The Archduke's Songbird-Chapter 274: A Tense Situation

Jerrick hesitated for a moment before nodding, though there was no relief in his expression. If anything, he looked even more burdened, as though the solution he had in mind was something he wished he didn’t have to consider. Jessamyn’s heart pounded in her chest, the anxiety almost unbearable as she wondered what he intended to do.

Without another word, she rushed to help turn the carriage, her hands shaking as she worked. Jerrick followed behind, carrying Bernard with a strength that belied the frail form he tried to portray in front of others.

Jessamyn couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly he bore the weight of the large man, despite the limp he often pretended to have. Bernard was a giant of a man, muscular and towering, yet Jerrick carried him as though he were no heavier than a child.

As Jessamyn glanced around, she saw a few faces peeking out from behind their curtains, eyes wide with curiosity and fear. Would Jerrick’s secret be exposed? The thought sent a ripple of anxiety through her, but she quickly pushed it aside.

Right now, the most important thing was to save Bernard, to give Isadora a reason to keep fighting. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Jessamyn’s chest tightened as she tried to push down the whirlwind of emotions threatening to spill over. Her steps felt heavy, her heart burdened with uncertainty.

As they rode back to the castle, Jerrick remained unnervingly quiet, his jaw clenched, and his gaze distant. The man who usually had a calming presence was now like a storm cloud on the verge of breaking. The silence between them was thick, laden with unspoken worries and doubts.

When they arrived at the castle, Jerrick carried Bernard, who was barely clinging to life, straight to the barracks. His strides were purposeful, yet there was a hesitation in the way his shoulders stiffened, as though he were grappling with the weight of his decision. Jessamyn’s pulse quickened as she followed closely behind, a part of her fearing what he might do.

Once they reached Bernard’s room, Jerrick laid him down with the gentleness of someone placing a fragile glass on a pedestal. But the tension in the air only grew as he turned toward Jessamyn and said, "Go to your room, Jessamyn. You don’t need to be here for this."

But Jessamyn refused to leave. Her instincts screamed at her that something grave was about to happen. "No," she said softly but firmly. "I’m staying."

She knew the intensity of her words was a risk; Jerrick was clearly on edge. He stared at her, a flicker of frustration crossing his face, but in the end, he turned back to Bernard without another word.

Jessamyn’s heart pounded as she watched Jerrick gather thick chains, silver-tinted with an eerie gleam. Her stomach twisted in knots as she saw him meticulously wrap them around Bernard’s wrists and ankles, binding him tightly to the bed. The sight was grim and felt more like a scene of punishment than salvation. But then, as Jerrick reached for the silver lining and placed it around Bernard’s body, Jessamyn’s breath caught in her throat.

She suddenly understood what Jerrick intended to do.

"You’re going to turn him?" Her voice trembled, barely above a whisper.

Jerrick didn’t answer. He stood by Bernard’s side, his hand hovering over the man’s chest, as if waiting for the exact moment—waiting for something only he could sense. His silence was an answer in itself. Jessamyn’s heart ached as she considered the implications.

Turning someone into a shifter was not just a physical transformation—it was a curse. Bernard would no longer be the man he was. He would be bound to the whims of the moon and to Jerrick as his master.

Would Bernard even want that kind of life? Could he bear the chains of such a fate, or would it break him entirely?

The weight of that question bore down on Jessamyn’s conscience. "Are you sure this is the only way?" she asked, her voice quivering with the mix of dread and hope. She wanted to trust Jerrick’s judgment, but she couldn’t ignore the gnawing fear that they were about to cross a line that couldn’t be undone.

Jerrick’s eyes flashed with a mix of pain and fury as he snapped, "Isadora is suffering right when I am lingering! What do you know? Do you even care?"

His voice cut through the room like a blade, and Jessamyn flinched, stepping back as the sting of his words sank in. She had never heard him speak to her in such a tone. It was like staring into the eyes of a different man—a man whose desperation overshadowed his reason.

Tears welled up in Jessamyn’s eyes, blurring her vision as she struggled to swallow the lump forming in her throat. She realized in that moment that she was intruding.

Jerrick’s torment was far deeper than she could comprehend, and her pressing him had only fueled the storm inside him. He was torn between saving his friend and respecting Bernard’s autonomy—a decision no one should ever have to make. She had pushed him when he was already teetering on the edge of despair.

Jessamyn’s gaze dropped to the floor as guilt crept over her. How could she have been so selfish? Jerrick’s struggle wasn’t just about saving Bernard—it was about saving Isadora too.

Jerrick knew his sister. Isadora’s love for Bernard was so fierce that losing him would shatter her completely, sending her spiraling into a darkness from which she might never return. Jerrick wasn’t just trying to save a friend; he was trying to save two souls from irreparable ruin.

Realizing she had done more harm than good by staying, Jessamyn took a deep, shaky breath. "I’m sorry," she whispered, barely audible as she turned and quietly left the room, her heart heavy with remorse.

She hoped, prayed even, that whatever Jerrick was planning would work, that it wouldn’t doom Bernard to a fate worse than death.

She paused in the hallway, her hand unconsciously resting on her growing belly. She couldn’t help but feel the life within her, a small reminder that love could bloom even in the darkest moments. But with that hope came fear—fear that Isadora’s love for Bernard might not survive this trial.

Tears finally spilled down Jessamyn’s cheeks as she leaned against the cold stone wall, feeling utterly helpless. The castle’s dim light cast long shadows across the corridor, mirroring the uncertainty that clouded her heart.

In her mind, she replayed Jerrick’s anguished expression, the fire in his eyes when he defended his decision. This was not just about life and death—it was about love and the lengths people go to in order to protect it.

She could only hope that Jerrick’s love for his friend, and his need to shield his sister from devastation, wouldn’t lead them all down a path of regret.