Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 265: The Unknown Chaos

Seraphina’s POV

I was trying to stay calm, but it felt impossible.

My hands were shaking, my legs felt like they could give out at any second, and my heart was beating so loud in my chest I swore someone else would hear it.

I paced the hallway just outside the infirmary, throwing frantic glances toward the door every few seconds like it would magically swing open and someone would step out with good news.

But no one came out. The door stayed shut. The hallway stayed quiet, and Electra—Electra was inside, unconscious.

I kept whispering to myself, "This is supposed to happen. It’s part of the process. This is what Solara said." But no matter how many times I repeated it, my anxiety didn’t ease.

My mind was spinning with all the things I still didn’t understand.

Solara mentioned that Electra needed to approach the brink of death for the path to salvation to open, but how was I expected to know when that moment arrived? What if she died while I stood outside this stupid door, helpless and locked out?

What if I lost her?

My arms were folded tightly over my chest, fingers digging into my sides. I kept running through everything that had happened. The way Iris bumped into her, the sound Electra made just before she collapsed, the faint glint I thought I saw in Iris’s hand, something small and metallic, maybe a needle? But I hadn’t been able to stop it because I hadn’t seen it fast enough.

"Biting the bait," she’d said. What the hell did that even mean?

I felt like screaming. Like breaking down the door and demanding answers, even though I knew the nurse and guards stationed inside wouldn’t let me within a foot of her. I wasn’t family. I wasn’t royal. I was just—me. A nobody.

But Electra trusted me, and she needed me.

I didn’t even get to say anything before she collapsed. One second we were walking back to the dorm, and the next, she was in my arms, barely breathing.

"Pull it together, Seraphina," I whispered harshly to myself, dragging my hands through my hair. "You don’t have time to fall apart."

But I was falling apart, whether I liked it or not. Because the truth was, I didn’t know what being her vessel meant. I didn’t know how to do anything. What was I supposed to do, chant some words? Offer my blood? My soul?

Would she become part of me? Would I have to do something crazy for her to live?

I didn’t even realize I’d been holding my breath until the door creaked open, and I straightened up instantly, my heart hammering, but instead of relief, what I felt was a chill.

The nurse who stepped out didn’t look right. She was soaked, not just a little sweaty from rushing around or working hard, but truly soaked.

Her white uniform clung to her body like a second skin, damp patches darkening the fabric under her arms, down her back, and even her forehead was shining like she’d just stepped out of a fire.

Except it wasn’t hot, not even close. The hallway was cool, almost cold, and yet this woman looked like she’d run a marathon through a steam room.

Her eyes scanned the corridor until they landed on me, and her expression immediately twisted into one of annoyance. "What the hell are you still doing here?"

I blinked, confused by her tone, but mostly thrown off by the sheer amount of sweat rolling down her neck. Was she okay? Because she really didn’t look like she was.

Pushing aside the thought, I responded. "I—I’m the one who brought Electra in. I just want to know if she’s okay."

The nurse scoffed, grabbing a towel from a nearby cart and swiping it across her forehead. "The princess’s condition is none of your business," she snapped. "And if you don’t want to get in serious trouble, I suggest you get going. The king and queen of Elmeria will be arriving any minute now, and you do not want to be standing around when they get here."

Her words definitely took me by surprise because I wasn’t expecting to be told that King Vale and Queen Jella were on their way here.

If they were coming to the infirmary, that could only mean that Electra’s condition wasn’t just bad; it was catastrophic.

I could already tell that the nurse wasn’t going to give me anything more, especially with the way her entire body was screaming exhaustion, frustration, and something else, something more primal. Fear, maybe.

I pushed myself away from the wall, brushing my hands down my skirt, and tried to act calm. I knew staying would do me no good, and I didn’t want to make things worse for Electra by becoming a problem. But something inside me, some nagging instinct, wouldn’t let me walk away without asking the one thing burning a hole through my curiosity.

I turned just as I began to take my first step away. "Wait," I said, and the nurse froze, mid-swipe with her towel. "Can I just ask... is there a reason you’re sweating like that? I mean, it’s freezing in here, and you look like that. Does it have something to do with Electra?"

She stiffened, her back straightening as if I’d struck a nerve. Her gaze darted away, just for a second, and I caught it, the crack in her composure. That look, and that flicker of something she didn’t want me to see.

"I—I told you to leave," she said, voice a little too high-pitched this time. "You’re not allowed here, and asking questions about the princess’s health isn’t something you should be doing."

"I know," I said softly, not moving. "But your sweat—it’s not just from stress, is it?"

I was desperate to know if Electra was perhaps overheating, because then it would explain why the nurse looked like she had been through hell and back.

Her hands clenched around the towel, twisting it so hard I thought it might tear. "You have no idea what’s happening in there," she whispered, and there was something terrifying in her voice. "And trust me, you don’t want to know."

She didn’t wait for me to respond. She simply turned away, pushing the door back open and slipping inside before I could ask anything else, and the door slammed shut behind her.

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