Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 215: Kael’s Past

If Zora hadn’t openly stated her background, no one would have dared to treat her as a mere commoner based on her bearing alone.

Zephrin crossed his arms, a faint smile playing at his lips. "She’s definitely not ordinary. Natural grace, refined composure... have you ever seen a true commoner with that kind of presence?"

Elowen nodded in agreement. An ordinary person would have shrunk back long ago. Who would dare face them head-on, let alone make Fiona suffer loss after loss?

Someone like Prince Kael would never have poor judgment.

If he chose Zora, then she should be worth choosing.

The faint tightness that had lingered in Zora’s chest quietly eased with Prince Kael’s words.

She did not know the full story between him and Guinvere, but the fact that he could introduce her openly, without hesitation, already spoke volumes. Whatever their past was, it was upright and aboveboard.

"Hello," Guinvere spoke first, her gentle eyes shimmering with an unreadable complexity.

"Hello," Zora replied calmly.

She did not miss the fleeting cold glint in Guinvere’s gaze. This woman was clearly not as harmless as she appeared, nor was she someone who lived only to please others.

That was fine.

Zora had never been afraid of hidden thorns.

The two women stood facing each other, polite in words, frozen in atmosphere. Even without raised voices, the tension was sharp enough to make the surrounding air feel thin.

Reesa and the others quietly exhaled. Regardless of Guinvere’s temperament, Prince Kael’s stance was already crystal clear. That alone was enough to set their hearts at ease.

"The ruins will open soon," Prince Kael said lightly. "Let’s rest first."

After giving Guinverea a brief nod, he naturally took Zora’s hand and led her back to their group.

Guinvere’s gaze lingered on their intertwined fingers.

For so many years, Prince Kael had never been close to any woman. She had always stood beside him, unquestioned and unquestioning. And now, with the arrival of this woman, everything had shifted.

Sigmund and the others exchanged glances in silence. Today’s spectacle was far more entertaining than they had expected.

Fiona’s expression was still unpleasant, but seeing that even Guinvere had taken a quiet loss made her feel marginally better. If Guinvere could not win, then Fiona had no hope at all.

Zora sat down cross-legged, her exquisite face composed and unreadable.

Prince Kael glanced at her and immediately understood. No matter how decisive he had been earlier, Zora was still displeased.

He leaned closer. "Wife, don’t misunderstand."

She raised an eyebrow. "Misunderstand?"

Seeing her expression, Prince Kael paused, then suddenly smiled.

Zora frowned. "What are you laughing at?"

His voice dropped, amused and gentle. "Are you jealous?"

Her heart skipped. Jealous?

"Of course not."

Black’s voice chimed in eagerly. "Jealous, jealous!"

Zora shot it a warning look.

Prince Kael did not expose her denial. Instead, he tightened his grip on her hand and spoke slowly, patiently, as if untying a knot strand by strand.

"I grew up in the guild. Master raised me. Guinvere is the granddaughter of an elder, and we grew up together. She has always been like a younger sibling to me."

His gaze locked onto hers, steady and sincere.

"Don’t overthink it. I have never had feelings of that kind for her. As for men and women... There has only ever been you."

His words were quiet, but each one landed with weight.

For the first time, Zora clearly felt it.

From the moment he had fallen from the altar, from the moment he had been cast aside by the world, his heart had only awakened because of her.

And from that day on, there had been no room for anyone else.

If he had not suddenly become a "cripple," how could he ever have left the guild and come all the way to Elysia?

Those three years of concealment were filled with bitterness and grief. He had hated, resented, and questioned fate more times than he could count. Yet now, looking back, he realized that everything had unfolded exactly as it should have.

Those three lonely years stripped away his former pride. They forced him to see people clearly, to understand who stayed and who vanished when glory faded. They tempered him, sharpening his resolve and giving him a calm endurance he had never possessed before.

Most importantly, it was during that lowest point of his life that Zora appeared by his side.

Perhaps this was all written by heaven.

He rose again because of her, and by some twist of destiny, she became his wife.

