My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 12

14:37 Fri, Oct 10

Chapter 12 Gleaming Blossoms

Chapter 12 Gleaming Blossoms

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Beauty shimmered on every side, a field of jewels so bright the eye could scarcely settle on

one.

At their entrance, whispers rippled through the cluster of unmarried gentlemen. Hands paused in mid–air, wine stopped midway to lips, and a dozen proud hearts beat a touch faster.

Ulrich scanned the crowd–powdered faces, feathered sleeves, and flickering laughter–yet Fiona remained nowhere in sight.

“Ulrich.” A quiet call rang out, accompanied by a gentle tug at his sleeve.

He lowered his gaze. There, in a pale, tightly belted gown, stood Fiona–difficult to overlook in any crowd, yet dressed so modestly that night she might have passed for a lady–in–waiting.

Despite her unparalleled features, the subdued cut and color of the dress siphoned every spotlight from her. Unless one looked closely, she blended into the shadows cast by the attendants.

“Ulrich, may I borrow

I borrow your horse tomorrow?” Fiona asked as she settled beside him, smoothing her skirt with determined grace.

She meant only to earn top marks in mounted archery. Pinecrest Mountain sprawled ahead, its ridges steep and tangled. If she could master mounted archery on terrain that treacherous, the coming trials in archery and horsemanship would present no threat at all.

“You are hardly an expert rider, and that mountain can be unforgiving,” Ulrich warned, his brow knitting in worry.

Fiona’s gaze drifted across the table. Opposite her, Xavier sat ramrod straight, eyes fixed on her with a focus so intense it hovered between admiration and something more brittle–like a man terrified to lose what he had only just regained.

The look unsettled her. A faint, unexpected ache tightened in her chest, as though his quiet yearning exposed a loneliness she had tried to forget.

She doubted even Soren had worn such raw emotion when rumors of her death first reached him.

Determined to dispel the heaviness, she offered Xavier a dazzling smile. He froze, then glanced away, composure restored except for the telltale flush creeping up the shell of his ears.

“I would like to seize this chance to learn properly,” she murmured to Ulrich. “If you have a

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14:37 Fri, Oct 10

Chapter 12 Gleaming Blossoms

moment, could you ask Mr. Xavier whether he might tutor me in riding?”

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Ulrich’s talents lay with ink, not steel. Among the young men present, Xavier was the obvious. choice–honorable to the bone and reputedly unmatched in mounted archery.

Besides, Fiona seemed perfectly comfortable in his company.

“He actually mentioned the matter earlier,” Ulrich admitted, feelings twisting. “He said that if you had any questions, you were welcome to seek him out.”

Fiona had worried Xavier might already be spoken for. In the hierarchy of Jexburgh’s old families, the Luthor family was hardly dazzling, yet Xavier’s quiet charisma drew every ambitious young lady like moths toward a calm blue flame. Ulrich’s assurance, though, eased the knot in her chest.

Emperor Aldric and Princess Aurora chose to make their entrance a little later, heightening the sense of ceremony that already hung thick in the hall.

Past fifty, Emperor Aldric showed not a hint of silver at his temples. His eyes were bright, his back unbowed; the authority rolling from him felt as solid and immovable as a mountain

range.

Beside him stood Princess Aurora, her features sharply carved, just different enough from Duflanans to be exotic–a beauty rare enough to draw every wandering gaze.

They were flanked by Soren and the Sixth Prince. The two were cousins. The Sixth Prince’s mother, Claudia Zonfrillo, sister to Alexander, currently enjoyed the emperor’s brightest favor.

Apart from the princes, only Soren–a son of the Zonfrillo family–had been granted the honor of walking in with the emperor, tangible proof that the rumors of Alexander’s unmatched standing at court were no empty chatter.

I’m beginning to believe every woman in Duflana was carved from starlight, Your Majesty. My eyes can scarcely keep up with such radiance,” Princess Aurora said, laughter dancing in her

throat.

Emperor Aldric chuckled. “And are Duflana’s gentlemen so very plain, then?”

She lifted one elegant brow. “Hardly plain, Your Majesty. It is simply that I met Lord Soren and the Sixth Prince first. After encountering such flawless gentlemen, even the handsomest among the rest loses a shade of luster.”

As she spoke, her gaze drifted to Soren. He had been the one to escort her into Jexburgh, and in that first meeting, she had thought every blossom dull beside his silent grace. No flower held such soul, no gemstone such quiet fire. He was cold, immaculate, and all the more

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14:37 Fri, Oct 10

Chapter 12 Gleaming Blossoms

tempting for it.

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Emperor Aldric tapped the rail of his throne, mischief glimmering in his eyes. “Since you think so highly of him, why not let me bestow him upon you as your husband?”

A murmur rippled through the gathering, many faces draining of color while others flushed with sudden excitement.

Fiona had known the princess was there to choose a groom, yet she had never imagined Soren would be the target. Beside her, Roxanne went stark white, as though the floor had just slipped.

Fiona looked toward Soren and found him as serene as ever. In the next breath, she understood. With Alexander commanding the northern armies, the son of the Zonfrillo family could never be given as consort to a foreign princess–Emperor Aldric was testing the waters, measuring Soren’s stance on marriage, nothing more.

Emperor Aldric trusted Alexander, certainly, but the former didn’t want the Zonfrillo family to be too ambitious. Too much power gathered in one family could unbalance the throne itself.

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