Chapter 47 – Declaration of War

【Elizabeth PoV】

“Remember this, Elizabeth—starting today, I’m going to do everything I can to make your life difficult.”

I sat alone in my room, trying to piece together everything that had just happened. My heart pounded as I thought about Emma’s cold words. I wondered if she knew about my secret deal with Monika, even though we had reached a peace agreement in our own dimension. It seemed impossible that she would know.

“Listen Emma, ​​I know you think it’s unfair and if I were in the same situation as you I would think so too, but I’ve changed a lot, I’ve thought about it…”

Her words made my blood boil. I could feel the anger rising inside me as she spoke, mixing regret with fury. I wanted to explain that things were different now, but I also knew that my past actions still haunted every word I said.

“You know Elizabeth… I never liked you, you’re arrogant, presumptuous, if it weren’t for the huge difference in strength between you and Seda you would probably have killed us a long time ago…”

Those harsh words cut deep. I couldn’t help but feel a mix of sadness and frustration. I knew that Emma had never hidden her dislike for me, and now, the incident with Adriel had only made her anger grow. Every word she spoke reminded me of the mistakes I had made and the hurt I had caused.

I felt my chest tighten as I thought about her constant attacks. That girl was always ready to pounce. I knew she would not stop until she had made me suffer enough for everything I had done.

“Emma, ​​I swear I’ve changed… I’ll never hurt Adriel again.”

I pleaded with my voice trembling, hoping she would understand that I truly meant it. I wanted nothing more than to protect Adriel and to show that I was willing to learn from my faults.

“Not at all because I won’t let you, Adriel isn’t an object for you to try to keep all to yourself…”

Emma’s voice was sharp and unforgiving. She made it clear that Adriel was not something I could control or claim, and that thought stung deeply. I knew she was right, yet her words felt like an endless barrage I could not escape.

I sat back, trying to calm myself as my mind raced. Her strong attack made me realize that I had to change the subject quickly before things got even worse between us.

“Listen… Emma… you say that… but well… aren’t you the one who has several cameras in his house?”

I challenged her, hoping to deflect her anger by pointing out something she could not easily defend against. It was a risky move, but I felt desperate and needed to reach her weakness.

“What?”

Her surprise was evident in her tone. I could sense the shift as she tried to respond, though I already knew where this was going.

“You’re accusing me of something, okay, I’m controlling and I admit it, but what about you… you’re a hopeless stalker and I don’t go around raising suspicions about you.”

I said the words like a burst of truth. It was common knowledge among everyone that Emma had a habit of watching Adriel too closely. Her actions came with a heavy dose of hypocrisy, and I had to bring that up.

“But…”

I tried to interject, knowing I had hit a nerve. The silence that followed was thick with tension. I could tell that I had found her weak spot.

Everyone knew she was a hopeless stalker. Emma always claimed her actions were for Adriel’s own good, yet it was clear she was just checking on him in ways that crossed the line. Even Seda had once forced her to stop putting cameras in Adriel’s bathroom to respect his privacy.

“That’s different… I would never hurt Adriel like you did…”

Emma fired back, trying to maintain her ground as the conversation spiraled into personal accusations. The air between us became charged, each word more bitter than the last.

“Like I said, I bitterly regret it and I even paid for it… but I don’t know if he wouldn’t be disgusted if he knew that a certain someone wanted to watch him taking a shower…”

Her words were crude and painful. I knew she was trying to hurt me by reminding me of my past mistakes, of the times I had been so careless with Adriel’s trust.

“That has nothing to do with it…”

I tried to steady my voice, but the raw emotion was hard to hide.

“It has nothing to do with the conversation, does it….”

I pressed on, forcing her to address the matter at hand rather than stray into irrelevant details.

“That’s right, you’re crazy…”

Emma labeled me as crazy, and the word stung. It was a simple word, but it carried the weight of her judgment and scorn.

“We’re crazy, Emma, ​​the difference between us is that I admit it and I don’t hide it…”

I defended myself, knowing well that my openness might be seen as weakness, yet it was all I had left.

“No, you hurt him…”

Her voice rose, accusing me of causing harm to Adriel in ways she could not forgive. The anger in her tone made it clear that my actions had severe consequences in her eyes.

“And you wanted to overprotect him, I saw the news… the armor… taking away his independence… you did the same as me and in the end… he got hurt too…”

She compared our actions harshly, forcing me to confront the reality of our mistakes. I felt a deep pang of guilt as I realized that we had both played roles in hurting the one we loved.

“No!”

I protested weakly, unable to match the intensity of her accusations.

“Admit it… Emma, ​​you’re me… only you’re weaker than me…”

I pushed the boundary by saying what needed to be said, taking a shot at her pride even though it hurt me too.

“Shut up!!”

Her anger boiled over, and it seemed as if the argument would destroy any hope of peace between us.

Emma was about to lose her composure. Then a steady voice cut through the chaos.

“You two, stop…”

Seda stepped in forcefully, her presence bringing an end to our fight for a moment. Her calm command reminded us all that our conflict could not continue without consequences.

“Elizabeth… I’m still saying the same thing… I’m going to unmask you…”

Emma continued her barrage, refusing to let the issue rest until all secrets were revealed.

“Good luck!!”

Her final words rang out, signaling the end of our heated debate for the day. My heart sank as the anger slowly subsided, and I knew what I had to do next.

With that, my day ended.

Now it’s time to visit Adriel and apologize.