The Archduke's Songbird-Chapter 306: Punishment

William finally turned to face her, his expression etched with the weary resignation of a man who had borne the weight of too many battles, both within and without. His voice, when it came, was soft but laced with the bitterness of betrayal, a whisper that carried the burden of all his doubts and fears. "How can I not?" he murmured, the words heavy as if they cost him a piece of his soul to utter. "When every time I look at you, I wonder who you truly are. When every word you speak feels like a trap waiting to be sprung."

Elaine’s face twisted, a volatile mix of hurt and fury flashing across her features, but something flickered behind the storm in her eyes—something that might have been regret, or perhaps just the reflection of the flames she had ignited in his heart, flames that now threatened to consume him from within. For a fleeting moment, William thought he saw a shadow of the woman he had once adored, the woman who had captured his heart with her smile and warmth. But just as quickly, that vision was gone, replaced by the cold, calculating expression that had become all too familiar.

"Do you really think so little of me?" Elaine asked, her voice trembling as if on the brink of shattering, a mix of anger and desperation clinging to each word.

William felt his chest tighten, the walls he had painstakingly built around his heart threatening to crumble under the weight of her question. But he couldn’t afford to be weak—not now, not when so much was at stake. His voice faltered as he grappled with the truth he had been avoiding, the truth that clawed its way to the surface despite his best efforts to suppress it. "I think..." he began, the words sticking in his throat, "I think my curse is too strong, Elaine. It’s cruel, don’t you think?"

He paused, the silence between them stretching taut, like a bowstring ready to snap. "For us," he continued, his voice tinged with a bitter edge, "the one we form a bond with has no obligation to return even an ounce of sincerity, and yet, we cannot move on... Don’t I look pathetic to you? I see why you disrespect me, knowing I am this way... Still, I cannot change anything..."

Her eyes softened for a brief moment, and in that fleeting second, William thought he saw the woman he had once loved, the woman who had seemed so genuine, so true. But just as quickly as the tenderness appeared, it vanished, replaced by the steely resolve of the woman who had betrayed him time and time again. Elaine took a step closer, her hand reaching out to touch his face, but William flinched away, recoiling as if her touch could sear his very soul.

"You don’t mean that," she whispered, her voice dangerously sweet, laced with a manipulative tenderness that sent shivers down his spine. "You still love me. I know that. I know you are not pathetic."

William closed his eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill, tears born not of love but of deep, aching sorrow. "Love," he murmured, the word itself a poison on his tongue. "What is love when it is built on a curse?"

Elaine recoiled as if he had struck her, the carefully constructed mask she wore slipping for just a moment, revealing a flash of vulnerability. But it was fleeting, quickly replaced by the icy resolve that had become her armor. "You’re saying you regret your love for me, is that it?"

William didn’t answer her, his silence speaking volumes. He was trapped in the storm of his own making, where love and duty clashed with every heartbeat.

Elaine pressed on, her voice tinged with bitterness. "Even after I found out you lied to me along with that Ravensworth woman, I still clung to the hope that you loved me. But all this time, you were only grieving our love as a curse? You will regret this, William," she hissed, her tone low and menacing, a venomous promise. "Mark my words."

William finally opened his eyes, meeting her gaze with a resolve that belied the turmoil within. The storm in his heart was mirrored in the tempest raging outside, snow and wind battering against the stone walls as if trying to break them down. "Perhaps," he replied, his voice steady despite the emotional chaos swirling within him. "But I would rather face that regret than live a life wrapped in lies."

Elaine’s eyes narrowed, the softness that had once endeared her to him now a distant memory, replaced by the sharp edges of a woman scorned. "Then I’ll leave before you throw me away," Elaine said, her voice cold, each word a dagger aimed straight at his heart.

"Suit yourself," William said, turning away from her, his voice carrying a finality that echoed in the room.

As she turned to leave, something within him broke, as if his heart had been torn to shreds once more, just as it had been the day she first walked out of his life. His love for her had come full circle, a tragic tale of yearning and betrayal, a story that could never have a happy ending. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

But there was still one thing left he could change. He had lost Elaine, but he would not lose Jessamyn.

"Where is Jessamyn? You know it, don’t you?" William asked, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade.

Elaine, who was about to step out of the room, froze in place. Her back stiffened, and for a moment, the air between them crackled with tension. She turned slowly, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Are you Lycaon Wulfhednar, William? Is she truly your mate? Is your attraction toward me beyond the link mandated by the goddess? Are you fighting against your soul by falling for me?"

William’s lips curled into a smirk, the corners of his mouth lifting in a way that did not reach his eyes. Even now, she was proud, always seeking to be the center of his world, even though she had chosen not to return his love. "Are they going to kill her?"

Elaine’s smile fell as his words struck a chord deep within her. The mention of Jessamyn brought a dark shadow across her face, her eyes burning with jealousy. "Why should I tell you?" she spat, her voice trembling with suppressed rage.

"Are you jealous?" William scoffed, disbelief coloring his words. "You won’t love me and won’t let me love anyone else? What should I take it as?"

"That’s your punishment!" Elaine screamed, her voice raw and full of anguish. Her eyes widened, her lips twitching with fury as she let out the bitterness she had kept hidden. "That’s your punishment for abandoning me to be ruined by your friends!"

William’s eyebrows twitched, and he swallowed hard, his throat dry as the guilt washed over him in waves. She was right—he had failed her, left her to the mercy of those he had once called friends.