Jeanne Wants to Marry / A Wedding Watched by the King / Coronation Ceremony

"..."

Pierre was stunned for a moment.

He wondered if he had just misheard something.

"Jeanne, what did you just say?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

Probably realizing the impact of her words, Jeanne leaned forward a little more.

Her blue eyes stared straight at her older brother, filled with the purest plea.

"I said—"

"I want to get married with Brother!"

"With His Majesty the King as our witness!" she declared, her voice filled with determination.

This time, he heard it clearly.

His younger sister had said she wanted to marry him.

"Jeanne, you..." Pierre began to speak, but was immediately cut off by his younger sister, Jeanne.

"Brother, shouldn't your answer at this time be 'I do'?" she asked, her blue eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Your younger sister... is being so proactive, you know!" she added, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

As Jeanne said this, there were still a few faint traces of white fluid that hadn't been completely wiped away at the corners of her mouth.

These were the marks left by her oral sex just now—she didn't seem to mind showing her unsatisfied desire in front of him.

"Or perhaps—"

"Do you want to reject your younger sister's marriage proposal?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of anxiety.

After saying these words, Jeanne's expression became a little nervous—she was still somewhat worried that this might really be the case.

Of course.

Pierre naturally wouldn't refuse her.

His hand gently stroked his younger sister's head, as if wanting to hold all the efforts she had made during this time close to his heart.

"Brother... I just really want to know why you suddenly brought up this topic," he said softly, his gaze gentle.

"You haven't said anything like this before, have you?" he asked, his brow furrowed slightly.

"If Brother wants to ask about that—" Jeanne put her hands behind her back, tilted her head slightly, and looked at her older brother.

"Maybe it's because I want Brother to become unable to live without me~" she said playfully, a sweet smile on her lips.

"I want to be the first person Brother sees when he wakes up," she continued, her voice soft and loving.

"I also want to be the first person to hold Brother's hand when he's lonely," she added, her blue eyes filled with affection.

"If needed—"

"Helping Brother deal with his lust like just now isn't out of the question either!" she declared, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"In short, I just want Brother to become unable to live without me!" she concluded, her gaze earnest.

"..."

[You understood Jeanne's feelings.]

[You decided to face everything directly—after all, you already knew her feelings.]

[You responded to her request.]

"I understand," Pierre said, his voice filled with emotion.

He held Jeanne's hand tightly.

"Since Jeanne wants to do this... then let's go ask His Majesty the King to be our witness," he said, his gaze warm and loving.

"Mmm~" Jeanne smiled sweetly.

[You made a promise to marry.]

[However, before that, you needed to attend the coronation ceremony of Charles VII.]

[It was a moment worthy of being recorded in French history.]

[Because when Charles VII became King, King Henry V of England's "right of succession to the French throne" obtained through the dragon invasion would be completely denied.]

[This was a necessary step no matter what.]

Reims, a city in eastern France.

Due to the previous unfavorable war situation, Reims, as the place where French kings had traditionally been crowned and consecrated, had actually been under the joint control of the English and Burgundians.

But after the great dragon battle in Orléans, Jeanne, who had been crowned with the title of "Saint," led the army and reversed this situation.

While ensuring her older brother's safety, she successfully escorted Charles VII all the way to this extremely important place for France.

Now—

The once-desperate French Crown Prince would receive his coronation ceremony here and become the new King.

The French people, upon hearing the news, excitedly took to the streets of Reims.

Many of them might never have seen this prince, but at this moment, they all regarded him as a symbol of France's rebirth.

They wanted to witness this thin man receive the crown and be crowned King—this instead made the undefeated Jeanne less of a focus at this moment.

In the crowd.

Pierre and his younger sister held hands.

"Brother... there are so many people," Jeanne said, her expression quite emotional. "Everyone seems very eager to see His Highness the Prince crowned King."

Hearing this, Pierre smiled nonchalantly.

"Isn't this only natural?" he replied gently.

"After all, for a long time... this place has been controlled by the English and Burgundians," he explained, his gaze understanding.

"Now that we've finally welcomed our own French King, they'll naturally be happy, right?" he added, his tone warm.

"It seems so," Jeanne looked at her older brother beside her, a happy expression on her face.

"This feeling should be about the same as when I saw Brother wake up, right?" she asked, her blue eyes sparkling.

"...It's quite possible," Pierre agreed softly, a warm smile on his face.

