Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 27: The Imperial Banquet (Part-7)

For just a moment, Zora almost mistook his tone for sincerity instead of playful banter. But soon, she chuckled lightly and turned her gaze away.

This man... was far too good at making people believe his jokes.

Just as Zora was speaking calmly with Prince Kael, a faint sound of footsteps slowly approached them. The air around them subtly tightened. Without even turning her head, Zora could already sense who it was.

Sure enough, Luna slowly walked forward.

The scars on her face had not yet fully faded. No matter how thick the powder was, it could not completely cover the twisted marks left behind. Under the lantern light, those scars appeared even more glaring.

Yet she was smiling—smiling in a way that was strangely distorted and malicious.

"Good sister," she said sweetly, though her tone was soaked in venom, "I truly came to congratulate you."

Zora lifted her eyes slightly but did not speak.

Luna’s laughter suddenly grew louder. "You tried so hard to seduce the Crown Prince but failed in the end. And yet, instead of becoming a princess, you’ve married a disabled prince instead! Hahaha—how amusing!"

Her eyes locked onto Zora like poisonous hooks, as if she wanted to tear her apart with her gaze.

"But really," she continued with a sneer, "the Crown Prince was never worthy of you anyway. Now, this crippled prince—he suits you perfectly!"

Zora’s brows knit slightly.

She did not care about being mocked herself. But Luna’s repeated jabs at Prince Kael’s disability crossed a line.

That wound—no matter how calmly he carried himself—was something that cut deeply into a man’s pride. And she knew very well that Prince Kael’s condition was born from the terrifying Physique of Protos, something even fate itself had branded upon him.

Mocking that... was cruelty.

"If I marry whom, what does that have to do with you?" Zora’s voice turned icy. "Instead of wasting your breath on me, why don’t you think about how to heal your own face first? It’s truly ugly."

The word "ugly" struck like a slap.

Luna’s expression instantly warped, as if someone had stepped directly on her most painful wound. Her body trembled as she jumped up in rage.

"My face doesn’t need your concern!" she shrieked. "You’ll be tied to that cripple for the rest of your life!"

Before Zora could respond, Prince Kael suddenly spoke.

His tone was mild, even faintly amused, and yet it carried an invisible sharpness.

"In your eyes, Miss Luna, it seems my legs truly are unworthy of her." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Luna froze.

Her gaze uncontrollably drifted toward Prince Kael’s face.

Only then did she realize—this man’s appearance was so perfect it was almost unreal. A face carved like jade, eyes deep and distant like the night sky. Even sitting in a wheelchair, his bearing remained noble and unrestrained, completely different from the "disabled waste" that everyone so casually labeled him as.

For a brief moment, she even felt a strange sense of loss.

If he were not disabled... he would undoubtedly be a peerless genius that countless women would fight over.

Was it possible that he truly liked Zora?

Before she could sort out the strange feeling rising in her heart, Prince Kael continued—slowly, clearly, and mercilessly:

"For Zora to marry me, that is indeed akin to a life imprisonment for her." His lips curved into a faint, elegant smile. "But with a face like mine, I’m afraid that whoever marries me is actually the one marrying up."

For a split second, the world went silent.

Then—

"Pfft—"

Zora burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Her originally delicate smile bloomed instantly, dazzling like the finest blossom in the royal garden. The layers of suppressed irritation vanished in an instant. She even raised her thumb toward Prince Kael with open admiration.

"You’re impressive."

This man’s venomous tongue was truly on another level.

Luna stood there completely dumbfounded.

Her mind went blank.

On ordinary days, Prince Kael was always courteous and distant, never humiliating anyone openly. Yet now he had stepped directly on her face without the slightest mercy—and even used her as a stepping stone to praise Zora!

Her complexion cycled through red, green, and black. Her lips trembled violently as rage made her entire body shake.

If this were not the palace banquet, she would have already lunged forward like a madwoman.

"You... you just wait!" she hissed through clenched teeth, her eyes turning bloodshot.

Then she glared fiercely at Zora, hatred surging wildly in her eyes.

"As long as you dare return to the General’s Manor tonight, I swear I will not let you live peacefully!"

The temperature around them dropped instantly.

Prince Kael’s face finally turned cold.

The smile vanished from his lips, replaced by an icy, terrifying pressure that surged outward like a silent storm.

"Luna," he said slowly, every word carrying crushing weight, "Zora is now this Prince’s fiancée."

"If you dare touch even a single hair on her head—" his eyes darkened like a bottomless abyss, "this Prince will make you regret ever being born."

The voice that fell from Prince Kael’s lips was cold and heavy, as though it had crawled straight up from the depths of hell. His gaze locked firmly onto Luna, and in that instant, a terrifying pressure burst outward like an invisible storm.

The space around him seemed to freeze.

Those eyes—deep as an endless sea—no longer carried even a trace of casual playfulness. They were dark, sharp, and filled with unmistakable killing intent.

Only then did Luna truly understand...

Prince Kael was actually not joking.

The murderous aura pressing down on her was suffocating. Her heart trembled violently as an icy chill surged from the soles of her feet straight to the crown of her head. For the first time, true fear took root in her bones.

This disabled prince... was not weak at all.

Then why?

Why would a man like this protect Zora so relentlessly?

What was so special about that woman?

They had only become engaged today! And before this, Zora had even openly rejected Philip! Philip himself had once desperately wanted her—so why did Prince Kael treasure her even more?

Anger, jealousy, confusion, and hatred twisted tightly together in Luna’s heart.

What did that waste have that she didn’t?

Where exactly was she inferior to Zora?!

Yet at this moment, as Prince Kael stood before her like an unshakeable barrier, all of these thoughts shattered helplessly.

Zora, meanwhile, quietly watched the scene unfold.

Her gaze slowly shifted toward Prince Kael.

He was protecting her.

Unquestionably.

Her heart trembled slightly.

She suddenly remembered that sentence he had once spoken so lightly, yet so deeply. "I feel bad for you."

In her previous life, after the fall of her parents, she had shouldered the entire family alone. Every step was pressured, every breath was burdened. No one ever stood in front of her. No one ever shielded her from storms.

After transmigrating into this world, she had been scorned, humiliated, trampled underfoot. There was never anyone who spoke for her, let alone defended her.

And yet now—

There was someone standing in front of her.

Protecting her.

Against everyone.

Meanwhile, Luna stood stiffly in place, her entire body trembling.

She finally understood—This man was not a useless cripple.

He was a wolf who was pretending to be a helpless sheep.

And just now, she felt like she had brushed right against his fangs.