The Archduke's Songbird-Chapter 117: The Killer Behind

Isadora glared at Bernard as he maneuvered the rook into just the right position, delivering a check to her King. That was the fifth time he was winning.

"Is this really the first time you are playing this game, Bernard?" she asked, skeptically.

She explained the rules to him, and he had a few questions to ask, but she didn’t think he would get that proficient that soon. He had some doubts in the first game, but he caught up quickly and beat her in every game.

"Yes, it is!" Bernard rubbed his hands together with a bright smile. He was too excited because he was winning. "But it is easy."

"Easy?" Isadora raised her brows. It took her a long time to learn this game and even after learning it for years, she found it hard at times. How could he find it easy?

"Fine, one more game," Isadora said hoping to utilize every move she had learned to beat Bernard.

Bernard slid his queen to h5 with a confident smile, putting Isadora’s king in an unavoidable checkmate. He had won the game with a brilliant final move.

"Ugh!" Isadora lay on the bed with a long sigh. "Why are you so smart?"

Bernard lay beside her on his side, facing her. "Am I?" he grinned ear to ear. No one has ever told him that he was smart.

"What?" Isadora turned to face him. "You lied to me, didn’t you? You’re a savant at chess but you lied to me to beat me."

"Savant? Me?" Bernard’s eyes widened further, unable to hold his happiness. "Why should I lie to beat you? Wait... Isadora..." he held her cheek. "Are you sad I won? But you won a lot more than I did with the dice game!"

Isadora scoffed and turned her face. When he asked that way it appeared that she was petty and jealous. Maybe she was petty and jealous.

"I did..." she looked at him with a pout. "But it was a dice game that relied more on luck but this is a game that checks smartness... You are smart-um-smarter than me..." Isadora’s voice trailed away.

Bernard laughed. "I am smart?"

"You are," Isadora said, this time in a loud voice sensing the happiness in his tone.

"No one had ever said that to me before," Bernard said, still grinning.

"Why not? You are smart!" Isadora said. "How are you so smart?" Her heart warmed seeing the genuine happiness on his face.

"I learned by watching Wulfhart. He is good at getting in the minds of the enemies to predict their next move. He is always four steps ahead of the enemies... It helps in this game, doesn’t it?"

Isadora pressed her lips. "Is your Wulfhart really smart?"

"You have doubts about that?" Bernard sat straight out of shock. "He’s the smartest man. We’ve won the war because of his strategies. He is respected for his bravery and brilliance."

Isadora was not impressed. "His brilliance does not shine so bright lately..."

"What do you mean?" Bernard stood up by now. He was shocked Isadora was saying that about his lord. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"The way he treats my lady... The way he treated my lady in the past... If he is smart as you say, he wouldn’t have abandoned my lady to marry the woman she hated the most."

"He married the woman Lady Jessamyn hated the most?" Bernard asked. "Why didn’t she like her?"

"Because Lady Jessamyn was abused because of that woman right from childhood. Your brilliant Wulfhart twisted a knife in Milady’s heart by marrying that woman," Isadora said with a huff.

She couldn’t understand why the archduke who showed himself to care for Lady Jessamyn now did such a cruel thing to her then.

"Why should we talk about them? Let’s talk about ourselves," Bernard sat beside her and rubbed her shoulders to calm her down.

Isadora leaned on his shoulder and allowed herself to calm down. Her mind wandered with various thoughts.

"Bernard... What kind of man are you?" Isadora asked. "Where do you hail from? Who are your parents? Where do they live? You mentioned a sister what is her name? Do you have other siblings? What are their names?"

She should have asked about all these a lot earlier. She was ashamed that she was asking about that only now.

Their relationship started with marriage in mind. She should have asked about this earlier. She wondered if Bernard found fault with her less interest in his family. But she was stunned seeing his reaction.

With his lips pressed and face pale, he obviously disliked her questions.

"Bernard, is something wrong?" she asked.

Bernard walked far away from her and stood facing the wall showing his back to her. His shoulders were stiff. Isadora felt a sense of dread sensing him putting a wall in between them.

"Bernard... did I ask something wrong?" she asked.

He was still staring at the wall without answering her. Isadora wouldn’t have asked him that if he would get angry. They had a good time together and she ruined it with her stupidity.

She bowed her head and only then she noticed his hands trembling.

"Bernard..." Isadora gently held his hand.

Bernard snapped out of his reverie and turned. He still didn’t face her and was staring at the floor.

"I am not a good man, Isadora..." he said, his voice shaking. "I am a killer."

Isadora’s heart skipped a beat. "You are a warrior, Bernard. It’s~"

Bernard turned swiftly. The nerves on his forehead popped out as he shouted. "That’s not~"

Seeing Isadora shaking in fear, he stopped. "I am sorry," he held her hand and got to her level. "I didn’t mean to scare you. I am sorry I shouted at you..."

Isadora shook her head seeing the stress he was in. She let out a deep breath and held his shoulders.

"You’ve killed. What else?" she asked.

Bernard calmed down seeing the gentleness in her eyes. "I am a terrible man, Isadora. Everyone who know me will say that I do not deserve you..."

"Why?" Isadora asked.

Bernard’s eyes watered as he looked at her. "I... I killed..."