Electra’s Pov

I stood there, frozen in place, my brain scrambling to process what Yuna had just said. How did she know? The question kept looping in my head, louder and louder, until it drowned out everything else.

My mouth opened, but no words came out. Then, without even thinking, I started stammering, the words spilling out of me in a panicked mess.

“What… what the hell are you talking about?” I blurted, my voice higher than I intended. “Why would you even ask me that? That’s… that’s the weirdest question I’ve ever heard.”

Yuna didn’t respond immediately, her face blank as she stared at me. The silence lingered between us for a while, and my chest tightened with every passing second. My mind was racing, overthinking, imagining the worst possible scenarios.

Had I somehow been transported back to my real reality without realizing it? Was this the version of Yuna who knew me as Electra Vale? Or—my stomach churned—had Yuna been transported here from my real reality to whatever this was, and somehow figured out that I was the real Vale before I even knew what was going on?

I was spiraling, my thoughts running wild, my chest heaving with barely contained panic, and then it happened.

Yuna burst into laughter.

Not just a chuckle or a giggle—a full-blown, uncontrollable laugh that echoed through the empty hallway. She clutched her stomach, doubling over as tears formed in the corners of her eyes.

It was the kind of laugh that made it look like she was in actual pain, and I could only stand there, staring at her with a mix of confusion and growing irritation.

“What’s so funny?” I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended.

She didn’t answer right away, too busy laughing to even catch her breath. She waved her hand dismissively, as if trying to signal me to wait, but her laughter just kept going. My face twisted into a scowl, and I crossed my arms over my chest, my patience rapidly wearing thin.

Finally, after what felt like forever, she managed to calm herself enough to speak. “You…” she started, her voice still shaking with laughter. “You should’ve seen your face!”

I blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

“You looked so nervous!” she said, still grinning from ear to ear. “Like, genuinely freaked out. I didn’t expect you to take it so seriously.”

I stared at her, my confusion giving way to anger. “You mean…” I began, my voice dangerously low. “You mean you were joking?”

“Of course I was joking!” she said, throwing her hands up in mock surrender. “Did you really think I was serious? Come on, Electra.”

I clenched my jaw, glaring at her as my anger bubbled closer to the surface. “That wasn’t funny,” I said through gritted teeth.

“It was hilarious,” she shot back, wiping a tear from her eye. “You looked like you were about to have a heart attack.”

I narrowed my eyes at her, my fists clenching at my sides. “Do you have any idea how insane that was?” I snapped. “You don’t just ask someone something like that out of nowhere!”

Yuna shrugged, still smiling like she hadn’t just made me question my entire existence. “I thought it would be funny,” she said simply. “And, judging by your reaction, I was right.”

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. “Next time,” I said coldly, “don’t. It’s not funny.”

“Okay, okay,” she said, holding up her hands in mock defense. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out that much, but seriously, Electra… lighten up a little. It was just a joke to cheer you up from everything that happened.”

“It was a bad one, darling,” I muttered, turning away from her as I tried to shake off the lingering panic.

My heart was still racing, my mind still reeling from the momentary fear that she had somehow figured me out.

“Maybe,” she admitted with a small shrug. “But you’ve got to admit, your reaction made it worth it.”

I shot her a glare over my shoulder, but she just smiled innocently, clearly unbothered by my irritation.

“If you say so,” I muttered, “but how in the world did you even think to ask me that? Who walks up to someone and asks if they’re a member of the Royal Family of a kingdom they’re not from? That’s not exactly normal, Yuna.”

She shrugged, looking slightly sheepish but not nearly as apologetic as she should’ve been. “You’re right, it’s not normal,” she admitted. “But you’re probably going to think I’m even crazier when I tell you why I asked.”

“Oh, I already think you’re crazy,” I muttered, folding my arms. “Might as well go ahead and confirm it.”

Yuna gave me a small smile before glancing away, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. “Okay, so… last night, I had this dream,” she began hesitantly. “And in the dream, people kept calling you Electra Vale—not Electra Hook.”

Her words stopped me dead in my tracks. I stared at her, trying to keep my expression neutral, but I could feel the shock creeping in. “Electra Vale?” I repeated slowly. “As in Elmeria’s Royal Family’s last name??”

Yuna nodded, her gaze still distant as if she were replaying the dream in her mind. “Yeah. It was so weird,” she said, her tone almost thoughtful. “In the dream, everyone acted like it was completely normal. Like you were supposed to be Electra Vale, and not… well, you.”

I felt a chill run down my spine, but I forced a laugh, trying to play it off. “That’s… quite the imagination you’ve got there,” I said lightly. “A royal title? Really? What’s next, you’re going to tell me I had a crown and a throne?”

But Yuna wasn’t laughing. Instead, she shook her head, her expression turning more serious. “The odd part wasn’t just that you were Electra Vale,” she said quietly. “It was how real it felt. Like, I know it was a dream, but when I woke up, it took me a few seconds to realize that it wasn’t actually… you know, real.”

My stomach twisted uncomfortably, and I clenched my fists at my sides to keep my nerves in check. “Dreams can feel pretty vivid sometimes,” I said, trying to keep my tone casual. “Especially if you’ve been thinking about me a lot.”

“Maybe,” Yuna said, though she didn’t sound convinced. She glanced at me, her eyes searching my face like she was looking for something. “But there was something else about the dream that made it… strange.”

I raised an eyebrow, hoping my expression didn’t betray my unease. “Stranger than me being part of the Royal Family?” I asked dryly. “This should be good.”

Yuna hesitated for a moment before continuing. “In the dream, people weren’t just calling you Electra Vale,” she said. “There was… this incident. Something bad, and you were at the center of it.”

I blinked, suddenly feeling a lot less amused. “What kind of incident?”

She bit her lip, her gaze flickering away from mine. “It’s kind of crazy,” she said hesitantly. “And honestly, it was terrifying.”

I crossed my arms, my curiosity now outweighing my irritation. “Alright, now you have to tell me,” I said, my tone firm. “What happened in the dream?”

Yuna sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Okay, but don’t freak out,” she said. “But in the dream, you… you were responsible for almost drowning my twin sister, and I hated your guts. Like, really hated your guts to the point of wishing you’d drop dead.”

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