Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 160: The morning of Zora’s Auction (Part-1)

The arrival of Prince Kael had ignited a storm of excitement throughout the academy.

But once his relationship with Zora became public knowledge, that storm gradually settled.

The female students who had lost hope now found their spirits rekindled.

Since Zora belonged to Prince Kael, Raphael was once again free in their eyes.

For a time, Raphael’s popularity surged once more, and he again became the focus of countless secret admirations.

And just like that, five days passed in the blink of an eye.

The day of Zora’s public auction... had arrived.

Today’s auction was one that the entire academy had been eagerly anticipating.

The three Elixirs of Tranquility were not being sold to outsiders. Every single one would be auctioned exclusively to students of the academy.

That fact alone earned Zora a great deal of goodwill.

If it had been anyone else, they would have maximized profits by opening the auction to external forces. Very few people would willingly reserve such precious potions for students alone.

Zora rose early. With the auction scheduled for later in the day, she knew the crowd would be massive and wanted to be fully prepared.

Just as she opened her door, the door opposite hers opened as well.

When Zora looked up, she saw Prince Kael standing there, sunlight falling across his handsome features, a lazy smile playing on his lips.

"Lady," he said warmly, eyes curved with amusement, "I had a dream last night."

Zora shot him a sideways glance, the corner of her lips lifting into a teasing smile. "I dreamed of a bear last night," she replied coolly. "I’m not sure if that was you."

"Heh."

A burst of laughter suddenly rang out nearby.

Reesa had just entered the special enrollment area and happened to hear the exchange. She couldn’t hold it in and laughed openly.

Both Zora and Prince Kael turned toward the sound and saw Reesa in a flowing purple gauze dress, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Zora," Reesa said between laughs, "you two are really something. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, truly."

Zora looked at her helplessly, then glanced at Prince Kael.

He raised his hands slightly, looking innocent. He clearly hadn’t expected Reesa to appear at that moment either.

"Reesa, why are you here so early?" Zora asked with a gentle smile.

Reesa shook her head exaggeratedly.

"Early? I’m already late," she said helplessly. "There are so many people outside your dormitory that it’s terrifying."

"I originally planned to come later, but the students in my dorm got up at dawn. Even the people next door were already rushing out. I was basically pushed along by the crowd and barely managed to squeeze my way here."

Her tone was full of disbelief.

She could already imagine just how explosive today’s auction would be.

"So there are already many people outside?" Zora raised an eyebrow.

Reesa nodded vigorously.

"Many? That’s an understatement. It’s a sea of people!"

Zora smiled wryly.

It was still early. She had thought she’d arrived ahead of time, yet the students were even faster than she was. The attraction of Tuo Dan was clearly beyond her initial estimates.

Just then, another door opened.

Baldwin stepped out, drawn by the noise.

"Reesa, you’re here," he said with a smile.

Reesa looked him over and nodded approvingly.

"You’ve recovered well!"

Baldwin’s complexion was far better than before. He turned toward Zora, gratitude clear in his eyes.

"All thanks to Zora," he said sincerely. "Otherwise, I might not even be alive right now."

From the moment he had been bitten by the demon beast, despair had swallowed him whole. He had feared losing his right arm, feared becoming useless as a spirit warrior.

He had never imagined that Zora would not only save his life, but restore his arm completely, without leaving the slightest aftereffect.

At that moment, his gratitude toward her ran far deeper than words could express.

A life-saving favor did not need repeated thanks.

That weight, Baldwin had already engraved deeply into his heart.

His life had been pulled back from the brink by Zora.

Zora smiled faintly, her tone calm and reassuring. "It’s your own good fortune. Your recovery is going very smoothly. In a few more days, you’ll be completely fine."

Baldwin nodded with a relaxed smile. Being cooped up indoors every day had long grown unbearable. Seeing everyone heading out this morning, he naturally wanted to join in as well.

"I’m really looking forward to fully recovering," he said lightly. "At least then I can move around properly. Staying inside all day is too boring."

Reesa glanced at him and nodded in agreement. Someone as lively as Baldwin being stuck alone all day truly did sound dull.

While they were chatting, footsteps echoed along the corridor. Raphael, Alaric Von Seraph, and Sylvandria walked over together.

"Everyone’s up early today," Sylvandria said with a bright smile. "We thought we were early, but it looks like you all beat us to it."

Zora smiled and nodded. "Not just us. The students participating in the auction seem to have arrived even earlier."

"Oh?" Sylvandria lifted her brows in mild surprise. "Isn’t there still some time before it starts?"

"The temptation of the Elixir is too strong," Baldwin laughed. "Over the past few days, I’ve heard that people all over the academy have been gathering treasures just for today’s auction."

Reesa quietly glanced at Sylvandria.

For some reason, Sylvandria seemed... different today.

Normally, Reesa wasn’t particularly fond of women who appeared too gentle and delicate. And between Sylvandria and Zora, she had always felt a subtle sense of distance, even faint vigilance.

Yet today, that inexplicable feeling had strangely weakened.

Why?

Reesa frowned slightly, unable to pinpoint the reason.

Raphael’s gaze briefly passed over Zora and Prince Kael standing side by side.

Something flickered in his eyes, but in the blink of an eye, his usual warm, sunny smile returned.

"Since everyone’s ready," he said gently, "we might as well head out and take a look."

"That works," Zora replied with a smile, dimples blooming at the corners of her lips. "Let’s go."

Prince Kael followed leisurely at the back of the group, hands relaxed at his sides. His lazy gaze occasionally drifted toward Raphael.

Raphael never looked back.

But Prince Kael could read it clearly.

That subtle heaviness, that quiet restraint... it was the unmistakable look of longing that could not be fulfilled.

As a man, Prince Kael understood it perfectly.

It seemed Raphael’s feelings ran deeper than he had initially thought. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Fortunately, Raphael had not voiced them aloud. And his own lady, when it came to matters of emotion, remained remarkably slow to notice.

That realization brought Prince Kael a faint, guilty sense of relief.

Sometimes, being slow wasn’t such a bad thing.

Elsewhere, Alder stood quietly, his mood tangled.

He had once been the young master’s shadow guard. After the young master left, he had been tasked with protecting Zora.

Now that the young master had returned, it should have been natural for him to resume his role at Prince Kael’s side.

Yet just yesterday, the young master had ordered him to remain nearby instead of following closely.

Alder couldn’t understand it.

Had he done something wrong?

Or... had the young master still not forgiven him for failing to protect Zora that day?