For that, he was grateful. And because of that, he wanted to protect her for the rest of his life.

As Prince Kael spoke, Zora’s mood slowly softened. She believed him. If he had truly loved Guinvere, there would have been no reason for him to seek her out at all.

"So... you believe me?" Prince Kael asked quietly, watching her expression.

Zora pressed her lips together, then let a faint smile curl at the corner of her mouth. She did not answer aloud, but he already understood.

"Do you want to know about my past?" he asked gently.

He had never spoken of it before, not because he was unwilling, but because he feared she might not want to hear such heavy things. Now that the distance between them had narrowed, he felt it was better for her to know, so that future misunderstandings would never have room to grow.

She nodded. "What kind of life did you live before?"

Prince Kael gazed ahead, his eyes deep and distant, a quiet sigh escaping him.

He told her everything.

He was a disciple of Heaven’s Gate. His master, Ivar, was the guild master himself. Ivar had no children of his own and had always treated Prince Kael as a son, passing down all his lifelong learning to him without reservation.

Prince Kael’s talent never disappointed him. Since the day he began cultivating, he had shone brilliantly, and it was almost an unspoken truth within the guild that he was the future successor.

Within Heaven’s Gate, aside from the guild master, there were four elders, each with a prized disciple. Since the founding of the guild, the position of guild master had always been chosen from among the guild master’s disciples and those four elite disciples.

Whoever was strongest would take the seat.

This tradition ensured fierce competition, constant pressure, and the birth of truly powerful leaders. It was the reason Heaven’s Gate had remained formidable for generations.

A few years ago, Ivar left the guild in search of his own breakthrough. This was nothing unusual. At that level, cultivation could no longer rely on closed-door practice alone; opportunities often had to be sought in the outside world.

Yet not long after Ivar’s departure, the curse within Prince Kael began to surface.

Sensing weakness, his rivals moved.

At first, he could still endure. But when he finally could no longer stand, support within the guild dwindled rapidly. Those who once followed him closely fell silent one by one, and in the end, he had no choice but to leave Heaven’s Gate and come to Elysia.

For three long years, he lived as a "cripple" in the eyes of the world.

But in truth, he had never once given up.

It was precisely because of this identity that Emperor Alexander had once conferred on him the title of prince. As for those rumors about illegitimate sons, they were nothing but groundless nonsense.

During those three years of silent endurance, people from the Moonstone House had harassed him again and again. He swallowed it all. Not for anyone else, but because someone had been watching him closely, from the shadows.

The moment he revealed his true strength, that person would move.

Inside the guild, no one dared to act openly. Outside the guild, however, there were countless chances to strike.

That was why he endured. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Now that he had stood up again, he returned to Heaven’s Gate with his head held high. As long as he was no longer a crippled waste, he was still the original successor.

Once, he had been the undisputed pride of Heaven’s Gate. Though many things had changed since then, as long as he stood on his feet again, reclaiming his former position was never going to be difficult.

Ivar had yet to return, but Prince Kael had already reclaimed his place within the guild.

And yet, this return felt entirely different from before.

He had grown up in Heaven’s Gate, surrounded by companions he once called friends. But after he lost his future, not only did they fail to help him, many of them took the chance to trample him further.

Only now did he truly understand how much those three years had given him.

If not for that fall, he would never have seen so clearly how many petty villains hid behind smiling faces.

As for Fiona, she used to follow him closely. He never felt anything toward her, but out of courtesy and familiarity, he had always treated her politely. Her affection had long been obvious.

Yet three years ago, when he became disabled, Fiona disappeared from his life without a single word.

Why, then, should he give such a woman even half a glance now?

Listening to all this, a trace of pain crept into Zora’s heart.

Prince Kael spoke calmly, as if recounting someone else’s story, but she could imagine the weight of those three years. A genius raised high, only to become a waste trampled by all. If one’s heart were not strong enough, it would have shattered long ago.

"So... what about Guinvere?" she asked softly, a flicker of light passing through her clear eyes. "In those three years, she never gave up on you, did she?"