Prince Philip had not sought her out today, but Scarlet had chosen to keep provoking her. And Zora was not soone who let stones be thrown without throwing one back.
Scarlet’s heart dropped the instant she felt that gaze.
If she had known things would co to this, she would never have opened her mouth tonight. But regret was a luxury she no longer had.
Zora then lifted her chin slightly, a teasing smile curling at her lips as she looked at Prince Philip.
"Since the Crown Prince seems to have such poor taste, don’t you think Miss Scarlet is rather... unsuitable? Perhaps it would be better to cancel the engagent. What do you think?"
The hall went still.
All eyes turned toward Scarlet. Beneath her veil, her face drained of color.
Prince Philip did not hesitate for even a breath and nodded.
"Good."
That single word was like a thunderclap.
Scarlet swayed, her legs almost giving out. She had waited so long to beco crown princess, only to have everything shattered by one sentence from Zora.
And yet, she could only bla herself.
If she had not tried to provoke Zora tonight, things might never have co to this.
Prince Kael added lazily, as though comnting on the weather, "In my view, her father’s conduct is also rather... questionable."
Pri Minister Henry’s face turned deathly pale.
Before he could plead, Emperor Alexander spoke coldly, his voice brooking no argunt. "Guards. Strip Pri Minister Henry of his title and reduce him to a commoner."
The guards strode forward at once, tearing the scarlet cape from Pri Minister Henry’s robes, and started dragging him away.
"Your Majesty, I..." His desperate cries echoed through the hall, but no one cared to listen.
With Pri Minister Henry disgraced, Scarlet had no standing left. She and Lyssandra were dragged out soon after, her shrill screams trailing behind her like the dying cries of a dream.
Scarlet twisted her head back, staring at Zora with eyes full of venom.
But Zora did not even look at her.
Scarlet had paid her dues, and Zora no longer cared about the woman anymore.
A while later;
The imperial banquet ended.
Before anyone could even catch their breath, Emperor Alexander ordered the entire court sealed.
Not a single word of what had happened that night was allowed to leak beyond the palace walls.
With Prince Kael’s authority now laid bare, the ministers did not dare say more. They only returned ho and warned their families in hushed voices, again and again, to never offend Prince Kael and Princess Consort Zora.
When the palace finally emptied, Zora did not return to the Prince’s residence. Instead, she and Prince Kael went straight to the General’s Manor.
To Zora, this place had never held warmth. Every corner was filled with mories that were bitter rather than sweet. She knew that once she stepped out again tonight, she would never co back.
General Helius was startled when he saw her at the gate.
For a mont, he even wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He wanted to say sothing, but the words refused to co. After what had happened at the banquet, he understood very clearly that Zora could have destroyed him with a single sentence, yet she had not.
"Zora... why have you co?" he finally asked, his voice hoarse.
Icarus stood nearby, stiff and uneasy. He no longer dared show even a trace of arrogance. If Prince Kael so much as frowned, his life would be over.
Zora did not look at him. She turned to Prince Kael instead and said quietly, "Wait for here for a mont."
Kael nodded. "Go. I’ll be right outside."
She knew he understood what she was about to do.
Zora then faced the General. "General Helius, let’s go inside."
The title alone was enough to make his heart sink. He forced a nod. "All right."
Inside the study, the two sat facing each other. The man who had once ruled this household with iron authority now seed strangely small. Even General Helius himself did not realize how much his bearing had changed.
The silence was heavy until Zora finally spoke.
"General Helius, I ca today to tell you one thing."
He looked at her, tense. "Speak."
"I am not your daughter."
The words fell like a thunderclap.
General Helius’s face drained of color. He stared at her as if she were a stranger. "What... what did you just say?"
Zora’s expression remained calm. "I am indeed Zora, but I was never born to you."
"Then who are you?" His voice shook despite himself.
"Don’t misunderstand," she replied lightly. "I am still the person you know. But the truth is this. Back then, my mother, Elizabeth, pretended to be pregnant in order to secure your favor. She never bore a child. I was only a child she picked up and raised."
"That’s impossible!" General Helius blurted out, disbelief written all over his face.
Zora t his gaze steadily. "You never personally verified her pregnancy, did you? That lie went unquestioned for years."
She paused, then added quietly, "I only learned the truth myself after going through my mother’s belongings. Her diary recorded everything. There is no mistake."
The room fell into a suffocating silence.
Zora’s words left him with no room to argue. Looking back now, it was exactly as she had said. When Elizabeth claid to be pregnant, he had never truly checked. He had simply accepted it, then waited until a baby appeared in his arms. If Elizabeth had wanted to hide the truth, she would have had every chance to do so.
And more than that, why would Elizabeth write such a lie in her own diary unless it was the truth?
Zora rose to her feet, her expression calm and distant.
"Even so, I grew up in the General’s Manor for more than ten years. I hope you will live well, General Helius. With the secret kept between us, for the Elysia’s public, I will remain as the daughter of House Phoenix, and so the royal family will not trouble you. However, from today on, I hope you start to acknowledge that you and I are strangers, which I have already acknowledged the mont I left the house, back then."
Her voice was steady, without anger or warmth. There was simply nothing left to feel.
In the past decade, they had worn the titles of father and daughter, yet had never truly shared a bond. Once Elizabeth was gone, there was nothing left tying her to this place.
With that, she turned and walked out, not sparing another glance.
General Helius stared at her retreating back.
He had never seen Elizabeth’s diary, so he could not know for certain whether Zora spoke the truth. But one thing was painfully clear. From this mont on, she and the General’s Manor would never have anything to do with each other again.
Everything that might have been had already been destroyed by his own hands.
Icarus rushed into the room just in ti to see Zora leave. His face was pale as he turned to his father. "Father, what did she say to you?"
General Helius waved a tired hand. "She won’t co back anymore."
Those words struck Icarus like a hamr. Today, Zora and Prince Kael stand at the height of power and prestige. Despite his hatred for Zora, he still had secretly hoped to ride that wave, to gain sothing from their glory.
Now that hope vanished in an instant.
Outside, Zora and Prince Kael walked slowly through the quiet streets. Moonlight spilled across the road, stretching their shadows long and slender.
Kael held her hand gently, his thumb brushing against her fingers. "How are you feeling?"
She glanced at him with a faint smile. "You an about the General’s Manor?"
"About everything," he replied softly.
"The banquet was satisfying," she said. "All the humiliation from these years was finally repaid."
From today on, she was no longer the discarded young lady of the General’s Manor, trampled by everyone. She was soone people looked up to.
"As for the General’s Manor..." she paused. "I was never truly part of that place. Still, closing that door leaves a little echo in the heart."
Those mories belonged to the original Zora, not to her. She could only sigh for the girl who had endured so much, wondering how she might have felt if she had known the truth.
Kael tightened his grip slightly, warmth flowing from his hand to hers. "From now on, I’m all you need to think about."
She looked at him, and a quiet smile curved her lips.
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