"Then—" Jeanne squeezed her older brother's hand.

"Let's hurry over there!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.

"Yeah, okay," Pierre replied gently, his gaze loving.

[You and Jeanne squeezed forward with the crowd.]

[You arrived in front of the largest cathedral in Reims—this was where Charles VII would receive his coronation.]

[There were many people here, blocking your view.]

[Finally, you let Jeanne sit on your shoulders.]

"Can you see?" Pierre asked, his view completely blocked by the crowd.

"Yeah~" Jeanne's reply came quickly.

"Brother... I feel like I've gone back to when I was a child~" she said, her voice filled with nostalgia.

"You say that as if you're very old now," Pierre teased gently, a fond smile on his face.

Although Pierre said this, his expression was very happy—he actually also recalled the times when he took Jeanne to catch fish and climb trees when they were children.

At that time, she had really said she wanted to marry him.

In the blink of an eye... it had really become reality.

Unexpected.

"Hold on tight, don't fall off," Pierre warned gently.

"Mmm~!" Jeanne replied cheerfully.

Amidst the anticipation of the crowd, Charles VII, supported by soldiers, arrived at the entrance of Reims Cathedral.

At this moment, he no longer looked as haggard as he did in Chinon; instead, he had a more confident expression.

The heavy black wooden doors of the cathedral were slowly pushed open.

The old bishop walked out from inside.

Holding a crown in his hands, his eyes were filled with tears—he had probably been waiting for this day for a long time as well.

The old bishop glanced at Charles VII, and then recited the coronation words in a voice that was not loud but clear enough.

"Glory shines long, angels bless, the King's gaze finally embraces the earth."

"Though the enemies are many, they can also be driven away, the King's sword will be invincible."

"Therefore, in accordance with the Lord's will, I bestow this crown upon you."

"May you bring eternal peace to France."

Taking the crown from the old bishop's hands with great respect, Charles VII placed it on his own head.

He turned around and looked solemnly at the French people who were witnessing his coronation.

"Everyone," he began, his voice resonating with newfound authority.

"I know you have been oppressed for a long time—on this point, I sympathize with you deeply," he declared, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"But—"

"From today onwards, such things will become a thing of the past," he vowed, his voice filled with determination.

"Because the Lord is watching over me... He has shown me a path to restore France to its former glory," Charles VII drew his sword and pointed it towards the sky.

"I—"

"Charles VII, will surely fulfill this promise and let everyone bathe in glory!!"

"Waaah—!!!!!"

A deafening roar erupted from the cathedral square.

The people's eyes were filled with excitement, looking forward to the vision of the future.

[Charles VII completed the coronation ceremony—he officially became the King of France.]

[He will lead the people of France onto a new path and recover the remaining territories.]

[However, before that, you needed to fulfill the promise you just made to Jeanne.]

[You needed to meet Charles VII with her.]

Inside Reims Cathedral.

Charles VII, who had just completed the coronation ceremony, was discussing some minor details with the old bishop.

And Pierre and his younger sister Jeanne walked in at this moment.

The two of them still had considerable status in the French army, so the soldiers at the door did not stop them.

"Your Majesty," Pierre said with a hint of respect to the man in front of him who had regained his radiance.

Hearing the familiar voice, Charles VII turned around.

After realizing it was Pierre and Jeanne, he signaled the old bishop and other attendants to step back first.

In the huge cathedral, only the figures of the three of them remained at this moment.

Charles VII was still very grateful to the two people in front of him, especially Jeanne.

He spoke in a tone that he would only use when treating distinguished guests:

"It's you two, is there anything I can do for you?" he asked, his gaze kind.

Pierre and Jeanne exchanged a look, and then his younger sister spoke first:

"Your Majesty, there is something I would like to ask of you," Jeanne said, her blue eyes looking at the King.

"Ask me?" Charles VII frowned slightly.

It was clear that he seemed a little worried—this was the caution of someone in power.

"What is it... if it's too difficult, I might not be able to help you," he said, his tone hesitant.

"It's nothing like that!" Jeanne quickly dispelled Charles VII's concerns. "We just want His Majesty to be a witness for our marriage!" she declared, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"..."

Charles VII was stunned for a moment, then squeezed out an awkward smile.

"That..." he looked at Jeanne, then at Pierre.

"The witness you mentioned... wouldn't it be referring to the two of you?" he asked, his gaze questioning.

