Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 185: Zora’s conflicting thoughts

She did not notice that the smile on Prince Kael’s face, hidden from her view, was brighter than ever.

It was a smile born straight from the heart, the kind of joy that could not be concealed even if one tried. It was as though every part of him was laughing, his eyes gleaming with unguarded happiness.

Behind them, Black and White exchanged puzzled looks.

Wasn’t their master supposed to go and settle accounts with Cassian?

How had a few vague words from Prince Kael turned into a quiet return to the dormitory? Did this mean that Prince Kael had already handled everything?

"Darling," Prince Kael said softly when they reached the door, his voice low and gentle, like warm seawater reaching her legs, "rest early. You must be tired."

Only then did Zora snap out of the lingering haze.

She looked at him, nodded once, and replied calmly, "You should rest early, too."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she turned away without another glance, opened the door, and walked straight inside.

The door closed with a soft click.

Inside, Zora leaned her back against it, her expression dazed and conflicted.

What... just happened?

She lifted a hand and lightly patted her own face, where her cheeks felt slightly warm and had a shade of pink.

Had she really been carried along by Prince Kael’s gentleness just now?

No. No.. No... You needed to calm down, Zora.

*Tap*

She slapped her own cheeks and shook her head, taking a deep breath.

Outside the door, Prince Kael stood still for a moment, looking at the closed door before him. A content, almost foolish smile slowly spread across his face.

His lady, who had always been so slow in matters of the heart, seemed to be... finally starting to understand.

A while later;

Inside the room, the lamplight was dim and steady.

Zora lay on the bed, staring at the canopy above her, yet her thoughts were anything but calm. Scenes from earlier in the night replayed themselves in her mind, one after another, refusing to fade.

How had she ended up letting Prince Kael hold her hand all the way back?

That was wrong. Completely wrong.

She turned onto her side and frowned. It must be because she had been too exhausted these past few days. Her mind clearly wasn’t functioning properly.

Otherwise, how could she have allowed something like that to happen so naturally?

Just as Zora was sinking deeper into this internal debate, two small figures sat side by side on the windowsill. One was black, one was white, and both radiated an unmistakable sense of melancholy.

"White," Black said slowly, turning its round head to look at its companion. Its glossy black eyes were filled with genuine confusion. "Do you think... my intelligence is too low?"

White blinked. "Why would you suddenly ask that?"

Black drooped visibly. "Because I didn’t understand what the master and Prince Kael were talking about at all. Not even a little." It hesitated, then added in a small voice, "Can you explain what it meant?"

After a brief silence, White sighed and lowered its head. "Honestly... I’m only slightly better than you."

"Ugh..."

The two hairballs let out synchronized sighs and turned their gazes toward the moon hanging quietly in the night sky. For the first time in their lives, they began to seriously doubt their own intelligence.

Just as the pair sat there sighing, a white figure padded over silently and hopped onto the windowsill beside them.

Shihtzu sat down with dignity, then stared into the distance.

Black glanced sideways and immediately bristled. "Hey! What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you came to laugh at us."

Shihtzu shook its head slowly and sighed as well. "I don’t understand either."

"Ugh..."

This time, all three beasts sighed together.

In that moment, Black and White felt an unprecedented sense of kinship with Shihtzu. It turned out they were all equally lost.

And so, two white shapes and one black shape sat neatly lined up on the windowsill, heads lowered in unison, staring at the moon while sighing again.

"Ugh..."

*

The next day, shocking news spread through Heavenly City like wildfire.

Cassian was dead.

As a well-known alchemist, Cassian had always been a prominent figure in the city. Alchemists were already few in number to begin with, and their status was naturally lofty. Under normal circumstances, almost no one dared to provoke them.

Yet now, Cassian, a Rank-3 Alchemist, had died under mysterious circumstances, and on the very day after his reputation had been thoroughly damaged.

Naturally, the city was thrown into an uproar.

"In my opinion, Cassian couldn’t bear the blow to his reputation and chose to end his own life."

"That makes sense. Think about it. A respected alchemist lowering himself to scheme against a junior like Zora, only to fail miserably and have his true colors exposed... With his temperament, how could he endure that? Suicide isn’t surprising."

