Chapter 342: Public Execution

E’s POV

I couldn’t help the sound that came out of me, a dry, tired laugh that echoed slightly against the walls of the throne room. It wasn’t funny, not in the slightest, but it was either laugh or scream, and right now, laughing felt easier.

My gaze stayed fixed on Iris, who was standing next to Jella like she actually belonged there. The smug look on her face, the rage behind her eyes, and the cold confidence in her posture—it finally all made sense.

So that was how Jella managed to trap me.

Only a phoenix would know how to use cuffs like these.

I tilted my head slightly, studying her face. “So that’s it,” I said, my voice calm but dripping with sarcasm. “You told her how to hold me down. I should’ve known you two would be working together. I just didn’t think you’d be foolish enough to expose your true self to Jella.”

Iris’s eyes narrowed, the disgust in them clear. She looked at me the same way people looked at something they wanted to destroy, like I was filth, like I shouldn’t exist.

Still, I smiled.

“Tell me,” I continued, “are you here to finish what you started? Because if I remember correctly, your plan to kill Seraphina, which you were hoping would have killed me too, failed miserably. I’m still here.” I leaned forward slightly, my voice quieter but sharper. “Alive, breathing, and maybe even stronger than before.”

Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t look away.

The silence stretched for a few seconds before she finally spoke. “Don’t flatter yourself, Electra,” she said, her tone cold. “You shouldn’t worry. I’ll make sure that this time, you die, and you’ll never get another chance to come back stronger.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m almost certain that you’ve been telling yourself ever since you found out I existed. You’d think you’d have learned to follow through by now.”

Her expression twitched, a faint crack in her calm. It was small, but I noticed.

Before I could push her further, I turned my attention to Jella, who was still sitting comfortably on her throne, watching us like she was at some kind of performance. Her expression was faintly amused, like she was enjoying the show.

“You seem entertained,” I said flatly. “Tell me, what exactly do you plan to do with me now that I’m here? I assume this isn’t just for your viewing pleasure.”

Her smile didn’t falter, but there was a coldness in her eyes that made my skin crawl. I didn’t wait for her to answer.

“I mean, you’re clearly the one in charge here,” I added, shifting my attention back to Iris briefly. “She’s the boss, right? And you, well, you just follow orders.”

Iris’s head snapped toward me, her lips parting slightly like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t. She didn’t even bother denying it. That alone was enough satisfaction for me.

I smirked. “That’s what I thought.”

Jella’s expression turned slightly, her amusement deepening. She didn’t even try to hide it. Watching Iris struggle not to explode seemed to delight her.

“I wouldn’t test her patience if I were you,” Jella said casually, resting her chin on one hand. “You may be a phoenix, but you’re still in chains.”

I gave a short, humorless laugh. “You think these chains mean anything? They’ll break eventually. You can’t hold me in them forever.”

“Maybe,” Jella said, her voice smooth. “But not before dawn.”

I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Before I could say anything else, Iris finally spoke again, her tone sharper this time. “It means,” she said, turning toward Jella, “that Her Majesty should keep her word. The public execution of Electra Vale will happen tomorrow at dawn, just as promised.”

The words hit like a quiet explosion.

Public execution.

For a second, I couldn’t stop the small wave of disbelief that washed through me, not fear, but a strange kind of shock. She said it so easily, like it was a casual arrangement.

My eyes flicked toward Jella, who didn’t look the least bit surprised. She just nodded slowly, like they had already discussed it in detail.

So this was the plan.

This was how it was going to end, or at least, how they thought it would.

I took a slow breath, staring between the two of them. Iris looked proud of herself, as if she’d finally done something worthy of attention, and Jella looked pleased, like she’d already won.

I tilted my head, a faint smile playing at my lips. “A public execution,” I repeated softly. “That’s dramatic. Even for you.”

Jella’s smile returned. “The people deserve a show,” she said. “And what better way to restore order than by burning the monster that caused it all?”

I rolled my eyes. “Tell me something, Jella,” I said, my tone flat. “Does my father, who, in case you’ve forgotten, is still the king of Elmeria, know that you’re planning to publicly execute me?”

