A Kiss Between Siblings That Crossed the Line / An Angel That Was Not Acknowledged / A Changed Resolution

"..."

Pierre never expected that his younger sister's reason for going out at this moment would actually be this.

After all, based on his understanding of her in the past.

Usually at such times, her reasons would lean more towards some strange and bizarre things.

"Brother, what's with that reaction..." Jeanne said, feeling a little guilty after noticing Pierre staring at her without saying a word.

"I just gave you a kiss, it doesn't mean you're not going to talk to me now, right?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Hmph, stingy!" she added playfully, a small pout on her lips.

"Of course, that's not what I meant," Pierre immediately denied his younger sister's statement.

"I just want to know, why do you want to tell everyone about this?" he asked, his voice gentle.

"Can you tell me the reason?" he inquired, his gaze soft.

"Reason?" Jeanne tilted her head slightly, then replied with a smile.

"Maybe it's to tell everyone in the village... that the Lord is listening to our wishes!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes sparkling.

"As long as we persevere diligently, we will definitely receive more responses!" she declared, her voice filled with hope.

"..."

[You realized that you seemed to have underestimated Jeanne a bit.]

[She was indeed mischievous in some things, but at the same time, she had a genuine kindness in her heart.]

[After witnessing the "angel" herself, she wanted to spread this hope to other people in the village as well.]

[This was something you had not anticipated at all.]

[You felt a bit ashamed about this.]

His younger sister's simple and pure thoughts made Pierre feel a little guilty.

"I see," he said softly, a gentle smile on his lips.

"Then Jeanne, let's go out," he offered, his gaze kind.

"Okay~!" Jeanne smiled sweetly.

It was clear that she genuinely wanted to spread this hope from the Lord.

[You left the small wooden house.]

[You arrived on the main road of Domremy village.]

Although her leg injury hadn't healed at all, Jeanne, leaning on a small wooden stick, walked very happily.

"Brother, hurry up!" she called out, her voice filled with excitement.

"Jeanne, aren't you a bit too excited?" Pierre asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Am I?" Jeanne stuck out her tongue playfully. "I just want to tell everyone about this as soon as possible!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes wide.

"...Alright," Pierre said, not overly scolding his younger sister for her excitement.

He knew she just wanted to express her kindness.

"Eh?!" Jeanne pointed ahead.

"Uncle Hancock is right there! Brother, let's go tell him first!" she suggested, her voice eager.

[Hancock was a friend of your father's.]

[In this village that wasn't too accepting of you, he was one of the few people who treated you relatively well.]

[The small wooden house you currently lived in was also found through his help.]

[Telling him about "seeing an angel" was indeed a good choice.]

However—

After Jeanne happily recounted a long story about the "angel" she had seen, Hancock-san, with his stubbled chin, had a somewhat subtle expression.

"Is that so... sounds quite nice," he said, nodding slowly.

"Mmm~ I think so too!" Jeanne chimed in, her blue eyes sparkling.

While Jeanne was happy, Hancock-san leaned closer to Pierre and asked with a hint of doubt:

"Pierre... what the heck is Jeanne talking about?" he whispered, his brow furrowed.

"Wings? Flames?"

"What kind of 'angel' is that? Did you let her see something strange?" he inquired, his gaze questioning.

"..."

[You suddenly realized a problem.]

[Although you knew Jeanne wouldn't lie—she must have seen something worthy of being called an 'angel' during the time you lost your memory.]

[But for other people, Jeanne at this moment was no different from someone spouting nonsense.]

[Especially in front of Hancock who wasn't religious, this feeling was even more obvious.]

[He didn't think Jeanne had really seen the so-called "angel."]

Realizing the problem, Pierre's expression froze in an awkward state.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Hancock," Pierre apologized, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

"It's alright," Hancock-san patted Pierre's shoulder. "Just knowing is enough," he said with a knowing look.

"I still have work to do, so I'll go first," he said, turning to leave.

"Okay," Pierre replied.

"Uncle Hancock is walking so fast~" Jeanne muttered softly, looking at the receding figure.

"I haven't even finished telling him about the 'angel' yet..." she complained, a small pout on her lips.

"Cough cough," Pierre coughed lightly a few times.

"Maybe he already understood what you wanted to express?" he suggested, trying to smooth things over.

"So he didn't plan to listen to the rest," he added, a wry smile on his face.

"Is that so!" Jeanne blinked her bright blue eyes, looking very happy.

"Then there's really no need to waste any more time," she said cheerfully.

"Yeah," Pierre nodded, then tightened his grip on his younger sister's hand.

"Jeanne, let's go back for now," he suggested, his gaze gentle.

