The General's Daughter: The Mission

”It’s you...” Scarlet whispered, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Standing beside her hospital bed was none other than Ares — the untouchable campus hearthrob every girl secretly dreamed about, and the man Scarlet had been hopelessly crushing on since freshman year.

For a moment, Scarlet thought she was still unconscious and dreaming.

The sterile scent of the hospital room lingered in the air, the steady beeping of the heart monitor reminding her that this was real. Ares stood under the pale fluorescent light, tall and composed, yet there was unmistakable worry etched across his striking features.

Even now, he looked unfairly handsome. He was more handsome than the hottest idol.

At the university, Ares was practically a legend. Handsome, intelligent, mysterious — the kind of man people whispered about in hallways. Scarlet had begged her friends countless times to ”accidentally” pair them together during group activities, hoping fate would finally notice her efforts.

But Ares was distant. Cold and untouchable.

No matter how much teasing and shipping her classmates did, Ares never threw her a second glance.

Aside from a small circle of male friends, he barely interacted with anyone. Girls constantly threw themselves at him, desperate for his attention, yet a single icy glance from him was enough to send them retreating in embarrassment.

Scarlet had long accepted that someone like him would never notice someone like her.

And yet... here he was.

By her side.

”How are you feeling?” Ares asked softly, his deep voice unusually gentle.

Scarlet’s heart skipped.

”I... felt dizzy,” she murmured weakly. ”Everything suddenly went black.”

Her gaze swept around the room before she frowned slightly.

”Did my mother come?”

A faint shadow crossed Ares’ face.

”She did,” he replied carefully. ”She came earlier. When the doctor said you were only unconscious and not seriously injured, she said she had urgent matters to attend to. She’ll come back tomorrow.”

The pity in his eyes stung more than the words themselves.

Scarlet forced out a small laugh, though bitterness lingered beneath it.

”That sounds like her,” she said quietly. ”My mother always thinks I’m strong enough to handle everything alone. Even when I’m hurt, she treats it like it’s nothing serious.”

For a brief moment, silence filled the room.

Then Scarlet slowly lifted her gaze toward him, her eyes shimmering faintly.

”...Were you the one who brought me here?”

”Yes,” Ares answered immediately, without hesitation.

A strange warmth spread through Scarlet’s chest.

”Thank you, Ares,” Scarlet said softly, lowering her gaze to hide the smile threatening to bloom across her face.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the hospital blanket as warmth spread through her chest. Being this close to him already felt unreal enough — but the fact that he had stayed by her side the entire time made her heart race uncontrollably.

Then, feigning innocence, she looked up at him through her lashes.

”By the way...” she asked shyly, ”you know my name?”

In truth, Scarlet already knew the answer mattered far more to her than it should.

Their paths at university had rarely crossed naturally. Ares was like a distant star — admired by everyone yet impossibly hard to approach. That was exactly why Scarlet had gone out of her way to engineer ”accidental” encounters over the past year.

Joining events she normally had no interest in.

Taking routes around campus she never used before.

Even dragging her friends along whenever she heard rumors about where Ares might be.

Today’s trip to the gym had been no different.

She and her circle had specifically chosen that time because they heard Ares often trained there after class. Scarlet had secretly hoped for nothing more than a brief interaction... maybe a greeting if she was lucky.

Never in her wildest imagination did she expect to wake up in a hospital room with him sitting faithfully at her bedside.

Ares let out a quiet chuckle before pulling a chair beside her bed and sitting down.

”Of course I do,” he said. ”Who wouldn’t know the talented and beautiful Scarlet Collin?”

Scarlet nearly forgot how to breathe.

Was this really happening?

”You don’t have to stay,” she said, trying to sound polite and unaffected. ”I’ll be fine on my own.”

But deep inside, she wanted him to stay.

Ares shook his head lightly.

”It’s alright. This happened because of me, so the least I can do is stay until you’re better.” His expression softened. ”And don’t worry about the hospital bills. I’ll cover everything.”

Scarlet blinked in surprise.

”You will?” she asked. ”But... do you even have that kind of money?”

From what everyone knew, Ares came from a poor background. Rumors said he was a working student who barely managed to support himself.

Yet the calm confidence in his eyes never wavered.

”I have my ways,” he replied simply.

Then he stood.

”I’ll inform the nurse that you’re awake.”

As soon as Ares left the room, Scarlet grabbed the phone resting on the bedside table.

The screen lit up instantly.

99+ unread messages.

Her brows furrowed as she opened the flood of notifications. Most were from classmates and friends asking if she was alright, but then she noticed several video clips being spammed into the group chat.

Curious, she tapped one open.

The footage showed complete chaos on campus.

Students were screaming in panic while Scarlet’s unconscious body lay on the ground—

—and beside her was Ares.

Calm.

Terrifyingly calm.

While everyone else panicked, Ares spoke into the phone with chilling composure, giving precise instructions like someone experienced in emergencies.

As if he had done this many times before.

Scarlet’s heartbeat quickened.

Then came the second video.

A helicopter descended onto the university grounds.

A helicopter.

The powerful gusts from the spinning blades sent students stumbling backward as paramedics rushed out. Without hesitation, Ares carried Scarlet himself and handed her over like someone used to commanding situations like this.

The comments beneath the video were exploding.

”WHO IS HE REALLY??”

”Why would a hospital send a helicopter?!”

”That’s not normal!”

Scarlet stared at the screen, stunned.

Ares... called a helicopter?

Just who exactly was he?

Later, Ares casually explained that he had simply dialed an emergency number he happened to know and didn’t expect them to dispatch an air ambulance instead of a regular one.

Perhaps because from the way he described the incident, it seemed serious.

But Scarlet wasn’t convinced.

Not even a little.

As she replayed the videos again and again, one thought became clearer in her mind.

No matter what secrets Ares was hiding...

She would make him hers.

And honestly?

With a face like his, he was already worth the effort.