For a split second, her lips twitched like she was trying not to laugh, and then she did. A loud laugh that didn’t sound human.

“Oh, Electra,” she said, shaking her head. “You really do live in your own little fantasy, don’t you?”

My stomach tightened. “What are you talking about?”

Jella’s amusement only deepened. “Do you honestly think that after being caught, your father is still king?”

That made me pause.

Her smile widened when she saw the confusion flash across my face. “Oh, you poor child,” she continued mockingly. “At the moment, your dear father is sitting in a cell of his own, waiting for his turn to be executed.”

I blinked, not sure I’d heard her correctly. “Executed?”

“Yes,” she said lightly, like it was the most casual thing in the world. “Once you’re dead and the people see that the abomination they’ve feared is gone, Vale will follow right after you. The shameless king who dared taint the royal bloodline by sleeping with a phoenix deserves no less.”

For a long second, I couldn’t speak. I could only stare at her, my mind trying and failing to process what I’d just heard. Vale… dethroned? Imprisoned? Waiting to die?

It didn’t make sense. When I’d last seen him, he’d been fine, leaving me toward Seraphina’s room so that I could fix what needed fixing. What the hell had happened after that?

“What did you do to him?” I asked quietly, forcing the words out.

Jella only smiled. “I didn’t have to do anything. The people did it for me. They demanded justice, and justice is exactly what I gave them.”

Her voice made me want to vomit, and my mind raced. If my father was truly gone, then that meant there was no one left who could stop her.

For a moment, I wanted to believe she was lying. She could have been bluffing. Jella thrived on control, and if she thought making me panic would give her that, she’d do it without hesitation, but as much as I wanted to hold on to that idea, something in her eyes told me she wasn’t lying.

He was gone.

My jaw tightened, and I tried to think, to come up with anything that could get me out of this mess, but nothing came.

And Iris—

My gaze shifted to where she stood beside Jella. Iris knew how to kill me. That was the part that terrified me most.

No matter how strong phoenixes were, no matter how impossible we were to truly kill, there were ways, painful ways, to end one for good, and Iris, being one herself, knew them all. If she had shared even one of those methods with Jella, then my chances of survival tomorrow were dropping fast.

I stared back at the cuffs that still burned against my skin, heat pulsing through the enchanted metal. They were doing their job of suppressing my flames and cutting off my power until I felt like nothing but an empty shell a little too well.

I looked back up at Jella. “You think this will change anything?” I asked, my voice quiet but steady. “You kill me, and then what? It’s not like you’ll have the throne for yourself.”

Her expression didn’t change, but I saw the flicker of irritation in her eyes.

“You’re nothing but a parasite,” she said softly. “You and your father both, but don’t worry, when your head is gone and your body burns to ash, the people will finally see me as the queen who saved them from you.”

I smiled faintly. “You’ve been practicing that speech, haven’t you?”

That wiped the smirk right off her face. Before she could respond, the thought hit me like a punch to the chest—Seraphina.

I’d assumed she was safe, that maybe Darius had gotten her out of there, but if Jella was bold enough to dethrone my father, she wouldn’t stop there. She’d go after everyone who had ever stood by me, and Seraphina…

My chest tightened.

Was she still at the hospital? Did she even wake up after I’d tried to heal her?

I wanted to ask, but I didn’t trust Jella enough to give her the satisfaction of seeing me panic. Instead, I forced myself to breathe slowly, to keep my face blank even as my heart hammered in my chest, but before I could even begin to think of what to say next, Jella clapped her hands once.

“Guards,” she called lazily, “take this criminal back to her cell. I don’t want to look at her any longer. Let her wait there and think about her final moments before dawn.”

My stomach dropped.

So it was really happening.

Two guards stepped forward, grabbing me roughly by the arms. Their grips were firm, almost painful, but I didn’t resist. I glanced at Jella one last time, and Iris as well.

They watched silently as the guards began dragging me toward the door.

“Enjoy your night, Electra,” Jella said mockingly. “It’s your last one.”

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