"Yes, Your Majesty, you are correct," Pierre said, holding his younger sister's hand tightly.

"I would like to marry Mademoiselle Jeanne here in Reims... so I hope to receive Your Majesty's blessing," he added, his gaze earnest.

"..."

[Charles VII fell into silence.]

[His expression looked a little complicated, as if he was considering something.]

[You realized that this might not be as simple as Jeanne had imagined.]

[You decided to ask clearly what was going on.]

"Your Majesty," Pierre looked at the thin man in front of him.

"Is our request too much?" he asked, his gaze questioning.

"No," Charles VII shook his head.

"I know about the relationship between the two of you, and making such a request is not excessive at all," he said, his tone sincere.

"It's just... under the current circumstances, I may not be able to be your witness," he added, his brow furrowed slightly.

"What do you mean by that?" Pierre pressed, "Does Your Majesty think we are not worthy of such a blessing?"

"Of course not, I have seen what you and Jeanne have done, and you certainly deserve my blessing," Charles VII replied, his gaze kind.

"It's just—" Charles VII looked at Jeanne, his eyes filled with worry.

"I'm afraid that if I publicly officiate your wedding, the soldiers will no longer be as brave as before," he confessed, his voice grave.

[Charles VII's words were not difficult to understand.]

[As the French army continued to expand, the number of people who knew about Jeanne's relationship with you was actually much smaller than imagined.]

[And Jeanne had become a symbol of the army in a certain sense.]

[If he publicly supported your wedding, it was very likely to damage this symbol, thereby causing the soldiers to lose their bravery.]

[This would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to the French army at this moment.]

[You realized that Charles VII's concerns were very meaningful—after all, France had not yet been fully recovered.]

[However, Jeanne seemed to have thought of a way to solve this problem.]

"Your Majesty," Jeanne blinked her beautiful blue eyes.

"Then, according to your meaning... as long as it doesn't affect the morale of the army, it's okay?" she asked, her voice gentle.

"Yes," Charles VII nodded. "Without affecting the morale of the army, I would be very willing to officiate your wedding," he said, his tone sincere.

"After all... the two of you have indeed made considerable contributions to us and deserve such treatment," he added, his gaze warm.

"Then—" Jeanne's face flushed slightly.

"In that case, please, Your Majesty, secretly officiate a wedding for us!" she requested, her voice a little shy.

"Don't invite anyone, just me and Monsieur Pierre, and Your Majesty," she concluded, her blue eyes looking at the King with anticipation.

As soon as these words came out, not to mention Charles VII, even Pierre felt a surge of surprise.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime wedding.

"Jeanne, you..." Pierre began, his voice filled with concern.

"It's okay~" Jeanne looked at her older brother, her eyes full of love for him.

"I don't care if there's a grand wedding, and I don't care if there are enough people to witness this moment," she said softly, her gaze loving.

"Those things don't mean much to me... because I'm marrying you, not them," she explained, her blue eyes filled with affection.

"If you're willing... then what's the difference between one person knowing and ten thousand people knowing?" she asked, a sweet smile on her lips.

"..."

Pierre suddenly smiled.

"It seems so," he agreed gently.

"We're not planning to get married because we care about other people's opinions anyway," he added, his gaze warm.

"Your Majesty," Pierre looked back at the thin man in front of him, his eyes filled with a sincere request.

"Could you please grant this small wish of Mademoiselle Jeanne and mine?" he asked, his voice earnest.

"..."

Charles VII's expression also became somewhat emotional.

"Your love truly fills me with respect," he said, his voice sincere.

"I understand, since you have made this choice, I am very willing to be your witness," he concluded, a warm smile on his face.

[Your simple but solemn wedding with Jeanne began just like that in Reims Cathedral.]

["Pierre d'Arc, do you take Jeanne d'Arc to be your wife?"]

["I do," Pierre replied, his voice filled with love.]

["Jeanne d'Arc, do you take Pierre d'Arc to be your husband?"]

["I do," Jeanne replied, her voice filled with happiness.]

[In Reims Cathedral, you and Jeanne became partners in marriage with Charles VII as your witness.]

[You completely crossed that line and became a true married couple.]

[But you didn't know that this would be the last happy moment in your lives.]

[The wheel of fate began to turn.]

[You, who had violated a taboo, were destined to walk a bitter path.]