My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 86

Chapter 86 Entangled Designs

Does he truly believe that I’m of use to him?

+10 Free Coins

“I have carried out the task for you,” Fiona began, voice calm yet guarded. “It went well. From today on, I shall not return to Clearsky Pavilion again.”

Soren looked up the instant her words faded. His face remained an unreadable mask, cool as polished stone. Only the dull thud of the document he set down betrayed him. The sound rolled through the hidden chamber like distant thunder and sent Fiona’s pulse skittering.

He raised his head and fixed her with that frost–colored stare. Yet Fiona said nothing.

She did not mind speaking business with him. For the sake of the Niven family, she welcomed every alliance and even liked feeling useful. Yet the moment his silence hinted at making her a concubine, every instinct told her to retreat.

“Since you have already found Dr. Murren for me, Ms. Fiona, you naturally need not return,” Soren said, voice slow and even. “But tell me, are you perhaps afraid of me?”

He strikes the truth with a single arrow. I fear the road beside him may bend, pull me off course, and leave scars I have worn once before. I will not step into the same pit twice.

“I am grateful,” she said softly. “My father’s journey to Junbert went smoothly only because you spoke well of him before His Majesty.”

“What exactly frightens you?” Soren pressed, refusing to let the matter of Zachary’s safe departure distract him.

Fiona dropped her gaze. Overhead, behind the carved ceiling panels, water trickled through unseen channels, steady as breathing. The muted music of it only deepened the hush, coiling tension tighter around her chest. Soren could sit for hours without moving. Tonight, he would wait as long as it took. The weight of his presence pressed every breath to a whisper.

“A legitimate daughter of the Niven family will never become a concubine,” she said at last, keeping her eyes lowered.

Soren’s mouth curved, faint and sardonic, realizing she had sensed his intention even when Serena pressed him about it. He could not claim affection, as it was a calculation. A face like hers would draw wolves, and an ordinary husband might fail to shield her.

In her previous life, she had withered after marrying the wrong man. Better, he thought, to keep her near and safe, grant her the modest title of concubine, and spare both houses needless entanglement.

1/3

10:29 Sat, Oct 11

Chapter 86 Entangled Designs

+10 Free Coins

Yet the Niven family still stood unthreatened, and he had made no final choice. Had she not forced the topic, he would have left it untouched for a year.

“Then tell me, if you refuse the place of concubine, do you aim for the seat of wife instead?” he asked, a thin thread of mockery woven through cach measured syllable.

That’s the last thing I want. I have worn the title of spouse once already; it lasted of dust and duty, nothing more.

Fiona rose, smoothed the silk at her knees, then knelt before him, posture straight despite the cold floor. “Lord Soren, believe me, I harbor no such ambition. For the position of wife, Roxanne and Serena suit you far better than I. I would never dare covet what is not mine.”

Fiona lowered her eyes, thought briefly, then spoke, gentle yet firm. “To tell the truth, I’ve been weighing households such as the Luthor Estate or the Linton Estate. I’m no prodigy. Only a family without tangled lineage feels manageable to me.”

Among nobles, it was rare for a young lady to seek a husband from plain stock. Hannah always scoffed that any woman willing to marry down had no ambition at all.

Soren stepped forward, palm opening toward her like an invitation–or a demand. “Marrying into the Luthor or Linton houses would bring you nothing but trouble. Their rank is too low; they could never shield you.”

Fiona kept her hands pressed against her thighs and stayed on her knees, motionless. After all, both the Luthor and Linton estates seemed respectable–especially the Luthor heir, Xavier, a rare beauty with industry and a decent heart. For simple domestic life, Soren could not hope to rival Xavier.

Soren sensed the unspoken comparison. A chill slid across his face, anger simmering beneath the calm surface. Her careful silence had already told him she felt no nostalgia for the Zonfrillo Estate–nor for him.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify