The Archduke's Songbird-Chapter 273: Can He Be Helped?

Jessamyn’s heart ached with helplessness. Behind her, she could still hear Mrs. Eisenberg’s mournful wails, the sound of a mother grieving for her lost child. In front of her, Isadora seemed to be slipping away, her mind fracturing under the weight of her sorrow.

Then the horse stopped, and Jerrick leaped from its back, rushing to Bernard’s side. Only then did Jessamyn notice the onlookers staring at them. The commotion had attracted them.

Jessamyn’s breath caught as she watched Jerrick kneel beside the dying man, his hands moving with practiced precision as he checked Bernard’s pulse.

"Bernard was poisoned. Help him!" Jessamyn’s voice cracked with desperation as she pleaded with her husband.

Jerrick’s brow furrowed as he examined Bernard, his face grim. Isadora watched him, her eyes blank, her hands slowly losing their grip on Bernard as she sensed the inevitable.

"He’s dead, isn’t he?" Isadora’s voice was hollow, her words a mere echo of the devastation she felt inside.

Jerrick looked up at her, his eyes red-rimmed with unshed tears, but he didn’t need to say a word. The truth was written all over his face.

Isadora’s strength finally gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, her body trembling violently. Jerrick held Bernard’s limp body and gently placed him on the ground.

Jessamyn rushed to Isadora’s side, trying to hold her, to comfort her, but Isadora’s eyes had already gone blank. Her tears had dried up, and she seemed lost in a world of her own making.

"Isadora, Jerrick will help Bernard. He’s going to be fine..." Jessamyn’s voice was soft, pleading, but it was as if Isadora couldn’t hear her.

Suddenly, Jerrick’s voice cut through the air, sharp and commanding. "Jessamyn! Get back!"

Jessamyn’s instincts screamed at her to stay by Isadora’s side, but there was something in Jerrick’s tone that made her hesitate. She took a step back, her eyes never leaving Isadora, and that’s when she noticed it—the subtle shift in Isadora’s eyes, the way they gleamed with an unnatural light.

"Isadora!" Jessamyn cried out, trying to reach for her again, but Jerrick’s shout stopped her in her tracks.

"Step back!" Jerrick’s voice cut through the chaos, a sharp command laced with an urgency that sent a shiver down Jessamyn’s spine. The icy dread in his tone made her blood run cold, her heart skipping a beat as the weight of his words settled over her. "She is going to get uncontrollable."

The world seemed to hold its breath, the air thick with tension, as if nature itself sensed the storm that was about to break. The feeling was eerily familiar, reminiscent of the time she had been in the forest with Jerrick in his wolf form. Back then, she had felt the same primal fear, the same instinctual awareness of the danger lurking just beneath the surface. Her heart began to drum against her chest, a frantic rhythm that mirrored the mounting tension.

Even the birds and insects, so full of life just moments ago, had gone silent, their usual chatter and hum now absent, as if they too were bracing for what was to come.

Jessamyn obeyed Jerrick’s command without hesitation, her hands instinctively moving to cradle her swollen belly as she took a cautious step back.

She could do nothing but watch in helpless horror as Isadora began to change before her eyes. The transformation was both terrifying and mesmerizing, a twisted display of raw power that seemed so out of place in the fragile human form.

Isadora’s once vibrant green eyes had shifted to a molten gold, the color flickering like flames, consuming the warmth they once held. Her hands, which had been delicate and gentle, were now marred by elongated nails that had sharpened into menacing claws.

"Is she...?" Jessamyn’s voice trembled as she turned to Jerrick, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and disbelief.

Jerrick’s face was grim as he nodded, his expression filled with understanding but also with resignation. "Isadora is shifting."

"Can’t you stop her?" Jessamyn’s voice was laced with desperation. The thought of Isadora losing control, especially with so many eyes watching them, was too horrifying to bear. What would happen if she couldn’t contain the beast within her? How could they possibly explain this to the townspeople?

"It can’t be stopped," Jerrick replied with a heavy sigh, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. "Once it begins, there’s no turning back."

The transformation had begun, and apparently, there was no way to halt it. Jessamyn’s heart ached for Isadora, who looked as though she was being torn apart from the inside. The pain was etched into every line of her face, her body trembling violently as the shift took hold.

Jessamyn could see it in her eyes—Isadora was in agony, her soul being ripped to shreds by the loss of Bernard. It was as if she would rather die than endure the heartbreak.

"Can’t you help him?" Jessamyn’s voice was barely a whisper now, her plea carrying the weight of her own despair. She couldn’t stand to see Isadora like this, couldn’t bear to watch her friend suffer such excruciating pain.

Jerrick shook his head, his eyes filled with sorrow as he looked down at Bernard. The man’s pulse was weak, his skin pale and clammy, the poison having spread through his body with ruthless efficiency. Even if they somehow managed to administer the right antidote, Bernard would never be the man he once was. The poison had done its damage, and there was little hope left.

As Jessamyn stood there, feeling the weight of hopelessness settling over her like a suffocating blanket, she noticed movement in the distance.

Her heart skipped a beat as she saw a large white wolf, its fur gleaming in the sunlight, dashing toward them with powerful, determined strides. It was William.

The onlookers who had gathered, drawn by the commotion, scattered in fear at the sight of the imposing wolf. They had never seen anything like it before, and their instinct was to run, to hide from the unknown danger. The sight of William in his wolf form was enough to send them fleeing back to the safety of their homes, their faces pale with terror as they slammed their doors shut.

"Watch over her. Take her into the forest," Jerrick instructed William as he came to a stop in front of them, his voice steady but laced with an underlying tension. "We don’t want a bloodbath in the town."

"Bloodbath?" Jessamyn’s heart lurched as she looked at Jerrick, the word sending a fresh wave of fear crashing over her. Was Isadora going to lose control completely? Would she go on a rampage, unable to distinguish friend from foe once the shift was complete?

Jerrick didn’t answer her directly, instead turning to the servants nearby. "Prepare the carriage," he ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Jessamyn saw a clarity in his eyes that gave her a sliver of hope. "Are you going to save Bernard? You know a way, don’t you?" she asked, her voice trembling with both hope and fear.