Electra's POV
The moment I stepped into the palace, a strange, almost surreal feeling washed over me. The palace itself was familiar, but at the same time, it somehow felt foreign. After weeks of living in an alternate reality as Electra Hook—where no one bowed at my presence, where I was just another student struggling to deal with life—it felt wrong to be back in my own life as Princess Electra Vale.
Everywhere I walked, people bowed.
"Your Highness."
"Welcome, Your Highness."
And strangely, I couldn't bring myself to be comfortable about it.
I had always been used to this. I had thrived on this. The fear and the obedience—it was what separated me from the ordinary. It was what kept people from stepping out of line, but after experiencing life as Electra Hook, as someone who was barely acknowledged, let alone feared, this display of submission felt... strange.
And what was even stranger was the way I found myself reacting.