risk by saying it.
The change in her expression was instant. She blinked, clearly caught off guard, and then let out a short scoff, shaking her head like she couldn’t believe what I had just said. "That’s impossible," she replied quickly, almost too quickly, and that alone told me more than I needed to know. "After the school ruled it as suicide, they made sure to get rid of everything. Every picture, every video. It was all wiped. So don’t bother lying to me."
I held her gaze, not backing down for a second. Even though what I had said wasn’t entirely true, I didn’t let that show. Instead, I let out a small breath and tilted my head slightly, as if I were almost amused by her response. "You’re really underestimating the students of Elysium," I said, keeping my tone steady. "Not everything gets erased just because someone says it should."
There was a brief pause after that, and I could see the uncertainty flicker in her eyes, even if she tried to hide it. That was all I needed to know that I had hit something real.
"If you don’t tell me what’s really going on," I continued, my voice lowering slightly but not losing its edge, "then using those pictures, I’ll make sure that everyone in Varynthia finds out what happened. Every single detail, including the part where one of their so-called nagas supposedly killed herself."
The words hung heavily in the air, and this time, Yura didn’t have an immediate response. For the first time since I arrived, she looked genuinely shaken, her expression shifting in a way that made it clear I had crossed into territory she didn’t want me anywhere near.
"You wouldn’t dare," she said finally, but there was something different in her voice now. It wasn’t just anger anymore. There was doubt there too.
I didn’t hesitate. "Try me," I replied, my tone leaving no room for uncertainty. "If you don’t tell me what I need to know, I’ll do whatever it takes to find out, and if that means exposing everything, then so be it."
For a moment, neither of us spoke again, but this time, the silence felt different. It wasn’t just tension anymore. It was pressure, building slowly, like something was about to break. I could see it in her face, in the way her jaw tightened, and in the way her hands clenched slightly at her sides. She was thinking, weighing her options, trying to decide what to do next, and I knew that whatever she decided, it wasn’t going to be simple.
"I could talk to your parents instead," I added after a moment, my voice softer now but no less serious. "Maybe they’ll be more willing to listen. Because right now, you’re not making this any easier."
Her head snapped up at that, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me again, and I could tell that this was the part that bothered her the most. Not just what I knew, or what I was threatening to do, but the fact that I was willing to go beyond her if I had to.
"The choice is yours," I finished quietly, holding her gaze without backing down.