Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 319: D-day (Disaster day)

Electra’s POV

I stood in front of the mirror, tugging down the sleeves of my red captain uniform. The fabric was smooth, fitted perfectly to my frame, and had gold accents that were shining faintly under the room’s lighting.

The Elmerian royal emblem sat boldly on my chest, stitched into the uniform like a reminder that I wasn’t just any captain; I was their captain. Their future queen, and today... I was going to prove it.

The Revernyn tournament was happening in less than an hour, and if I was being honest, yeah, I was nervous. The kind of nervous that crawled up your spine and made your stomach feel like it was made of paper, but I couldn’t afford to let that get to me.

Not today, not when every school would be watching, and especially not when that imposter that he was supposed to be my uncle would be watching.

I exhaled slowly and leaned a little closer to the mirror, adjusting the way the collar sat on my neck. My fingers brushed over the gold threads of the emblem, and my heart beat louder in my chest.

I refused to doubt myself or be afraid because all I had to do was win every single game, crush every doubt, and show every soul in Elmeria that I’m more than just the brat they believed I was. They needed to see that I was a leader and a queen in her own right.

Just as I pulled back a little, staring into my own eyes for focus, I froze because it wasn’t just my reflection staring back anymore.

It was hers.

"Great," I muttered.

E stood in the reflection, her usual dark expression painted across her face like she had just walked out of a thunderstorm. Her arms were crossed, and her bright blue eyes were narrowed slightly.

"I don’t like this," she said flatly, her voice laced with an edge of warning. "I’m getting a bad feeling about today."

I groaned and dropped my hands to my sides. "Can you just... be positive for once?" I said, trying to keep my tone even. "You always pop in with these ominous comments like we’re starring in a horror film. It’s getting old."

E arched a brow. "So sorry for not pretending to be positive, sweetie."

"I’m serious," I said, folding my arms to mirror her. "I’m not losing today, E. Not to Hunter, not to anyone. So if this is one of your dramatic ways of saying I’m about to fall flat on my face, then spoiler alert, it’s not happening."

But she didn’t roll her eyes or scoff like she usually did. Instead, she sighed. "It’s not about losing, Electra."

That made me pause. "What do you mean?"

E’s expression softened, just barely. "I have no intention of letting you lose, and you already know that. If anyone touches a hair on your head, I’ll be the first one to snap their neck."

"Comforting."

"But this feeling... it’s not about the games," she continued. "It’s something else, something bigger, and I don’t know if it’s going to work in our favor or ruin everything."

I studied her for a moment, my nerves twitching again. "You’re not usually this vague."

"Because I’m not sure myself," she admitted, and that was what really made my stomach twist. If E didn’t know something, if she wasn’t sure, then I needed to be ready for anything.

I looked down at my hands. I had trained harder than anyone else for this, and still, she was warning me like we were walking into a trap instead of a tournament.

"What should I do then?" I asked quietly.

E stared back at me through the mirror. "Stay sharp, and watch everything. Trust your instincts, but also don’t ignore mine."

"Noted."

I let out a breath and leaned forward again, looking past her, back at my own reflection. The bruises from yesterday were completely gone. My skin was smooth again, with no trace of Yuna’s fists or Iris’s smug grin.

Just Electra Vale, daughter of Elmeria, dressed in royal red and ready to burn the world down if she had to.

I straightened up. "Whatever’s coming," I said out loud, "I can handle it."

E smiled faintly. "That’s the spirit."

I reached for my gloves, pulling them on one finger at a time. "Try not to be too much of a distraction, okay?"

"I’ll do my best," she said.

I nodded once and stepped away from the mirror. I didn’t need to hear anything else from her.

A soft knock came from the door.

"Electra?" Roxana’s voice.

I walked over and opened it, finding her already dressed in her own uniform, her blonde curls pulled back into a ponytail. She looked me up and down, and for a second, her lips twitched.

"You look like a goddess."

I smirked. "That’s the point."

"You ready?" she asked.

I nodded. "More than."

We started walking down the hallway together, and behind us, I could hear Penelope and Irina catching up, already dressed in their uniforms as well with serious looks on their faces. Yura was waiting by the entrance to the courtyard, her expression unreadable.

As we stepped into the sunlight, the sound of drums and cheering hit me all at once. Students from all the participating schools were already filling the arena seats, and the Revernyn banners were flying high in the air. It felt like stepping into a battlefield wrapped in celebration.

"Electra," Penelope said, falling into step beside me. "We heard your uncle’s group brought in two captains this time. Twins to be precise. You know anything about that?"

I shook my head. "No, but I’ll find out."

Irina snorted. "We’ll crush them either way."

That was the energy I needed.

As we made our way into the designated prep area, I caught sight of the Elmerian council representatives already seated on the royal viewing deck.

Among them were my father and Queen Jella. Vale looked his usual unreadable self, but I could feel his eyes tracking my every movement.

I met his gaze for a second, then turned away and stared ahead, tuning out the buzz of the crowd that had gathered in the stands.

Everyone was waiting for the tournament to begin, but my thoughts were no longer on the opening ceremony or the opponents I’d have to crush today. They were on one person.

Seraphina.

Where the hell was she?

I turned toward Roxana, who stood to my right, adjusting the grip on her bow. "Have you seen Seraphina?" I asked, trying to sound casual, but I knew the worry in my voice gave me away. "She said she’d be here before the games started."

Roxana glanced around briefly. "Haven’t seen her, but she’s probably just running late," she replied with a shrug. "She’ll show."

I didn’t like that answer.

Seraphina wasn’t the type to be late, especially not for this. Not when I was competing with my life on the line, and not when she knew exactly how much today meant.

No, she’d have shown up early, scolding me for maybe not eating enough or fussing over whether my uniform was straight. If she wasn’t here, something was wrong.

I glanced toward the entrance gates again, scanning the faces in the crowd. Nothing.

Just then, a loud voice echoed through the arena.

"Captains and team members of the Revernyn tournament," the announcer called. "Please gather at the main field. The first round of enchanted archery will begin shortly."

My stomach twisted. Of course it had to be archery first.

"Damn it," I muttered under my breath, fighting the urge to run off and check her room.

I turned, ready to take a step, when Irina stepped right in front of me, snapping her fingers in my face. "Electra," she said firmly. "Focus."

I blinked and frowned at her. "I’m not seeing Seraphina anywhere."

"I know," she said. "And she probably is somewhere, maybe in the stands. You know non-participants aren’t allowed past the gates once the games start. She’s probably watching like everyone else."

"She wouldn’t be in the crowd," I said, shaking my head. "She wouldn’t just sit back and watch without saying anything to me first. She would’ve spoken to me first to check that I was doing okay."

Irina exhaled slowly and lowered her voice. "Look, I get you’re worried. I do, but right now, your life, your actual life, is on the line, and we both know it."

I clenched my fists at my sides, knowing that she was right. It didn’t stop the worry clawing at my chest, but she was right.

Roxana stepped forward and touched my shoulder. "You’ve trained for this. You’re the best shot I’ve ever seen. We’ll win this, but for that to happen, we need you in the game, Electra."

Penelope nodded. "Whatever’s going on with Seraphina, we’ll figure it out after this round, okay?"

I let out a shaky breath and nodded. "Alright. Let’s go."