The Archduke's Songbird-Chapter 39: A Promise

Jerrick immediately stood up leaving a healthy space between them both. He wouldn’t want her to faint in pain again. Even he was amused by how keenly he was observing her facial reactions.

Her eyebrows were furrowed and he thought he was mad he got close to her, but by the pout of her lips, he assumed she was not in pain. She was merely thinking about something.

Phew!

"You think I can climb there? You’ve climbed there?" Jessamyn asked, still with her eyebrows furrowed. With her lips pressed, she looked at the mountain once more. "It looks steep and high...very high. It would take days to get up there, wouldn’t it...?"

Jerrick chuckled. "It does. But it makes the journey fun, don’t you think?"

Jessamyn rubbed her neck. "Maybe... Did you ride to the top?" She asked. She didn’t want to spell out that she didn’t have the energy to climb for days to get to the peak.

"Take a horse?" Jerrick chuckled. "And take out the excitement of climbing? And, no, horses cannot climb there."

"Mmm..." Jessamyn pouted. Then she wouldn’t be able to climb there ever. "I’ve never been to a high place before... I’ve seen paintings though. The view from the top must be spectacular. I haven’t seen the ocean too..." she said, her voice trailing by as she was thinking out loud.

Rohan was in the middle of Ayberia with a flowing river flourishing the region. There might be a hill or two but no mountains close by. Ravensworth was a plain region too. She had traveled extensively through the Great Green Forest but never gotten anywhere near Roche. The capital city was built on a hill but it was in no way as tall as that mountain.

She loved climbing trees and buildings because she liked the view. She had wondered how everything would look from high up—like how eagles see the world.

Joar would have brought her everywhere she wanted to. But in the first year of their marriage, she fell pregnant. In the second year, he was sent to guard the borders, in the third year, they had a fight and after that, he fell sick, and...that was it.

Maybe I’ll never know!

Jerrick’s eyes widened with excitement and his lips curved to a smirk. "Never? Not even the ocean?"

"Hmm, never..." she said and with her head bowed walked to the front.

Jerrick smiled seeing her dropped shoulders. She was kicking a rock as she walked dejectedly. He could make her wish happen just like that. It gave him an indescribable joy.

"Are you sad?" Jerrick asked. She looked contemplative.

"Wait!" she stopped and faced him. Her eyebrows were furrowed and this time she looked angry.

"What?" Jerrick stopped. The smile on his face had become a permanent fixture seeing her in action. He saw a glimpse of the Jessamyn he knew.

"You’re lying to me, aren’t you?" she pressed her lips. Her nose flared and the corners of her lips trembled out of anger. "The indigenous people there wouldn’t have allowed you anywhere near the mountain. How did you climb it?" she asked.

He hasn’t changed even a bit! He lies always! To think I fell for it as always... Sigh! Stupid me!

Jessamyn was embarrassed. She wanted to hit his smirking smug face but she held back.

"Heh!" he scoffed. "You think that would have stopped me? Who do you think I am?" Jerrick asked, his smirk reaching his ear and his chest puffed up with pride.

"Really?" Jessamyn still couldn’t believe him. He looked confident she didn’t know whether to believe him or not.

"I know them. Who built roads and hospitals for them? I did. They are indebted to me. I am not lying, Myna. It is one of the places I go to for peace," he said. It’s the truth.

"Peace?" Jessamyn mumbled and started walking. It would be nice to have peace.

Wasn’t there a protest by some of them opposing the building of roads back then? They thought the roads were built to carry the iron out of the mountain and complained they were ruining the environment.

But he said that the people love him. How would they love him if they thought he was doing the work on behalf of the king?

She couldn’t say whether he was lying or not.

"And do you know what?" Jerrick followed closely behind her. "The ocean... If you get to the right place, you can see the water glowing... at night," he raised his brows.

Jessamyn stopped. "Glow? In the moonlight?" she asked.

His eyes had a gleam to them as he was excited to share it with her. She got caught in his excitement.

"No," he shook his head. "Glow on its own. The water gleams in azure and gold when the waves fold and hit the rocks. If you walk in the water, it will light up right under your feet."

Jessamyn raised her brows and pressed her lips.

"For real!" Jerrick placed his hand on his chest.

"In azure and gold? The water glitters on its own?" she asked.

"True," Jerrick nodded.

"Get lost!" Jessamyn punched his chest. "I almost believed you! Liar!" She hit him again. "Next, are you going to say that the witch who cursed Brennan Theodulf and lost one of her eyes as a punishment still lives on Mount Lumina?" She puffed her cheeks.

Liar!

"I don’t know about that witch, but there is a one-eyed seer on Mount Lumina," Jerrick said.

Jessamyn scoffed. She didn’t know why she even believed him when she knew he liked to tease her with lies. He once told her that the reason he had green eyes was that he ate a lot of spinach when he was a boy. She believed him. Since she wanted green eyes, she ate spinach for more than a month and ended up with an upset stomach.

When she met him in the garden after losing half her weight, he laughed at her face, calling her stupid.

Glowing water. Heh! Yeah, right!

She wanted to hit him again but she noticed that the glimmer in his eyes was gone as if it was wiped out. His pupils were dilated as if he were afraid.

She furrowed her brows and took a step back.

Ah, the pain...

She held her chest and let out a deep breath.

Please, leave me alone...

"Jessamyn," Jerrick called.

As if the invisible hand that was squeezing her heart was released, she could breathe again. She looked at him. "Yes, Your Grace?"

His eyes were serious. Not a twinge of mirth was seen on his face. "Will you promise me one thing?" he asked.