Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 332: A way through

E’s POV

I didn’t need anyone to tell me how stupid I looked. I already knew.

The problem was simple: Irina, Roxana, and Penelope. They meant well, but after everything they’d done to me in the last half hour, I looked less like someone blending in and more like someone ready to commit a crime.

First, they forced me into a long-sleeved shirt, one that stuck to me in all the wrong ways. Then came the gloves, so my hands wouldn’t be seen. The gloves were too tight, and my fingers itched inside them.

Next, they tied a mask around my face, and then, as if that wasn’t enough, they wrapped a head tie over my hair. As though that wasn’t still enough, they draped a scarf around my neck, tugging it so close to my chin that I could barely breathe.

By the end of it, I was covered from head to toe, and the mirror showed someone who looked nothing like Electra and also nothing like me as far as I was concerned. I looked like a shadow of a person, and worse than that, I looked suspicious.

Penelope stood back, tilted her head, and shook it. "No, just no. If we walk into the hospital with you dressed like this, we’re basically begging to get caught. This screams attention seeker in the worst way possible."

I frowned under the mask, my voice muffled as I asked, "What do you mean, caught?"

Penelope’s gaze slid to the other two girls before she sighed. "The guards. You’ll be caught by the guards standing outside Seraphina’s room if we even try to get close with you dressed like this."

That stopped me cold. "Guards?"

The word left my lips sharper than I meant, my confusion obvious. Since when did Seraphina need guards?

Penelope nodded. "Yeah. The royal family of Aldoria knows about what happened, and Seraphina’s fiancé, Prince Darius, came as soon as he heard that she was stabbed. Unfortunately for us, he brought guards with him, and they’ve been watching her room since the day she was admitted. Attempted murder isn’t something a royal ignores."

For a second, my thoughts froze. I blinked, staring at Penelope, trying to decide if I should even bother asking questions. Seraphina’s fiancé? Guards? The royal family? None of this concerned me. Seraphina was Electra’s lover, not mine.

Their human connections, their messy entanglements, and all of those emotions belonged to Electra. I had my reasons for wanting to see Seraphina, but it had nothing to do with romantic ties, so I had no reason to be concerned that she had an alleged fiancee by her side at the moment.

I muttered under my breath, "That doesn’t matter."

Irina, who had been fussing with the scarf around my neck, gave me a sharp look. "Doesn’t matter? Of course it matters. How are we supposed to sneak you in when the crown prince of Aldoria is standing watch over the girl you want to see?"

I wanted to roll my eyes but held back. Instead, I tugged the gloves tighter and said flatly, "Then we figure it out. I’m sure we can think of something."

Roxana folded her arms. "You say it like it’s so easy, but believe me, it’s not. Darius has the kind of guards who won’t think twice about slamming us against a wall if they think we’re suspicious, and you..." She waved a hand at me, or more accurately at my ridiculous get-up. "You look like a walking crime scene."

Heat rose in my chest, a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "Well, you’re the ones who dressed me like this."

Penelope laughed lightly, though it was more nervous than amused. "She has a point."

Irina groaned and sat on the edge of the bed. "Okay, fine. Maybe we went overboard, but you’re forgetting the bigger problem, which is your face."

I stiffened. "What about my face?"

"You don’t look like Electra anymore," Irina said carefully. "You look like... like a phoenix, and no matter how hard we try to cover you up, anyone who sees you will know. No matter what we do, if you’re caught in plain sight, people will talk, and right now, you can’t afford that, or else you want to experience what being stoned to death feels like."

I let out a long sigh, the kind that burned in my chest before it came out. My mind was honestly starting to feel like it was running in circles for hours, and all I felt was frustration. Nothing made sense, and worse, nothing was moving forward.

Then, like a spark in the dark, a thought came through, and I snapped my eyes toward Irina.

"Is there a way to reach my father?" I asked quickly. "If we can reach him, then I can make him help us."

The three of them froze, each of their faces carrying a different reaction. Irina looked uncertain, her brows pulled together as though she was already searching for excuses. Penelope blinked, caught off guard, while Roxana’s lips pressed into a thin line.

It was Roxana who answered first. "The king has more than enough on his plate right now. You think he’ll have time to hear you out? He’d be the last person to agree with Electra leaving this room. If anything, he’d lock you in tighter if he knew that you wanted to leave."

I lifted one shoulder in a shrug, as though it were nothing. "Then I’ll make him see reason another way. If he won’t let me leave to see Seraphina, then he can bring Seraphina here to me."

My words were met with immediate silence, almost like they could not believe that I had even blurted that out loud.

Finally, Irina’s voice came out quiet and hesitant. "Are you sure he would even consider that? He doesn’t exactly look like a man who can be swayed right now."

I leaned forward, locking eyes with her. "I can’t hide forever, and most importantly, I don’t want to stay in this room until the end of time. Once I get my strength back, I’ll deal with the people who want me dead. I know I can, but for that to happen, I need to see Seraphina. She’s the key. There’s no reason for my father not to want me strong again, and if he’s really trying to protect me, then this is how he helps me."

Penelope looked down at her hands, chewing on her bottom lip. "And if he says no?"

"Then I’ll push harder to convince him," I said without hesitation. My voice was calm, but inside, my pulse quickened. "Just get me through to him, and I’ll take it from there."

The three of them exchanged looks again, and I was honestly growing tired of their silent conversations. They always seemed to think with one mind, and right now, that wasn’t helping.

"What?" I pressed. "If you think this is a bad idea, say it. Don’t just look at each other like I’m crazy."

Roxana uncrossed her arms and took a step closer. "It’s not that we think you’re crazy. It’s that the king himself has been under fire for days, and half the kingdom is calling for him to step down. Do you really think he’ll bring Seraphina here and risk making the scandal worse?"

"Yes," I said bluntly.

Her brows shot up. "Just like that?"

"Just like that." I didn’t flinch. "Because he knows what’s at stake. Without Seraphina, I stay weak, and without me at full strength, there’s no way I survive what’s coming. I’m not asking him for a favor. I’m giving him a choice to either help me or lose me."