My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 261

Chapter 261 Shadows Behind Power

Chapter 261 Shadows Behind Power

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Although Soren told himself to stay calm, a thin, traitorous ribbon of anticipation still unwound inside his chest. People were simply built that way. The moment the heart stepped into love, it began knitting dangerous hopes out of nothing at all.

Across the city, Fiona lowered her lashes, the words Lilith had just whispered still crashing through her mind like storm–tide.

She had always believed that, in the previous life she half remembered, Soren traveled north to Broadmoor only to settle the chaos left by his wounded father, Alexander. Now the truth struck harder: Emperor Aldric himself had sent the order. The emperor had indulged Cornelius‘ secret dealings with the Steppe Nomads. When the plot failed to eliminate Alexander, Aldric shifted his aim to Soren.

Remove the heir, and the Zonfrillo Estate would stand crippled. Ian Zonfrillo was far too young to shoulder a principality; ten full years would be needed before he could lead. Ten years were more than enough for rot to set in.

Fiona traced the dates. Soren’s year in Broadmoor had been one long void of news. He reappeared in Jexburgh only when Emperor Aldric collapsed with illness. Plain as daylight- the young lord had vanished deliberately, slipping beyond a ruler’s cross–hairs until the sightline itself fell.

When Fiona next met Morgan, she unpacked the entire, brutal story for him.

“A house like the Zonfrillos must keep climbing or die where it stands. Soren’s ruthless edges were forged on that anvil. Power is not a choice for him. It is survival,” Morgan said, voice low yet razor–clear.

“Indeed. In the royal court, every step is a minefield,” Fiona answered with a strained smile. “Fail, and you are punished; succeed too well, and you paint a target on your own back.”

After all, her father was the prime example. They had all learned that lesson in blood and silence.

“His Majesty is riddled with suspicion. Cornelius, Zephyr–the whole brood takes after him. All our officials squander their strength on knife–fights in shadowed corridors, leaving real work to starve. Keep this course, and Duflana will crumble,” Morgan said.

On that verdict, Fiona dared offer no opinion at all.

“Oh, I don’t see Cierra today–where is she?”

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Chapter 261 Shadows Behind Power

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Morgan exhaled, some tension draining from his shoulders. “Jexburgh’s quiet for once, so I let her take the day off and taste a little freedom.”

“A year from now, His Majesty will fall grievously ill,” Fiona reminded softly. “You should prepare too, Dr. Murren.”

Morgan bowed his head and drank, the wine catching lamplight like bruised garnet.

“Your spirits are low tonight,” she ventured after a pause.

“Today is my mother’s death anniversary,” he replied.

He spoke not of Claudia, the powerful consort, but of Lady Viola, the gentle concubine who had raised him in the quiet corners of the palace.

Fiona had heard murmurs–Lady Viola’s end might not have been an accident at all. Best, sometimes, to let another’s secrets lie. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Death freed her,” Morgan murmured, a sad, almost grateful curve on his lips. “I don’t ache because she is gone–I ache because I miss her. When I was a limping child, she alone refused to flinch at my twisted leg. If servants whispered, she cried. Every night, she devoured medical scrolls, hunting anything that might ease my pain. After she died, the palace kept its distance, branding me broken. The second soul who never looked at me with pity was Cecilia.”

Fiona had guessed as much.

A man like Marcus carried walls few could scale.

“At first, I thought Cecilia was only curious–or greedy, the way your grandmother once admired a prince’s gilded cage,” Morgan continued. “Then I discovered she hadn’t the faintest notion I was royalty. She actually asked which household I served and planned to use the power of the Princess Royal’s family to take me home as her husband.”

Fiona chuckled. “I imagine she was terrified once the truth surfaced.”

Morgan’s hard gaze softened to spring rain. “Terrified, yes–yet she still told me she would marry me gladly. It was Princess Helen who forbade it.”

Cecilia later slipped out of Jexburgh, traveling in secret to his door. Morgan, wracked by the pain of his disability, lay stranded on the floorboards, unwilling to let her witness such anguish.

“Have you cast me away?” she had asked from the threshold, voice shaking, small and lost as a pup in winter rain.

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Chapter 261 Shadows Behind Power

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The question cut Morgan to the bone. He could do nothing but order attendants to escort her safely back while he bled in silence behind a closed door.

“You’ve disappointed me,” Cecilia said, her lashes trembling as if they, too, felt the bruise. “That said, I’ll still give you another chance. In the future, you can come to me on your own, Marcus. You must come find me!”

Yes. I will. The man had answered in the hollow of his chest, a silent vow heavier than iron.

That was why he later hid behind the borrowed name of Morgan Murren, the famed Divine Physician, slipped into Yondale, and shadowed Cecilia through gardens and market lanes, posing as a carefree traveler at her side.

Alas, Cecilia failed to recognize him. Amused by his restrained elegance, she announced her intent to install the mysterious doctor as her personal companion–a handsome ornament for lonely evenings.

The offer, though cloaked in praise, tasted bitter. Jealousy pricked beneath his courteous smile, reminding him he had returned for her love, not her patronage.

“Only the man I love could ever be my husband,” Cecilia said with a light, teasing tone. “So you’ll have to settle for being my companion. You look a bit like him—that’s why I chose you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

“So, you’re using me as a substitute, Ms. Cecilia?”

Cecilia sighed. “Don’t say it like that. You’re not the only one. Everyone I meet is merely his reflection.”

Fiona stepped through the doors of Fragrant Leaf Teahouse expecting to find Cecilia, yet the room lay empty. Strolling toward the perfumed Amber Room, she instead walked straight into Penelope, who was sharing hushed laughter with Victoria.

“Fiona!” Penelope exclaimed, warmth flooding her eyes as though they had always been family.

“Greetings, Your Highness and Mrs. Luthor,” Fiona answered, dipping a graceful curtsy.

Victoria linked arms with Fiona, pulling her into a circle of instant intimacy. “Duchess Zonfrillo brought me out today to do some shopping, and here you are. What a coincidence! Anyway, which of these rouges do you like? Choose one, and I’ll buy it for you.”