Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 187: The Compensation (Part-2)

But before Morgana reacted, Reesa clicked her tongue and shook her head, striking the nail into the coffin. "Miss Frost, isn’t this a bit too heartless? Your master helped you build your name. You wouldn’t want people saying that even in death, he tried to dodge his debts, would you?"

The two of them spoke in perfect coordination, one soft and sharp, the other blunt and mocking.

Morgana Frost’s face turned livid.

She knew better than anyone that these two were deliberately cornering her.

And what made it worse was that she could not even deny it convincingly.

Others might believe that Cassian had taken his own life, but she doesn’t believe such nonsense.

Just yesterday, he had berated her harshly and vowed to find a way to turn the situation around. How could someone like him suddenly commit suicide overnight?

More than that, when she went to his residence earlier that day, his storage pouch was gone.

That bag held everything he valued most.

She did not need proof to know what that meant.

Her master had not committed any suicide, and neither did she inherit anything.

Yet no matter how loudly she protested in her heart, it was useless. She knows that in everyone else’s eyes, she was the greatest beneficiary, the one who had gained everything while pretending to be pitiful.

Suppressing the bitterness rising in her throat, Morgana Frost forced herself to straighten up.

"Zora," she said stiffly, "I’ve already paid what I owe. I’m leaving."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away, her back rigid, her steps heavy, as though each one were sinking into unseen mud.

Behind her, the matter was settled.

For her, however, the consequences had only just begun.

Seeing that Morgana was about to leave, Reesa couldn’t help calling out to her.

"Morgana Frost, this really isn’t appropriate," she said, her brows knit with displeasure. "Your master taught you for so many years. For something like this, you’re not even willing to shoulder it for him?"

After news of Cassian’s death spread, the academy had been buzzing with speculation. Countless students were curious about how the aftermath would be handled, so when Morgana Frost appeared, many had quietly gathered nearby, eager to see the final outcome.

Now, watching her turn away like this, the disdain in the crowd grew thicker by the second.

"So ungrateful," someone muttered. "He was her master for so many years."

"I could tell from the start that Morgana’s character wasn’t great," another sneered. "She took so many benefits from Cassian, and now she wants to wash her hands clean."

"Now that I think about it, if it weren’t for her, Cassian wouldn’t have lost face yesterday," a third voice added. "She is the one who acquired the Elixir, and perhaps, her master merely stood up for her."

"Tch... what an ingrate."

"Whoever marries such a lady is bound to be destroyed."

"One says that a master is like one’s parent. If one couldn’t even bother to uphold their master’s dignity even after their death, what hope can a man expect from her?"

One sentence after another struck like knives, slicing straight into Morgana Frost’s heart. Her expression darkened, her lips pressed tightly together.

She knew it was useless to explain. No one would believe her anyway.

The truth was, she really didn’t have much left.

After compensating for reputational damages, her finances were stretched to the breaking point. In the past, her comfortable life had been supported largely by Cassian. With him gone, she was left with nothing but his residence.

And even that could not be liquidated immediately.

Unable to endure the barrage of accusations any longer, Morgana Frost finally snapped. Turning back, she glared at Zora and Reesa, her voice sharp with suppressed fury.

"My master’s share... I’ll return it in a few days!"

With that, she spun around and left in haste.

Watching her retreating figure, Zora lifted her brows slightly, a trace of doubt flickering through her clear eyes.

Given Morgana’s temperament, she should have paid everything in one go and stormed off in anger. This hesitation... felt oddly out of character.

But Zora did not dwell on it. Whether Morgana came back or not made little difference to her.

Afterward, Clarissa, Silvan, and Adrian each handed over their own portions of the reputational damages, too.

Gone was their former arrogance. Facing Zora now, they were all stiff and cautious. Even when met with her cool, indifferent responses, they forced smiles onto their faces.

They had already made up their minds. From this day on, they would never provoke Zora again. By lowering their posture now, they hoped she would magnanimously let the past grievances fade away.

Zora understood their intentions perfectly. Since her goal had already been achieved, she had no interest in pressing them further. With a few perfunctory words, she dismissed them and sent them away.

When Zora returned to her residence, she found Prince Kael standing outside, arms relaxed, a lazy smile playing on his lips.

"Looks like you made quite a haul today," he said lightly, amusement dancing in his eyes.

Seeing that familiar, teasing smile, Zora couldn’t help recalling their first meeting.

Back then, this very man wouldn’t even spare a single gold coin without arguing over it.

And now, he was joking about her getting rich.

Zora lifted her eyes and glanced at Prince Kael, letting out a snort. "It’s funny to hear that from someone who couldn’t pay me 100 gold coins."

Prince Kael’s dark, sea-deep eyes then curved with a meaningful smile at those words, "But if I hadn’t clung to those hundred gold coins back then, how could I have managed to keep such a beauty by my side?"

The smile at the corners of his lips was dazzling, tinged with an unmistakable charm.

After thinking it over, Zora had to admit there was a certain twisted logic to his words.

In the same logic, if she hadn’t crossed paths with Prince Kael in the beginning, then everything that followed—marriage included—would never have happened.

She pressed her lips together, feeling both amused and exasperated. In this strange chain of cause and effect, even she didn’t know whether to blame fate or laugh at it.

"Yeah, whatever..." She didn’t say much and proceeded to push open the door, ready to step inside. But just then, Prince Kael suddenly reached out and caught her hand.

"Darling, wait a moment."

She turned back, her gaze filled with mild confusion. "Hmm?" At some point, this man grabbing her hand had become far too natural. She was just about to protest when something was suddenly placed into her palm.

Lowering her eyes, she saw a storage pouch resting there.

"This is...?" she asked, surprise flickering across her refined features.

Prince Kael chuckled softly. "Cassian’s storage pouch. There should be quite a few things inside that you’ll find useful."

In that instant, understanding dawned on her. No wonder Morgana Frost had been so flustered and awkward earlier. With Cassian’s storage pouch gone, it was obvious why she couldn’t come up with the compensation easily.

Prince Kael blinked at her, his tone playful. "Darling, compared to those hundred gold coins back then, having a husband like me—wouldn’t you say you made a huge profit?"

Zora weighed the storage pouch in her hand, then looked up at him with a faint, teasing smile. "Barely acceptable."