Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 352: What next?

Third-person POV

The crowd began to break apart the moment Jella disappeared into the palace. It wasn’t slow or calm—people scattered like they’d suddenly realized they were standing too close to a wildfire. Phones were lowered, whispers turned into nervous muttering, and the fear in the air was so heavy it almost felt like there was an ongoing massacre, even though no one had been killed.

The guards who had tried to shoot earlier were backing away too, their faces pale, their hands trembling as they put distance between themselves and Electra.

Electra didn’t pay any attention to them. Her eyes were fixed straight ahead, her steps quiet and controlled as she walked back toward Seraphina, Irina, Penelope, and Roxana, almost like she was following a path no one else could see.

Seraphina watched her approach with her heart pounding in her chest. The pain in her back was gone, healed completely by Electra’s touch, but the shock of what she’d just witnessed still lingered. She could barely understand what was happening.

Irina, however, had never been the type to stay quiet for long.

"What... are you going to do now?" she asked, her voice small for the first time in a long while.

Electra stopped in front of them, her gaze cold and blank. She looked from Irina to the others and shrugged lightly. "I don’t know," she said, voice flat, almost bored. "I still don’t remember anything."

Roxana, after letting out a sigh of frustration, would clear her throat and step forward.

"Right... okay. Well...um...my name is Roxana," she said. "I’m also one of your best friends along with Irina and Penelope." She motioned at the other two awkwardly. "We’ve been... like... your closest people for years."

Penelope gave a tiny wave, her expression somewhere between nervous and terrified. "Hi," she said weakly.

Electra stared at them blankly. "I don’t know you," she said. "So I don’t feel anything toward you."

Roxana’s fake nervous smile immediately dropped, Irina blinked, visibly hurt, and Penelope’s shoulders hunched, almost like she expected that answer but still didn’t want to believe it.

Electra, however, was already turning away from them. Her eyes drifted back to Seraphina, who was still shaky on her feet but trying her best not to show it.

"You," Electra said, almost like she was picking out an object. "Are you also one of my supposed best friends?"

Seraphina nearly choked on her own breath.

"I—uh—no," she said quickly. "Not... exactly."

Electra’s head tilted slightly, her eyes narrowing. "Then what are you?"

Seraphina felt her heart jump into her throat. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it again, suddenly very unsure of how to answer. How was she supposed to explain something that Electra herself couldn’t even remember?

"Well..." Seraphina tried again, her voice small and unsteady. "We were... more than friends."

Electra stared, waiting without giving any reaction or understanding. Not even curiosity.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

Seraphina hesitated again, until Irina, who clearly couldn’t take the awkward tension any longer, stepped forward.

"It means you two were lovers," Irina said, almost too bluntly. "Seraphina was your girlfriend. You two were... you know... together."

Electra’s expression didn’t change at first, then her brows creased, just a little, and her lips curled, not into fear, or embarrassment, or shock, but into mild disgust.

"Girlfriend?" Electra repeated slowly, tasting the word like it was something sour. "Lovers? What does that even mean?"

Penelope grimaced and rubbed her forehead. "Oh God," she whispered under her breath. "She really has no idea."

Irina nodded. "She’s like a blank page."

Seraphina could barely breathe. Hearing Electra call their relationship confusing and hearing her look at the idea like it was something she didn’t even like burned in a way she wasn’t prepared for.

Electra continued staring, confused by their silence. It was clear she had no emotional base to even process what romance was supposed to be.

Roxana exhaled loudly, completely done with Electra’s blunt confusion. "Okay, look," she said, throwing her hands up. "How about we get out of here first before we start explaining human relationships to little miss fried brains?"

Electra blinked slowly. It didn’t offend her, not even a little. She genuinely didn’t understand that Roxana was insulting her.

Seraphina rubbed her face tiredly. "Roxy, seriously?"

"What?" Roxana snapped. "She roasted a gun with her hands! She can handle a nickname!"

Irina groaned. "She doesn’t even know what a nickname is right now!"

Penelope tried to whisper, "Maybe we shouldn’t call her a fried brain? She might burn us alive if she misunderstands—"

Electra turned her head toward Penelope instantly, and Penelope squeaked, quickly hiding behind Irina. Electra didn’t react. She just blinked once, like she was trying to figure out why Penelope had moved.

Seraphina reached forward, gently touching Electra’s arm. "Let’s just go somewhere safe. Please."

Electra looked down at her hand, then up at her face.

"You sound like you know what I’m supposed to do," she said quietly.

Seraphina swallowed hard. "I just... want to help you."

Electra’s face didn’t soften at all, but she didn’t pull away either. "I don’t know who I am," she said. "And I don’t trust any of you."

Irina winced, Penelope nearly groaned in frustration, while Roxana muttered, "Wow. She’s honest."

Seraphina nodded slowly. "That’s okay. We’ll remind you."

Electra studied her for a long moment, expression unreadable.

Finally... "Fine," she said. "But if any of you lie to me, I’ll know."

Her tone wasn’t threatening. It was simply a fact.

Irina coughed quietly. "Yeah. Okay, noted."

Roxana whispered loudly to Penelope, "This is going to be a nightmare."

Penelope whispered back, "A hot nightmare, but still a nightmare."

Seraphina didn’t hear them, or maybe she did, but she didn’t care. Her focus was on Electra, this version of Electra who didn’t know her, didn’t remember her, and didn’t even recognize the word lover, but she was alive, and that was enough.

A sudden roar of engines echoed from the distance, making all four girls turn around. Several armored vehicles were rushing down the street, too many to count. Guards were regrouping, and some citizens were returning, cautiously, phones ready again. The news of Jella’s cowardly escape was spreading too fast.

Irina gulped. "We... might want to move, like now."

Electra looked at the approaching soldiers, then back at them. "What are those people coming for?" she asked.

"You," Seraphina replied softly.

Electra nodded once. "Then lead the way."

And with that, the girls turned, pushing into a half-broken, half-terrified crowd. Seraphina stumbled again, but Electra’s hand shot out, catching her before she fell, even though her face remained completely blank.

"You are still weak," Electra muttered.

Seraphina blushed faintly. "I know."

"Why? I healed you. You should be fine."

"Long story, but I will explain once we’re somewhere less chaotic."

Electra didn’t understand, but she didn’t push. She simply released Seraphina and followed the girls into the chaos.