Electra’s POV

I stared at Roxana for a moment after opening the door, and the longer I looked at her standing there, the more suspicious I became. It wasn’t just the fact that she had come to my room this early in the morning, but it was really about the way she was looking at me, as well as how she looked.

She looked tense, tired, and strangely determined, and from what I knew about her so far, she didn’t strike me as a person who usually forced conversations. If anything, she had spent the last few days doing the exact opposite by avoiding me whenever she could, so seeing her here now made it clear that whatever she wanted to say had been building in her mind for a while. Maybe it even had to do with why she was mad at me.

After a few seconds of silence, I stepped aside and gestured for her to come in. "Fine," I said, moving away from the door so she could pass. "You might as well come inside."

She walked past me without hesitation, but before she could say anything, I closed the door and added, "Just so you know, I actually have things to do today, and I mean important things. So I’d appreciate it if you got straight to the point instead of circling around whatever this is."

Roxana’s brows furrowed slightly, and I could tell she was wondering what in the world I could possibly have to do that sounded so urgent. The curiosity was obvious on her face, but she didn’t ask about it. Instead, she folded her arms and looked at me in a way that made it clear she had something else on her mind.

For a moment, the silence stretched between us as if she was deciding how to begin. Then, out of nowhere, she asked something that immediately caught me off guard.

"Do you even want your memories back?" she asked suddenly.

The question made me blink in surprise. I hadn’t expected that direction at all. For a second, I simply stared at her, trying to understand why that would be the first thing she chose to ask me after walking into my room like this.

"Why would you ask me that?" I finally said, tilting my head slightly as I studied her expression. The question felt oddly intrusive, and that alone made my tone sharpen a little. "Look, I know everyone keeps telling me that you and I were good friends before my memories disappeared, but that doesn’t mean you can just walk into my room and start questioning me like you have the right to."

Roxana didn’t look offended by my words. If anything, she seemed even more serious. She let out a slow breath and stepped closer, clearly refusing to drop the subject. "Just answer the question," she said firmly. "For once in your life, be honest. Do you actually want your memories back?"

I shrugged, leaning slightly against the side of my desk. "Whether I want my memories back or not has nothing to do with you," I replied calmly. "Unless you have a very good reason for asking me something like that, I don’t see why I should be answering it. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a ridiculous question."

Roxana exhaled again, this time sounding more frustrated than before. She rubbed her forehead as if my response had just confirmed something she didn’t want to hear. When she looked back at me, there was a tired edge in her eyes that hadn’t been there a moment ago. "Fine," she said quietly. "Then I’ll explain why I asked. If you’ve already decided that you’re going to live the rest of your life without ever getting your memories back, then you need to let Irina go so she can finally start living her life."

My brows immediately pulled together in confusion. "What the fuck are you talking about?" I asked, straightening up. "How exactly am I not letting Irina live her life?" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Roxana scoffed loudly, shaking her head like she couldn’t believe I was even asking that question. The irritation in her expression grew more obvious with every passing second. "Do you have any idea what’s going on in the lives of the people who stayed by your side?" she asked sharply. "The people who stood with you even after the entire kingdom, and practically the whole world, found out that you’re half phoenix?"

Her words made me pause, but not because they hurt my feelings. I simply didn’t understand what she was getting at. I could tell she was angry, but the reason behind that anger was still completely unclear to me. "No," I said honestly, spreading my hands slightly. "I don’t, and judging by the way you’re talking, you’re about to tell me."

Instead of calming down, Roxana only seemed more frustrated. She started pacing slowly across the room while continuing her rant. "That’s exactly the problem," she said. "You’ve been so focused on your own drama that you can’t see how badly it’s affecting everyone around you. Everything happening in your life has been spilling over into ours, and somehow you still don’t notice it."

I let out a small sigh and leaned back against the desk again. "For starters," I replied, "I don’t remember any of you being my friends. That alone should make it obvious why I don’t know what’s happening in your lives, but even if I did remember, wouldn’t it make more sense for you to actually tell me what’s wrong instead of expecting me to magically figure it out?"

Roxana stopped pacing and stared at me like I had just said something unbelievably stupid. I continued anyway, because from my point of view it was a perfectly reasonable argument. "Look, I might have powers, but mind reading isn’t one of them. If you or anyone else has a problem, you could just open your mouth and say it. Even if I can’t sympathize the way the old Electra apparently did, I’m still capable of helping if there’s something I can do."

Roxana rolled her eyes so dramatically that I almost laughed. "And how exactly are you supposed to help," she asked, "when you’re the reason for the problems in the first place?"

That statement made me frown again. "You’re still not explaining anything."

She crossed her arms, clearly preparing to drop the piece of information she thought would change everything. "Did you know that Irina is risking getting kicked out by her family right now?"

I blinked slowly. "What?"

Roxana nodded grimly. "Her father demanded that she cut ties with you the moment the truth about your phoenix blood became public. He told her that if she keeps standing by you, she’ll lose her place in their family, and guess what she did?"

I remained silent, waiting for her to finish.

"She refused," Roxana said. "She flat-out refused to disassociate from you, even when her father made it clear that she would be disowned if she kept doing it."

For a moment, I simply stared at her. I didn’t know what kind of reaction she expected from me, but I couldn’t deny that the information was surprising. I tilted my head slightly, trying to process it. Roxana took my silence as permission to keep going.

"If you cared about Irina at all, memories or no memories, you would let her go," she said firmly. "And if you did that, Penelope would follow her. The two of them could finally move on with their lives instead of constantly suffering because they’re tied to someone who doesn’t even care enough to see what’s happening around her."

The accusation hung in the air between us.

I watched Roxana carefully for a moment before letting out a slow breath. The situation she was describing sounded complicated, but her conclusion still didn’t make sense to me. "So your solution is for me to push them away?" I asked.

"Yes."

"And that’s supposed to help them?" I asked, giving her a chance to think before talking.

"Yes," she repeated, as if it were obvious.

I studied her expression for another few seconds before shaking my head slightly. "That’s stupid," I said calmly.

Roxana’s eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

"You heard me," I replied. "That’s a stupid solution."

She looked like she was about to explode, but I continued speaking before she could interrupt. "If Irina’s father wants her to abandon me, that’s his problem. The decision to obey him or not belongs to Irina, not to you and definitely not to me. You’re basically asking me to make that choice for her."

Roxana clenched her jaw. "You’re missing the point."

"No," I said quietly. "You are."

She stared at me in stunned silence as I straightened up from the desk. "You came here to accuse me of ruining your lives," I continued, "but the truth is that every one of you made your own decisions. If staying by my side is causing trouble in your families, you’re free to walk away."

I paused before adding the final piece of the thought. "But don’t expect me to play the role of the villain who pushes everyone away ’for their own good.’ I’m not interested in that kind of drama."