As he peered over the cliff's edge, disgust etching his features, he uttered, "What a pity, Seraphina. Did you really think you could escape me?" A low chuckle escaped him as he turned to address the guards. "Search for her. If she survived the fall, bring her to me.""Sir, what if we find the child?" one guard inquired, his voice tinged with unease.Without hesitation, he replied coldly, "Kill it."Silence enveloped the cliff as he departed, leaving behind only the melancholic whispers of the wind caressing the rugged landscape.They searched through the night; dawn was breaking when a shout pierced the quiet. "I found something!" A guard by the rocky shore called out. Clambering over the stones, he retrieved a sodden piece of clothing—it was the dress Seraphina had worn. Examining it closely, he discovered it was not only soaked but stained with blood, a grim testament to the fall's violence."There's no way she survived this, least of all the child. Let's report back to his grace," he concluded grimly, and the party turned their horses towards Ashworth.The bodies of mother and child were never found, seemingly claimed by the sea's eternal abyss.As the guards rode back, snow began to fall heavily, as if the heavens themselves mourned for Seraphina and her child, the flakes performing a sorrowful dance in the gray morning light.Duke Cassian stood at his castle window, watching the storm. His gaze sharp as he noticed figures approaching—his men returning. "Well, all I see is men. Tell me, were you able to find her?" he demanded, his voice cutting through the cold air.The guards, faces somber, knelt before him. The leader held out the blood-stained fabric, the grim evidence of their search. "Sir, we found this by the rocks," he reported, his voice barely a whisper.Cassian snatched the fabric, examining each bloodied inch as if searching for a sign of life. "I told you to bring me a body if she was dead. Instead, you bring me this?" His voice was thick with fury."Sir, we fear neither madam nor the child has survived," the guard confessed, not daring to meet Cassian's eyes."So, you say that she lies at the bottom of the ocean," Cassian mused coldly, his face a mask of controlled rage. "Very well, you shall join her there." In one swift motion, he drew a dagger and slit the guard's throat.The remaining guards remained silent, eyes downcast, as they dragged their fallen comrade away, carrying the damning piece of fabric with them.Cassian was left alone with the remnants of his shattered illusions. She had been everything to him, yet she had chosen death over a life at his side. Had his love not been enough?Meanwhile, in the town square of Ashworth, the community gathered, a sense of ominous anticipation hanging heavy in the air. The duke's secretary stepped forward, his face grave. "It is with deep sorrow that I must inform you: Her Ladyship, Duchess Seraphina, has tragically passed away in childbirth, along with the baby. May they forever be at peace."The crowd gasped, tears and cries of disbelief rising among them, their sorrow mingling with the falling snow, as if nature itself shared in their grief.Far from the mourning town, an elderly man sat in a wooden boat, lost in thought. He hummed a sorrowful tune, watching the snow dance over the sea. Nestled beside him under blankets of fur was a woman holding a small bundle tightly—a secret kept safe from the cruel fate once destined for her by the shores of Ashworth.