"Eh?!" Hearing this, Jeanne immediately shook her head.

"Brother, we can't go back yet!" she insisted, her blue eyes wide.

"I haven't told everyone at the church this news yet!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.

"This..." Pierre really wanted to stop the eager Jeanne.

But when he saw Jeanne's clear eyes, which held not a trace of impurity, he couldn't bring himself to stop her.

After all, he couldn't exactly scold his younger sister and tell her to stop talking nonsense everywhere, could he?

And—

Maybe people who believed in the religious sect would be more likely to believe Jeanne's story?

Carrying such a glimmer of hope, Pierre followed behind the happy Jeanne, step by step, towards the church in Domremy village.

It was the largest building in the entire village.

[However, things did not develop as you had imagined.]

[Compared to Uncle Hancock, who didn't believe in religion, the villagers who were believers had stricter requirements for an "angel."]

[And Jeanne's description was completely unacceptable to them.]

Inside the church, people were discussing in small groups, their voices hushed.

And the subject of their discussion was Jeanne, the girl who had just claimed to have seen an "angel."

"Hey, hey, did you all hear? Jeanne said she saw a great angel sent by the Lord!" one villager whispered, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"I heard, but I think such a thing is unlikely! What kind of angel has black wings?" another replied, shaking his head.

"To be honest, that's true," a third villager agreed, his brow furrowed.

"And isn't that just one problem... I also heard her say that the angel she saw used fire!" a fourth villager added, his voice incredulous.

"What is she talking about?! Black wings and using fire, what kind of angel is that?" the first villager exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"Hmm... I think it's just because her father is gone, and she's starting to seek attention, right?" another villager speculated, a hint of disdain in his voice.

The villagers' gossip spread throughout the church, piercing Pierre's heart little by little.

The gazes cast towards the two siblings were filled with doubt, speculation, and undisguised contempt.

As her older brother, he knew that absolutely no one present believed that Jeanne had really seen an "angel."

But the naive girl didn't seem to realize this at all.

In her eyes, these people discussing in small groups all believed what she had said.

"Brother!" Jeanne tightened her grip on Pierre's hand, looking very happy.

"Everyone knows about the existence of the 'angel' now! They will definitely work harder in the future!" she declared, her blue eyes shining with excitement.

"This is really great, isn't it?" she asked, looking up at him expectantly.

"..."

Pierre looked at Jeanne, whose thoughts were overly idealistic, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

He forced a wry smile, then nodded and replied to his younger sister.

"Yeah... maybe that's really how it will be," he said softly, his gaze gentle.

[The development of things was just as you had observed in the church that day.]

[Not a single villager believed that Jeanne had really seen an angel—even though her description was indeed quite vivid.]

[They defined Jeanne's behavior as "hysteria after her father's death, wanting to highlight her own existence," and they sneered at it.]

[You and your younger sister lost all reputation in Domremy village—almost everyone regarded you as hopeless liars.]

[However, due to your feigned fierceness, no one dared to directly cause trouble for you and Jeanne.]

[After all, no one dared to provoke a reckless young man with a hatchet hanging from his waist—especially when he cared so much for his younger sister.]

[But this didn't mean you stopped all the trouble.]

[Jeanne still encountered problems.]

"Huff—" Panting, Pierre returned to the door of the small wooden house.

Because of the "angel" incident, his current job had been deliberately arranged to be the worst one in the village.

Every day, he had to work until late at night like this before being able to return.

However, Pierre didn't tell Jeanne about such things.

He could bear this unnecessary trouble alone; there was no need to make Jeanne suffer along with him.

*Creak*—

Pierre pushed open the door, only to see an unexpected scene.

He saw a large hole in the window, and the cold wind whistled in, making the entire room extremely cold.

In the darkness, Jeanne was clutching her blanket tightly, curled up in bed.

There was a graze on her face, and she looked very scared.

Her pale pink lips were trembling uncontrollably, and she kept repeating the same sentence over and over again.

"I'm not a liar... I'm not a liar... I'm not a liar!"

And in the room, there was a rock and many shards of broken glass lying on the floor.

[You quickly understood what had happened.]

[Someone had come over while you were out working, smashed the window of the small wooden house, and also verbally abused Jeanne.]

[She had spent the whole day in this panic.]

[You were very angry—even though you had told Jeanne to stay in the house, these bastards still wouldn't let it go!]

[Just as you were about to completely lose your temper, Jeanne's voice called you back.]

"Brother... you're back!" Jeanne's voice was full of despair, but it also carried a shallow hope, as if she had grasped at the only lifeline.

