The news spread through the Imperial City like wildfire in no ti, what happened in the Origin dical Hall.
By the ti the sun tilted westward, there was hardly a single teahouse, tavern, or noble residence that did not whisper the sa na.
Zora.
The girl who had once been mocked as a waste.
The girl who had once been driven out of the General’s Residence like garbage.
Now she had, in full public view, broken Icarus’s arm and declared that the Origin dical Hall would never sell a single potion to the General’s Residence again.
That single act was like a thunderclap striking the aristocratic world.
Those who had long harbored resentnt toward General Helius secretly applauded. Those who had once ridiculed Zora now swallowed their words in stunned silence. Those who rely watched from the sidelines could not help but sigh at the irony of fate.
In the eyes of many officials who had never gotten along with General Helius, the matter was almost laughable.
Of the three children under General Helius’s na, Luna, Icarus, and Zora, it was the once-despised Zora who now showed the greatest promise and the most terrifying montum.
And yet—
General Helius himself had personally crushed that future with his own hands.
What once should have been his sharpest blade had now beco his most deadly enemy.
*
At Zora’s residence;
Under the Apple trees, petals drifted like pale clouds upon the stone path. The evening breeze carried both fragrance and quiet tension.
Prince Kael reclined lazily by the stone table, a faint smile playing at his lips as he watched Zora sit across from him, calmly pouring tea as though the storm outside had nothing to do with her.
"I heard," he said slowly, his tone casual yet sharp beneath the surface, "that you crippled Icarus today."
Zora did not even pause in her movents. She simply lifted the teacup and nodded faintly, as if acknowledging sothing trivial.
"Everything in the Imperial City moves quickly," she replied. "It hasn’t even been two hours."
Kael’s gaze lingered on her for a mont, deeper than the reflective surface of the tea. "Icarus is General Helius’s only son. You broke his arm in public. That kind of humiliation is not sothing General Helius will swallow easily."
Zora raised her eyes at last. There was no fear in them, only a calm that ca from long-suppressed resolve.
"You didn’t call here just to remind of that," she said.
Kael chuckled softly, the sound light as falling petals. Then his eyes sharpened, and his voice lowered slightly. "In my opinion, the best solution is simple."
Zora’s brows lifted faintly.
"We advance the wedding," he said with a smile that was half-teasing, half calculating. "Once you officially beco mine, General Helius will no longer have even the slightest authority over you."
For a brief mont, Zora was stunned.
She had not expected him to be so direct.
Her gaze lingered on him for a few heartbeats, as if weighing the aning behind those seemingly light words. Then, as if reaching a sudden decision, her lips curved into a faint smile.
"Alright," she said calmly.
This ti, it was Kael who froze. "What?"
He had expected hesitation.
He had expected calculation.
He had not expected her agreent to co so quickly.
Zora lowered her gaze slightly, her fingers resting lightly on the teacup.
"The General’s Residence has already severed all ties with ," she continued. "But the public doesn’t know. They are calling unfilial, disloyal, and ungrateful. If we move the wedding forward now, it will settle many things at once."
She lifted her eyes again, eting his directly. "And you wouldn’t suggest this without concern for ."
Kael was indeed shocked to hear that from her and his smile deepened, that familiar lazy charm softening the sharpness in his gaze.
"If you have no objections," he said lightly, "then I’ll prepare the engagent gifts."
Zora hesitated for a fraction of a second before shaking her head. "I will not marry from the General’s Residence," she said firmly.
Kael did not seem surprised at all.
"Then you will marry from Zora’s Manor," he replied without hesitation.
Zora laughed softly.
There was relief in that laughter.
He always understood her.
*
That very night.
Inside the quiet shadows of the courtyard, Alder reported in a low voice.
"Your Highness, General Helius flew into a rage after hearing of today’s events. He has already begun making preparations to head to the Origin dical Hall tomorrow."
Alder’s expression was heavy, his brows tightly furrowed. "Do you wish for to send n to... deal with him?"
He knew even as he spoke that such a suggestion was dangerous.
But he still could not restrain himself.
The House Phoenix’s years of cruelty toward Zora, the poison, the framing, the indifference, and now the open threat of retaliation—every offense weighed heavily on his heart.
In the past, Luna had hard Zora repeatedly.
Yet General Helius had never punished her even once.
Now, for the sake of his crippled son, he was prepared to destroy the very daughter he once discarded.
Kael’s fingers tightened slowly around his teacup.
The smile on his face faded.
His eyes darkened into a cold, bottomless abyss.
"Send soone," he said at last, his voice calm yet carrying bone-deep authority, "to warn General Helius."
Alder stiffened imdiately.
"Do not expose your identity," Kael continued slowly. "Just make sure his warning is unforgettable."
Zora was his woman now.
Anyone who dared to reach for her...
Would pay a price far heavier than a broken hand.
Alder widened his eyes slightly at the shift in Kael’s tone.
On ordinary days, even if others suggested taking action, the lord would never agree so readily.
But tonight—
There was no hesitation at all.
He lowered his head deeply. "This subordinate obeys."
Alder had only just taken a step back when Prince Kael’s calm voice echoed again.
"Wait."
Alder stopped imdiately, his heart tightening. For a brief mont, he thought the lord had changed his mind.
But the next words were colder than the night itself. "Cripple that old fox with one hand."
Alder’s pupils shrank slightly. Then he straightened his back and bowed deeply.
"This subordinate obeys."
*
The next day, as if nothing had happened the night before, Zora went to the Origin dical Hall as usual.
She treated patients, diagnosed pulses, prescribed dicine, and accepted gratitude with her usual calm indifference. Yet beneath that surface composure, she remained alert.
With General Helius’s violent temper, there was no way he would tolerate the injury of his beloved son without retaliation.
She waited.
Morning passed.
Noon passed.
Even as dusk approached, there was still no sign of General Helius.
A trace of doubt finally surfaced in her eyes.
"That old dog General Helius isn’t coming after all?" Black muttered from atop the counter, clearly disappointed.
White tilted its head as well. "That does feel strange. With his personality, he should have already overturned this place."
Zora’s fingers paused slightly as she tidied the dicine drawer.
Just as she was about to sink deeper into thought, laughter approached from outside.
Eric Welsh walked in with a broad grin, clearly unable to contain himself.
"Miss Zora, I just heard sothing truly entertaining," he said, practically vibrating with excitent.
"What kind of news can make you this happy?" Zora asked lightly.
"You scraped Icarus’s arm yesterday, right?" Eric raised his brows.
Zora gave a faint nod. "The whole city knows that by now. Where’s the amusent in that?"
Eric waved his hand energetically. "That’s just the appetizer! The real show happened today!"
His voice dropped conspiratorially.
"General Helius... had his arm crippled as well."
Zora froze. "What did you say?"
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