Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 256: The Ancient Ruins (Final)

No one present was ignorant of Guinvere’s status or talent, but feelings were another matter entirely.

To them, she was the woman who stood between Prince Kael and Zora, and that alone was enough to sour any goodwill.

Prince Kael frowned slightly. "Guinvere, go back on your own," he replied calmly. "I’m returning to the academy."

Guinvere’s brows knitted together. "The academy doesn’t benefit you at all," she said, unable to hide the frustration creeping into her tone. "Instead, it will only slow your progress. Why insist on staying there?"

She truly couldn’t understand it.

Prince Kael’s growth and strength were obvious to anyone with eyes. In her mind, his path should be clear and unimpeded, not tangled up in an ordinary academy.

And yet, because of Zora, he was willing to ignore everything else. That thought gnawed at her.

"This is my decision," Prince Kael said, his voice steady and unyielding. "You don’t need to concern yourself with it."

There was no room for negotiation in his tone.

Guinvere’s expression wavered. In front of so many people, his cold refusal felt like a slap to the face. She bit her lip, the composure she’d carefully maintained finally cracking.

"Big Brother..." Her voice softened, tinged with hurt. "Why are you treating me like this?"

Her eyes shimmered with restrained emotion, her sorrow laid bare in a way that might have moved others.

Reesa rolled her eyes almost immediately, unable to hold back her irritation. "Zora," she muttered under her breath, "this Guinvere really knows how to play the pitiful act. Disgusting."

As a woman, Reesa could see through it clearly.

Prince Kael’s stance couldn’t have been more obvious. He and Zora were already standing together, openly and firmly. For Guinvere to keep pressing now was nothing short of shameless in her eyes.

Zora merely smiled faintly, her gaze cool. She had long since lost interest in arguing with Guinvere. Words were unnecessary when actions spoke so clearly.

"Guinvere," Prince Kael said again, his tone colder than before, "return to Heaven’s Gate and focus on your cultivation. You don’t need to worry about me." He paused briefly, then added, "I’ll stay at the academy with my wife. When I return to Heaven’s Gate in the future, it will also be with her."

The words fell like a hammer in Guinvere’s heart, sending a loud thrum through her chest.

Guinvere stared at him, disbelief flooding her face. With her status and understanding, she grasped the implication immediately. He wasn’t just choosing the academy over Heaven’s Gate. He was choosing Zora, without hesitation, without reservation.

How could this be?

What was Zora, really?

For Prince Kael to abandon the obvious path ahead and stay behind for her... Was he throwing away his future?

"Brother," Guinvere said hoarsely, her disappointment no longer hidden, "when did you become so irrational?" Her gaze trembled. "How can you be so careless about your future?"

But then Prince Kael stood firm, his resolve unshaken as he replied. "My affairs are mine to decide, Guinvere."

His voice now fell flat and cold, stripped of all warmth. The faint trace of patience he had been maintaining so far finally vanished, leaving only unmistakable intolerance in its wake.

"Guinvere," he then continued, his gaze steady and distant, "you’ve never liked wasting effort on things that don’t matter. Go back and cultivate properly. You don’t need to concern yourself with me."

Those words landed heavily.

Guinvere’s complexion visibly worsened. The blood drained from her face, replaced by a tight, strained pallor.

Her fingers curled unconsciously at her sides, nails biting into her palms. Before Zora appeared, Prince Kael had never spoken to her like this. Not once. That realization burned far more than the words themselves.

Disbelief twisted into resentment, and resentment fermented into something darker.

From the side, Black wrinkled its nose, unable to hold back. "Master, this woman’s skin is really thick. He’s already said it so clearly, and she’s still clinging on?"

All that so-called elegance, that icy, aloof nobility people praised to the heavens, looked laughable now. In Black’s eyes, it was nothing but a carefully wrapped disguise, crumbling the moment things didn’t go her way.

Alaric Von Seraph and Raphael exchanged helpless looks. This was no longer something outsiders could easily intervene in. Emotional entanglements were always the messiest kind of battlefield.

"Kael..." Guinvere said finally, her brows drawn tight, voice carrying a tremor she could no longer fully suppress. "I’m doing this for your sake."

Before Prince Kael could respond, a sharp, unapologetic voice cut in.

"I say, Guinvere," Reesa stepped forward, hands on her hips, eyes blazing, "Prince Kael has already told you clearly that you don’t need to worry about him. Why are you still standing here?"

