Third-person POV

Just as Jella was about to start answering questions from the press, Electra stepped out from where she had been standing in hiding with Irina, and the moment she did, the atmosphere shifted in a way that could not be ignored. She didn't rush or hesitate, she simply moved forward calmly, her posture straight and her expression unreadable as she walked toward the crowd. Irina followed just a step behind her, her eyes already scanning the reporters, knowing fully well what kind of reaction this would cause.

The reporters noticed almost immediately.

At first, it was just a few heads turning, a few voices faltering mid-sentence as their attention shifted, but within seconds, the entire crowd reacted like a chain effect had been set off. The murmurs turned into loud chatter, and then into full chaos as more and more people realized who had just stepped into view. Cameras were lifted, microphones were pushed forward, and the neat order that had been there moments ago completely fell apart as every single person tried to get closer.

The attention that had been on Jella vanished like it had never been there.

"Electra?" one voice called out, disbelief clear in the tone.

"What is she doing here?" another added quickly.

"Does she think she still has the right to be in the palace?"

"Is this some kind of statement?"

Questions started flying from every direction, overlapping and colliding into each other until it was impossible to tell where one ended and the next began. Some of them sounded angry, others confused, and a few carried something closer to fear, but none of it mattered to Electra.

She heard them, but she didn't listen.

Bits and pieces reached her ears, enough for her to understand what they were saying, but not enough for her to care. To her, they were just noise, nothing more than voices speaking over each other without purpose. Her focus stayed ahead, her gaze fixed on the podium where Jella had been standing just moments before.

Behind her, Irina let out a quiet breath, already feeling the tension in the air building, but she said nothing. She simply kept walking, her expression calm, though her eyes remained sharp, watching everything closely.

Jella saw her.

For a brief second, something flickered across her face, something that almost looked like irritation, maybe even a scoff threatening to escape, but she caught herself before it could show fully. Instead, her expression smoothed out again, settling into something more controlled, something that looked almost composed.

She had expected this. In fact, she had been waiting for it.

There was no surprise in her eyes as she watched Electra approach, only an understanding of what this would do. The presence of Electra alone was enough to stir the public, enough to remind them of everything they feared, everything they hated, and everything they didn't understand, and the more they feared her, the more they would turn away from her.

Which worked perfectly in Jella's favor. So instead of stopping her, instead of questioning her, Jella simply stepped aside, giving her space without a word, her movements deliberate as if she were allowing something inevitable to unfold.

Electra didn't acknowledge her. She walked past her without even sparing her a glance, her steps steady as she moved toward the podium, the noise around her only growing louder as the reporters continued to shout over each other, desperate to be heard.

It was chaotic, too chaotic.

The voices blended into one another, rising higher and higher until it became unbearable, and for the first time since she stepped out, Electra's expression shifted slightly. There was a flicker of irritation in her eyes, and without thinking twice, she raised her hand.

"Enough."

Her voice cut through the noise, firm and commanding, but it wasn't enough on its own. So she raised it.

"Be quiet!"

The words came out stronger this time, and just like that, the noise stopped. It didn't fade gradually or soften over time. It stopped completely, like someone had flipped a switch. The reporters froze where they stood, their voices dying in their throats as silence settled over the space.

Some of them glanced at each other, unsure of what had just happened, while others kept their eyes fixed on Electra, their expressions tense.

They remembered, they all remembered the day of her execution. They remembered what she was capable of, and none of them wanted to be the one to test her patience.

Electra stood there for a moment, her gaze moving slowly across the crowd as she took in the silence she had created. There was no satisfaction in her expression, no pride, just a quiet acknowledgment that things were now the way they should be.

Then she began to speak.

"I know that none of you like me," she said, her voice calm, carrying easily through the space. There was no hesitation in her words, no attempt to soften them or make them more acceptable. She said them as they were, simple and direct. "That much is obvious."

Her eyes moved across the crowd again, briefly meeting the gaze of a few reporters before shifting away, like she wasn't interested in holding their attention for too long.

"You don't like me because I'm different," she continued, her tone unchanged. "Because I'm not like you."

She paused slightly, just enough for the next words to settle more clearly. "Because I'm better than you."

A faint shift moved through the crowd at that, but no one spoke. No one dared to interrupt.

Electra didn't seem to notice, or maybe she simply didn't care. "From what I've seen," she went on, her voice still even, "humans don't like anything that's better than them. You fear it, you reject it, and you try to destroy it."

Her gaze hardened just slightly, though her expression remained calm. "But that doesn't change anything."

There was an obvious confidence in the way she spoke, like nothing they felt or thought could alter what she already knew.

"At the end of the day," she continued, "whether you like it or not, I am still the daughter of your king."

She didn't look at Jella when she said it. Her focus remained on the crowd, her words directed at them and them alone.

"And I am a phoenix," she added, her tone carrying just a bit more seriousness now, just enough to make the meaning clear. "Which, from what I understand, is the deity of this kingdom."

There was another pause, longer this time, as her words settled into the silence. "That makes me your superior in every way," she said finally. "Both as a human… and as a phoenix."

Behind her, Irina almost let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She tilted her head slightly, her brows pulling together just a bit as she listened, and for a brief second, she almost shook her head.

That was not how she expected Electra to start, not at all, but she didn't interrupt. She didn't say anything. Instead, she stayed quiet, watching, waiting, curious to see where this would go next, even if she wasn't entirely sure it was going in the right direction.

Electra stood still for a moment after finishing that part, letting the silence linger before she spoke again. "The reason I'm here," she said, her voice steady once more, "is not to argue with you."

Her gaze swept across the crowd again, slower this time, more deliberate. "I'm not here to convince you with words," she added. "And I'm not here to beg you to accept me."

There was no emotion in her tone, no frustration, no anger, just a simple statement of fact.

"I'm here to show you something. I'm going to show you what someone who is superior to you is capable of," Electra said, her voice unwavering and her eyes steady.

There was no arrogance in the way she said it, no need to prove anything. It was simply the truth as she saw it, nothing more, nothing less.

"And after that," she continued, "you can decide for yourselves," she paused, just for a moment, letting the final part settle. "Whether I am still an abomination…"

Her gaze hardened slightly, just enough to show that she knew exactly what they thought of her. "Or a blessing you never knew you needed."