My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 215

Chapter 215 Shifting Standards

Chapter 215 Shifting Standards

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It was not that Penelope disliked Fiona; she feared that, once married, the girl’s grandmother Princess Helen might shelter behind the Zonfrillo name and stir up endless courtly intrigues to keep her own estate secure.

When profit beckons, in-laws and bloodlines alike can forget they were ever kin.

“If I choose a bride, I will tidy every loose thread before we speak of betrothals. You need not trouble yourself, Mother.”

“How can I not worry? Even Isabella changed her mind for your sake, and you still refused her!” The memory puffed Penelope’s cheeks with fresh indignation, though she knew affection cannot be forced.

Soren neither confirmed nor denied. Instead, his gaze drifted toward the rock garden.

High on the craggy summit, Hillary leaned over the railing, exhilarated, while Fiona hovered close behind, eyes clouded with a tremor of fear.

Of course I’m frightened-this was the place where I died once before.

“Fiona, look! That pavilion over there is Lord Soren’s Radiant Lodge,” Hillary chirped. “So peaceful—imagine how lovely the sea of blossoms must appear from that balcony.”

Fiona merely folded her arms. To her, Radiant Lodge, still devoid of a mistress, felt as hollow and chilly as an unopened tomb-hardly anything worth admiring.

Hillary kept her voice barely above a whisper. “Fiona, have you ever stopped to imagine the sort of man you might marry one day?”

At once, Xavier’s calm, clear-cut features flashed across her mind. As a partner for daily life, no one could fit her better-yet that road, she understood, would remain closed.

She forced a small smile. “No, never,” she answered, drawing the stray image back into the shadows.

Leaving the jagged rockery, they stepped onto the gravel path only to meet Callum coming the other way. Escape would have been rude, so they stopped and bowed. “Mr. Callum.”

Callum’s brows lifted in recognition..”I meant to help search for you that day,” he said to Fiona, “but the young ladies needed escorting home. Were you hurt at all?”

Despite the casual tone, genuine worry darkened his eyes; after all, she had once saved his life.

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Chapter 215 Shifting Standards

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“Thank you for asking. I did fall from the ledge, yet the soil was thick, so I escaped unharmed,” Fiona said, voice calm.

Callum meant to say more, but words abandoned him. He stood there, stiff and silent. The sight of him rooted like a wooden post pried a giggle from Hillary.

Callum flushed, shooting her a warning glance. “What is so funny?”

“Nothing at all,” she replied, still smiling.

Callum already disliked the young lady of Havenford Estate. Now he liked her even less.

Hillary, unbothered, asked, “Mr. Callum, are you on your way to find Naomi? Then let’s go together.”

Fiona saw no polite avenue of refusal, so she fell into step beside them.

The trio turned toward the great banquet hall, their shadows lengthening across the flagstones.

As they walked, Callum said, “I kept the bamboo raft you used that day. If you’d like a memento, I can have it delivered to the Niven family.”

“That is very kind. Thank you, Mr. Callum,” Fiona replied.

He groped for another topic, found none, and the silence thickened.

They had gone only a few steps when Soren strode toward them, ceremonial cloak catching the light. His gaze flicked to Callum, instantly reading his brother’s discomfort.

Hillary’s eyes lit up. “Lord Soren!”

Fiona offered a measured curtsey. “Good day, Lord Soren.”

“On your way to the main hall?” he asked, giving Fiona a quick once-over before glancing at the path ahead.

“Exactly,” Hillary said. “Walk with us?”

Soren lingered in thoughtful silence, the winter sun flickering across his lashes. At last he inclined his head, voice scarcely above a murmur. “I’ll come along.” The words were simple, yet something in their weight changed the air.

Callum’s brows knit as he studied his brother. For a fleeting second he felt a ripple of unease, as though the familiar face before him no longer fit the room’s quiet harmony.

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Chapter 215 Shifting Standards.

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He turned to Fiona, hoping her expression might explain the disquiet curling through him, but she merely lowered her gaze, leaving the question thudding unanswered in his chest.

“Splendid, Lord Soren. Walk with us,” Hillary chimed, her delight as bright as wind-tossed bells. She clasped gloved hands before her cloak, clearly pleased by the growing party.

Fiona answered with a courteous smile-neither welcoming nor refusing Soren’s company- only the faultless politeness of one determined to offend no soul in this corridor of shifting alliances.

Hillary was still a young lady; strolling beside two well-born gentlemen meant she would be viewed as a child under their protection, a detail that spared her from wagging tongues.

Fiona, meanwhile, kept a measured distance from both brothers. Rumor fed on inches as eagerly as on miles, and once the ladies of Jexburgh seasoned a tale, even the Sweetbriar River could not wash it clean.

“How has Mr. Niven been settling in Junbert lately?” Callum asked, genuine concern softening his usually forthright tone.

Fiona’s eyes darted toward Soren. His calm profile told her enough-Callum clearly knew nothing of her father’s deeper troubles, and Soren would not be the one to breach that wall.

“Thank you for asking, Mr. Callum. My father remains safe and busy, whether in Jexburgh or Junbert-ever at the Empire’s service. Still, the distance can make even sturdy hearts ache for home.”

Callum nodded firmly. “His Majesty recognizes true merit. Your father’s recall to the capital is only a matter of time.” The assurance rang with unembellished

respect.

Callum’s candor was well-known, but so was the quiet kindness underpinning it.

Fiona’s answering smile, small yet sincere, served as her graceful acknowledgment.

Callum pressed his lips together, conversation slipping from his grasp like mist.

Eager to mend the lull, Fiona asked, “What gift did you choose for Naomi?” Her gentle prompt threw Callum a lifeline.

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