My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 50

Chapter 50 Fireworks And Schemes

Chapter 50 Fireworks And Schemes

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Once they parted today, opportunities to catch Callum alone would vanish. She needed to corner him before night settled.

A short while later, she felt the weight of his gaze again and found Callum watching her.

She answered with a small, unhurried smile.

In that moment, the courtyard’s colors drained away, as though her smile alone had commanded every lantern and brocade banner to fade.

Callum froze, ears flushing crimson, and hurried to stare at the paving stones instead.

An idea chimed like glass inside her mind. Leaning close to Florence, she murmured, “Shall we set off some fireworks?”

Florence bit her lip in dismay. “Years ago, my brother and I nearly burned Sunspire Palace to the ground with those things. I have not dared touch them since, and Father forbade it outright.”

Fiona laughed softly. “Then we simply find someone to supervise us.”

Florence pondered, then turned instinctively toward Callum. Since childhood, her second cousin had been the one to indulge her in every forbidden game.

At the mention of fireworks, Callum followed Florence’s whispering gaze to Fiona’s expectant face. Any refusal died on his tongue.

Fiona probably wants to see fireworks, too.

“You two head to Sunspire Palace and wait for me there,” Callum said.

Florence linked arms with Fiona and led her away at once.

After briefly considering the matter, Callum went to ask for Claudia’s permission.

“Florence hasn’t relaxed in far too long,” Claudia said. “Take the girls out and let them breathe, It’s New Year, and I refuse to see my daughter’s mood spoiled.”

Had Zephyr been the one indulging Florence’s whim. Rowena would surely have pounced on the chance to criticize. With Callum standing in, however, the queen was not yet ready to cross the powerful Zonfrillo Estate.

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14:48 Fri, Oct 10

Chapter 50 Fireworks And Schemes

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Armed with Claudia’s approval, Callum turned on his heel and headed straight for Sunspire Palace.

Inside the sun–washed halls of Sunspire, Fiona and Florence had already been waiting for some time, their laughter fading the instant his boots echoed across the threshold.

At once, Florence clapped her gloved hands and ordered a maid to fetch the brand–new fireworks delivered for the season. Callum crouched by a brazier, struck a taper, and handed each young woman a slender paper stem that hissed to life in rainbow sparks.

Fiona had not held such a toy in years; her eyes widened like a child’s, the neon fountain painting her cheeks with fleeting blossoms of light.

Callum studied her face, now gilded by sparks, flawless as porcelain, and murmured, “Ms. Fiona, have you never played with fireworks before?”

She lowered her gaze, the sparks catching in her lashes. “It’s been many years since I last held

one.”

Something in that quiet admission pricked Callum’s heart. Without a word, he struck another taper and placed a second sparkling wand into her waiting hand.

Florence shook the spent ash from her own sparkler, shivering. “You two keep playing. I’m frozen–I’m going inside to warm by the fire.” She turned and hurried toward the glowing doorway.

Once Florence had gone, silence settled with the snow. Fiona asked softly, “Mr. Callum, is it true you’ll be sent to Broadmoor right after the holiday?”

He nodded, the sparks hissing between them. “I’m to escort soldiers‘ pay and rations. We leave on the fifth and should be gone about two months, round trip.”

Fiona’s gaze fell to the embering snow beneath their boots. “A few nights ago, I dreamed of you, ambushed by the Steppe Nomads while guarding the wagons. You were badly hurt. Please -promise me you’ll take every precaution.”

Romance was not Callum’s battlefield, yet even he could hear the concern woven through her voice.

He guessed that the firework display had been arranged so Fiona might deliver this warning in private,

She’s so gentle, so good, he thought, the notion warming him more than the nearby brazier. It was just a dream, yet she still warned him.

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14:48 Fri, Oct 10

Chapter 50 Fireworks And Schemes

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She was nothing like the restless schemer his younger brother Soren had described.

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Ordinarily, he would have laughed off such omens. He feared neither scars nor nomads. Every soldier bore his share of wounds for king and country.

Yet before Fiona, he felt a strange softness, even a hint of embarrassment. “Thank you for the warning, Ms. Fiona. I’ll stay alert and return without a scratch–on my honor.”

She worried her lower lip, then added, “When you make your preparations, could you keep this between us? Lord Soren already thinks poorly of me–I’d hate him to imagine motives. where there are none.”

Callum’s brows drew together. “Anything you say to me stays with me,” he said firmly. “My brother’s judgment is his own problem, not yours.‘

The evening bells were chiming; aware of the hour, Fiona folded her cloak and announced she must return to the city.

A palace maid led her toward Cavalrest Palace, yet the carriage waiting there was not the modest one she had arrived in.

The maid dipped her head. “Lord Soren is waiting for you.”

Fiona’s brow tightened, unsure why Soren had asked for her. They were inside the Imperial Palace; if anyone caught them meeting in secret, the rumors alone could topple more than reputations.

After weighing the risk, she lifted the velvet curtain and stepped into the waiting carriage.

She had never entered Soren’s carriage before. A faint breath of ink and sandalwood drifted around her, softening the sharp winter air.

Soren sat perfectly straight on the rear seat, eyes closed in effortless command. Only when the door thudded shut did his lashes rise.

Silently, she admitted his face was the sort one never tired of studying–angles too precise to fault, lips made for sin. The body beneath the cloak looked equally dangerous, though any pleasure it promised would never be hers.

“Lord Soren, your courage borders on reckless,” Fiona said, her tone mild yet edged like fresh- cut paper.

“Keep your distance from Zephyr if you wish to avoid becoming his newest diversion,” Soren replied. “You will gain nothing of real value from him.”

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