My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 217

Chapter 217 Playful Bonds

Chapter 217 Playful Bonds

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Fiona felt the truth of that keenly. In her previous life, three years of marriage had scattered her circle. Some ladies she never saw again. News of a friend’s misery-or early death-would slip in like cold rain, leaving a hollow ache.

Those friendships had carried them through a bright season. Yes, they quarreled, even competed, yet that dormitory of girlhood still felt safer than any intrigue-soaked household waiting beyond wedding veils.

Someone laughed. “Roxanne, you’re talkative tonight-far more than usual.”

Roxanne lifted her cup, eyes shining. “It’s Naomi’s birthday. Will everyone share a toast with me?”

She was still that magnetic second daughter of the Thankerton family-admired, envied, yet impossible to refuse-so every cup rose without hesitation.

Fiona understood the deeper reason. Roxanne’s engagement to the Fourth Prince, Cornelius, would soon be sealed. This night of simple laughter might be her last breath of freedom.

Once papers were signed, the celebrated scholar Roxanne would vanish. In her place: the Fourth Princess Consort, forever bound to Cornelius-his victories her rise, his failures her ruin. Power glimmered ahead, but the throne’s shadow swarmed with knives.

Pity stirred in Fiona’s chest. Across the room, Roxanne met her gaze. No words—only a quiet understanding that passed between them like a candle shielding another from the wind.

Ladies should not drink, yet everyone reached for the wine. A shared scolding tomorrow seemed small. To honor Roxanne was worth the punishment.

Fiona lifted a second cup when a maid hurried in. “Duchess Zonfrillo heard Ms. Fiona slept poorly. Dr. Carter is already here for the Duchess-she wonders if Ms. Fiona will allow him a look as well.”

Fiona’s lashes lowered. Penelope was seldom so considerate; the summons had Soren’s handwriting all over it.

Naomi rose, skirts whispering. “Fiona, come with me,” she said, guiding her toward her own courtyard.

When Fiona spotted Soren waiting inside, she was not surprised. He had merely borrowed Penelope’s authority to make this happen.

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Chapter 217 Playful Bonds

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She settled on a low cushioned couch. Giles Carter pressed two fingertips to her wrist while Soren sat nearby, cloak draped over one shoulder, reviewing correspondence with deliberate

calm.

Giles glanced up. “Ms. Fiona, do worries often weigh on your mind?”

Fiona eased her hand back. “Some do,” she admitted.

Giles nodded, voice gentle yet firm. “Release them when you can. Too much strain frays the body as surely as the heart.”

At the edge of the low tea-table, Soren’s fingers tapped once against the lacquered surface, a soft click that sliced through the hush. He lifted his gaze to Giles, the royal physician, and asked, “Might there be a remedy-something that can steady a restless heart?”

Giles bowed, his gray sleeves sweeping the floorboards. “I shall write Ms. Fiona a prescription. Yet be warned: it must be taken for many weeks. Nothing I know will grant relief overnight.”

Only after Giles’s footsteps faded down the corridor did Soren lean closer. Candlelight caught the hard angle of his cheek as he murmured, “You fret from dawn to dusk. Tell me, what truly weighs on you? Is it your father so far away in Junbert?”

Junbert lay hundreds of miles north, and Zachary’s posting there was a temporary maneuver understood by all. Xavier had already explained Emperor Aldric’s stance. Fiona knew her father was safe; that, at least, did not trouble her.

Soren’s voice softened. “Or is it us you worry over-you and me?”

Fiona’s lashes trembled while she searched for words that might gently brush the subject aside without inviting further questions.

He studied her in silence, then spoke with surprising earnestness. “Is it because I have not treated you as I should?”

Her eyes fell to the hem of her sleeve. She chose silence, finding the charge far too grand for a matter she did not deem vital.

“I have no experience in matters between a man and a woman,” he admitted. “Learning how to care for you will take time, and change never comes in a single night.”

Fiona finally met his gaze and said, “Roxanne and the Fourth Prince will likely announce their betrothal soon.”

“Cornelius will not let her slip away,” Soren replied, his tone flat but certain.

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Chapter 217 Playful Bonds

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“The struggle for the throne has always been ruthless,” she whispered. “Roxanne’s future will be anything but easy.”

Soren’s shoulders lifted in a faint shrug. “The Thankerton family serves Emperor Aldric from within the court. Even if she never married, she would still be dragged into the storm.”

The same was true of the Zonfrillo Estate.

Born inside that storm, Soren had been forced to master calculation early, measuring each advance like a man walking over thin ice.

“I should leave,” Fiona said, gathering her cloak. “If Duchess Zonfrillo learns I was here, she may find fault with me.”

Soren’s reply came swift. “Then let Mother know about us.” The invitation hung between them like an unveiled blade.

Fiona’s brows knit; silent disagreement darkened her eyes.

“Drink the medicine on schedule,” he urged, voice dropping to a near whisper. “If your health fails, everything else loses meaning.”

She folded the prescription and slipped it into her sleeve, then ventured, “The girl who called me just now-was she one of your maids?”

“She works at Radiant Lodge, yet she is not my personal attendant.” His lips quirked, almost defensive. “I never grow accustomed to letting servants assist me at the bath. In fact, I keep no bed companion at all.”

Who asked you? The thought flashed across Fiona’s mind, painting her cheeks with sudden heat. She offered no answer, turned, and moved toward the door.

Behind her came his final call, low and steady. “Will you visit Clearsky Pavilion in a few days?”

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