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

Electra's POV

I was already feeling like death wared over, so Penelope's blunt assessment of my appearance wasn't exactly helpful.

"Electra, you look like shit," she stated matter-of-factly, shaking her head as we descended the stairs.

I sighed, barely mustering the energy to throw her an unimpressed look. "Thanks, Penelope. Just what I needed to hear."

"No, seriously," she continued, eyeing me with concern. "Did you even sleep last night? You look like you're about to collapse any second now."

Before I could snap back at her, Roxana chimed in, backing Penelope up. "She's right, Electra. You look really bad. Like, worse than usual when you don't sleep. What's going on?"

I exhaled through my nose, knowing that lying to them would be pointless. "I don't know," I admitted. "I just don't feel great, but I'll be fine soon."

I wasn't sure if I was lying to them or to myself. The constant burning sensation in my chest, the dizzy spells, the heaviness in my limbs—it was getting worse. I was barely holding it together, but I wasn't about to let them see just how bad it really was.

I turned to Roxana, eager to change the subject. "Where's Irina? She wasn't at breakfast."

Roxana rolled her eyes. "She left school earlier. Her dad's in Elmeria for business, so she had to meet him."

I immediately sighed and shook my head. "That means she's coming back in a horrible mood."

There had never been a time when Irina met her father and didn't return feeling like she wanted to break something—or someone. The man had a way of getting under her skin like no one else, and if I was already feeling like crap, dealing with an irate Irina was the last thing I needed.

As we continued walking back to class, I spotted someone approaching from the opposite direction—Yuna.

I expected her to just keep walking and ignore me like I intended to, but instead, she veered straight into our path, deliberately colliding into me as she passed.

It wasn't a light bump either. She hit me hard enough that I nearly lost my balance, my already weak body struggling to keep upright, but that wasn't the only thing.

A sharp, almost piercing sensation shot through my arm where she had brushed against me. It wasn't exactly pain, but more like… a sting. A prick.

Something was off.

I instinctively clutched my arm, my fingers grazing over the spot where Yuna had made contact. My skin tingled unnaturally, a strange warmth spreading from the point of impact.

"Electra?" Roxana's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I turned to her, trying to keep my expression neutral. "Yeah?"

Her brows furrowed slightly. "Are you okay? You nearly fell just now."

"Yeah," I muttered, forcing a small smirk. "Guess Yuna's still got some unresolved anger issues. Not my problem."

But even as I said it, my mind was racing.

That wasn't normal.

I discreetly looked down at my arm, rolling up my sleeve slightly when Roxana and Penelope weren't looking. The skin looked fine, but I swore I could still feel that strange, lingering warmth from that particular spot.

What the hell just happened?

I subtly glanced over my shoulder at Yuna, who was already walking away, her back to me. She didn't even glance back, didn't react in any way that suggested she had just done something intentional.

Before I could even open my mouth to call Yuna back and demand an explanation, Roxana moved faster than I expected. She stormed after Yuna, closing the distance between them in mere seconds, and without hesitation, she grabbed a handful of Yuna's hair and yanked her backward.

"What the hell was that for?!" Roxana spat, twisting Yuna around to face her. "Are you blind, or just that much of an asshole?"

Yuna, despite being caught off guard, didn't look even slightly apologetic. Instead, she let out an amused chuckle, her lips curving into a smug smirk as if she was thoroughly enjoying the reaction she was getting.

I sighed, feeling my exhaustion pressing down on me even harder. I really didn't have the patience for a fight right now—not when my head felt like it was about to split open.

"Let her go, Roxana," I muttered, barely mustering the energy to keep my voice steady.

Roxana hesitated for a second, clearly itching to drag this out longer, but eventually, she released Yuna with a scoff. "Consider yourself lucky," she sneered, stepping back toward me.

Yuna, who had been fixing her hair like nothing had happened, met my gaze with a faux-innocent look before muttering, "Oops."

She paused, tilting her head slightly before adding with a smirk, "Didn't see you there, Electra."

I rolled my eyes, biting back my irritation. I wasn't in the mood for games, but something about her expression—the way her gaze lingered on me a second too long, the way she seemed far too pleased with herself—had my instincts on edge.

"Did you poke me with something?" I asked, keeping my tone neutral even as my fingers instinctively touched the spot on my arm where I had felt that strange sensation.

Yuna immediately frowned, tilting her head as if I had just accused her of the most ridiculous thing in the world. "What could I have possibly poked you with?" she asked, lifting her hands to show they were empty.

She took a step closer, holding her palms up as if to prove her innocence, her expression unreadable except for the subtle mocking smile that played at the corners of her lips. "Are you sure you're not imagining things, Your Highness?" she added, the title laced with sarcasm.

Roxana tensed beside me, looking ready to go for round two, while Penelope watched the interaction closely, her gaze flickering between Yuna's hands and my face.

I could feel my frustration growing, but my body was already too drained to deal with this any further. I didn't have the energy to call her out properly—not now.

"Just be careful next time," I muttered, turning away from her. "You might not be so lucky if you pull something like that again."

I didn't wait for her response.

Instead, I started walking away, feeling Roxana and Penelope fall into step beside me, but even as I left Yuna standing there, her smug smirk burned in the back of my mind.

Something wasn't right, but right now, I couldn't bring myself to overthink what it was.