Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 384: The Restless Choice

Electra’s POV

I saw her face again. The face of the only person besides Seraphina who managed to trigger emotions that I couldn’t even begin to explain.

It appeared so clearly in the darkness of my sleep that it felt less like a dream and more like I had been dragged somewhere real. Her eyes were cold in a way that made my chest tighten, and she stood high above me like she had before, dressed in royal robes that moved in the wind. The crowd around us roared with excitement, but her expression stayed calm, almost bored, like the entire scene was nothing more than a performance she had already watched too many times.

It was the face of Queen Jella, my supposed stepmother, the woman who had supposedly raised me and had been considered as my mother before the world found out I was born by a Phoenix. She was also the same woman who had tried to have me executed in front of hundreds of people.

I woke up with a sharp breath, my chest rising and falling quickly as the last pieces of the dream clung stubbornly to my mind. For a few seconds, I didn’t move at all. I simply stared up at the dark ceiling of my room, trying to push the image away, but her face stayed there like it had been burned into the inside of my skull.

This wasn’t the first time I had dreamed since losing my memories.

The first time had been different. That dream had been about a little girl, someone who looked so much like me that I had immediately assumed it was a younger version of myself. That dream had bothered me too, but I had forced myself to forget it. If I didn’t remember my past, then there was no point in chasing pieces of it through dreams, but this was different.

This was the second time Jella had appeared in my sleep, and that had to mean something.

I turned my head slowly and looked beside me, and Seraphina was still asleep.

She lay on her side facing me, her breathing soft and steady. The blankets had slipped down sometime during the night, leaving her bare shoulders exposed. Her red hair was messy, spread across the pillow, and one of her arms rested loosely over my waist like she had placed it there in her sleep without thinking.

Seeing her like that made something in my chest shift in a way I still didn’t fully understand, and even without my memories, being close to her felt... familiar and comforting all of a sudden. But right now, I didn’t want to wake her.

Carefully, I lifted her arm from my waist and placed it gently back on the bed. She stirred slightly, her brows knitting together for a second, but she didn’t wake. I stayed still just to make sure before slowly sliding out from under the blankets.

The floor felt cool under my feet as I stood up. I rubbed the back of my neck and glanced once more at Seraphina. The moonlight from the window threw subtle shadows across her face, and for a moment, I almost climbed back into bed beside her. It would have been easier to ignore the dream that way, but the image of Jella’s face refused to fade.

With a quiet sigh, I walked toward the closet and opened it slowly so the door wouldn’t creak. The room was still dark, but I knew where most of my things were by now. I pulled out a simple shirt and a pair of loose pants and slipped them on quickly.

Once I was dressed, I turned back toward the bed again.

Seraphina hadn’t moved. She still looked peaceful, completely unaware that I was standing there watching her like I was trying to memorize something. I shook the thought away and walked toward the door instead. I opened it slowly, careful not to make any noise, and stepped out into the hallway.

The door clicked softly behind me, and only then did I let out the breath I had been holding.

The corridor outside was empty, lit only by a few dim lights along the walls. At this hour, most of the academy was asleep, and that meant I could move around without anyone asking questions.

I leaned against the wall for a moment, letting the quiet settle around me, and then I started walking.

My steps carried me down the familiar hallway and toward the staircase that led to the lower level of the academy. I already knew where I was going since Irina had shown me the hidden back gate not long ago when the three of us decided to skip class together. Thankfully I had a good memory, as well as a good sense of direction.

But as I moved through the building, a small voice in the back of my mind started asking questions.

Was this really a good idea?

Irina had been very clear about the situation. The academy was supposed to be the safest place for me right now. Penelope had agreed with her, and even Seraphina had said something similar earlier that day. Apparently the palace was no longer safe territory for me.

From what they had explained, Jella had taken control of everything there. She had surrounded herself with loyal guards and nobles who supported her claim to power. Worse, she had thrown the man who was supposed to be my father into prison, and the entire kingdom had turned into a dangerous place for someone like me.

I slowed slightly as I reached the bottom of the stairs. Maybe leaving right now was reckless, and maybe the dream didn’t mean anything, but the moment I thought that, Jella’s face flashed through my mind again. The calm cruelty in her eyes and the way she had watched my execution like it was something she had personally arranged for entertainment.

Even without my memories, that image made my stomach twist.

Why her? Out of everything my mind could have chosen to remember, why was it her face that kept coming back?

I didn’t remember my childhood, I didn’t remember growing up in the palace, and I didn’t remember the people who had raised me, how I was even raised, or the life I had lived before everything fell apart, but somehow, that woman had carved herself deep enough into my mind that she now haunted my sleep, and it made me feel strange emotions I couldn’t fully understand.

I hated that. I hated not understanding things, and right now, the only way I could think of getting answers was to see her again, not through dreams, not through someone else’s story, but in person for a second time.

I walked down the last hallway that led to the back exit of the academy. The door at the end was plain and unremarkable, the kind of door most people would walk past without noticing, but I knew what was behind it.

The path that led to the back gate. I stopped when I reached it, my hand resting lightly against the handle.

For a moment, I hesitated. If I left now and someone noticed later, there would be consequences. Irina would probably yell at me for hours. Penelope would shake her head like she expected this from the start. Seraphina...

I didn’t even know how Seraphina would react, and the thought of her made my chest tighten slightly, but the image of Jella returned again, even clearer than before.

That cold smile and those eyes.

I clenched my jaw.

"I just need to see her," I muttered quietly to myself.

I wasn’t planning to start a fight. I wasn’t planning to announce my return to the palace. I simply needed to look at her and understand why my mind refused to let her go. Maybe then the nightmares would stop, and maybe then I could finally sleep.

I pushed the door open.

Cool night air immediately brushed against my face, carrying the faint sounds from beyond the academy walls. I stepped outside and closed the door behind me, and for a moment, I turned and looked back at the academy building.

This place was supposed to be my safe space. The one place where I could stay hidden while everything in the kingdom settled down, but that safety didn’t bring me any sort of peace, and right now, my mind was too restless for me not to do anything about it.

So I turned away from the building and started walking toward the gate. I didn’t know exactly what I would do once if I managed to reach the palace. I didn’t know what I would say if I found Jella standing there again, but I knew one thing for certain.

If that woman had managed to bury herself so deep in my mind that she could appear in my nightmares even after my memories were gone...

Then I needed to find out exactly what kind of monster she really was.