Reborn to Flee My Fiance's Obsession (Fiona and Soren) novel Chapter 309

Half a year earlier, Aldric had still held back. At the time, Zachary was a decorated man. If the throne had forced him to marry off his daughter, it would have made the emperor look too calculating, like he cared nothing for the bond between ruler and subject. The other officials would have seen it, and once that kind of thought took root, it would do no favors for his rule.

But now half a year had passed since Zachary's service. In that time, plenty of others had earned merit too. Who still kept staring at what Zachary had done six months ago? So even if a marriage were granted now, there was far less for Aldric to worry about.

More than that, Aldric also had to think about Zephyr's future. After handing the throne to him, whether Zephyr could truly sit steady as emperor had already slipped out of Aldric's range of concern. What mattered now was whether there would be loyal ministers at his side to steady him and warn him when he strayed. That, more than anything, had become important.

"And if he agrees, then what?" Soren said. "So long as they aren't married, there can still be a change. Zachary won't give Zephyr his full support."

"Lord Soren really knows how to hold steady," Mr. Chambers said.

Quentin understood at once. This wasn't calm. This was Lord Soren deciding morals didn't matter. If things really reached that point, he meant to steal the bride.

A woman's reputation mattered. For the heir of the Zonfrillo Estate to marry a lady who had already been promised elsewhere would sound ugly, no question. But if Lord Soren didn't care, then none of that meant much.

Even if Fiona had already married someone else, Lord Soren still wouldn't have cared. At this point, rules, propriety, all those lines people liked to draw had already lost their weight with him. The Zonfrillo Estate's reputation wasn't what he guarded most anymore. Fiona was.

Quentin had no idea what had happened back in Dasshire.

After Mr. Chambers left, Soren finally spoke. "Send Marcus a letter."

He went quiet for a moment, then added, "Send one to Fiona too. Use Mr. Fuller's name. Write it as a family letter and deliver it to the Fragrant Leaf Teahouse. Have Marcus pass it on to her."

When Fiona saw the four words "my wife, personally opened," she stopped cold.

Then she remembered. Back in Dasshire, she had posed as Mr. Fuller's new wife. Soren writing it that way to keep up appearances did make sense.

On the front, the letter held nothing unusual. Just ordinary things he had seen and heard. What he had eaten. Who he had met. It read like a husband giving his wife an account of his days, asking how she had been, and at the end he even warned her not to let someone else steal her soul away.

The tone sounded more like Sterling, the man he had once pretended to be.

But Fiona already knew what to do. She took out the invisible ink he had once given her and used it on the page. Sure enough, the back of the letter held the real message.

There were two matters written there.

First, Zephyr intended to ask for her hand.

Second, she did not need to push back against Zephyr. The marriage would not be settled.

Fiona sat with the letter for a moment, thinking it through.

What Soren had written matched what Marcus had already told her. She wasn't worried. At a time like this, plenty of people did not want her marrying Zephyr, and Cornelius was one of them.

But on the back, there was one more line.

"There is a better place for you than Her Majesty the Empress. Even if it moves you, Fiona, think it over again. All Zephyr can give you is that seat, and even that may not stay secure in the future. What I can give you is far more than he can."

Fiona wasn't buying what Soren was selling either.

As for his marriage to Fiona, Father had never objected to him trying for it before, but he had shown no intention of granting the marriage. Then yesterday, Father had brought up the matter on his own.

If Father granted the marriage himself, everything would naturally become much simpler.

The only thing still undecided was whether she would be his principal wife.

A lady from the Niven family—and especially now, with Zachary holding an important post—was naturally qualified to be a prince's principal wife.

Making her a concubine instead would be unreasonable.

And yet Father was still weighing it.

That made the meaning behind it hard to miss, unless he meant to make her a concubine to the Crown Prince.

With that hanging in front of him, how could Zephyr's mood be anything but good?

"I'll treat you well from now on, Fiona. Whatever I've owed you, I'll make it up to you later."

For no clear reason at all, Zephyr reached up and gently smoothed back a strand of her hair.

Fiona understood the reason almost at once.

Zephyr most likely would not be able to marry her as his principal wife. And when that thought landed, the reason why made her pause.