Seraphina’s Pov

Standing outside the classroom, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, feeling a sense of restlessness that I couldn’t shake off.

My mind had been in an emotional frenzy since last night, and none of the emotions felt right. I tried to take deep breaths, forcing myself to calm down as I waited for Yuna and Yura to come back from the principal’s office.

Yuna had been so determined to bring Electra’s actions to light and to hold her accountable for what she’d done to Yura, and I honestly still felt stunned that she had managed to convince her sister to speak up, especially since Yura was clearly terrified to say anything.

I supported Yuna’s decision, knowing Electra had crossed every line imaginable, but part of me still doubted if reporting Electra was wise or if it would change anything at all.

Electra was a princess, untouchable in more ways than one, and getting her to be punished was most likely an impossibility feat. Would anyone even believe Yura’s story? Or would this all backfire on Yuna and her sister, making everything worse?

As these questions buzzed in my head, the guilt I felt started to creep back up like poison. I’d spent hours last night reliving every second in Electra’s room, trying to understand how I’d let myself fall under her spell and how I’d allowed myself to forget everything else.

How could I have been so foolish? I’d spent an hour with the very person who had orchestrated Yura’s near-drowning, and I hadn’t questioned her, hadn’t demanded answers, hadn’t even held her accountable. Instead, I had been mesmerized, swept up in the thrill of being close to someone like her, someone so intense, so magnetic, yet so… dangerous.

I felt disgusting—a mess of conflicting emotions that made me wish I could just start the day over and erase everything.

Electra was clearly ruthless, manipulative, and downright cruel, and I should despise her with every fiber of my being. And yet… I didn’t. Not in the slightest.

A part of me still remembered the thrill of her lips on mine, the electric pulse of her touch, and the feeling that I’d been wanted and chosen. That fascination only made my guilt much worse, as though it had teeth that tore at my conscience.

I knew I should loathe her for what she’d done, but my feelings were just a knot of admiration, guilt, shame, and anger. Electra was everything I should avoid and everything I should despise, but hating her was harder than it should’ve been.

Lost in my thoughts, I hardly noticed the figures approaching until they were close enough that I recognized Yuna and Yura. I snapped out of my daze, shaking off the thoughts of Electra and rushing toward them, my concern for them pushing away everything else.

Yuna looked worn out with dark circles under her eyes, and Yura was pale, her expression distant and hollow. The sight of them hit me hard, my heart twisting painfully as I took in the exhaustion on their faces.

“Are you both okay?” I asked as I reached them, trying to keep my concern at bay.

I didn’t know what the principal had said or if the meeting had gone the way Yuna hoped, but the tension in their faces made me worry that it hadn’t.

Yura didn’t answer my question. Instead, she turned to Yuna, her expression unreadable. “I’m going to head to class now,” she said softly. Then, before I could say anything, she gave me a small, polite nod—a gesture that felt oddly distant—and walked away down the hallway.

I watched her go, confusion knotting in my stomach.

“Yuna, what’s going on?” I asked, turning back to her. Her eyes were downcast, and her shoulders slumped. “Why do you both look so upset? Did something happen at the principal’s office? Did she say something to upset you?”

Finally, Yuna lifted her head, and my heart sank when I saw the tears glistening in her eyes. I didn’t think twice before wrapping my arms around her, pulling her close.

She trembled slightly in my arms, her fingers digging into the fabric of my shirt as if grounding herself.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I whispered, rubbing gentle circles on her back. “Whatever it is, I’m here.”

Finally, she pulled back, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Don’t apologize,” I said softly. “Just tell me what happened. Did the principal not believe you? Is she refusing to do anything about Electra?”

Yuna took a deep breath, steadying herself. “No, she believed us—or at least, she pretended to. She even called Electra into her office while we were there.”

I felt my stomach twist, dread pooling inside me. I could already feel where this was heading, but I needed to hear it from her. “And…what did Electra say?”

Yuna’s eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and disgust. “She admitted it, Seraphina. She sat there, right in front of us, right in front of the principal, and she admitted everything without a care in the world.”

