Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 79: The Apology

Only when Zora boarded her carriage did she finally believe they would stop following her.

"Master," Black said with amusement, "they’re still lingering outside the carriage."

Zora lifted the curtain and glanced out. Sure enough, Sebastian and Miel were strolling leisurely on either side, matching the carriage’s speed with ease.

She dropped the curtain again and closed her eyes, deciding to ignore them entirely.

When the carriage finally stopped outside the Prince’s residence, Zora stepped down. Sebastian and Miel were still there, smiling as if they had all the patience in the world.

"Girl Zora," Miel said warmly, "think it over carefully. Don’t waste this opportunity."

As he spoke, he pressed a purple invitation into her hand. "Keep it. You’ll need it."

Before she could respond, the two figures vanished in a blur, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Zora stared at the invitation in her palm for a long moment, speechless.

These Academy’s enrollment tutors...

She shook her head with a sigh before folding the invitation and turning back into the residence. Whether she intended to go or not, it seemed she would first need to properly understand what this Academy truly was.

On a street elsewhere in the Imperial City, Sebastian and Miel walked side by side, both letting out quiet sighs.

"Sending out an invitation letter has never been this difficult," Sebastian said with emotion. "This is a first."

Miel chuckled, eyes gleaming. "That’s precisely why she’s interesting. Don’t worry... she’ll come to the Academy eventually.

"In my view, what she refused wasn’t the Academy itself," Sebastian said thoughtfully, "but us."

Miel gave a helpless chuckle. "That part is indeed our fault. Let’s hope that girl isn’t that petty or the type to keep grudges for a long time."

From the way Zora had treated Nigel’s lover, it was clear enough. If she were truly narrow-minded, Rose would never have been let off so easily.

Sebastian nodded in agreement. That, too, was one of the qualities he admired most about Zora.

Soon, news of Zora taking first place in the royal hunting competition swept through the Imperial City like a storm.

Anyone who heard it was left stunned.

A shocking upset!

Some had guessed that Prince Philip would win. Others had placed their bets on Luna. Yet no one, not even in their wildest imagination, had thought the final victor would be Zora.

The so-called "waste" of the past had completely shed that title.

With her own strength, Zora told the entire world one thing loud and clear—she was no waste.

Within the royal hunting grounds, she had thoroughly erased that humiliating label.

Before the city could recover from this revelation, another piece of explosive news spread like wildfire.

The Academy’s enrollment tutors had personally offered her an invitation... and she had refused it.

Refused.

Not only that, the two tutors were not angered in the slightest, nor did they stop persuading her afterward.

What kind of dominance was this?

When countless practitioners were breaking their heads just to squeeze into the Academy, Zora was calmly weighing whether she even wanted to go.

The contrast was brutal.

For a time, Zora’s name echoed through every street and alley.

The Imperial City’s number one beauty.

Elysia’s peerless divine physician.

A genius personally invited by the Academy.

Three dazzling titles converged on a single person, creating a shock unlike anything before.

Sebastian and Miel listened to the gossip spreading through the city, learning more and more about Zora with each passing day. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

And the more they learned, the more they realized just how extraordinary she was.

A girl who had endured 16 years under the label of "waste," yet upon revealing her brilliance, remained so calm and composed—such a heart was enough to make even seasoned experts feel wary.

They didn’t know how she had survived those 16 years of ridicule and neglect, but they knew one thing for certain.

To endure that humiliation without breaking, and to turn it into the foundation of her present strength... that required terrifying resilience.

Sebastian and Miel exchanged a look, their expressions turning solemn.

They had underestimated her.

"This Zora Girl," Miel said slowly, emotion flickering in his eyes, "will be anything but ordinary in the future."

Only now did he truly understand how she could remain so composed when surrounded by Nether Wolves.

Because compared to 16 years of scorn and contempt, such danger was nothing.

"The qualities of a true powerhouse," Sebastian nodded in agreement, "she already possesses them."

This time, they had found a real treasure.

The two tutors smiled at each other, their resolve firming even more.

No matter what, they would bring Zora into the Academy.

*

From the steward’s explanations, Zora gradually gained a clearer understanding of the Academy.

The Academy had stood with its reputation unshakable for thousands of years to this date. Everyone believed that any practitioner who entered its gates would see their strength soar.

That was why so many people were willing to fight tooth and nail just for a single chance to step inside.

Thousands of years ago, Zora had already been familiar with the major academies.

Though an academy could never rival an ancient clan in foundation, it undeniably offered something families often lacked.

Perspective.

Only by standing among true geniuses could one see their own shortcomings clearly. Only then would ambition be sharpened. Otherwise, even a gifted cultivator might grow complacent, mistaking a well for an ocean.

"Master, the academy really is a good place," Black said with a grin, listening to the explanation from the Mansion’s steward.

White chimed in, "Master, will you go?"

Zora intended to travel and temper herself. Sheltered cultivation was never the path to greatness. She needed pressure, rivals, and repeated breakthroughs at the edge of her limits.

Joining the Imperial Academy would mean facing countless outstanding peers. The resources were abundant, the trials relentless. Compared to wandering alone, it was undeniably efficient.

Zora shook her head, "The Academy is indeed good but that alone isn’t enough to make me go."

***

The next day;

Zora was cultivating when her communication ring suddenly lit up. A message arrived.

The academy tutors were visiting the residence.

Her brows lifted faintly. There was no need to guess who they were.

The front hall of the residence.

When Zora stepped inside, she found Sebastian and Miel already seated, leisurely sipping tea and sampling pastries, chatting as if they were long-time regulars.

These two truly had no sense of being guests.

"Miss Zora!" Sebastian smiled the moment he saw her. "After a night of reflection, have you reached a decision?"

"Still the same," Zora replied calmly with a faint nod.

Miel set down his teacup and rose. The playful ease faded from his face, replaced by rare seriousness. "We know why you refused the academy," he said. "Because of the test we arranged."

"This matter... we did not handle properly," he admitted frankly. "Your strength drew our attention, and we allowed our curiosity to override our consideration. That was our mistake."

"We apologize."

His gaze was sincere, without the slightest hint of condescension. As an elder apologizing to a junior, he felt no embarrassment at all.

"If our positions were reversed," he added, "we would not be pleased either."

Sebastian smiled faintly beside him. They both understood well that a girl who had endured over a decade of suppression would never tolerate her dignity being trampled.

Their actions, from Zora’s perspective, had indeed crossed that line.

"Uhh..."

The apology surprised her.