Chapter 37 Hidden Bargain 1 。 , ( 58 ) , +20 Free Coins At first , Soren treated Fiona's dream of opening a shop as nothing more than a frivolous pastime . The only new note he filed away about her was that she intended to trade without permission - a detail that brushed his life without leaving a mark . Then Harriet mentioned that Fiona hoped to use Soren's mother , Penelope , as a living advertisement for those remedies . The moment that rumor reached him , a shard of wary interest pierced his calm . He summoned the sandalwood box , spread the crisp slips of formula across his writing desk , and read . One grain more , one grain less - every recipe tipped into deadly poison . Followed to the letter , however , each promised breathtaking results . Only one man alive could write such precise and perilous prescriptions , the Divine Physician Morgan Murren , a healer known as much for genius as for the ruthless tricks he played on patients who dared ignore his advice . Years ago , the celebrated doctor vanished from the map . Scholars , nobles , even kings sought him in vain . Yet Fiona somehow held his secrets in her palm , and that startled Soren to the bone . Fiona's strangeness , he realized , did not end with a few forbidden scrolls . And Soren himself needed a favor from Morgan . He would not let this unexpected trail slip between his fingers . Fiona drew a breath so smooth it might have been ice on a lake . " Lord Soren , you wish me to track down the Divine Physician for you ? " One brow lifted . The tiny smile that touched Soren's mouth said her guess had struck the center of the target . Seeing that expression , Fiona understood the question had been a trap . Her answer had leaped out too fast , and now the snare tightened around her ankles . Had she known the Fuller family bowed to Soren's command , she would have guarded the formulas with her life . Regret , however , offered no antidote . After a moment's silent calculation , she bit her lower lip . " The Divine Physician appears and disappears like mist , she said , voice steady yet soft . " Wanting to see him does not mean one can . " You have six months ," Soren replied , each syllable falling like a sealed decree . 1/3 14:44 Fri , Oct 10 Chapter 37 Hidden Bargain 58 +20 Free Coins Fiona weighed the span - half a year would almost do . " Then may I ask , for what purpose must I find him ? " " There exists a poison called White Camellia , " Soren answered , eyes dark as stormwater . " I need its antidote , and only the Divine Physician can craft it ." " I cannot promise the Divine Physician will hand it over , " Fiona murmured . " Your task is merely to uncover his door , " Soren said . Though her mind tangled itself into knots , Fiona kept her face a placid mirror . " Very well , " she agreed . " But in return, I hope you will show mercy when matters concerning my father arise ." " Regarding Mr. Saunders , tell your father he need not risk the throne room to plead ." Soren's tone was light , yet the promise carried iron weight . Shock flashed through Fiona . She remembered Xavier's casual remark about visiting Lakebourne - clearly an investigation already in motion . In her previous life , the bribery case against Matthew had exploded half a year later , dragging the Niven family to the edge of ruin . Now , somehow , the verdict was already written . Gathering courtesy around her like a shawl , she asked , " Has your wound improved , Lord Soren ? " Across the painted table , he studied her . Her eyes , still rimmed in red , made her look heartbreakingly fragile . He pressed no further . Whether her sorrow was genuine or a crafted appeal , he could not yet decide - and perhaps , for the moment , that mystery served them both . Soren could pretend indifference to many things , yet not even he could deny one simple fact . Fiona , despite the dust on her skirt and the wet shimmer in her eyes , still carried a startling kind of beauty - ragged at the edges , but all the more arresting for it . When he extended a pale - blue silk handkerchief toward her , Fiona looked up , confusion flickering across her face like the brief flare of a struck match . " See to yourself ," he said , his voice as cool and distant as snowmelt . " Otherwise , Ms. Fuller may think you came here only to be mistreated . " The word " mistreated ' told her at once what he meant . He would never toy with her , she knew that . Yet the suspicion surrounding Vincent's death made her recoil , a wary animal startled inside her chest . 2/3 14:44 Fri , Oct 10 Chapter 37 Hidden Bargain : 58 +20 Free Coins A quick glance at the gilt mirror on the side table laid the truth bare . Her lashes were damp , her lips bitten crimson , her expression dazed . She looked - there was no kinder phrase - as though someone had gotten intimate with her moments ago . Heat crawled up her neck . Embarrassment , sharp as a pin , rooted her to the spot . Outside Clear Sky Pavilion , Pearl hurried forward , snow crunching beneath her boots . " Miss , what on earth happened ? You look unsettled . " " The matter is merely thorny , nothing more , " Fiona answered , forcing a gentle smile she did not feel . But the calm veneer she offered her maid could not settle the storm churning behind her ribs . Three years as Soren's wife , and she had never once noticed his dealings with the Fuller family . The realization tasted of iron . If Vincent's death truly traced back to Soren , Fiona would not , could not , remain passive . For now , she still had to search for Morgan on Soren's behalf . The obligation bound her hands , yet the bargain granted the Niven family much - needed leverage . A tolerable trade - for the moment . Even so , she understood men who chased profit . The Zonfrillo family and the Niven family had never sailed the same vessel . Soren might grant her father brief convenience now , but when the tide changed , his blade would find no hesitation . In her previous life , if that half - remembered shadow of time could be trusted - she had died before father and son - in - law ever crossed swords . Ten years from that day , anything could happen . Regret brushed her thoughts . Xavier was an admirable man , yet marriage was a luxury she could not afford to contemplate . Everything must wait until Morgan revealed himself . After the winter festival , snowstorms marched across Jexburgh one after another . Drifts climbed to half a foot , before dawn , servants were already out with brooms , carving narrow paths through white silence . 3/3 14:44 Fri , Oct 10