The Archduke's Songbird-Chapter 129: A Lighthearted Moment

"You’re not looking, are you?" Jerrick asked.

Although Jessamyn’s eyes were closed, she sensed the expectation in his tone. "No, I am not," she said truthfully.

She heard a small thud on the table, and her curiosity piqued even more. What could it be?

"Go on. Take it," he encouraged.

"Can I open my eyes now?" she asked, her anticipation growing.

"Yes," he said, his voice bubbling with jubilation.

His happiness was infectious, and as she opened her eyes with a smile, she felt a surge of excitement. However, when she saw the item on the table, her eyes widened in astonishment. "My crossbow?"

"And your arrows," Jerrick added, placing a bunch of her silver arrows on the table beside the bow. "Please, stay away from the poisons for some time..."

Jessamyn’s heart swelled with emotion. She picked up the crossbow, feeling its familiar weight in her hands, and looked up at Jerrick, her eyes glistening with gratitude and surprise. "I... I didn’t think you would give it back."

Jerrick’s expression softened, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "I realized that I can’t keep you from doing what you need to do. If you find the need to be out there, making a difference, you should do it."

Her hands trembled slightly as she ran her fingers over the polished wood and metal. She had a pang of guilt as he considered her noble but she was doing it for a selfish reason too.

"Thank you, Jerrick. This means more to me than you can imagine," she said, from her heart.

He had been acting differently the entire day, and she liked the change. A wave of relief and a sense of calm washed over her as she regained pieces of the life she was accustomed to. It was like finding her footing after being adrift in a stormy sea. She didn’t feel like she was drifting mindlessly in nothingness anymore. She felt a grip on reality again. She loved that feeling.

Jessamyn looked at Jerrick, who was watching her with a mix of concern and encouragement. The change in him had brought about a change in her as well. For the first time in a long while, she felt like she had a direction, a purpose.

The weight of the crossbow in her hands was grounding, a tangible reminder of who she was and what she was capable of. She didn’t realize that her secret identity had meant so much for her until then. She thought of it as just a job but it definitely was more than that.

She did enjoy it.

He reached out and gently took her hand. "I trust you, Jessamyn. I know you’ll do what’s right."

She nodded, a renewed sense of purpose filling her heart. "We’ll find the imposter and bring justice to those girls."

Jerrick’s eyes shone with pride and determination. "And I’ll be right beside you, every step of the way. I’m better than your previous partner, by a mile," he said.

Jessamyn chuckled. He had to bring up Isadora only to mock her. "Isadora helped in her own way," she didn’t fail to correct him. She won’t give up Isadora for anything. "What do you have against her, anyway?" she asked with a laughter that brightened her countenance.

Jerrick’s heart filled up with delight seeing the brightness on her face it was a stark contrast to how he saw her earlier after her talk with that woman. He wanted to protect that smile of hers at all costs.

Suddenly what Bernard said about Isadora made so much sense for Jerrick. It sounded simple at that time when Bernard told him that he intended to make Isadora smile all her life. He wanted to do the same for Jessamyn.

The joys of life are simple. Without knowing the simple truth, everyone’s complicating things, in turn, leading to a complicated life.

"She just has..." Jerrick tapped his finger over his chin in deep thought for a few seconds only for Jessamyn’s laughter to intensify. "She has the face for it," he said. "I want to tease her and make her cry."

Jessamyn laughed harder, the sound filling the room like a burst of sunlight. It was her laughter that washed away the tension and fear of the day, a sound that reminded Jerrick of the simple pleasures in life. He joined her, his laughter mixing with hers, creating a mixture of joy and relief.

"All right, all right," she said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "I’ll admit, Isadora does have a certain expression that makes teasing her irresistible. She’s too...innocent and susceptible."

Jerrick nodded, his eyes twinkling. "See? I knew you’d agree."

"And it makes you want to tease her and at the same time protect her, doesn’t it?" Jessamyn said, her tone softening.

"I agree," Jerrick said with a mischievous grin. "She’s so perfect for teasing, I don’t want to lose her." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Jerrick!" Jessamyn tried to glare at him, but her expression quickly dissolved into laughter. She knew he didn’t mean it seriously. He liked Isadora, and that was the reason he teased her. "I don’t like to see her tears."

"Ooh!" he reeled back playfully. "I’d rather not antagonize the notorious killer when she’s near her deadly weapons. I surrender..." He even pretended to kneel, his expression mock-serious.

Jessamyn chuckled and pulled her crossbow without the arrow. Jerrick feigned an injury to his chest and staggered back dramatically, his performance causing Jessamyn’s laughter to intensify.

It took Jessamyn some time to stop laughing as Jerrick continued pulling faces that were too funny to ignore. Finally, he let her go when she couldn’t laugh anymore, her sides aching from the exertion.

"I needed that," she said again, her smile softer but just as sincere as her heart filled with gratitude. She understood he was trying to lighten up her mood, and his effort had succeeded beyond her expectations.

Jerrick smiled, his heart bubbling with joy. This organic interaction fostered a sense of closeness between them, and he was grateful for that. The weight of the day’s tension seemed to melt away, replaced by the warmth of shared laughter and genuine connection.

"You’re welcome," he said, his eyes softening as he looked at her. "Now," he slammed the table and stood up.

"Wait... my bag?" she asked. She was not comfortable carrying a weapon in plain eyes.

"Ah," Jerrick said, and pulled out a bag.

Jessamyn accepted it although it was not her bag. It served the purpose and she didn’t mind. Jerrick noticed her reaction and he understood immediately that she was unaware of the spell on her bag.

Who put that spell on her bag, then?

"Your medicine bag... Where did you get it?" he asked.

"The bag I kept this in?" Jessamyn raised her brows.

"It came with the bow," she said. "Why? Did you lose it?"

Jerrick nodded and fisted his hands. So, the spell came from the Council! But how did they get that spell? Where is that spell from?