My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 272

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ChapteChapter 272 Shifting Allegiances

Zephyr let the silence stretch, weighing every syllable before offering a careful, almost boyish smile. “Exactly so.”

Marcus, unmoved by either praise or complaint, lingered only long enough for protocol, then turned on his heel and strode out of the palace, vanishing beyond the colonnades like a shadow at noon.

A few days later, an unexpected calamity struck. Zephyr’s fiancée, Ivanna Ingram, took a fall while riding. The accident shattered her spine, leaving her paralyzed below the waist and unable to bear children. A prince’s heirs were everything, so the engagement, once celebrated, dissolved without ceremony–nothing more than a rumor lost on the wind.

Even so, Zephyr played the devoted gentleman. He summoned royal physicians, soothed the distraught Ingram family, and performed every duty a son–in–law might owe—acts generous enough to leave anyone breathless with gratitude,

For a prince to bend so far was, in courtly circles, nothing short of astonishing.

In a private booth trimmed with sandalwood screens at Fragrant Leaf Teahouse, Fiona and Morgan sat opposite one another, steam from untouched cups spiraling between them like ghostly ribbons.

Fiona’s fingers tightened around her porcelain cup. “Zephyr’s ruthlessness is frightening,” she whispered, a flicker of pity softening her eyes. “One careless moment and that girl’s entire life is in ruins.”

Morgan folded his hands atop the table. “The In

gram family has only that single daughter. With her destroyed, they lose every chance of tying themselves to the great families–or to the throne. And remember, they were allies of the Zonfrillo family.”

The meaning slid into place for Fiona like the last stone in a mosaic.

The emperor had allowed the tragedy to unfold. Whether Zephyr married Fiona or not was irrelevant to him. What mattered was clipping the Zonfrillo family’s wings–one feather at a time.

Looking deeper, Fiona saw another layer. By refusing Zephyr a queen aligned with the Zonfrillo family, the emperor cleared the path ahead, ensuring his son would never rule under their shadow.

Outwardly, Aldric encouraged rivalry between Cornelius and Zephyr. In truth, Cornelius was merely a blade to be worn down, used to whittle away the Zonfrillo family until nothing useful remained.

Fiona exhaled. “It seems His Majesty has already chosen his heir.”

Morgan’s reply came without hesitation. “From the moment Cornelius got into cahoots with the Steppe Nomads, his fate was sealed. Father keeps him close only while he remains usable.”

Now that Cornelius stood outside the line of succession, only Zephyr could wear the crown..

Morgan’s gaze drifted toward the rain–washed window. “We may not have long before a crown prince is proclaimed.” His expression, unreadable, suggested he already tasted the storm gathering just beyond the horizon.

Fiona fell silent, sifting through the implications like a jeweler studying flawed gems.

Only weeks ago, the emperor had relished watching Cornelius and Zephyr tear at each other.

Now, abruptly favoring Zephyr and turning Cornelius against the Zonfrillo family–clearing obstacles, paving roads–something monumental must have shifted behind the curtain.

Chapter 272 Shifting Allegiances

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In Fiona’s past life, rumors of the emperor’s grave illness surfaced half a year later. His strength ebbed, his grip on court matters slipped, and during that vacuum, Soren returned to Jexburgh.

She never learned every detail of the ensuing struggle, yet the Zonfrillo family emerged slightly ahead. Afterward, the emperor’s attempts at control became little more than gestures.

Is it possible that Emperor Aldric’s health is already failing–even now?

While an emperor still burned with full vigor, even his own sons became rivals rather than heirs. Suspicion breathed through every corridor, fathers and princes calculating against one another beneath candlelit ceilings. Yet the moment sickness began to gnaw at that once–unyielding body, the game shifted. Thoughts turned to succession, to which son might sit the throne without toppling the realm that had taken decades to forge.

In a former lifetime, Cornelius had betrayed the Zonfrillo family by passing all their military secrets to the Steppe Nomads. Emperor Aldric, unprepared, had hesitated at the very brink of decision. Now, in this reborn present, Cornelius‘ plans had proved useless, so Emperor Aldric could scheme openly for Zephyr’s ascent, shaping the future crown as though molding wet clay beneath steady palms.

To secure Zephyr upon the throne, powerful in–laws would be essential. The trick, however, was delicate: relatives strong enough to steady the new reign, yet never so mighty they could overshadow the sovereign himself.

“If Zephyr strides into the Niven family manor to ask for your hand, Fiona, what will you do?” Morgan asked, his voice calm yet edged with warning.

Ostensibly a question, the words were in fact a caution: under no circumstance was she to accept Zephyr’s proposal.

Fiona carried too many of Marcus‘ secrets in her head–strategic whispers that could dismantle him should they reach other ears. If she became Zephyr’s wife, Marcus would never again know an untroubled night’s sleep.

In the previous life, Zephyr also pressed me to become a concubine in his quarters. He never succeeded, though,” Fiona murmured, eyes narrowing at the memory.

“And what if he promises you the position of the first wife? What then?” Morgan pressed.

Fiona’s brow tightened. “If he intends a legitimate marriage, surely a more advantageous bride stands within his reach.”

“With your grandmother’s influence spent, Father now needs a new force to balance the Zonfrillo family. Your father, recently promoted, fits the role neatly. Once Cornelius falls, many of his subordinates will naturally turn to your father. If, by then, you have become the Sixth Prince’s consort, those defectors would effectively become Zephyr’s men as well, locking the two families into a single, unbreakable alliance.”

Right now, however, Zachary stood too low on the political ladder to summon instant loyalty.

Only a marriage between Fiona and Zephyr could braid their fortunes tightly enough. Then–and only then–would Emperor Aldric dare hoist Zachary to the necessary height, secure that the man’s allegiance could not drift.

“If Zephyr happens to harbor genuine affection for you as well, the bargain hardly seems disadvantageous,” Morgan added with a faint shrug.

A shiver crept along Fiona’s spine.

She knew all too clearly how the Zonfrillo family would eventually burn. Should her father rise under Emperor Aldric’s favor, he would be dragged into that blaze and left with nothing but ashes.

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“If I fall gravely ill, Mother will escort me back to Southmere for convalescence, Fiona said quietly. “In that case, even Prince Zephyr cannot compel me.”