The Archduke's Songbird-Chapter 318: Unhinged Fury From A Heart Filled With Vengeance

Lady Celena’s eyes went wide in shock, but before she could react, Jessamyn didn’t hesitate. With one swift, powerful motion, she drove the sword into Lady Celena’s chest. The blade sank deep, and Lady Celena gasped, her breath catching in her throat as her hands flew to the hilt protruding from her heart.

For a moment, everything was silent. The only sound was the shallow, ragged breaths escaping Lady Celena’s lips as she stared at Jessamyn in disbelief. Her once-mad eyes dulled, the life draining out of her as she staggered backward, collapsing to the ground with a final, strangled gasp.

Jessamyn stood over her, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. Lady Celena’s body lay still at her feet, the sword still embedded in her chest, blood pooling around her. Jessamyn’s hand trembled, but she felt no regret. There was no other way. Lady Celena had been too far gone, too consumed by the darkness her mother had planted inside her.

Jerrick’s mother stood there, her face expressionless as she looked down at her fallen daughter. Jessamyn expected some sign of grief, but there was none. Only cold indifference.

"That was... necessary," Jerrick’s mother said, her voice devoid of emotion.

Jessamyn’s heart tightened as she realized the depths of devastation that plagued this family, a cycle of violence and betrayal that seemed never-ending. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she instinctively moved in front of Cordelia as Jerrick’s mother’s cold gaze shifted toward them.

"And now..." Jerrick’s mother murmured, her eyes narrowing as she focused on Cordelia.

Jessamyn’s body moved on its own, shielding Cordelia with her arms, her voice trembling as she shouted, "Stop doing this! Enough!"

There was a weight in her words, a rawness that could no longer be hidden behind stoic resolve. Her voice cracked, the strain of the moment overwhelming her. "Because of your greed, my son has decided not to live! You’re killing him—stop it!" she cried, her chest heaving with emotion, her vision blurred by the tears that now filled her eyes.

Jerrick’s mother turned sharply toward Jessamyn, her eyes blazing with sudden fury. "What are you saying?" she demanded, her voice a snarl. "Are you trying to deceive me again? Is this another one of your tricks?" The bitterness in her tone dripped like venom, every word laced with suspicion.

Jessamyn shook her head, her voice trembling with fear and anguish. "I... I feel no movement from him. Not for a while now... I’m scared," she whispered, her tears falling freely as she placed a protective hand over her swollen belly. She wasn’t lying—at least, not completely. There was a profound silence where there should have been life, and it chilled her to the core.

She tried to tell herself he was only resting, that he was stronger than any child she had ever known. But a quiet doubt gnawed at the edges of her hope. What if something was wrong? What if...

Jerrick’s mother approached, her eyes narrowing as she examined Jessamyn’s expression, searching for any sign of deceit. "If you’re lying again... I swear..." Her voice trailed off, her threat clear even without words. Her cold hand pressed against Jessamyn’s belly, moving with purpose as she searched for the telltale signs of life.

There was nothing.

Jessamyn’s breath hitched, her tears flowing faster, fear choking her. Please... move. Just move. Give me a sign. She pressed her hand over her belly, willing her son to respond, to give her anything. But there was only silence.

Cordelia covered her mouth, stifling her sobs as the tension in the room became unbearable. Her eyes, wide with terror, darted between Jessamyn and Jerrick’s mother, helpless in the face of what was happening.

The color drained from Jerrick’s mother’s face. Her hand faltered as she pressed harder, her movements becoming frantic, desperate. "No... no... this can’t be," she muttered, her composure crumbling as realization dawned on her. "He was so strong—so powerful—just a day ago. How could this happen?" Her voice cracked, her eyes widening in disbelief as she sank to her knees.

She knelt there, her hands trembling against Jessamyn’s belly, staring into the void where there had once been so much promise. For the first time, Jessamyn saw something akin to vulnerability in her expression, as if the loss had finally reached her heart.

It was a strange sight, this woman who had manipulated many men, and terrorized her own children now crumpling to the floor, broken by the quiet absence of a heartbeat.

It hurt her more to realize that her tears were not for the death of a life but for the failure of her plans.

Jessamyn’s tears flowed freely as she watched the woman before her fall apart, the weight of the truth pressing down on them both. The tower was silent, save for the quiet sobs of Cordelia in the corner, and the shallow breaths of the women left in the wake of this tragedy.

Jessamyn’s hand remained protectively over her belly. Somewhere in her heart, she still clung to the hope that her son was alive, that he was just biding his time. But the fear was all too real now, and with every second that passed, it grew heavier, more unbearable. She wanted to scream, to curse the heavens for putting her through this again.

Jerrick’s mother, still on her knees, stared at Jessamyn’s belly in disbelief. "How did this happen?" she whispered, her voice broken. "I’ve done everything... for him... I’ve prepared... how could he..." Her words trailed off into silence as she sat there, her shoulders slumped, completely undone by the loss of the grandchild she had never met.

Jessamyn, though filled with grief, felt a strange surge of strength rise within her. She couldn’t afford to crumble. Not now. Not when everything was at stake. Her hand tightened over her belly as if to reassure herself that her son was still there, still alive, even if he was silent.

In an instant, the woman who had once been reduced to a kneeling heap of despair rose with a vengeance. The glint of madness returned to her eyes, burning brighter than ever before. With swift, determined movements, she yanked the sword free from Lady Celena’s chest, the blade slick with blood and a twisted sense of finality.

Jessamyn barely had time to react before the woman, her face contorted with hatred, lunged at Cordelia with a terrifying scream. "Now, you die! I will bring down the Kaiser family, no matter what!"

The words echoed in the chamber, filled with an unhinged fury that made Jessamyn’s heart pound in her chest.

"No!" Jessamyn’s voice broke through the tension, but it wasn’t enough to stop her.