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.
Struggling Alone
"Where are you going, beauty?" the soldier's voice rang out, thick with arrogance and a twisted amusement that made Jessamyn's skin crawl.
Her heart thudded in her chest, but she forced herself to maintain control. Beneath the bag she clutched to her belly, her hand was wrapped tightly around her hidden crossbow, her fingers trembling only slightly. She was terrified—her breath shallow and her senses heightened—but she knew better than to show weakness in front of an enemy, especially this one.
"How are you still alive after losing to a woman's handkerchief?" Jessamyn sneered, her words cutting through the darkness with sharp precision. Her voice was laced with disdain, calculated to dig deep into the soldier's wounded pride. "What I heard was right—Altanians have no honor, no shame. They must have gathered just whoever they could find to fight. Were you stripped of your previous titles? Or do they still let you parade around like a fool in armor?"