Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 42: You lack the ability

Zora’s smile deepened. "I’m very satisfied with these gifts," she said without reserve. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Good," Prince Kael replied with a laugh. "Then seven days from now will be an auspicious date. I’ve already informed the Emperor. We’ll be married on that day. What do you think?"

She paused for a moment, then spoke evenly.

"You can decide that. But you must remember, this marriage of ours is only for show."

Kael nodded lazily. "I understand. If the woman is willing to cooperate with me, then I naturally won’t mind."

Each of them needed something.

This union was never one-sided.

"But I mind," she added lightly.

Kael immediately clutched his chest and sighed dramatically. "Darling, those words wound your husband deeply."

She glanced at him sideways, amused. "Enough. I’m in a good mood today. I’ll treat you to a meal."

"Well, well, that’s rare. You’re not tricking me, are you?"

"Of course not."

And so, beneath drifting Apple blossoms and endless red silk, the two set off for the restaurant in laughter and ease.

Yet at that very same moment, the General’s Residence was engulfed in a storm.

Inside the main hall, General Helius smashed a teacup to the ground.

Crash!

Fragments scattered across the floor like shattered dignity.

"Outrageous!" he roared. "Absolutely outrageous! That Crippled Prince clearly doesn’t put me in his eyes at all!"

All across the Imperial City, people were watching him become the laughing stock of the day.

Minister Henry and the others didn’t even hide their schadenfreude when they spoke to him earlier.

Each word was a silent stab.

"Father," Luna said through clenched teeth, her face ashen, "this must be Zora’s doing. She deliberately incited the Prince to humiliate us like this!"

Jasmine’s eyes also flickered with resentment and venom.

"Master, I fear she’s using this marriage to take revenge on us. If we don’t take a firm stance now, she’ll only grow more arrogant!"

"If it weren’t for her," she added bitterly, "Icarus would never have missed the Royal Hunting Tournament!"

Her words struck the deepest wound.

General Helius’s chest heaved violently.

The humiliation of being ignored.

The fury of losing his son’s future.

The regret of driving away the most valuable daughter he had ever possessed.

All of it twisted together into a single, suffocating knot.

"It’s unbearable, absolutely unbearable! I must go to the Emperor and seek justice!"

General Helius’s face was twisted with fury as he stood in the main hall, his chest heaving violently. For half a lifetime, he had stood high above others, commanding troops, admired by all. Never had he suffered such a public humiliation.

Prince Kael had sent the betrothal gifts straight to Zora’s Manor, bypassing the General’s Residence completely. This wasn’t just ignoring him. It was slapping his face in public, step by step, in front of the entire Imperial City.

"Master..." Jasmine hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking, her brows knitted with discontent. "Why don’t we simply take action and teach that girl a proper lesson? This matter cannot be allowed to continue like this."

She paused deliberately, then added softly, "Besides, everyone can see clearly that Zora has powerful backing now. We might use this opportunity to repair the relationship between father and daughter..."

In truth, even she herself could feel it. The current Zora had become a hot figure in the Imperial City. Whether it was her miraculous medical skills or the medicinal Potions she sold, almost all the noble families were deliberately trying to curry favor with her.

If General Helius truly wanted to smooth things over now, no one would find it strange.

However, the moment those words fell, General Helius’s anger erupted completely. "What nonsense are you spouting!" he shouted furiously. "Is this something a mere woman like you can evaluate?"

His face was livid as he suppressed the violent tremor in his voice. Since the mysterious expert had appeared and crushed his right arm without warning, he had truly understood one thing.

Compared to dignity, life was far more important.

If that person could cripple his arm so silently, then crushing his entire General’s Residence would be nothing more than lifting a finger.

Jasmine was rebuked so ruthlessly that her eyes instantly reddened. For many years, General Helius had pampered her. Rarely had he ever spoken to her in such a harsh tone.

But now... all because of Zora, she had been scolded again and again.

Resentment surged uncontrollably in her heart.

Luna, who had been standing to the side with a pale face, could no longer endure it. She suddenly stepped forward.

"Father!" she cried anxiously. "Anyone with eyes can see that all of this is Zora’s doing. Why are you still protecting her?"

Her fists trembled violently at her sides as she continued, voice full of suppressed hatred.

"If you had the ability to deal with her, then our General’s Residence would never have fallen into such a farce! Icarus wouldn’t have lost his hand, and our family wouldn’t be laughed at by the entire city!"

Her words were like daggers, each one stabbing straight into General Helius’s pride.

For a moment, the hall fell into dead silence.

*

Inside the Imperial Palace, however, the atmosphere was completely different.

Emperor Alexander sat at the chess table opposite the Empress, calmly placing a piece onto the board.

"General Helius is probably burning with anger right now," Emperor Alexander said indifferently.

The Empress followed by laying down a white piece, her lips curving into a faint smile.

"If he hadn’t always been obsessed with favoring the wrong people, things wouldn’t have reached this point. Honestly speaking, I don’t think this matter is entirely Zora’s fault. Instead, I find that girl rather admirable."

Emperor Alexander raised his brows slightly, faintly surprised. "Oh? You think so highly of her now?"

Empress nodded gently. "She is decisive, bold, and knows exactly what she wants. In my eyes, she is far stronger than ordinary women."

Emperor Alexander sighed quietly. "If things had not gone wrong back then, it would indeed have been appropriate for her to become a Crown Princess."

It was a rare moment of regret.

But regret could no longer change anything.

The marriage edict had been annulled by his own hand. No emperor could take back such words.

The Empress then lowered her voice slightly, her expression turning cautious.

"Prince Kael’s betrothal today shook the entire Imperial City. It thoroughly crushed the face of the General’s Residence. If General Helius goes to court tomorrow to accuse him, the Emperor..."

Her words trailed off.

Emperor Alexander’s eyes darkened faintly.

"Kael’s status is too sensitive. There has still been no movement from above for three years. We cannot afford to act rashly."

He paused briefly, then said slowly, "In this matter, General Helius will have to swallow the humiliation for now."

Empress instantly understood.

This battle... from the beginning, General Helius was already destined to lose.