Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 264: Journey to the Imperial City

Their way to the Imperial City was slow and unhurried. Simply sitting together, sharing the road, felt unexpectedly precious.

Zora was the first to break the silence. "Where did you go by the way? After separating from us? Did you go to Heaven’s Gate?" Then, after a pause, she added, "No, I don’t think so. Or else, you would have returned much later."

Prince Kael paused slightly, then replied with a trace of amusement, "Does my lady think I like to stay at Heaven’s Gate, away from her, for a long time? Does she not like having me by her side?"

"No way..." She hurriedly shook her head, but then, when she realized that she spoke too fast, she blushed a bit and cleared her throat, saying, "No, I was just worried you’ve been away from Heaven’s Gate for years. Just months would change a lot. Away for three years, it could affect things on your end."

Even as the heir of Heaven’s Gate, Prince Kael had been absent for an extended period. Although the guild had elders to manage affairs, leaving everything to them indefinitely was hardly ideal.

Understanding dawned in Prince Kael’s eyes, and his tone softened. "Don’t worry. Alder and the others keep me informed about everything in the guild. Even if I’m not there in person, nothing escapes my notice. Unless there’s something that truly requires me to return, things can run smoothly for now."

"I see." Zora nodded gently. With people so loyal and capable around him, it made sense that he could afford this freedom.

After a brief pause, she raised her brows slightly. "Now that you mention Alder... why haven’t I seen him lately?"

Since the moment she had first met Prince Kael, Alder was always close by, like a shadow. Yet ever since Prince Kael came to the academy, she had only seen that man once.

A subtle shift flickered across Prince Kael’s expression, almost imperceptible. "I sent him to handle something else," he said calmly.

Zora glanced at him, a hint of suspicion in her eyes. His reaction felt just a little too smooth. Still, she didn’t press the matter. Everyone had secrets, and if he didn’t wish to explain, she was willing to let it go.

"Darling," Prince Kael then called softly, his tone carrying an unmistakable hint of expectation.

"Hm?" Zora raised her brows, glancing behind. "What is it now?"

He looked at her with an expression that was half serious, half aggrieved. "I’ve been calling you Darling for so long already, but you haven’t called me anything proper even once. Don’t you think that’s a little unfair?"

The anticipation in his eyes was far too obvious. Ever since the moment she agreed to be with him, he had been waiting for this. Waiting patiently, pretending not to mind, but in truth, counting every day.

Zora froze for a moment. His words caught her completely off guard. When that particular form of address flashed through her mind, her lips tightened almost instinctively.

"No way," she replied flatly.

Prince Kael tilted his head, amusement flickering across his handsome features as he leaned forward. "Then what are you planning to call me?"

She looked ahead. "I don’t plan to."

"Oh?" He leaned closer even more, his smile turning sly. "Darling, that really hurts your husband’s heart. There’s no one else around. You don’t need to be shy."

When Zora stayed silent, all of a sudden, Kael let out a sharp hiss, as if he was pierced with something. "What happe..." Worried, Zora snapped her head around, her words frozen in her mouth, her eyes widened, watching the eyes just inches away from her. Their noses almost touched.

At an instant, her cheeks turned deep red. And she immediately turned again, focusing on the front.

"Well? Did you have second thoughts? How about trying calling me Darling, once?" As Kael probed her further, not being able to hold himself from asking again, Zora, whose heartbeat had just skipped a beat, tried to control her heartbeat and took a deep breath.

Ugh... why this shameless guy has this face that could topple even cities... she inwardly groaned. It’s truly unfair...

But at the same time, it wasn’t that she didn’t understand what he wanted. It was just that the words felt embarrassingly hot on her tongue.

Taking her silence as her hesitation or mild rejection, Prince Kael raised his brows knowingly. Her reaction was exactly what he expected. After all, he knew better than anyone how thin-skinned his lady could be in such matters. But there was still a hope that existed earlier. Prince Kael felt like he should work harder.

After a brief pause, he continued smoothly, "You always call me ’Kael’ as you do now. Not a problem. I will wait... No pressure, alright."

At that, Zora felt slightly bad for him. She thought it over for a moment. Previously, he was nothing but a namesake husband. Now that she accepted him as her husband, calling him by his name does indeed feel weird. "Fine," she said at last.

"Fine? What do you..."

"I said, I will call you husband. But don’t expect more than that..."

The instant she agreed, Prince Kael’s eyes lit up, joy flashing across his face. "Really? Darling, you’re agreeing?"

She nodded, amused despite herself. Watching a man of his status look so openly pleased over something this trivial was unexpectedly funny.

"Then," he said eagerly, "why don’t you try calling me once?"

She shot him a glance. "Next time."

"Call me?" he pressed.

She ignored him.

After a brief silence, she finally relented, her voice low and soft. "Husband..." As soon as it escaped her lips, she was completely flushed to the neck.

Meanwhile, Prince Kael’s eyes shone as if stars had fallen into them. A brilliant smile spread across his face, unrestrained and genuine. His hands that were on her shoulders couldn’t help but hug her waist from behind and pulled her slightly closer, "Thank you," he said delightedly, "Darling, can you say it again?"

A flushed Zora immediately let go of the reins, and with a smooth leap, she freed herself from his hug and landed on the empty horse that was traveling beside them all along. Mounting on its back, she quickened her pace, pretending not to hear him at all. There was no way she was repeating that.

Prince Kael blinked, but then, laughing quietly, he followed after her, clearly enjoying every second of teasing his newly acknowledged wife. Only now did he truly understand why couples found so much joy in the smallest interactions.

As he watched the slender figure going ahead, warmth filled his chest. He quickened the horse to keep up with her.

Still, they took their time along the way. What should have been a journey of seven days stretched into more than ten, yet neither of them felt it was long. Instead, time seemed to slip by unnoticed, gentle and unhurried.

Finally, at noon on the tenth day, the towering walls of Elysia’s Imperial City appeared before them, standing quietly beneath the open sky.

Imperial City, Elysia Empire;

The 5-kilometer-long main street was packed shoulder to shoulder, a living river of people flowing endlessly through the city.

Hawkers shouted their wares, laughter and bargaining overlapped, and the air itself seemed filled with noise and life.

The moment Zora and Prince Kael passed through the city gates, the overwhelming bustle surged toward them like a tide, vividly displaying the prosperity of Elysia’s imperial capital.

Zora looked at the familiar streets before her, and complicated emotions quietly stirred in her heart.

This place held few pleasant memories for her. More often than not, it carried the heaviness and sorrow once borne by the former Zora. Yet amid all that bitterness, there was one memory she cherished. This was where she had met Prince Kael.

Prince Kael noticed the subtle change in her expression.

He understood well the weight hidden in her gaze and gently tightened his grip on her hand. "Darling," he said in a low, steady voice, "I will always be by your side from now on. The days you suffered before are over. In the future, I will make sure you are happy." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Hearing his words, Zora smiled softly. Her lips curved with quiet confidence, her expression calm and untroubled, as if a clear moon had emerged from behind drifting clouds. "I know," she replied simply, her voice gentle but firm, carrying complete trust in him.

In truth, the past no longer weighed heavily on her heart.

Those memories were clear, but they were not hers to begin with. Moreover, the people who once caused that pain had already vanished from her life, never to appear again.

Elysia now felt distant to her, almost like a place she merely passed through. Even the General Manor, once so closely tied to her fate, had lost all meaning after she learned the truth of her origins.

Prince Kael squeezed her hand again and smiled. "Let’s go back to the palace. I haven’t returned for quite some time."

Zora nodded lightly. "Alright. I also want to take a look."