Chapter 461: The Hunted

Third-person POV

Jella had run as fast as her weak legs could carry her, but she knew that in her state, she could never outrun Electra. Despite the fact that there was no sight of Electra anywhere around her at the moment, she was still within the palace grounds, and as long as she was here, Electra could very easily find out where she was hiding sooner or later. The palace was massive, but Electra was not normal. Jella had seen enough over the last few days to understand that clearly. A girl who could bring the dead back to life for even a few moments was not someone a normal human could successfully escape from forever.

That realization alone made panic settle deeper into Jella's chest.

Her breathing had already become uneven from how hard she had been running, and every few seconds she found herself glancing behind her shoulder in fear, expecting Electra to suddenly appear there smiling at her like some monster from a nightmare. The silence around her was honestly worse than hearing footsteps behind her. At least if Electra was chasing her loudly, she would know where the threat was coming from, but this silence? This waiting? It made her feel like Electra was purposely playing with her.

And perhaps she was.

Jella stumbled slightly as she continued across one of the quieter palace gardens, grabbing onto the edge of a stone pillar to steady herself. Her dress was filthy now, stained with dirt and dust from the prison floor and from falling multiple times while running. Her hair was messy, her legs hurt terribly, and her chest felt tight from exhaustion. Still, she forced herself to keep moving because stopping meant death.

If she was going to get out of here alive at all, she could not depend on this stupid game where Electra was the hunter and she was the hunted.

She needed leverage.

Electra was dangerous, yes, but Electra also clearly cared about certain people. Jella had noticed that much already. The girl who had followed Electra into the prison earlier had stayed close to her the entire time. Electra might act cold and cruel, but Jella was not blind. She had lived too long around manipulative people not to recognize attachment when she saw it, and maybe that attachment was the only thing that could save her now.

If she ended up getting caught, which honestly she knew she eventually would, then she needed to find a way to grab that girl and use her as a hostage. It was the only real chance she had left. Electra might not care about Jella's life, but perhaps she would hesitate if someone close to her was involved.

The chances of it working were slim, very slim, but it was still better than doing nothing and waiting helplessly to die.

Jella clenched her jaw tightly as she forced herself forward again. She refused to allow herself to be killed just like that. She had not survived this long by giving up easily. Even now, when everything had already been ripped away from her, she still could not bring herself to simply accept death quietly.

If she ended up dying today, then at the very least she wanted to confidently say that she fought until the very end.

The palace grounds around her were quieter than usual, likely because word had already spread about the chaos involving the royal family. Guards and servants were nowhere near as active around this side of the gardens, which thankfully worked in her favor for now. Still, she remained alert, constantly searching around herself while trying to think.

She needed a weapon, something small and sharp. Something she could use quickly before Electra reacted.

Jella immediately began looking around desperately as she continued moving. Her eyes scanned the grass, the dirt paths, the bushes nearby, and even the stone decorations lining parts of the garden. Unfortunately, there was not much she could realistically use. Most of the decorative objects were either too large or too heavy for her exhausted body to handle.

Her frustration only continued growing.

She even found herself thinking that if she truly managed to grab Electra's little friend, then maybe she should kill the girl immediately before Electra could save her. That way, even if Electra killed her afterward, at least Electra would suffer too.

At least her death would not feel completely meaningless. The thought itself should have horrified her, but instead, it comforted her.

She kept moving through the gardens slowly now, no longer wasting energy sprinting blindly. Her eyes remained fixed downward most of the time as she searched desperately for anything useful. A broken piece of glass, a sharp stone. Even gardening tools, if she was lucky enough.

Finally, just as she was beginning to lose hope, something caught her attention near one of the bushes.

Immediately, she dropped to her knees beside the dirt and started digging through the grass with trembling hands before pulling out what looked like an old rusty nail. It was dirty and slightly bent, but the moment she touched the pointed edge carefully with her thumb, she realized it was still very sharp.

A slow smile spread across her face instantly. "There you are," she muttered quietly to herself.

She quickly checked the length again before gripping it tightly in her hand. It was small enough to hide easily, but sharp enough to pierce skin without much effort, especially the neck.

That thought alone made her grip tighten around it further.

For a few seconds, she simply stared down at the rusty nail while breathing heavily. Her mind immediately started imagining different scenarios. Grabbing the girl from behind, holding the nail to her throat, and threatening Electra. Maybe even stabbing quickly before Electra could react.

The thoughts came far too naturally now, and she slowly rose back to her feet again while still clutching the nail tightly in her palm. Her heart was beating rapidly, but for the first time since escaping the prison, she finally felt like she had at least something.

A chance, a very small chance, but still a chance.

She looked around the gardens nervously again before continuing to move forward quickly. This time, however, she paid more attention to hiding herself whenever she could. She stayed closer to bushes, trees, and quieter paths while mentally preparing herself for the moment Electra finally appeared because she knew Electra would appear eventually.

There was simply no way someone like Electra would let her escape permanently, and the thought alone sent another wave of fear through her chest.

Jella hated that fear, she hated feeling weak, and she hated feeling hunted.

For years she had been the one in control, the one making decisions, and the one people feared. Even when everyone secretly hated her, they still bowed their heads because she held power.

Now look at her, running through palace gardens like a criminal while holding onto a rusty nail for survival. It almost would have been laughable if it were happening to someone else.

She forced herself to keep moving despite the pain shooting through her legs. Her breathing continued coming out unevenly, and sweat clung uncomfortably to her skin under the ruined dress she still wore. Every sound around her now made her flinch slightly.

A bird suddenly flying out of a nearby bush startled her badly enough that she nearly dropped the nail.

"Damn it," she hissed under her breath while gripping it tighter again.

Electra was not chasing her seriously yet because this was entertainment to her. A game. Jella could still remember the excitement in Electra's eyes earlier inside the prison. That girl had genuinely looked eager at the thought of hunting her down, and it made Jella's stomach twist horribly.

With the rusty nail still held tightly in her hand, she continued to run to wherever her legs carried her while mentally waiting for the moment that Electra would find her and try to kill her.