Betrayed by My Ex, Marked by His Alpha Emperor Brother novel Chapter 217

Chapter 217: Chapter 217

Elara’s POV

The cafeteria was loud. Trays clattering. Chairs scraping. Voices overlapping in a dozen different conversations that blurred into white noise. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

I sat at the end of the long table with my tray in front of me. Barely touched. A bread roll I’d torn in half. Soup going cold. I wasn’t hungry. My muscles still ached from morning drills, and my mind kept circling back to those dark gold eyes watching me from the shadows of the training hall.

I shoved the thought away. Picked up my spoon. Put it down again.

"You’re going to die before you hit thirty," Riley said flatly.

She wasn’t talking to me. She was staring at Jessica, who had just upended what looked like half a salt shaker over her plate of fries.

Jessica shrugged. Grabbed three fries at once and shoved them into her mouth. "Worth it," she said around the mouthful.

"Your arteries are going to revolt."

"My arteries love me."

"Your arteries are filing a formal complaint."

I almost smiled. Almost.

"Okay, but can we talk about something actually interesting?" Maya leaned forward on her elbows, dark eyes bright with mischief. She was one of the younger trainees. Couldn’t have been out of academy orientation for long. "Like—why hasn’t the Emperor announced an Empress yet?"

The table went quiet. Not silent—the cafeteria was still roaring around us—but our little pocket of space stilled.

My spoon froze halfway to my mouth.

"He’s got two kids," Maya continued, oblivious. "Two beautiful kids. Everyone’s seen them at the solstice parades. But no Luna. No wedding. No coronation. Don’t you think that’s weird?"

Sophie slammed both palms on the table. "Because it’s going to be Sylvia Vance." She said it like it was settled law. Like the decree had already been issued and the rest of the world just hadn’t caught up yet.

"Sophie—" Riley started.

"No, listen." Sophie held up a finger. "She brings him snacks. Personally. To his study. And last week? Last week someone saw her at his private residence playing with the children. Playing. With. The. Children." She punctuated each word with a tap on the table. "That’s not just ’doing her job.’ That’s wife behavior."

Something cold slithered through my chest. I set my spoon down carefully. Quietly.

"She’s his lady-in-waiting," Jessica said, still chewing. "That’s literally what they do. They manage things. Schedules. Household stuff."

"And she manages his children’s bedtime too?" Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Come on. Wake up."

"My cousin works in the palace kitchens," another trainee spoke up. A girl whose name I hadn’t caught yet—brown hair pulled back tight, serious eyes. "She told me the Emperor is actually already married. Secretly. Has been for a while."

The table erupted.

"Married?"

"To who?"

"That’s impossible. There would’ve been a ceremony—"

"Not if he didn’t want anyone to know."

Maya leaned back, arms crossed. A shadow crossed her face. "Then where is she?" Her voice dropped. "If he’s married... and she’s not here... maybe she left him."

The cold thing in my chest spread. Up through my throat. Behind my eyes.

"Maybe she ran away," Maya continued, speculative and casual, like she was discussing a character in a novel and not my life. "I mean—can you imagine being married to the Emperor and just... vanishing? Something must have gone really wrong."

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