Betrayed by My Ex, Marked by His Alpha Emperor Brother novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Kaelan’s POV

The brandy was decent. Not exceptional. Not the kind they kept in the palace cellars. But it did what it needed to do — burned on the way down and softened the edges of a long, miserable day.

I sat in the suite at the Moonlight Inn, boots off, collar loosened, staring at the fire dying in the hearth. Outside, rain hammered the windows. The northern border negotiations had dragged on for hours. Duke Varen was as stubborn as his bloodline suggested — all bluster and territorial pride, zero willingness to compromise.

But that wasn’t what was circling my mind.

It was her voice.

The new archivist. The one who’d answered my transmission stone this afternoon.

C-Claire isn’t here at the moment, Your Majesty.

Thin. Shaking. Terrified.

And yet — she hadn’t disconnected.

She stayed on the line, Alex murmured from the depths of my consciousness. My wolf was restless tonight. Pacing. Alert.

“She froze,” I corrected him, swirling the brandy. “There’s a difference.”

No. She spoke. She identified herself. She tried to ask your name. A low, rumbling laugh. When was the last time anyone dared ask the Emperor to identify himself?

I took another sip. He had a point, and I hated that.

The transmission stone on the side table pulsed — soft amber this time. Claire’s signature.

I pressed my palm to its surface.

“Your Majesty.” Claire’s voice came through crisp and dry. The same tone she’d used when I was a boy sneaking pastries from the kitchen. Respectful on the surface. Amused underneath. “I understand you terrorized my replacement today.”

“I didn’t terrorize anyone. I asked for border reports.”

“You shouted ‘your sovereign’ at a girl on her first day, Kaelan. The stone nearly cracked.”

“She asked who I was.”

“Because she didn’t know. Because she’s new. Because that’s a reasonable question from someone who has never heard your voice.” A pause. “She handled it rather well, all things considered.”

I leaned back in my chair. “She sounded like she was about to faint.”

“And yet she didn’t. She didn’t quit either. That puts her several ranks above her predecessor.”

Alex stirred again. Ask about her.

I ignored him. Then didn’t.

“Tell me about her. The archivist.”

“Elara Frostfang.” Claire’s tone shifted — still professional, but warmer. “Top honors from the Royal Academy in the capital. Languages, archival science, historical analysis. She worked for Lord Harwick’s private library for some time before I recruited her.”

“Harwick? That pompous fool wouldn’t know a treaty from a grocery list.”

“Which is precisely why she was wasted there. The girl reorganized his entire collection in a fraction of the time it should have taken. He never promoted her, of course. Too threatened.”

I turned the glass slowly in my hand. “What else?”

“She’s twenty-three. Single mother. A boy named Valerius — four years old. No father listed. She hasn’t shared the details of his parentage with anyone.”

Something about that detail snagged at me. I couldn’t say why.

A child, Alex said quietly. She’s raising a pup alone.

“She asked for time off this morning,” Claire continued. “Her son had an aptitude interview at the academy. She was apologetic about it — nearly tripping over her own words. I told her to go.”

“You told a brand-new employee to leave on her first day?”

“I told a mother to take care of her child. There’s a difference.” Claire’s voice carried a gentle edge. “She was back by early afternoon. Didn’t miss a single task.”

I set the glass down.

“Per protocol, her file doesn’t include a portrait,” I said. It wasn’t a question.

I read it twice. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

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