My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 140

Chapter 140 Shifting Alliances

Chapter 140 Shifting Alliances

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Why is he explaining himself to me? Fiona sighed inside, disappointment fluttering like a clipped bird but quickly caged.

Her father had always kept his duties separate from Helen’s influence.

Now that Helen had emerged unscathed from recent troubles, the Niven family could again stand nearer the Princess Royal and perhaps share any resulting credit.

Though still vexed with Helen, Fiona cared for her grandmother; after all, Helen was her mother’s blood.

Fiona did not see her father until well past midnight. Zachary arrived so quickly that he had not even changed from his official robes.

“Father,” she breathed, the knot in her chest finally loosening.

“You must be exhausted,” Zachary said, taking in the bare stone walls and threadbare rugs. “Junbert offers little comfort–please forgive the hardship.”

He usually lived here with only four servants, rarely sleeping under this roof because duty kept him abroad.

At news of her arrival, he had hastily prepared a chamber that was, at best, serviceable.

“If you are beside me, I could endure even a cowshed,” Fiona replied.

Zachary laughed. “If you truly could, your mother would surely set me aside.”

“We discovered nothing incriminating about Pierre Lawson,” Fiona said, her tone turning

grave.

Zachary’s brows lifted. Soren had returned to the capital, and every faction still speculated on the truth behind Pierre’s affair.

“From what I have gathered,” Fiona continued, “Junbert is pulled by three powers. The weaker two have allied against the strongest. Grandmother’s name will likely stay clear of Pierre’s shadow. If we wield her influence now, we can disturb that balance. Introduce a fourth force, and every piece must move again. With the middle power broken, the remaining strong and weak will settle matters quickly. Once the middle player is gone, victory for the stronger side becomes only a matter of time.”

Zachary lowered his voice. “The delicate balance you see out there was crafted on purpose.”

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Chapter 140 Shifting Alliances

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Fiona knew the unseen hand belonged to the Zonfrillo family. Under that arrangement,all three factions needed favors from the Zonfrillos, so every path led back to its gate.

Even her father’s transfer to Junbert had been Soren’s idea–he meant Zachary to lift the people from hardship, not to topple the balance itself.

“If only one voice remained in Junbert, Father could govern with less resistance. The roots he plants here would serve him later,” Fiona said, her lashes lowered.

Once a lone faction felt secure, it would turn inward, focus on progress, and find Zachary an ally, bound to him by shared prosperity–useful currency when we return to Jexburgh.

“The Zonfrillo Estate may measure the account differently,” Zachary cautioned.

“His Majesty cannot move against Grandmother, and the Zonfrillo Estate is already entangled. They may have no room to maneuver.”

Zachary nodded. “Junbert demands patience. We will not force the season to change before its time.”

Then, almost as an aside, Zachary added, “Vince will be back in Jexburgh within days.”

Fiona’s eyes lit up. “When exactly?”

“No hurry,” her father said, smoothing the matter like silk. “Not until after your coming–of–age.”

sparrows

During the next few days in Junbert, Xavier’s visits to the Niven Estate multiplied like at dawn. Zachary trusted the young man and welcomed the sight; in these months he had come to admire Xavier’s steady manners and clear eyes.

Often the two youths sat shoulder to shoulder, carving tiny animals from cedar shavings, letting the fragrant curls fall and the daylight trickle away unremarked.

A handful of mornings later, a gilded carriage from the Princess Royal’s Estate rolled up to the gate. Helen had come in person to claim her granddaughter. Once she understood that Fiona’s anger sprang from secrets kept, Helen wasted no time crossing the miles.

Prince Jinks‘ Estate had spoken highly of the girl–how she shielded Cecilia and thought first of the princess’s household. Helen could hardly remain unmoved.

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