Pierre's eyes gradually returned to their normal color.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down as much as possible.

The first thing to do now was to soothe Jeanne's emotions.

He walked to the bedside and took his younger sister's hand.

"Yes, I'm back," he said softly, his gaze gentle.

[You temporarily sealed the hole in the window.]

[You lit the oil lamp, filling the room with light.]

[You treated the wound on Jeanne's face.]

[You warmed up some food for her.]

[This gradually calmed her emotions.]

"So good~" Jeanne smiled sweetly at Pierre after finishing the bread.

"Finally full," she said, patting her stomach.

"..."

Pierre's expression was quite guilty.

"I'm sorry, Jeanne," he apologized softly, his gaze filled with regret.

"I should have... come back earlier," he added, his voice gentle.

"It's nothing," Jeanne shook her head. "Brother's work was moved to another place, right?" she asked, her blue eyes looking at him.

"It's normal to come back later," she said, trying to reassure him.

"...You knew?" Pierre asked, surprised.

"Mmm," Jeanne lowered her head.

"It's all because of me, isn't it?" she said softly, her voice filled with guilt.

"If I hadn't said I saw an 'angel,' Brother wouldn't have to go through so much trouble... I'm sorry," she apologized, tears welling up in her eyes.

"..."

Pierre sat down beside Jeanne.

"Then—"

"Jeanne, tell me honestly."

"Did you... really see an 'angel'?" he asked, his gaze earnest.

"Mmm," Jeanne nodded.

"I saw it," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It had wings and used fire... it just flew towards me from the light like that," she described, her blue eyes wide.

"Then there's nothing to be sorry about," Pierre said, looking at his younger sister seriously.

"Since you really saw it... then there's no need to feel guilty about it," he continued, his voice firm.

"I believe you," he declared, his gaze unwavering.

As soon as these words were spoken, Jeanne could no longer control her emotions.

She buried her head in Pierre's arms and burst into tears.

"But... but they don't believe me!" she sobbed, her voice muffled.

"I clearly saw it... they insist I have hysteria... and they say I'm a liar, a shameless person," she cried, her small body shaking.

"I didn't lie... not even once!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with anguish.

"I know," Pierre held Jeanne tighter—his hands were also trembling uncontrollably.

"I know everything," he whispered, his voice gentle.

"This isn't your fault, Jeanne," he reassured her, stroking her hair.

"You... didn't do anything wrong," he said softly, his gaze filled with love and concern.

[Kind people are always particularly vulnerable to harm.]

[This sentence was perfectly embodied in Jeanne.]

[She had no intention of lying at all.]

[She merely wanted to share this encouragement from the Lord.]

[But apart from you, no one was willing to believe her.]

[You knew how painful this feeling was.]

"Okay, don't think about such things," Pierre said, gently patting Jeanne's back over and over again.

"Think about something that makes you happy—don't punish yourself for other people's mistakes," he advised, his voice soothing.

"Something that makes me happy?" Hearing this, Jeanne's voice became softer.

"Something that makes me happy... I haven't tried it yet," she mumbled, looking down.

"Huh?" Pierre was a little surprised.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Because..." Jeanne looked up, watching Pierre cautiously.

"I think what would make me happy..." she began, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Is kissing Brother—I haven't tried it yet," she confessed, her blue eyes wide.

"..."

Pierre was stunned for a moment.

He knew this was something that crossed the line between siblings.

But—

He looked at his younger sister's pitiful appearance and recalled her trembling body from just now.

Kissing was indeed crossing the line.

But there didn't seem to be any better way to comfort her at this moment.

He was such a terrible older brother...

He had just said not long ago that they couldn't do anything out of line.

"Jeanne, do you really want to do this?" he asked softly, his gaze gentle yet conflicted.

"Mmm..." Jeanne nodded. "I really want to... try what kissing Brother feels like," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"..."

"Okay, let's try it then," Pierre said, his voice filled with a mix of resignation and tenderness.

The boy lowered his head and kissed the girl's lips.

The sensation was a bit like freshly baked bread, but even sweeter and softer, making him want to take a bite.

The tongue curled inside was somewhat warm, just like freshly warmed milk in the morning, emitting a faint fragrance upon contact.

Just this one taste was better than any breakfast.

But the sweeter his younger sister's taste was, the more uncomfortable Pierre felt.

She was clearly such a wonderful treasure, worthy of cherishing.

Yet now she was being draped in a veil called a liar.

This wasn't fair.

[You could not accept such a thing.]

[You decided to change everything.]

[You would make everyone acknowledge that your younger sister had once seen an "angel."]

[To this end, you would not hesitate to use any means necessary.]