Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 387: Seeking Jella

Third-person POV

Electra walked through the palace gates without another guard daring to step in front of her.

The wide doors had been left open after the earlier chaos, and the security officers who had tried to stop her before now kept their distance. Some of them watched from several feet away, while others stayed near the injured guard on the ground, helping him while throwing uneasy glances toward her. None of them attempted to grab her again, and none of them gave her another warning. The message had been made clear the moment she burned the man’s hand.

She stepped inside the palace grounds as if she belonged there. The building stood tall in front of her, the windows reflecting the lights from the courtyard outside. Inside, the main entrance hall was just as large.

Electra pushed the doors open and stepped inside without hesitation. The sound of her footsteps echoed softly against the floor as she looked around, taking in the tall pillars that stood along the sides of the hall and the chandeliers that were hanging from the high ceiling above. The room was clean and bright but almost completely empty at this hour.

She stopped walking and slowly looked around, and the palace was huge.

Even with her sharp senses and her so-far-so-good accurate instincts, she could immediately tell that wandering through the place on her own would take far too long. The hallways stretched in several directions from the entrance, and every path seemed to lead deeper into the building. There were staircases, elevators, and doors everywhere.

Electra let out a small sigh. "I’m not walking around this entire place," she muttered under her breath.

She stood there for a few seconds, thinking. Then she turned around and walked back outside.

The guards were still near the gate when she stepped out again, and most of them stiffened the moment they saw her approaching. Their earlier confidence had completely disappeared, replaced with a clear fear that none of them were trying to hide anymore.

Electra walked straight toward them, and one of the guards immediately looked away, pretending to be busy with something else. Another turned his body slightly as if hoping she would ignore him.

Electra stopped in front of one of them. He was a young man, probably no older than thirty, and the moment he realized she had chosen him, his entire body tensed. He kept his eyes forward and said nothing, clearly hoping she would move on.

Electra stared at him for a moment. "Hey," she said flatly.

The guard didn’t respond, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Did you not hear me?" she asked, but still nothing.

The guard kept staring ahead like a statue, and Electra’s patience snapped instantly.

She grabbed the front of his uniform collar and yanked him forward with enough force to make him stumble. The movement was sudden and rough, pulling him close until their faces were only inches apart.

The guard’s eyes widened in shock, while Electra’s expression had completely changed. The calm amusement she had shown earlier was gone, replaced by a cold, furious look that made his stomach drop.

"Do not upset me," she said quietly.

Her voice was low, but the warning behind it was unmistakable.

The guard swallowed hard. "I... I’m sorry," he stammered quickly. "What... what do you want?"

Electra released his collar just enough so he could breathe properly, though she didn’t let him step away.

"Take me to the queen," she said.

The guard froze. "I... I can’t do that," he said immediately.

Electra’s grip tightened again. "Why not?"

"Her Majesty will kill me," he replied shakily. "If she finds out I brought you to her, I’ll lose my job at the very least, or probably worse."

Electra stared at him without blinking. "I don’t care," she said coldly.

The guard’s throat went dry.

"If you don’t take me there," she continued, her voice still calm but much more dangerous now, "you won’t have to worry about the queen killing you because you’ll already be dead. The choice is yours."

The words settled heavily between them, and for a moment the guard looked like he might faint. His breathing became uneven as he tried to process the situation he had found himself in.

Finally, he nodded. "I understand," he said quietly.

Electra released him. "Good," she replied.

The guard straightened his uniform with shaking hands before turning toward the palace entrance again. His movements were stiff and nervous, but he started walking anyway, and Electra followed him without another word.

Before stepping inside, she glanced back toward the other guards still standing near the gate. "You’re free to warn the queen if you want," she said casually, but none of them answered.

Electra smirked slightly before turning away again and walking back into the palace.

The guard led the way through the large entrance hall and into one of the long corridors branching off from it. The hallway was brightly lit, with white walls and framed paintings hanging at regular intervals. Cameras were mounted in the corners of the ceiling, quietly recording everything that happened inside the palace.

Their footsteps echoed softly as they walked. The guard kept glancing over his shoulder every few seconds, as if making sure she was still there, and Electra walked calmly behind him, her hands loosely at her sides. Neither of them spoke during the walk.

The palace felt even larger the deeper they went. They passed several empty lounges, a few closed rooms, and long stretches of quiet hallway. At this hour of the night most of the palace staff had already gone to bed, leaving the building almost completely silent.

After several minutes of walking, the guard finally slowed down. They had reached another hallway, this one quieter and slightly darker than the rest. The doors here looked heavier, and the carpet on the floor softened their footsteps.

The guard stopped walking and turned toward her nervously. "This is the Queen’s wing," he said quietly.

Electra glanced around. The hallway felt different from the others. There were fewer doors here, and the lighting was dimmer, giving the entire space a more private feeling.

The guard pointed down the hall. "That door," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "That’s Her Majesty’s bedroom."

Electra followed his finger with her eyes, and at the far end of the hallway stood a large wooden door, with two guards standing outside it.

They noticed Electra immediately, and both men straightened as she approached, their expressions shifting from confusion to alarm in seconds.

"Stop," one of them said firmly.

Electra didn’t stop. The two guards stepped forward quickly, clearly preparing to block her path before she could get any closer to the door.

"Princess Electra, you are not allowed..."

They didn’t even finish the sentence. The moment they reached for her, Electra moved.

She grabbed one of them by the arm and shoved him aside with frightening strength. The man flew backward and crashed into the wall with a loud thud, his body hitting hard enough to make the nearby picture frames rattle.

The second guard tried to grab her shoulder, but Electra threw him aside just as easily. He slammed against the opposite wall and collapsed to the floor, groaning in pain as the air rushed out of his lungs.

The hallway fell silent again, and Electra continued walking toward the door as if nothing had happened. The guard who had led her there stood frozen several feet away, too terrified to move or speak.

She stopped in front of the large wooden door, lifted her hand, and knocked once. The sound echoed through the quiet hallway, and she waited, but nothing happened.

Electra knocked again, this time a little harder, but still nothing. Her patience ran out instantly, and without another word, she stepped back and lifted her foot.

The kick came fast and powerful. The door burst open with a loud crash, the force splintering the lock and throwing the heavy wood inward. It slammed against the wall inside the room before bouncing slightly and hanging crookedly on its broken hinges.

Electra stepped inside, and the bedroom was dark with only a faint light from the hallway that spilled across the floor behind her. The space was large, filled with expensive furniture and soft carpets that covered most of the floor, but there was no sign of Jella.

Electra stood still for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness as she slowly looked around. The bed was empty, the bathroom door was open, and the room felt... too quiet. She walked a few steps further inside.

"Queen Jella," she said calmly.

Her voice echoed slightly in the dark room, but there was no response.

Electra sighed softly. "I’m not here to hurt you," she continued, but still nothing.

She walked further into the room, her eyes scanning every corner. "You can stop hiding now," she added.

The silence continued, and Electra rolled her eyes slightly. "If I have to find you myself," she said, her voice turning colder, "then I can’t promise I won’t hurt you."

She stopped near the center of the room and looked around again. "So if you don’t want to get hurt," she finished calmly, "you should come out now and make things easier for both of us."