The Archduke's Songbird-Chapter 107: Female Hysteria

Jessamyn was admiring Jerrick’s fingers when her thoughts wandered to an unusual place. Her thought process was simple enough: looking at his fingers reminded her of Joar’s and the things he did with them.

When she was married to Joar, a new phenomenon was becoming common among the ladies of high society. Physicians had identified an illness that they named "female hysteria," as it affected only women—mostly unwed women, widows, and those with husbands who were away for a long time.

The illness was purportedly caused by a buildup of fluid in the woman’s womb, reasoning that since men ejaculated their "fluid," it stood to reason that only women were affected by such an ailment.

Physicians acknowledged that the disorder stemmed from sexual dissatisfaction. The treatment involved stimulation in the pelvic area—a pelvic massage to induce "hysterical paroxysm."

In simpler terms, physicians used their fingers or other specifically designed tools to help women achieve climax, as the gentlemen in the Kingdom were neither trained to recognize their wives’ sexual needs nor aware that women had such needs. For most men, sex was strictly for procreation.

Husbands typically summoned physicians when their wives complained, finding it easier than addressing the issue themselves. The "treatment" was mostly performed in the privacy of their homes. The Fainting Couch or Chaise Lounge became popular for the ladies’ comfort during these sessions.

Hearing about this new treatment women whispered in secrets, Jessamyn was intrigued too. Some ladies in her circle got wind that the archduchess was a frequent sufferer of this disorder. It made her curious too. They all were high-class ladies with not much to worry about and any fad easily caught up among them.

She told Joar about her "ailment" the list of symptoms often associated with that disorder.

’You want to get treated for female hysteria?’ Joar smiled, Jessamyn’s heart pumped hard seeing the sinister aura on his face.

That night, her dearest husband used every arsenal in his repertoire to ensure she screamed out loud plenty of times. When she finally lay on his chest, utterly exhausted, and with a wide grin, he gently brushed her hair aside and kissed her forehead.

’As long as I am alive, no other man will touch you; no other man or machine will make you scream in pleasure. You’re mine to please...’

Whenever she needed special treatment, she would say that she was feeling faintness or insomnia and her dearest husband would serve her as she wanted him to.

Jessamyn could only sigh thinking of the days and nights she spent with Joar.

"What?" Jerrick’s voice interrupted Jessamyn’s hot and spicy thoughts.

She fanned herself as she looked at Jerrick. He was looking at her incredulously. She did wonder if she should proceed with such an intrusive question.

He had beautiful long fingers, his kisses weren’t bad, and his manhood was not that small; she felt sore under there for a long time after spending that night with him. There was nothing wrong with him physically. If so, why was Imogen left unsatisfied?

Was he not skilled in the art of lovemaking? Or did Imogen have an insatiable hunger?

Jessamyn leaned toward the latter. Poor Jerrick must have been so in love with Imogen and tried to do his best to make her feel better but it was never enough. Imogen was someone who never got satisfied.

"Why did Imogen frequently seek treatment for female hysteria even when you weren’t deployed?" Jessamyn asked.

She could have chosen the high road and refrained from asking that question, but she was feeling petty. After all, it involved Imogen.

If he wanted to poke around to know about Joar, couldn’t she do the same?

Jerrick probably didn’t listen to her the first time, this time when he heard her question, he was taken aback.

Jerrick noticed the weirdness around her question. She had some sinister aim in asking that question. "She had the symptoms for~"

"Like what?"

Jerrick stared at her for a moment. But he answered her anyway. "Fluid retention, heaviness in abdomen, muscle spasm, shortness of breath, irritability, and... she... tendency to cause trouble..."

"Tendency to..." Jessamyn stifled her laugh. "So, the perfect Imogen wasn’t perfect after all, huh? Wasn’t there another symptom? Loss of appetite for...you know what..." she blinked her eyes as she supported her hand under her cheek.

Jerrick cleared his throat and looked out the window. He didn’t want to answer her. He barely remembered Imogen mentioning that. He referred her to the best physician to treat that disorder, as a good husband should. She still complained to him at times, but later she stopped talking to him about that. He thought she got better.

Jessamyn was feeling extremely nosy. She understood Joar’s point of view, which was born out of possessiveness stemming from love; she wouldn’t allow another woman to touch her husband either.

Now, she wanted to know Jerrick’s perspective on the matter.

"You didn’t mind another man giving pelvic massages to your wife?" Jessamyn leaned closer. "Was it because you loved her and wanted her to get better no matter the~"

"What do you mean?" Jerrick looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed. He was confused by the tone she used.

"You could have given her the massages yourself. Why didn’t you?" Jessamyn asked. Her curiosity had doubled.

"The physician was more trained to do them than me. Why should I interfere with a professional?" Jerrick asked.

Judging by her intense curiosity, he sensed that there might be more to her questions than met the eye. Unwilling to delve further into that topic, he chose to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Do you mind Imogen’s pictures in the Theodulf Castle?" he asked.

"What?" Jessamyn didn’t know why he asked that out of nowhere. "No," she said.

She didn’t like Imogen’s pictures everywhere, but she hid the picture in her room and avoided looking at the other pictures, so it was fine. She didn’t have any pictures of Joar to remember him by and she didn’t want Jerrick to feel that way.

It was his house, after all. He should keep the things he loves.

Jerrick smiled hiding behind his hand. Of course, he knew his Songbird well. William was wrong to suggest she was bothered by it.

Jessamyn jumped back to the topic of discussion. "So, the massages~"

"What about the massages?" Jerrick raised his voice. He truly was confused by her insistence.

"Oh..." Jessamyn’s eyes widened with realization. "You don’t know about those massages..."

Jerrick furrowed his brows. The more her smile widened, the deeper the furrow line between his eyebrows got.

"I’ll show you," Jessamyn said. Her heart was jumping with joy; she wasn’t thinking straight.

She finally caught Imogen at her worst.

She settled onto her knees atop the cushion, spreading them apart slightly. With a delicate motion, she lifted her skirt and slipped her hand inside.

Jerrick’s eyes widened. "Whaa- Jessamyn... What are you..." he stuttered.

"I’m showing you..." she smirked.