Guinvere froze and turned, staring at Reesa as if she couldn’t believe someone dared to speak to her that way. "This is between the Prince and me. What business is it of yours, lady?"

Reesa snorted. "It has nothing to do with me, Miss," she said bluntly, "just like whatever happens between the Prince and Zora has nothing to do with you."

She straightened, her tone turning sharper with every word as she continued. "Honestly, I don’t understand. Do you really need to interfere in matters between husband and wife?"

The words hit like a slap.

"The Prince has already said he’ll walk this path together with Zora," Reesa continued without mercy. "What position do you think you have to keep blocking the way?"

She paused, then added casually, as if twisting the knife for good measure, "If you’re really that bored, why not go find yourself a husband? I think Sigmund suits you quite well."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Guinvere’s lips trembled.

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. No rebuttal came. Not because she didn’t want to argue, but because every excuse she could think of sounded hollow even to herself.

Alaric Von Seraph and Raphael stared in stunned admiration.

They had always known Reesa was sharp-tongued, but this—this was outright annihilation.

Black burst into delighted applause. "Amazing! Absolutely amazing! That was beautiful!"

White nodded vigorously, eyes shining. "This temperament, this mouth—perfect. If I could, I’d give her a standing ovation."

If the master herself spoke, it would seem improper. But Reesa? She had no such burdens, and she wielded her words like a blade sharpened for exactly this moment.

Zora watched quietly from the side, a faint, almost helpless smile touching her lips. If Guinvere hadn’t pushed again and again, things wouldn’t have reached this point. Sometimes, dignity was lost not because others took it, but because one refused to let go.

Guinvere stood trembling, anger and humiliation crashing through her chest in waves. She had never been spoken to like this in her life. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"You... you..." she began, voice shaking.

But no matter how she tried, no words came out.

For the first time, she realized there was nothing she could say.

"Enough with the you, you, me, me nonsense," Reesa snapped, her patience shredded even more. "Just go back to your guild, lady. No one here welcomes you."

She didn’t bother to soften her words. As Zora’s friend, she had no intention of playing the polite intermediary.

Guinvere’s persistence had already crossed every line of decency. Subtle hints clearly meant nothing to her. Since that was the case, Reesa saw no reason to preserve a façade. Some people only understood when the door was slammed shut in their faces.

Guinvere had never been spoken to like this in her life.

From childhood to now, people around her had always chosen their words carefully, afraid to offend her status or strength.

Faced with Reesa’s blunt rejection, she found herself utterly unprepared. Her lips parted, but no response came. Pride, shock, and humiliation tangled together, leaving her momentarily speechless.

Her gaze instinctively shifted, seeking the one person who had always steadied her.

"Brother..."

The plea was soft, almost fragile.

Yet Prince Kael did not respond the way she hoped. His expression remained calm, even distant, and when he spoke, there was no trace of indulgence left.

"Miss Reesa is right," he said evenly. "I am formally married to Zora. If you continue to linger like this, it will naturally lead to unnecessary rumors and misunderstandings, and I will not allow anything... or anyone, including even you, that will cause a fracture in my married life."

He paused, his tone firm but unhurried, as if stating an unchangeable fact rather than issuing a warning.

"I hope you and I can keep a proper distance from now on. That would be best for everyone."

His gaze drifted briefly to Zora, warmth flickering unmistakably in his eyes. That single glance said everything.

For Prince Kael, the world had always been simple.

Once he decided on something, he never wavered. In this lifetime, having Zora by his side was enough. Everything else was secondary.

The events in the ruins had only made that truth clearer to him.

Guinvere’s behavior, her repeated attempts to provoke and undermine Zora, had already crossed a line he could not ignore. He did not want matters to spiral into something irreversible. More importantly, he refused to let doubt or insecurity take root in Zora’s heart.

Guinvere’s face drained of color at his stern words. The surrounding gazes, some mocking, some pitying, burned into her like needles. For the first time, she felt truly exposed, stripped of the dignity she had always worn like armor.

Her hands clenched at her sides.

"Brother Kael," she said through gritted teeth, her voice trembling with anger and wounded pride, "that woman is not worthy of you. Right now, you couldn’t see it because of the gratitude you have for her, not love. But I’m sure that when the blindfold is removed from your eyes, you will eventually return to Heaven’s Gate sooner or later."

Without waiting for a reply, she turned sharply and strode away, her retreating figure rigid with suppressed fury.