Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 303: Fear of the known

Third-person POV

Queen Jella sat with her arms folded tightly across her chest, her sharp eyes sweeping across the long table in front of her. They were gathered in one of her private houses, the one hidden far from the palace where no one could eavesdrop.

Beside her sat Hunter, and then across from them were General Aurelian, who had just come in from Valternor, and Elder Esmeralda, one of the oldest and most influential members of the Elmerian court.

Hunter hadn’t said a word since he walked in. He’d been keeping a low profile, just like Jella told him to, and ever since he introduced himself to the council of elders behind the king’s back, he had been careful not to draw too much attention.

Most of the elders now supported him, of course, just like the queen had assured him they would, and she had also been sure it was only a matter of time before they could force the king to name him as the next heir, but now, things had taken a new turn.

"I’ve called this meeting," Jella said, her voice calm, "because it’s time we moved to the next phase."

Hunter looked at her, slightly confused.

She smiled coldly. "You’ll be facing Electra at the Revernyn tournament."

Hunter’s eyes widened. "What?"

Jella didn’t blink. "You’ll be competing with your team, just like she will with hers, but it won’t just be about sports. There will be individual competitions too, and you two will be facing each other directly."

Hunter’s mouth went dry, and he didn’t like the sound of this, not one bit.

He knew Electra wasn’t just any little girl. She wasn’t even fully human. She had powers he didn’t understand, and pretending she was just a spoiled princess was a mistake he didn’t plan to make.

Still, he didn’t dare speak out.

Jella noticed the look on his face. "Something wrong, Hunter?" she asked.

He shook his head quickly. "No, Your Majesty."

"You don’t look happy."

Hunter stayed quiet.

Jella leaned forward. "This is the moment we’ve been working toward. All eyes will be on you, on both of you. This is your chance to show the people, and the court, that you’re stronger than Electra. That you’re the one who deserves to wear the crown."

Hunter swallowed hard.

Elder Esmeralda chuckled quietly. "And let’s not forget... what better way to win the support of the people than to defeat the king’s daughter in front of everyone?"

"But," Jella added, her voice dropping low, "you won’t just be defeating her."

Hunter looked up slowly.

"You’re also going to make sure that the tournament is her last day alive."

The room went quiet, and Hunter didn’t answer right away. He glanced at General Aurelian, who just nodded like this was normal. Esmeralda didn’t look surprised either.

He took a breath and finally said, "Do I have a choice?"

Jella gave him a long look. "You always have a choice, Hunter, but if you back out now, after everything we’ve done to put you in this position, then you’re on your own. The court will turn on you, the support we built will disappear, and the king... well, he’ll never let you near the throne again. In fact, he’d kill you to make sure you’ll never be a threat to his precious daughter ever again."

Hunter lowered his head. He knew she was right; still, this wasn’t how he wanted things to go.

"Isn’t it risky?" he asked quietly. "If Electra’s really as strong as I think she is... if something happens and I lose—"

"You won’t lose," Jella said sharply. "You’ve been trained for this, and you’ll have a team backing you. Electra might be who you know she is, but she’s still just one girl, and if you do exactly as I say, she won’t leave that arena alive."

Hunter clenched his jaw.

"I just don’t want to draw suspicion," he said. "If she dies in the middle of the tournament, won’t people start asking questions?"

"That’s why we’ll make it look like an accident," Elder Esmeralda said simply. "Accidents happen all the time in combat, especially when emotions are high and rules get blurred."

Jella nodded. "The key is timing. Let her fight, and let her shine a little. Let her be as arrogant as she wants to be, and then take her down when everyone least expects it. Quick and clean with no hesitation."

Hunter still didn’t speak. He didn’t like the idea of killing someone, especially not Electra. He didn’t particularly like her, but she hadn’t done anything to him, and he didn’t want to be the one with blood on his hands, but this wasn’t about personal feelings.

This was about power, control, his future, and the future of Elmeria, and Jella made it clear, either he won this, or he lost everything, including his life.

"Fine," he said at last. "I’ll do it."

"Good," Jella replied, sitting back in her chair with a pleased smile. "We’ll start your final training sessions tomorrow, and as a kind gesture, General Aurelian will oversee your team personally."

Aurelian gave a small nod.

"And don’t worry," Esmeralda added. "You won’t be alone in this. You’ll have help on the field and off it too."

Hunter nodded slowly, though his stomach twisted.

After the meeting ended, Queen Jella stood up and waved a hand toward General Aurelian and Elder Esmeralda.

"You’re both dismissed," she said, her voice tight with authority.

The two bowed their heads and left the room quickly, their footsteps fading into silence.

Hunter was about to follow them when he heard her voice again.

"Hunter, stay."

He paused, hand on the doorknob, and then turned back slowly, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

Queen Jella didn’t smile. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she stepped closer, her heels clicking against the marble floor. Now that the others were gone, her tone shifted.

"You’re not thinking of backing out now, are you?" she asked coldly.

Hunter tensed. "No," he said carefully. "Of course not."

Jella didn’t look convinced.

"I’m serious," she said. "After everything I’ve done for you, after all the moves we’ve made, don’t even think about growing soft now. We’re too far in."

Hunter stayed quiet for a moment, then let out a breath.

"It’s not that I’m soft," he admitted. "It’s just... if Electra were a normal human, I wouldn’t be nervous, but she’s not normal. She’s not human, and I can’t shake the feeling that she could finish me off in seconds if she wanted to."

Jella rolled her eyes, stepping away from him with a sigh.

"She’s always been weak," she said with a bitter scoff. "Her powers? Wild and useless. No control and no focus. All she’s got is her stupid pride."

She turned sharply to face him again, her voice dropping.

"You should be thinking about how you’re going to kill her. That’s all, not if she’s stronger or not. Fear is a waste of time, and quite frankly, I didn’t bring you here to be a coward."

Hunter clenched his jaw but said nothing. He didn’t want to argue with her. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"And remember," she added, stepping even closer. "Electra’s true nature, what she really is, is a secret. If you say the wrong thing to the wrong person, if you even hint at what she is in front of anyone..."

"I know," Hunter said quickly, cutting her off. "I understand, and I won’t say a word."

Jella stared at him for a few seconds longer, then finally gave a curt nod.

"Good, now go and prepare yourself mentally and physically."

Hunter didn’t need to be told twice. He turned and walked out of the room, barely breathing until he was out of the house. The cool evening air hit his face, and he felt some of the tension melt from his shoulders, but not much.

His car was parked just a few steps away, tucked in the shadows of the tall trees surrounding the private estate. He opened the driver’s side door and got in, shutting it with a quiet thud.

He took a deep breath and reached for the keys, but then, the passenger door opened.

Startled, Hunter turned quickly, his entire body going stiff. His hand immediately hovered near the penknife he had tucked into his pocket, but when he saw who it was, his heart jumped, not from fear, but shock.

"Iris?"

Iris Aurelian slipped into the passenger seat like she belonged there, crossing her legs and closing the door calmly behind her. Before he could ask what the hell she was doing, she spoke, her eyes fixed on his.

"Don’t listen to Jella."

Hunter blinked. "What?"

"If you walk into that tournament with your current abilities," she said, voice low and serious, "Electra will crush you like a bug. This, I can assure you."