Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 252: The Ancient Ruins (Part-24)

Outside, Guinvere and Sigmund stood before the ancient structure once more.

They had stood here not long ago, but the feeling this time was entirely different.

The humiliation burned far more fiercely than before. Being driven out once could be blamed on misfortune. Being expelled again, in front of so many people, was an insult that cut straight to the bone.

If word of this spread, the ridicule would follow them everywhere.

Sigmund’s expression was dark and stiff. After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice low. "Miss Guinvere, are you planning to return to Heaven’s Gate... or will you stay here?"

The question carried an unspoken bitterness. When they had entered the ruins, he had been full of confidence, almost certain that the inheritance would be his. Now, not only had he failed to gain it, but he had not even been deemed worthy to compete.

Guinvere’s face was cold, her gaze sharp as ice. The humiliation before Prince Kael replayed itself again and again in her mind, each time tightening the knot of anger in her chest.

All of this, every bit of it, traced back to Zora.

"I’ll stay," she said flatly in the end.

Her eyes glinted with stubborn resolve.

How could she leave before the final outcome was decided? She refused to believe that the inheritance would truly fall into Zora’s hands. If that woman really possessed such an extraordinary fortune, then Guinvere wanted to see it with her own eyes.

Sigmund noticed the change in her expression and asked cautiously, "You want to see who the inheritance ultimately chooses?"

Guinvere glanced at him, her gaze sharp. "Aren’t you curious?"

Sigmund let out a short, confident laugh. "I don’t know who it will choose, but I know one thing for certain. That inheritance will never belong to Zora."

His tone was firm, almost stubborn.

There were so many talented Spirit warriors inside, people with deeper foundations and greater potential.

Even if Zora had some clever tricks or momentary favor, he refused to believe that a true powerhouse would choose her based on goodwill alone. To a Spirit warrior of that level, talent and potential were everything.

Guinvere’s expression eased slightly at his words. "Then we think the same."

She moved to a nearby spot and sat down, folding her legs as she began to circulate her energy.

Since they had already been expelled, there was nothing to do but wait. The final inheritance would not take long. Once the result was decided, those inside would inevitably come out.

She had barely closed her eyes when a familiar gust of wind swept through the area again. The air rippled, and figures appeared one after another as more Spirit warriors were expelled from the ruins.

Guinvere abruptly stood up, her gaze scanning the crowd with sharp intensity. She searched quickly, almost anxiously, but no matter how she looked, she could not find Prince Kael or Zora among them.

Her brows drew together.

A trace of doubt finally crept into her heart. "Why didn’t I see Kael..." Guinvere murmured under her breath, her gaze fixed on the sealed ruins ahead.

The confidence she had forced onto her face moments earlier was already cracking. Doubt seeped through the gaps, slow and unwelcome, and her fingers unconsciously tightened at her side.

Something felt wrong. Very wrong.

Sigmund strode straight toward the House Storm’s Spirit warriors who had just been expelled and did not bother with pleasantries. "Who remained inside?" His voice was low but urgent. "Who obtained the inheritance?"

This was what truly mattered.

It did not matter who was humiliated or who lost face. What mattered was who would emerge stronger after today. That name would determine who he needed to avoid and who he needed to fear.

The House Storm Spirit warrior hesitated for a moment before answering carefully. "Young Lord Sigmund, I believe six people stayed behind in the ruins. Apart from Elowen and Imperial Prince Kael, the remaining four are all from the academy."

Sigmund let out a quiet breath he had not realized he was holding. At least the worst outcome had not happened. None of the other major family heirs had secured the inheritance. That meant the balance between the families had not shifted too drastically.

"Elowen..." His brows lifted slightly, surprise flickering across his face. Her performance in the ruins had been restrained and almost invisible, nothing like her usual careful positioning. He had underestimated her. Still, Elowen alone was manageable. Fiona and Zephrin had both failed to stay behind, which eased his mood considerably.

As for Prince Kael, Sigmund had already long since stopped measuring himself against him. That man existed on an entirely different level. If Prince Kael grew stronger, so be it. It changed nothing.

The academy Spirit warriors did not worry him either. In his mind, they belonged to an entirely different world. Their future paths would rarely cross in ways that truly mattered.

Then, a sudden thought struck him.

His expression stiffened.

"Wait a second, the Academy’s Spirit warriors?" Sigmund’s gaze turned sharply. "Who exactly stayed behind?"

The House Storm’s Spirit warrior looked awkward. "Young Lord... I don’t know their names."

Sigmund’s impatience flared. "Then what about Zora? You know her face. So, was she still inside? Or expelled along with you:?"

"Yes," the Spirit warrior answered quickly to that question. "She is still inside. The relic’s mistress seems to favor her quite a lot."

The words landed like a slap.

Sigmund’s face darkened instantly. Disbelief, irritation, and a trace of bitterness surged together. He had been certain. Absolutely certain. Zora had no chance. And yet, once again, reality had overturned his judgment.

Why was it always her?

Every time he thought he understood the situation, she appeared and shattered his conclusions without effort. It was as if the rules that applied to everyone else simply did not work on her.

A cold realization settled in his chest.

If things continued like this, Zora would no longer be someone he could ignore or dismiss. She would rise higher and higher, until even looking up at her became difficult.

Filled by his emotions, Sigmund failed to think of simple logic. The more Zora shines, the more Guinvere will go away from Kael’s sight, and the more opportunities he will have to woo her. At the moment, he could only think that since Guinvere hates Zora, he hates Zora.

Fiona approached Guinvere at that moment, her footsteps light, her expression carrying a faint but unmistakable mockery.

"Guinvere," she said calmly, her lips curving upward, "you always thought Zora wasn’t worthy to be your rival. I never believed that."

Her gaze flicked briefly toward the sealed ruins before returning to Guinvere’s face. "You, the so-called proud daughter of heaven, were expelled without even qualifying. Meanwhile, she stayed behind."

Fiona’s smile widened, slow and deliberate. "I think she suits Prince Kael far better than you do. Standing side by side, they actually look... compatible and like a fated couple."

She spoke without raising her voice, yet every word cut cleanly.

Fiona had seen it clearly now.

Prince Kael’s attention, his concern, even his patience had all been reserved for Zora. Guinvere, no matter how long she had stood beside him in the past, no longer carried any weight in his eyes.

And that realization, Fiona knew, would hurt far more than any open insult. For a long time, Fiona had harbored complicated thoughts toward Prince Kael.

Some of it came from reason.

His strength, his status, the authority he carried wherever he went, all of it made him an ideal choice in the eyes of any ambitious Spirit warrior.

To stand beside such a man meant stepping into a higher world altogether. And some of it, she admitted honestly to herself, came from something far more shallow.

Prince Kael was simply too striking. His bearing was sharp, his appearance refined, and his presence alone could silence a room. From any angle, he was the kind of man women dreamed of.

If she could have married him, her position would have risen overnight. Her future would have been secured in brilliance.

But today, Fiona finally understood something she had been unwilling to face before.

Between Prince Kael and herself, there had never been any possibility to begin with. Not even a sliver. Once that realization settled in her heart, it became strangely easy to let go. There was no need to cling to a fantasy that had never existed. The world was vast, and while men like Prince Kael were rare, they were not the only option.

What she could not stand, however, was Guinvere.