Betrayed by My Ex, Marked by His Alpha Emperor Brother novel Chapter 253

Chapter 253: Chapter 253

Elara’s POV

I woke before dawn and immediately reached for the communication crystal on the nightstand.

Dark. Silent. No glow. No pulse of incoming magic.

I set it down. Pressed my palms against my eyes.

He’s fine. He’s the Emperor. He’s fine.

The mantra meant nothing. It had meant nothing yesterday. It would mean nothing tomorrow.

I dressed in training leathers and braided my hair tight against my skull. Routine. Structure. That was the only thing standing between me and the screaming void inside my chest.

---

The training yard held its usual ten.

Ten women. Ten left behind while the rest bled on frozen ground at the northern border fighting the rogues with Kaelen. I pushed them hard. Harder than yesterday. Shield formations. Counterattacks. Close-quarters grappling.

"Again," I said when Sophie stumbled through a parry.

"Elara, we’ve been at this all morning—"

"Again."

She reset. They all reset. No one argued twice.

By 2:00 PM, my arms ached and my throat was raw from shouting commands. Good. Pain was useful. Pain filled the spaces where fear tried to creep in. I dismissed them and walked back through the palace corridors alone.

The communication crystal sat exactly where I’d left it on the writing desk in the guest chamber. Anxiously, I picked it up.

Nothing.

I set it down. Walked to the window. Counted to thirty. Walked back.

Picked it up again.

Still nothing.

"Elara."

I nearly dropped it. Claire stood in the doorway, her silver-streaked hair pinned neatly beneath her steward’s cap. She watched me with steady, knowing eyes.

"How long have you been checking that crystal?"

"I wasn’t—"

"Every thirty seconds, by my count." She stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. "I’ve been standing here for several minutes."

Heat crawled up my neck. I set the crystal down with forced calm. "Did you need something, Claire?"

"The empire needs something." She folded her hands. Her tone was gentle but immovable, like river stones. "His Majesty departed without appointing a formal regent. The Privy Council is paralyzed. Trade disputes are piling up. Several border lords have sent petitions that require imperial seal."

"Then the Council can handle—"

"They can’t. They need a crown authority. They need you."

I stared at her. "I’m not the Empress. Not functionally. There’s an unsigned separation agreement sitting on his desk downstairs."

"Unsigned," Claire repeated quietly. "Which means it holds no legal weight. Which means you are, in every legal and ceremonial capacity, still Her Imperial Majesty. And the court trusts you."

"Claire—"

"The servants trust you. The guards trust you. The Council has already asked for you by name." She paused. Let the weight settle. "Whatever is between you and His Majesty is yours to resolve. But the empire cannot wait for that resolution."

I opened my mouth to refuse. The words wouldn’t come. Because she was right—and we both knew it.

"Until he returns," I said finally. "Only until he returns."

Claire inclined her head. A ghost of approval crossed her face. "I’ll inform the Council."

She left. I looked down at the crystal again.

Dark. Silent.

---

Home was louder than the palace.

"Imperial Mother, watch! WATCH!"

Lyra launched herself off the sofa cushion, arms spread wide, silver hair flying. I caught her mid-leap and swung her onto my hip before she could crack her skull on the stone floor.

"No jumping off furniture."

"But I was flying!"

"You were falling. There’s a difference."

She giggled and squirmed free, immediately scrambling back onto the sofa to try again. I blocked her with a pillow.

"Lyra. No."

She pouted. It lasted for only a brief moment before she spotted a butterfly through the window and forgot everything.

"Mother."

Valerius stood near the doorway. Arms folded. Dark gold eyes fixed on me with an intensity an eight-year-old—almost nine next month—should not possess.

"You’ve been checking the crystal again," he said.

Not a question.

I smoothed my expression. "I’m waiting for routine dispatches. It’s part of my responsibilities now."

He didn’t blink. "You’re scared that Imperial Father is going to die."

The air left my lungs.

"Valerius—"

"I heard the servants talking." He walked toward me. Slow. Deliberate. Like a small diplomat navigating a minefield. "They said the fighting is bad. They said the rogues have dark magic."

I knelt down to meet his eyes. "Your father is the strongest Alpha in the empire. He has Sir Cassian. He has the entire Royal Guard."

"That’s not what I asked."

This boy. This impossible, perceptive boy. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Yes," I whispered. "I’m scared."

He studied my face for a long moment. Then he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around my neck. Stiff at first. Then tighter.

"He’ll come back," Valerius said against my shoulder. "He always comes back."

I held him. Breathed him in. Tried to believe it.

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