Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 153: The Third Special Enrollment of the Year (Part-3)
White followed suit, rolling around with equal enthusiasm.
Zora’s lips twitched slightly.
Did these two have no awareness at all of being spiritual beasts?
If someone noticed the two furballs tumbling about on her head, wouldn’t that scare them senseless?
Fortunately, every gaze in the square was fixed on the man atop the platform. No one noticed the small chaos above her head.
"I’m Kael Moonstone," the man said calmly, his deep voice rich and magnetic. "It is my honor to join the academy."
As he spoke, his eyes swept across the crowd, seemingly casual, yet they paused unerringly on Zora.
She stood among the students in white robes, serene and graceful. Even in a sea of people, she shone like a pearl in the dark, impossible to overlook.
Meeting his gaze, Zora’s red lips curved into a soft smile, light blooming in her eyes.
Prince Kael’s lips lifted as well, a rare, dazzling smile gracing his handsome face.
Their gazes met across the crowd.
"Many of you already know about the demonic beast tide in the White Mountains." Wilheim’s expression was solemn, his voice heavy with restraint. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
In ordinary times, most students carried out their daily missions in the White Mountains. No one had expected a once-in-a-century beast tide to erupt there.
In the academy’s long history, such massive casualties had never occurred.
The air beneath the platform grew oppressive.
Students in the audience nodded silently. Everyone understood the gravity of the situation. Companions who had cultivated and trained beside them were now gone, never to return. Sorrow and anger intertwined, lingering in every heart.
"After consulting with the vice principal," Wilheim continued slowly, "I have decided to make an exception and recruit a new group of students. This announcement is to inform you all."
A low murmur spread through the crowd.
The academy had always adhered to strict enrollment standards, valuing quality over quantity. Its student population was never large to begin with. After the beast tide, the number had dropped even further.
Under such circumstances, additional recruitment was unavoidable.
This decision had not been made lightly. Wilheim and Gerrad had discussed it for days. While the overall quality of the new students might be slightly lower, maintaining the academy’s vitality and structure was far more important.
Zora listened quietly, complex light flickering in her eyes. She understood this choice. Sometimes, even principles had to bend before reality.
"Alaric Von Seraph," Gerrad said, turning his gaze toward him, "Prince Kael Moonstone’s residence will be arranged by you."
Alaric Von Seraph nodded calmly. "Understood."
Gerrad then looked at Raphael. "You are familiar with the academy’s environment. Show Prince Kael around."
"Vice Principal, rest assured," Raphael replied with a smile.
After explaining a few additional matters, Wilheim and Gerrad departed together.
The moment the two left, the previously restrained morning grounds erupted into noise and excitement.
Almost instantly, countless gazes locked onto Prince Kael.
Curiosity burned brightly in the eyes of the female students.
Alaric Von Seraph already had Sylvandria at his side. Raphael... well, many suspected he had feelings for Zora. Hope was slim there too.
But Prince Kael?
He had just arrived.
A fresh opportunity.
From somewhere in the crowd, a bold female voice suddenly rang out, clear and sharp.
"Prince Kael! Do you already have a woman you like?"
The crowd froze for half a breath before exploding into gasps and laughter.
"Wow—"
The speaker was hidden among the students, impossible to identify.
Reesa’s eyes widened. "I didn’t expect the girls in our academy to be this direct!"
She glanced at Prince Kael again, admiration written all over her face. "But honestly, he really is just like the rumors say... even more handsome than Senior Raphael."
She nudged Zora’s shoulder playfully and grinned. "Don’t you think so?"
Zora smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.
Prince Kael had always been exceptional. His brilliance was never something ordinary standards could measure.
Raphael and Alaric Von Seraph also watched the scene with interest. From a man’s perspective, they could feel it even more clearly.
Prince Kael was dangerous.
Not in cultivation, but in presence.
It was precisely for this reason that they, like everyone else, were curious—How would he answer that question?
Sylvandria’s expression also carried a trace of curiosity.
She had always believed Alaric Von Seraph was already outstanding enough. Yet the moment Prince Kael stepped onto the stage, she felt an undeniable difference. There was something beyond refinement, beyond handsomeness—an innate nobility mixed with calm confidence, like someone born above the mundane world.
Even without sensing his cultivation, that faint smile curving his lips was enough to tell her one thing.
This man was anything but weak.
"Zora," Reesa whispered excitedly, leaning closer, "do you think Prince Kael already has a sweetheart?"
Before Zora could answer, the atmosphere subtly shifted.
Just as everyone waited for Prince Kael’s response, his gaze suddenly settled on her.
Those deep, narrow eyes curved slightly, the corners of his lips lifting into a knowing smile.
The moment their eyes met, Zora felt her scalp tingle.
This... felt dangerous.
Before she could take a discreet step back, Prince Kael’s voice rang out clearly across the grounds.
"Sorry," he said calmly, "I am already married."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The entire academy froze.
Even though many spirit warriors on the Holy Mystic Continent married young, a man like Prince Kael—exceptional in every sense—being married was something no one had expected.
More shocking still was the ease in his tone, the natural certainty with which he spoke, as though this wife of his was not a burden but a source of pride.
Raphael’s eyes widened briefly before he laughed. "This new special enrollee really knows how to shock people."
As he spoke, his gaze swept across Alaric Von Seraph and the others—then paused.
Zora’s expression... was off.
"What’s wrong with you?" Raphael asked softly.
Sylvandria and Reesa also turned to look at her, puzzled. "Zora, are you feeling unwell?"
Only Alaric Von Seraph noticed something else.
From the moment Prince Kael appeared, his eyes had never truly left Zora.
A faint, unsettling thought surfaced in Alaric Von Seraph’s mind.
Could it be... they knew each other?
The announcement shattered countless secret hopes. Sighs and lamentations rippled through the female students. A man like Prince Kael appearing only to already belong to someone—it was too cruel.
Then, from somewhere in the crowd, a bold voice rang out again, half-joking, half-serious.
"Then do you mind taking one more wife?"
The grounds erupted.
Laughter, gasps, whistles—everything blended together.
On the Holy Mystic Continent, polygamy was nothing unusual. Especially for powerful men, having several wives was common practice. The question, outrageous as it sounded, wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Prince Kael chuckled.
The curve of his lips carried a hint of wicked charm as he stepped down from the platform, walking leisurely toward the crowd.
"As for that," he said lightly, "it depends on whether my wife agrees."
Before anyone could process the meaning behind those words, Prince Kael stopped right in front of Zora.
In full view of everyone, he lifted his hand and casually rested it on her shoulder.
His smile softened, warm and elegant, like spring blossoms in full bloom.
"Darling," he said gently, his voice carrying unmistakable intimacy, "what do you think?"
"Whaaaaa"
Boom.
The world exploded.
