Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 236: The Ancient Ruins (Part-8)

"An illusion?" Reesa’s voice rose in realization. After a moment’s thought, she nodded vigorously. "That makes so much sense. It really was an illusion!"

She suddenly remembered something and added, "I heard some of House Storm’s spirit warriors say that you and Prince Kael were the first to come out. They even tried to chase after you, but failed."

Reesa laughed. "Looks like those so-called powerful family spirit warriors aren’t as amazing as the rumors make them out to be."

Zora immediately understood who Reesa was referring to and shook her head slightly.

"The foundations of those great families are incredibly deep," she said calmly. "What we’ve seen so far is only the surface."

She knew Reesa meant well, but she didn’t want her friend to underestimate formidable opponents and invite trouble.

Hearing the caution in Zora’s tone, Reesa’s expression turned serious. She understood that this reminder came from genuine concern—and she took it to heart.

A gentle smile curved Reesa’s delicate features as she clasped Zora’s hands and spoke earnestly. "Zora, I understand what you mean. Don’t worry, I won’t take the initiative to offend them."

Seeing that Reesa truly understood, Zora’s expression softened as well. "That’s good. For now, we don’t need to rush into conflict with them."

A quiet resolve shimmered in her dark eyes. Their paths might not cross often at present, but in the future, encounters would be inevitable.

House Griffin, mysterious and powerful, and her ancestral home.

She was certain they would meet again.

"Zora," Reesa continued in a lower voice, leaning closer, "while you were trapped in the stone chamber, Prince Kael was extremely worried about you."

She glanced meaningfully toward the massive stone door. "When we arrived, he was standing guard outside, watching it nonstop. Any movement, and his eyes would light up immediately."

"Guinvere even came over to ask about you," Reesa added with a playful grin. "But Prince Kael barely paid her any attention. All his thoughts were on you."

She nudged Zora lightly and laughed. "See? I told you he’s a man worth trusting for life. My judgment isn’t bad at all!"

Zora shook her head helplessly, lips twitching with amusement. Reesa was truly a walking bundle of mischief.

"You’ve been separated for over half a month," Reesa said with exaggerated seriousness. "You must have plenty to talk about. I won’t get in the way!"

With that, she waved cheerfully and darted off before Zora could stop her.

Once Reesa left, Prince Kael slowly approached.

"Darling," he asked softly, his voice restrained, "were you... Alright in the stone chamber?"

His deep eyes were layered with concern, guilt, and unspoken pain.

Before entering the ruins, he had promised to protect her. Yet in the end, he had still let her face danger alone.

Over the past half month, that thought had tormented him endlessly. If anything had truly happened to her, he knew he would never forgive himself.

"You mean inside the stone chamber?" Zora laughed lightly, lifting her gaze to meet his.

The moment she saw the self-reproach and anguish in his eyes, her smile faltered slightly. She had only meant to tease him, never expecting such a heavy reaction.

"I’m sorry," Prince Kael said quietly, his voice hoarse. "I didn’t take good care of you."

Hearing the depth of his remorse, Zora’s heart softened. "I was perfectly fine in there," she reassured him. "Nothing happened. In fact, my cultivation even improved. You don’t need to blame yourself."

Prince Kael shook his head slowly. "You don’t have to comfort me. This time... I failed."

Seeing his stubborn guilt, Zora grew serious. "The ruins are full of unpredictable dangers. You already did your best. Besides, I was lucky. It turned into an opportunity for me."

For a long moment, Prince Kael said nothing.

Finally, he exhaled softly, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little. "As long as you came out safely... that’s all that matters."

Only then did he realize how tightly his heart had been clenched all this time.

Yes, she had survived partly because of luck. But that didn’t change the fact that he hadn’t been there beside her.

And that truth, no matter how gently wrapped, still weighed heavily on his heart.

If he had been even a little more careful, she would never have slipped out of his sight.

Ancient ruins were never gentle places. Cruelty and danger were as common as shadows, and death could come without warning.

This time, Prince Kael had truly been shaken.

In his heart, he had already sworn that such a thing would never happen again.

Seeing the heavy guilt written across his face, Zora felt a quiet ache. She did not want him to keep blaming himself for this incident.

After all, who could have foreseen such a design?

Perhaps the owner of the ruins had already arranged everything from the moment the stone chamber mechanism was created. How could they have predicted it in advance?

"Then... what happened to you after I was trapped in the stone chamber?" Zora asked softly.

Her dark eyes were filled with concern. While she had been sealed inside, she had been just as worried about him.

Now that she had finally seen Prince Kael standing safely before her, she felt a long-held weight lift from her chest.

"After the stone gate suddenly appeared and separated us," Prince Kael replied slowly, "the entire stone chamber became completely silent. I couldn’t hear your voice, and even the shouts of the two spirit warriors outside vanished." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"At first, I thought something terrible had happened to you," he admitted, his voice tightening slightly. "But after confirming that the silence was absolute, I realized that the stone chamber itself was isolated."

"There was no way out."

"So I could only stay there and cultivate," he continued, "absorbing the Essence Fruits inside. In the end, I found a key hidden inside one of the Essence Fruits."

As he spoke, a glimmer lit his eyes. "There was also a black iron box embedded in the wall."

"Was there a sword inside that box?" Zora asked calmly.

The more she listened, the clearer everything became.

The stone chamber had been deliberately split into two, and the sudden stone gate was designed to separate her from Prince Kael.

This was not a mistake. It was an intention.

Even if Prince Kael had stayed by her side, the owner of the ruins would still have found another way to divide them.

Hearing her words, Prince Kael looked at her in surprise. "How did you know?"

Zora smiled.

That smile bloomed like a quiet flower on her delicate face, beautiful and unforgettable.

"Because what I encountered was exactly the same as you," she replied lightly.

"Exactly the same?" Prince Kael froze.

His mind instantly replayed the moment when they were separated and the black iron box he had discovered afterward.

"So... that means..."

Zora nodded. "Yes. This was most likely arranged deliberately by the owner of the ruins. The contents of the stone chamber were split in two, one for you, and one for me."

Understanding finally dawned on Prince Kael. His brows knitted together, and a thoughtful look crossed his handsome face.

"Then what was the purpose of the ruins’ master in doing this?" he asked.