My Unchosen Ex Chases Reborn Me (Soren and Fiona) novel Chapter 99

Chapter 99 Unexpected Allies

Chapter 99 Unexpected Allies

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“Since you treasure the piece so dearly, allow me to bow out,” Zephyr said with a courteous incline of his head. Around him, curious eyes glittered like wet stones, eager to seize on any hint of extravagance.

Cornelius stood nearby, silent, his scrutiny sharp enough to slice silk. A single inflated bid would hand him ammunition. Worse, their father–the emperor famed for despising waste- would hear of it before nightfall.

Harriet folded her hands in a graceful salute. “Thank you, Your Highness. I was born in spring, yet I forever scolded myself for idleness. Miss Fiona’s verse struck my soul. Even for ten thousand, it would remain priceless.”

Zephyr answered with polite small talk, all the while thinking, So the move was Fiona’s. But the more she sidesteps, the more fascinating she becomes.

Moments later, Zephyr turned to his brother. “I have matters elsewhere. Will you stay or leave?”

“Then let us go,” Cornelius answered, expression unreadable behind the fan of restraint he always carried.

As the two princes exited, the excitement drained from the room like wine from a cracked goblet.

Fiona led Harriet into a quiet side chamber, lanternlight pooling softly between them. “Thank you for rescuing me today. I’ll need a little time before I can pay you back.”

Harriet laughed, low and warm. “Don’t fret, Fiona. We’re partners now. I eased your plight; someday you’ll ease mine.”

A sly sparkle flitted across her eyes. She thought of future schemes involving Vincent and cherished this newly earned favor–one day, Fiona would publicly call her sister–in–law.

Fiona paused, weighing the hidden hooks in the offer, then inclined her head. “Then I’m doubly grateful, Harriet.”

“Just remember–keep your distance from the Sixth Prince. He has never given any woman his real heart.” Her words, though soft, dropped like pebbles into shadowed water.

From Crane Tower’s balcony, the world unfolded below. Sweetbriar River rushed in the distance, a silver ribbon whipping between dark banks, yet near the tower, the surface lay glass–still. Dozens of skiffs bobbed quietly, waiting for nightfall’s lantern glow. When the lights

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Chapter 99 Unexpected Allies

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were lit, scholars and dreamers would drift onto those boats to sip coffee, chat, and let the river carry their words across the mirrored night.

Fiona’s eyes caught a sudden motion. Soren stepped onto Roxanne’s waiting skiff, the lantern above him painting his profile in molten gold.

So he never left, she realized, heart skipping. He’s been waiting for her all along.

Fiona lowered her lashes, then pivoted gracefully toward another cluster of revelers. Her gauzy sleeves brushed the air like moth wings while she slipped back into the practiced cadence of polite laughter and effortless, obliging smiles.

On the skiff, the lantern–lit river murmured beneath weathered planks, rocking the two figures into uneasy balance.

“Whatever binds people was never meant for us,” Roxanne said, voice smooth as silk over steel. “You, Lord Soren, and I—we are both creatures who instinctively choose ourselves above all others, and no one can be faulted.”

Soren watched the ripples instead of her, allowing silence to stretch wide and seamless between them.

“That is why, even if a flicker of affection stirs in you for Fiona, you will never take her as your wife,” she added, the faintest smile curving her painted lips.

“There is nothing improper between Ms. Fiona and me,” Soren replied, each word measured, cool, and incontrovertible.

Once–driven by a past he scarcely grasped–he had considered sheltering her, perhaps even naming her a concubine.

Her refusal had been gentle yet firm, and he, faithful to his own austere honor, had not pressed.

His cool words now, though cutting, were meant to slice the snare away and keep Fiona untouched by the coming storm.

“Surely you disliked the way the Sixth Prince ogled her today?” Roxanne’s gaze sharpened. Had he chosen to contest Zephyr, Zephyr would have lost before the opening move. He himself had no intention of claiming Fiona.

Soren answered only with a single, opaque glance, offering the river his silence instead of

words.

When Roxanne returned to the banquet hall, Serena sought her out and spoke with her briefly.

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Chapter 99 Unexpected Allies

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“In the palace that day, I truly meant no harm,” Serena said, biting her lip. “You have been distant with me. Are you still holding it against me?”

Roxanne stood silent for several heartbeats, then sighed. “No matter how strong our feelings, we should never trap another person in our designs.”

Yet Serena clung obstinately to her claim that she had never acted with malice.

After studying her in thoughtful silence, Roxanne said, “I need a word with Fiona. Could bring her here?”

you

Serena glanced at the wine in her hand, then nodded once.

Roxanne’s expression softened when Fiona arrived. After revisiting the palace incident, she finished with a weighty warning: “Fiona, you must be careful around her.”

Knowing the truth, Fiona resolved to keep an extra eye open.

When their conversation ended, night had settled. Crane Tower’s draw this evening was the city’s mirrored lights; none of the women showed any haste to depart.

After bidding Roxanne goodnight, Fiona climbed to the tower’s highest platform. From here, Jexburgh lay beneath her like a sea of lanterns, every rooftop rendered miniature by the dizzying height.

A mild breeze drifted across the parapet, yet instead of cooling her, a feverish warmth bloomed beneath her skin; her head swam.

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