The Archduke's Songbird
***Completed*** Lady Jessamyn brought home a ten-year-old orphan when she was eight. He was handsome ^_~. She provided him with a place to stay and warm meals. As they grew up, she desired to marry him, despite their differing statuses. As war raged, he signed up for the military, promising to ask for her hand when he was worthy. Two years later, he became more than what he promised he would be. He became the Archduke of Ayberia. But he broke her heart by marrying her friend. Years rolled away; life happened. She married a man who loved her and fell madly in love with him. She didn't think of him again. But fate was cruel; she was widowed at the age of twenty-one. She lost everything. Seven years later, she met a mysterious wolf while she was out at work in the Archduke's fief. She had a fall. The next morning, she found herself on the Archduke's bed. Did fate bring them together again? Or something nefarious is at play? Is this a chance for a second love? Will she find out why he abandoned her in the past? Is it possible to rekindle their old love, or is it too late? ----- Join me in this journey. Your comments and votes are appreciated. Gift me to motivate me. Updates will be daily.
Autonomy of Choice
Jerrick's face darkened the shadows in his expression deepening as her question hung in the air between them. He studied her, waiting, almost hoping she would retract the words, but she only gazed back at him with those wide, unwavering blue eyes that held an unsettling calm.
The tension thickened, wrapping around them like a cloak, until he finally spoke, his voice low and firm.
"Beside my coffin," he answered, his jaw clenched tightly, his eyes hard as if he was issuing a warning—a final one.
It was as though he was daring her to push him further, daring her to cross that invisible line, but Jessamyn only leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to be enveloped by the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. It was a sound she had learned to find comfort in, a sound that had often soothed her troubled heart.
"Why do you love me?" she asked softly, her voice barely more than a whisper.