Reborn to Flee My Fiance's Obsession (Fiona and Soren) novel Chapter 313

She wasn't really asking for a child at all. What she wanted was him.

"We can talk about that later," Marcus said. "Right now isn't the time to have a child."

Cierra said, "Do you... not really like me that much?"

The kind of liking she meant had nothing to do with anything else. She meant in bed.

"Don't start imagining things," Marcus said.

"I won't run around anymore. Will you do it with me a few more times?" Cierra asked.

Even Marcus had to let out a sigh at that. Who bargained like this?

By then, Cierra had already slipped her hand inside his robe.

She was plainly pushing her luck, yet her voice stayed absurdly polite, soft to the point of pleading. "Will you?"

Marcus naturally couldn't refuse her.

*****

Over on Zephyr's side, he'd invited Fiona out several times and failed to see her every single time. By then, the heat in him had already built up hard.

Once he inherited the throne, he was going to deal with Xavier for good. More than that, he was going to force Xavier to stand there and watch while he took Fiona for himself.

And Fiona? She had a perfectly proper place as a principal wife and still refused the toast offered to her. Fine. Then she could drink the penalty wine instead. Sooner or later, she'd learn what suffering tasted like.

But right now, Zephyr couldn't spare the time for any of that. The matter in Broadmoor with the Steppe Nomads had tied him down so completely that even sleep and meals came unevenly. Still, the fury in him didn't ease. He refused to believe that if the Zonfrillo Estate could handle it, a prince like him could not.

After Zephyr stopped coming to look for her, Fiona knew he had to be tied up with the trouble in Broadmoor.

In less than half a month, word spread that the Steppe Nomad Army had invaded. Duflana lost the battle badly—so badly that half of Drocver had fallen into Steppe Nomad hands.

Fiona had no way of knowing whether Soren had pushed any of it along on purpose.

What did weigh on her was Princess Florence. Right now, Zephyr's best hope had to be a political marriage with the princess, using her to pull the Steppe Nomads closer.

When had Duflana fallen this low?

A few days later, the Steppe Nomads' envoy really did arrive in Jexburgh. They had won the battle, and it showed. The way they carried themselves was openly arrogant.

"I'm afraid this marriage alliance probably won't be easy to settle," Fiona said to Xavier.

"Emperor Aldric may treat the common people harshly, but he isn't the kind of ruler willing to disgrace the nation," Xavier said. "Marcus has his own way of making Emperor Aldric give up the idea of sending Florence off in marriage. Ms. Fiona doesn't need to worry."

Fiona turned that over and looked ahead. "If Emperor Aldric ends up humiliated by the Steppe Nomads, he'll probably move even faster to bring the Zonfrillo Estate back into favor."

Marcus was clearly helping Soren too.

That didn't surprise Fiona much. Any relationship could be pulled together for a while when profit sat in the middle of it.

Maybe it was because he was her fiancé now.

That alone was enough to leave something unsettled in her.

"Still, Mr. Xavier wasn't wrong," Fiona said, lowering her gaze. "I saved Lord Soren's life. He'll protect me now. It's getting late today, so Mr. Xavier should head back."

She rose to leave, but Xavier reached out and caught her hand.

His palm was very warm.

"It's not what you're thinking," Xavier said, looking at her.

"I wasn't thinking anything at all." Fiona pulled her hand free and smiled. "Mr. Xavier, please go back."

Then Fiona saw Xavier press his lips together, like the words were hard to get out. In a low voice, he said, "Ms. Fiona, are you upset with me?"

Fiona looked at him and did not deny it, though it had not truly reached that point.

Xavier thought it over, choosing his words before he spoke. "There's a reason I don't mind Lord Soren. Ms. Fiona will understand later."

"Mr. Xavier only thinks that he's the first husband," Fiona said.

"The Lord Soren of this life can't really be counted as the first husband either," Xavier said lightly. "He doesn't have the memories from the last life, and he doesn't know as much as I do. If anyone should be called the first husband, then I look more like one than he does."