Reborn to Flee My Fiance's Obsession (Fiona and Soren) novel Chapter 316

Fiona said nothing.

If Vincent hadn't been part of it, then truthfully, she wouldn't have resisted marrying Soren that much.

Maybe after losing her virginity to him at Helen's place, she wouldn't have recoiled from him so strongly.

"A woman really shouldn't stay buried in the inner court," Fiona said. "In the last life, I was so foolish I never guessed even a little of the truth. If I'd known earlier, I would've divorced him. Even if I'd just married someone else, life would've been easier."

She looked at him. "Mr. Xavier wouldn't have been a bad choice either."

Xavier didn't show the slightest sign of taking that as praise. He only tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Too bad he wasn't really Mr. Xavier.

"Strange, though," Fiona said. "A handsome man like you stayed by his side, and I never once noticed you."

"Of course not. Lord Soren wouldn't bring me in front of you."

Fiona paused.

"Even if I had seen you, I wouldn't have guessed anything."

"It wasn't for official business," Xavier said. "Most likely Lord Soren just thought I was handsome enough that he worried Ms. Fiona might take a liking to me."

Fiona gave him a soft, flirtatious smile, something shifting through her eyes.

"He's away in Broadmoor all year round. Why wasn't he worried then?"

If he was gone all year anyway, wouldn't that just make it easier for her to fool around behind his back?

Xavier's throat bobbed once.

It wasn't like Soren had never worried about that. Back at the household, he had never kept any good-looking attendants around. Even when he returned home, if Fiona happened to look at Callum one extra time, it would leave something sitting hard in his chest. At the time, he hadn't understood what that was.

It was jealousy.

He had always wanted her whole heart fixed on him alone.

But back then, Zephyr had made him misunderstand her. He had thought she liked Zephyr, and he had even suspected she might be a spy Zephyr planted at his side.

So he had never believed she could ever give him that kind of single-minded devotion.

He had assumed that whenever she showed a little attachment, she was only drawn to his status and power.

And later, she had only grown colder toward him.

"Still, the Shadow Guard he left behind was pretty decent to look at. Tall, too. Built really well," Fiona said, chatting with Xavier in that loose, casual way of hers. "Sometimes, when I was bored out of my mind, I'd watch him. Every single time, he'd turn red."

Back then, she had been held in place by what was proper and hadn't dared look too much.

Now that she thought about it, she might as well have looked a few more times.

Xavier pressed his lips together.

Of course he knew exactly who that Shadow Guard had been.

But once the memory of that past life came up—how that man had always spoken for Fiona, how after Fiona died he had seemed dazed for a while—Xavier's expression shifted.

A few traces of warmth showed in Emperor Aldric's eyes.

He smiled. "Do you think I'm trying to settle who wins and who loses? I just wanted you to spend some time with me."

Marcus was quiet for a moment.

Then he said, "Father's health has worsened a great deal."

Words like that, coming from anyone else, would have earned Emperor Aldric's displeasure on the spot.

But from Marcus, the line carried something else. It was a son's concern for his father, and because of that, Emperor Aldric did not reject it.

"People grow old sooner or later," Emperor Aldric said with a faint smile.

"But the Crown Prince still hasn't been named. That leaves me with some worry."

Marcus showed no sign of caring much about the matter of choosing an heir.

"Since Morgan said Father isn't in mortal danger, Father doesn't need to worry too much."

That moved Emperor Aldric a little.

On the day he learned of the illness, Marcus had said nothing at all. He had simply returned with the Divine Physician Morgan Murren at his side, unlike Cornelius and Zephyr, who each had their own calculations in mind.

The moment Emperor Aldric thought of Zephyr and Cornelius, a headache started pressing at him again.

The two of them had been fighting hard, and now they had ruined his plans. Since Spencer's close private ties with Zephyr had been uncovered by chance through the Sixth Prince's Estate, he could no longer use that opening to deal with Cornelius.