My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 250

84

+5 Free Coins

“Keep Cornelius‘ evidence quiet for now,” Soren said before stepping beyond the threshold.

After he left, Luna released a long, wry breath. He could insist Fiona was irrelevant all he liked; an unmarried lord would not guard propriety so fiercely unless the woman mattered.

Meanwhile, Marcus, ordered to investigate Cornelius, unearthed a trail that stopped at the Chief Minister of Agriculture. Greed had driven the official to trade favors with the Steppe Nomads, and Emperor Aldric, enraged, ordered an immediate execution.

Not long after, evidence surfaced that the Princess Royal’s Estate had brushed against the same scandal. Though no conclusive proof emerged, the inquiry exposed lesser crimes of favoritism and bribery.

Out of respect for past service, Emperor Aldric spared her life. Yet he stripped her of royal rank, declared her a commoner, and exiled her to Yondale; her descendants were forever barred from office in Jexburgh.

Cornelius stepped into the torchlit corridor where Marcus waited. Beneath the wavering flame he let a measured smile unfold, a smile that carried equal parts gratitude and hidden calculation.

“Still, Marcus, I must thank you for lending your hand in this affair,” he said, voice velvet yet edged like steel.

Marcus met that smile with frost. His dark eyes held no warmth, only the rigid weight of duty. “I merely act on Father’s command. You owe me no gratitude, Cornelius.”

Inside, a spark of triumph leapt through Cornelius‘ chest. If Father himself ordered Marcus to investigate, then Father’s gaze is fixed proudly on me.

With Princess Helen’s case finally laid to rest, Fiona let out a breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

She understood why Marcus had volunteered to probe Cornelius‘ involvement. Had the investigation fallen into less sympathetic hands, every stain on Helen’s record would have been bared, the full weight of imperial law crashing down upon the aging princess.

By stepping in, Marcus steered the inquiry, so the charge against his grandmother thinned to a faint shadow–just enough to satisfy formality, not enough to take her life.

Cornelius, of course, had held his own knife to the Princess Royal’s throat–evidence sharp enough to slice the household to pieces. Without that leverage Helen would never have agreed

1/3

11:55 Fri, Oct 24

Chapter 250 Hidden Evidence

to scheme against Alexander.

Now that suspicion no longer clung to him, Cornelius withheld the fatal proof–a filial courtesy offered to Father.

84

+5 Free Coins

The Princess Royal’s family, shorn of power and purpose, became a spent pawn; Emperor Aldric cared only for pieces that still moved.

Fiona knew that, for the Princess Royal’s family, this was the best ending they could hope for; but young Cecilia could not possibly see it yet.

When she arrived at the teahouse, Cecilia spotted her at once, darted across the room, and collapsed into her arms.

Fiona wiped the girl’s tears with a gentle thumb. “Granny and Edmund are in no danger. You can set your heart at ease.”

Cecilia’s voice trembled, yet her words were iron. “I want to go back,” she whispered. “I want to stay beside Grandma–to live or die with the family.”

Fiona met her gaze, steady as stone. “You are your family’s one remaining hope. Granny sent you away because she knew it would keep that hope alive. If you return, the light goes out forever.”

Leaving Cecilia with Marcus ensured the prince could never forget the Princess Royal’s family. As long as the girl walked beside him, he might one day extend a saving hand–and her own life, at least, remained safe.

After another rush of tears, Cecilia gave a small, resolute nod.

Fiona lowered her voice. “Remember this–you are Cierra. One careless word could pull Marcus into ruin.”

“Yes, I am Cierra,” Cecilia breathed. “I will forget the Princess Royal’s family.”

From this moment on, she vowed to labor for the future of Helen’s bloodline.

Only years later did Fiona realize that the girl’s real maturity began today; on this afternoon Cecilia shed her old name and fully became Cierra.

very

Even after Cierra rose to noble rank, she never slipped, always claiming to be nothing more than a tea–girl–but that was a story for another time.

Once Cornelius was cleared of colluding with the Steppe Nomads, the matter of his marriage to Roxanne advanced at full speed.

2/3

11:55 Fri, Oct 24

Chapter 250 Hidden Evidence

A royal wedding was extravagance distilled.

Z(84)

+5 Free Coins

In her previous life Fiona, exiled with her disgraced father, had never seen such glory. Now, standing amid lantern light and triumphant music, she understood that no language could describe it.

Fiona had never before witnessed Cornelius like this. The smile that curved across his lips was pure, earnest light, nothing of the sly tiger–behind–the–mask grin he usually wielded.

When he lifted Roxanne into the flower–laden sedan, he kept glancing down at her with a tenderness so soft it seemed to cup her face in invisible hands. Each look lingered, then slipped away, only to return, warmer still.

In their former life, Cornelius had committed more than a few dark deeds, yet gossip never once hinted that he slighted Roxanne. By every telling, husband and wife had lived in unbroken, gentle harmony.

“Looks like the whole cluster of ladies Ms. Roxanne belongs to is beginning to marry off. How swiftly the days slip by.”

“Indeed. Next in line are the young ladies from Havenford Estate. Oh, and have you seen the Niven family’s fifth daughter? I caught sight of her a few days ago–she has blossomed into quite a beauty.”

“But tell me, how can the sons and daughters of the Zonfrillo Estate and the Niven family be so dazzling, yet so maddeningly composed? Lord Soren is hardly a boy anymore.”

Fiona listened to the murmurs swirling around her like autumn leaves caught in a fragile breeze. Curiosity tugged at her, and she angled a glance toward the section reserved for the gentlemen.

There, across the slow hush of the courtyard, Soren was already looking back at her. He did not smile or nod. He simply watched, eyes dark and fathomless, as though the entire scene might vanish if he dared to blink.