Betrayed by My Ex, Marked by His Alpha Emperor Brother novel Chapter 142

Chapter 142: Chapter 142

Kaelen’s POV

I grabbed the carriage keys off the desk before Brenna’s last word had even settled in the air.

"Let’s go. Now."

Brenna’s hand shot out. Her fingers clamped around my wrist with a grip that would have impressed a seasoned knight. She didn’t let go.

"No."

"Brenna—"

"Sit down."

"I am not going to sit down while she’s out there—"

"And I am not going to let you ride out like a madman and risk you falling apart if you come up empty-handed again." Her voice stayed low. Controlled. But her eyes were hard as flint. "We plan this. We do it smart."

My jaw clenched so tight my molars ached.

She was right. I hated that she was right.

"Fine," I breathed out.

She released my wrist. Red marks from her astonishing grip lingered on my skin. "Give me an hour. I’ll pack my overnight bag and meet you at the front gate."

She left. I stood in the empty study, the carriage keys biting into my palm, and forced myself to breathe.

An hour later, the sun was bleeding red along the horizon as dusk settled. I carried my travel bag down the front steps. The air smelled like damp grass and chimney smoke. Somewhere in the gardens, a bird was singing something unbearably sweet.

Brenna was already at the gate, packing her overnight bag into the carriage. She looked like she hadn’t slept either.

"Ready?" she asked.

"An hour ago."

A small voice stopped me cold.

"Daddy?"

I turned. Valerius stood on the front porch in his sleeping clothes. His black curls were a disaster—sticking up on one side, flattened on the other. His dark gold eyes caught the evening light and held it.

He was barefoot. The stone must have been freezing.

"Hey, buddy." I crouched down to his level. "What are you doing up?"

He studied my face. Not the way a child studies a face—looking for a smile or a game. The way a man studies a map. Reading terrain.

"Are you going to find Mommy?"

The air left my lungs.

"What makes you say that?" I kept my voice light. Easy. The mask I wore for him was the most exhausting one of all.

"Because you have your travel bag. And you’re sad again." He tilted his head. Those gold eyes—my eyes—didn’t blink. "You’re always sad now. Even when you smile."

Something cracked inside my chest. Deep. Structural.

I pulled him into my arms. He was warm and small and smelled like the lavender soap Lady Sarah used for his baths. His little hands fisted in the collar of my coat.

"I’m going on a trip, sweetheart. Just for a day or two."

"To find Mommy."

It wasn’t a question.

I held him tighter. Pressed my lips against his tangled hair.

"Yeah," I whispered. "To find Mommy."

"Promise you’ll bring her home?"

The words cut. They cut because I wanted to promise. Wanted it more than anything I’d ever wanted in my life. But I’d learned what broken promises did to children. I’d been that child once.

"I’m going to try, buddy. I’m going to try so hard."

He pulled back and looked at me. Searched my face again with that devastating perception that no child his age should possess.

"Okay," he said quietly. Then, softer: "Tell her I miss her. Tell her Lyra cries at night and I sing to her but it’s not the same."

I couldn’t speak. My throat had sealed shut.

I kissed his forehead. Stood. Took his hand and walked him back inside to where Lady Sarah was already hurrying down the stairs in her robe, apologizing.

"It’s fine," I told her. "Watch them both. Don’t let him skip meals."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Valerius didn’t cry when I left. He just stood in the doorway, small and still, watching me go.

That was worse.

---

We endured a tense, four-hour carriage ride.

Brenna sat across from me, her satchel on her lap, watching the countryside scroll past in silence. The road narrowed as we left the capital’s outskirts—wide imperial highways giving way to a narrow, two-lane highway. We drove for ten miles along the winding road to reach the rural town center.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify