Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 385: The Fear of Her

Third-person POV

Jella had finally managed to fall asleep after what felt like hours of tossing and turning. The palace had gone quiet a few hours ago, and the darkness of the night had settled heavily over the building. Normally she would still be awake at this hour, staring at the ceiling and waiting for sleep that rarely came easily anymore.

Tonight had been different, though, but that was only because she had forced it to be. Despite the doctor’s warnings about the decline of her health over the last couple of days, she decided to have a few glasses of strong alcohol and pair it with sleeping pills, which had finally dragged her into the deep, dreamless sleep she desperately needed.

That was why the sudden noise outside her bedroom door felt so jarring.

At first it was only a faint disturbance in the hallway, something that sounded like hurried footsteps and quiet voices trying not to be too loud. Then the sound of a door down the hall closing echoed faintly through the corridor, followed by another set of footsteps moving quickly toward her room. The silence of the palace had been broken, and even through her drugged sleep, Jella could feel that something was wrong.

Then came the knock. It wasn’t loud, but it was firm enough to pull her fully out of sleep.

"Your Majesty?" a voice said carefully from the other side of the door.

Jella’s eyes flew open, and for a few seconds she simply lay there in the large bed, staring at the dark ceiling while her mind struggled to wake up properly. The sleeping pills made everything feel slow and heavy, like her thoughts were trying to move through thick fog. Her head throbbed faintly, and her mouth tasted bitter from the alcohol she had been drinking earlier.

Another knock came, this time slightly louder.

"Your Majesty, are you awake?"

That was enough to push her irritation to the surface.

She quickly pushed herself upright in bed with a frustrated groan. Her hair was messy, falling across her face and shoulders as she rubbed her temples with both hands. The interruption alone was enough to ruin her mood, but what made it worse was the fact that she had barely been asleep for an hour.

These days she was lucky if she slept four hours in an entire night. The stress of running the kingdom by herself and dealing with the drama from Electra, as well as the endless political meetings and the constant fear that followed her everywhere, had made proper rest almost impossible for her.

Tonight had been the first time in weeks that sleep had come easily, and now someone had decided to wake her up.

Her voice came out sharp and full of anger. "What is going on out there?" she demanded loudly. "Why am I being disturbed at this time of the night?"

There was a brief pause outside the door before the guard spoke again, this time sounding even more nervous.

"My apologies, Your Majesty," the man said quickly. "We did not mean to wake you."

Jella swung her legs over the side of the bed, already feeling her temper rising. The floor felt cold under her feet as she stood up, grabbing the silk robe that hung over the chair near her bed. She pulled it around herself tightly as she walked toward the door.

"If you didn’t mean to wake me," she said coldly while tying the belt of her robe, "then perhaps you should explain why you are knocking on my door in the middle of the night, and you better have a very good reason if you don’t want to lose your head."

The guard hesitated again before answering. "There is... someone at the palace gate, Your Majesty."

Jella stopped walking, and for a moment she thought she had misheard him. "What?" she said slowly.

"They are refusing to leave," the guard continued carefully. "They insist that they must see you tonight."

Jella frowned deeply. Who in their right mind would come to the palace at this hour demanding to see the queen? Annoyance quickly replaced the lingering sleepiness in her body. She reached the door and pulled it open sharply.

Two guards stood outside in the hallway, both dressed in their dark security uniforms. Their posture was straight, their hands clasped respectfully in front of them, and the moment the door opened, both men lowered their heads slightly.

"Your Majesty," they said at the same time.

Jella barely acknowledged the gesture. Her eyes were already narrowed with irritation as she looked between the two of them.

"Well?" she snapped. "Who exactly believes they are important enough to come here at this hour and demand to see me?"

The guards glanced at each other nervously, and that small moment of hesitation immediately made Jella’s temper flare even further.

"Speak," she said sharply.

One of the guards cleared his throat. His head remained slightly bowed as he answered.

"It is Princess Electra, Your Majesty."

For a moment the hallway fell completely silent, and Jella’s expression froze. The name seemed to echo in her mind before the meaning truly settled in.

"...What did you just say?" she asked quietly.

The guard swallowed. "Princess Electra is at the palace gate," he repeated. "She says she must see you."

Jella felt the blood drain from her face. The irritation that had filled her only seconds earlier disappeared instantly, replaced by something far colder and far more unsettling.

Fear.

The second guard stepped forward slightly, clearly eager to explain the situation before her reaction became worse.

"We informed her that she is banned from entering the palace grounds," he said quickly. "But she refuses to leave, Your Majesty. She insists that she will come inside whether she has permission or not."

Jella’s hands began to tremble slightly at the mention of Electra being here at the palace.

Her mind immediately returned to the execution.

That day had never truly left her thoughts. In fact, it had followed her into every single nightmare she had experienced since then. She could still remember the moment so clearly it felt like it had happened only yesterday.

The execution platform, the crowd gathered around the square, and Electra standing there in chains.

Jella had been absolutely certain that the girl would die that day, but instead of dying, Electra had changed.

The light had appeared suddenly, and all of a sudden, Electra had become powerful and uncontrollable. Everything holding her down had melted like they were nothing more than wax, and even the guards had been pushed aside like they were toys, and when Electra lifted her head...

Her eyes had looked empty and cold, dead in a way that had made Jella’s entire body go numb with terror. Electra had stared at her like she was nothing, like she was something that could be destroyed in a single moment.

That look had never left Jella’s mind, and even now, weeks later, it still haunted her sleep. Her breathing grew uneven as the memory flooded back.

What if Electra had come here to kill her? What if the girl had finally decided that tonight was the night she would take revenge for everything that had happened?

Jella’s stomach twisted violently at the thought. "No," she whispered under her breath.

The guards shifted uncomfortably. "Your Majesty?" one of them asked cautiously.

Jella straightened suddenly, though her hands were still shaking slightly at her sides.

"You will send her away immediately," she said.

The guards exchanged another uncertain look.

"Your Majesty..."

"I said send her away!" Jella snapped loudly.

Both men flinched at the sharpness of her voice.

"Under no circumstances is she allowed to enter this palace," Jella continued, her voice tight with fear she was struggling to hide. "Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," they answered quickly.

"If you have to call every security officer stationed in this building tonight, then do it," she added harshly. "But she does not come inside this palace, not tonight, and not ever."

Her eyes moved between them, sharp and frantic. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," they repeated.

Without another word, the two guards turned and hurried down the hallway to carry out her orders, and Jella stood in the doorway for several seconds after they left. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as the silence returned.

Then she slowly stepped back into her room and shut the door. The moment it closed, she reached for the locks, and every latch clicked into place as she secured the door as tightly as possible. Only when the last lock was in place did she step back.

Her hands were shaking badly now.

Electra was outside the palace, and that single thought refused to leave her mind.

Jella looked around the large bedroom suddenly, her eyes darting from corner to corner as if searching for somewhere safe.

The bed, the wardrobe, the bathroom. None of them felt secure enough. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, trying to steady her breathing as fear crawled up her spine.

If Electra somehow made it past the guards... If she forced her way inside the palace...

Jella had no idea where she could possibly hide.