Her voice shook with rage, and she clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. “She looked at me… at Yura… as if it were nothing. She didn’t care that Yura could have died. She just shrugged, like it was the most normal thing in the world, and then she said… she said she didn’t regret it.”

I could hear the anger and frustration boiling beneath Yuna’s words, and I took a deep breath, trying to steady my own racing thoughts.

“What did Principal Astor say?” I asked, though I had a sinking feeling I already knew the answer.

Yuna let out a dry laugh, devoid of any real humor. “What could she say, Seraphina? Electra is the princess. The heir to the throne, and she can’t punish her without facing repercussions from the royal family. When she called us back into her office, she simply told us that she gave Electra a warning—a warning, Seraphina! After she admitted to nearly killing someone.”

I was expecting it, but hearing it still made it unbelievable. “That’s… that’s just not fair,” I said, shaking my head. “She can’t just let Electra get away with it. She’ll keep doing things like this, and she could even end up killing someone.”

Yuna scoffed. “Well, she will get away with it, Sera,” she replied, her voice breaking. “Because she’s Electra, and she knows she is untouchable. She can do whatever she wants, and no one can stop her.”

Not knowing what else to say, I pulled Yuna in for a hug, trying to comfort her and let her know that I was here for her, but after pulling her in for a second time, something strange caught my eye—something I surprisingly missed earlier.

Her shirt collar was upturned, hiding part of her neck, and I found that odd. I’d seen her before she went to the principal’s office, and her collar had been down then. I figured it was probably just a mistake—maybe she hadn’t noticed.

“Here, let me help you with that,” I offered, reaching out to smooth down her collar, but the moment my hand brushed her neck, Yuna flinched violently, grabbing my hand to stop me, her grip surprisingly strong.

I stared at her, taken aback. “Yuna, what’s going on?” I asked, baffled by her reaction. “Why did you panic? I was just trying to help fix your collar.”

Her eyes darted around, not meeting mine. She swallowed hard, looking like she’d just been caught doing something she shouldn’t have. “N-no, it’s fine. Really,” she stammered. “I, uh, actually like it better this way.”

I tilted my head, studying her with a frown. “Since when do you fly your collar up? You’ve never done that before.”

I knew her well enough; something was off, and Yuna was never one to panic or get defensive over small things.

She forced out a nervous laugh, trying to brush it off. “Oh, you probably just haven’t noticed. Really, it’s nothing. Anyway, shouldn’t we get back to class?”

She tried to shift the conversation, looking toward the classroom as if expecting me to drop it, but something in me wouldn’t let it go. Her defensiveness, her discomfort—something was wrong, and I could feel it in my bones.

Without thinking, I acted on impulse. As she turned to look away, I quickly tugged her collar down, and what I saw made my heart stop.

A distinct, dark bruise stretched across her neck, forming the unmistakable outline of a handprint, but it wasn’t just a bruise. Along with the handprint, I saw faint, raw-looking burn marks, almost like her skin had been lightly grazed by fire.

I felt my stomach twist. The sight was alarming, and my heart pounded in disbelief.

I looked up at Yuna, horrified. “Yuna…what happened to your neck?” My voice was barely more than a whisper as I tried to process what I was seeing. “Did someone do this to you in the principal’s office? How did this happen in just thirty minutes?”

Yuna’s face drained of color, and her hands shook slightly as she reached up to pull her collar back up. She looked away, her jaw clenched, clearly trying to keep her emotions in check.

“Yuna, please,” I pressed gently, my voice trembling. “You can talk to me. Tell me what happened.”

But Yuna’s response was only silence. She glanced down the hallway toward the classroom, her lips pressed tightly together. She was trying to compose herself, but I could see the fear and hurt in her eyes—the way she blinked rapidly as if fighting back tears.

Finally, she muttered, “We should head back to class.”

“Yuna, wait—”

But she didn’t give me a chance to say more. Without another word, she turned and dashed down the hallway, almost running. I called out her name, but she didn’t look back, disappearing through the classroom door, leaving me standing there in the hall with my mind spinning.

What had happened in that office?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep