My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 222

Chapter 222 Secrets In Borrowed Ink

Chapter 222 Secrets In Borrowed Ink

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She ground a fresh stick of ink, brushed the characters “Read” onto the margin, then copied his script, stroke for stroke, until the shapes looked almost like his own.

In another lifetime she had studied the art, mastering posture but not soul; without relentless practice, no mimic could truly deceive the eye.

years of

She did not linger. The counterfeit pages slipped into her sleeve-if Soren ever glimpsed them, suspicion would flare at once.

That very night, Soren’s horse thundered through Jexburgh’s moonlit gate; the heir had come home.

Zephyr, only recently freed from palace censure, summoned him to Everscent Hall for a night of reclaimed freedom.

When Soren stepped into Everscent Hall, he found Zephyr flanked by two of the hall’s most sought-after courtesans.

Their slender figures swayed like willow branches, coy yet untouched by worldly dust, and they leaned against the prince as though he were a citadel of safety.

The moment Soren crossed the threshold, both women fixed their gaze on him, unable-or unwilling to look away.

“You’re not afraid Cornelius will spin new scandal out of this?” Soren asked, voice cool as untouched porcelain.

Zephyr replied with a languid half-smile. “Father’s outrage is theater. He won’t punish me over women, but he must toss Cornelius a token of fairness.”

Even favoritism, he suggested, required its pageantry.

Soren offered no comment. He simply sat opposite, expression unruffled, as though the kingdom’s intrigues were a passing breeze,

Patting the girl curled against him, Zephyr laughed. “Every woman is the same-you see him and forget to breathe. I pledged one thousand pieces gold to whoever wins his heart. Feel free to try.”

The offer lit their eyes; ambition fluttered behind rouge-tinted lids.

“Leave,” Soren murmured. Though the word was scarcely louder than a breath, it rang like a

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11:11 Wed, Oct 22

Chapter 222 Secrets In Borrowed Ink

blade drawn in a silent room.

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The tone was placid, yet the force beneath it pressed the air flat. The women froze, then turned uncertain eyes toward Zephyr, seeking permission to obey.

Zephyr twirled the stem of his wine cup, the amber liquid catching the restless candlelight.

“You truly didn’t hear a single word he said?” he asked, smiling with an ease born of arrogance.

Behind that smile lived no affection at all-only the casual boredom of a man for whom women were nothing more than an hour’s amusement.

The girl startled, gathered her silk skirts in trembling fists, and hurried out through the hanging veils before the echo of her breath could fade.

Zephyr set the cup down. “Broadmoor had barely settled, yet the Steppe Nomads stir again. The old Khan lies cold, and Tobias, the new one, already sniffs for weakness.”

Last year Duflana’s harvest fell short of the one before it. That single flaw sent every frontier garrison scrambling for grain. Vincent and Alexander quarreled over the shortage, a dispute known only to a handful of ministers in Jexburgh. Add to that the fact that Alexander’s two best generals—one dead of illness, the other ambushed on leave-were removed within weeks of each other. Tell me that looks simple.

Soren listened without a word, expression carved from stone.

Zephyr’s gaze sharpened. “Someone is aiming to bury your father, and they don’t plan to miss.”

Soren finally spoke. “When I slipped out of Jexburgh, everyone believed I had sailed to Danwick. In truth I rode north to Brorchester disguised among Amber Room traders. I purchased enough grain to feed the Broadmoor Army for a season. The caravans will travel under the Amber Room seal, their wagons stuffed with sacks instead of scented silks. Fiona, ever eager to guard her own interests, petitioned Princess Aurora for safe passage. The princess obliged. No inspector dares offend her, so the convoys will pass unchecked back into Duflana.”

Zephyr exhaled a thin laugh. “Then the grain problem is caged-for now. Still, warn your father. Cornelius’ fingerprints are all over this mess.”

Soren tugged the corner of his mouth-half-smile, half-snarl-and chose silence.

By the time their council ended, the city lay under midnight’s hush.

Returning to the Zonfrillo Estate, Soren crossed the moonlit courtyard just as Callum stepped through the gate. Brother met brother-eyes locking in a moment of wordless appraisal.

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11:12 Wed, Oct 22

Chapter 222 Secrets In Borrowed Ink

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