My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 181

Chapter 181 A Crafty Diversion

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“Your father knows exactly what he’s doing,” Soren replied, voice calm but final. “There is no need for you to lose sleep over it.”

Roxanne, standing a little apart, studied Soren in silence. His casual question about Rowan felt less like concern for the Ronsons and more like a deft move to pull the spotlight away from Fiona.

She glanced at Fiona, remembering that the girl had indeed arrived wearing a delicate blush- rose tint. Unless it had faded naturally, something–or someone–had prompted her to remove it.

Whatever suspicions stirred, Roxanne held her tongue; the gathering was hardly the place for prying.

Soren had only attended the lady’s festivities because Naomi was present. Once he confirmed his sister was content, he turned on his heel and slipped back into the flow of servants and silks.

“Lord Soren has been preening like a peacock all afternoon,” someone nearby whispered, half amused, half awed.

Naomi let out two guilty little chuckles. Truth be told, her brother had been flaunting his plumage for quite some time now.

Later, the coveted orchid–shaped hairpin–once bestowed by the late Emperor upon the Dowager Empress—ended up in Cornelius‘ hands. Because the piece belonged to the royal household, no one dared challenge him.

The victory signaled more than skill; it hinted that the Fourth Prince’s heart, or perhaps his marriage prospects, had found a destination.

Whispers rippled through the hall like wind across tall grass.

Roxanne froze when she realized Cornelius‘ dark eyes were fixed squarely on her. For an instant, she could do nothing but stare back, caught between surprise and something far

warmer.

Fiona was unfazed. In the life she remembered, Cornelius had always hoarded every good thing for Roxanne. Winning that hairpin on her behalf felt perfectly natural—especially when the piece symbolized not merely affection but the storied bond between an emperor and his

empress.

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Chapter 181 A Crafty Diversion

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Cornelius had never bothered to hide his ambition. He wanted the throne, and in the theater of his imagination the only figure suited to stand beside him was Roxanne–his chosen

empress.

That afternoon, the palace buzzed with rare, lingering merriment. Even after the polo match ended, no one hurried off. The ladies gathered in clusters, nibbling sugared fruit while the winter sun poured over silken sleeves.

Lilith sat stiffly among them. Everyone nearby carried a title or a fortune, and she knew scarcely any of their names. Whenever Fiona stepped away, the girl folded her hands and made herself small.

Only after entering the palace had she realized she was the sole illegitimate daughter allowed through those gates. Yet in Fiona’s eyes, she was simply a sister–no prefixes, no hierarchies, only blood–warm loyalty.

She could not find the courage to speak, but gratitude thrummed inside her chest like a hidden drumbeat. Fiona had brought her here to taste the wider world, and that kindness glowed brighter than the sun.

Across the courtyard, Laurence, polishing dust from his gauntlet, happened to glance their way. The casual look snagged on Lilith like fabric on a thorn.

For a breath, he froze, struck by how Lilith’s candid cheeks outshone Fiona’s composed grace. Then the soldier remembered himself and wrenched his gaze back to the parade of clouds.

“The mathematics exam is closing in, isn’t it?” Roxanne asked, tilting toward Fiona with a conspiratorial smile. “If you earn top marks there as well, they will declare you next year’s foremost lady scholar–eclipsing even me among the Six Arts.”

“You know me, Roxanne,” Fiona sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Numbers and I rarely see eye to eye.”

“Then come to the Thankerton Estate,” Roxanne said, her voice soft but sure. “I am free these days. Whatever puzzles you, we will unravel it together.”

The offer warmed Fiona and unsettled her in equal measure. Her relationship with Cornelius was beginning to deepen, and Roxanne–once an ally of Zephyr–now openly courted Cornelius‘ camp.

With that shift, the vast machinery of the Thankerton family had swung as well, forging a temporary kinship with the Niven second branch.

Her father and elder brother already backed Cornelius; declining Roxanne would only seem ungracious. So Fiona bowed her head and thanked the other woman.

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Chapter 181 A Crafty Diversion

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Elsewhere, Soren and Callum excused themselves almost immediately after the match, their dark cloaks fluttering beyond the gate before anyone thought to ask why.

That evening, Harriet arrived at Fiona’s quarters bearing an embroidered magnolia still nestled in its brocade box.

“Royal treasures are off–limits to Lord Soren,” Harriet explained, setting the flower on the low table. “So he searched for this instead. He said a magnolia would sit perfectly in your chambers.”

The petals were a faint blush, each layer drifting over the next like morning mist. Achieving such delicate dye work cost time, patience, and a master’s hand.

Fiona was not the sort of lady won over by trinkets. Anything purchased with a handful of silver, she could easily buy for herself.

Yet the sight of the magnolia tugged loose a memory: the ivory tulip hairpin he had slipped into her palm on her coming–of–age day. Another magnolia now–surely a deliberate reminder.

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