"Not necessarily. What if someone killed him and then staged it to look like a suicide?"

"That’s possible too. Cassian wasn’t exactly well-liked. He offended plenty of people over the years. Every time someone asked him to concoct potions, he demanded outrageous prices and acted arrogantly. It wouldn’t be strange if someone finally snapped after learning of his situation."

For a time, all kinds of theories flew about, each more vivid than the last.

Still, many people privately felt that Cassian’s death was not entirely unexpected. His personality had earned him more enemies than friends, after all.

When the news finally reached Zora’s ears, Black, White, and Shihtzu all froze in place.

Then, realization dawned on them at the same time.

So that was it.

Their master hadn’t needed to act at all.

Prince Kael had already taken care of Cassian... long before they even understood what was happening.

"The Prince is really something. I didn’t misjudge him at all!" Black puffed out its chest with unmistakable pride. From the very beginning, it had felt that Prince Kael was reliable, and now reality had proven its judgment impeccable.

White nodded along in wholehearted agreement, eyes curved into crescents. "The Prince is a top-tier choice. Strong, decisive, and devoted. The master giving him a chance is entirely justified."

Even Shihtzu, usually aloof and indifferent, gave a solemn nod of approval. As far as it was concerned, as long as Prince Kael treated its master well, that was more than enough.

Reesa, sitting nearby, was grinning from ear to ear. Her expression was one of pure satisfaction, as though a long-held grudge had finally been released. "Zora, this outcome is seriously too satisfying!"

She leaned forward, eyes shining. "Yesterday, I was still thinking that letting Cassian get away with just paying compensation was way too merciful. Who would’ve thought he’d be dead the very next day? That’s what I call retribution."

As she spoke, Reesa suddenly paused, her gaze sharpening slightly as it fell on Zora. "Zora... this Cassian... it wasn’t you, was it?"

Zora lifted her eyes calmly and shook her head without hesitation. "Not me."

She had indeed planned to deal with him, but before she could act, someone else had already stepped in and erased the problem completely.

"Oh." Reesa relaxed and nodded. "That makes sense. That old guy offended way too many people. Plenty of folks probably wanted him gone. Him ending up dead isn’t surprising at all."

A faint, cold smile curved Zora’s lips. "Someone like him, staying alive, would only continue to ruin more young people."

Her gaze was steady, devoid of pity.

"The situation Morgana’s in now isn’t much better either. I heard plenty of talk today. Cassian showed up yesterday entirely because of her. Without him, her talent as an alchemist won’t be enough to carry her forward."

Zora’s eyes darkened slightly. "With her reputation ruined and no master backing her anymore, finding a new teacher won’t be easy."

She paused, then spoke lightly, yet mercilessly. "Reaping what she sowed."

Morgana’s downfall wasn’t something Zora had originally planned. But Morgana had chosen to stand with Clarissa and the others, to scheme and strike at her reputation. Once that line was crossed, consequences were inevitable.

No one was forced into this outcome. Morgana walked into it herself.

Reesa clapped her hands together, excitement returning in full force. "They should be coming soon to compensate you for the reputation damage. Honestly, I’m dying to see Morgana’s expression right now."

*

At that very moment, Morgana really was crying.

After being publicly humiliated and harshly reprimanded by her master the previous day, she had returned to her residence in a daze. The only thought in her mind had been to go back to the academy the next day, apologize properly, and pay compensation.

If she had known things would spiral like this, she would never have listened to Clarissa and the others in the first place.

Without them, none of this would have happened.

She had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. It was only near dawn that exhaustion finally dragged her into unconsciousness.

She hadn’t even slept long before someone came pounding on her door, shouting her name in panic.

The messenger had only intended to pass along news.

Instead, he brought a thunderbolt.

Her master... was dead.

Dead.

Even now, Morgana still couldn’t fully process it.

Everything had changed in less than a single day.

Her master was gone, her reputation was shattered, and the path she had walked so confidently as an alchemist had suddenly collapsed beneath her feet.

Without Cassian, what was she?

Who would be willing to take her in as a disciple now?

Lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, Morgana felt the future stretch out before her like a bottomless abyss.