"How can this be?"
Compared to Laurent's reaction, Jeanne was obviously far more shaken. Her eyes were full of worry.
"Didn't they just come asking for food a short while ago?"
But the messenger had already hurried off.
Uncle Norse paused thoughtfully, then put down his tools.
"You two stay here and finish up the work. I'll go see what's happening. And—"
At the end, he turned back and sternly reminded Laurent,
"Don't even think of slacking off! Even if I'm not here, when I come back, if you haven't finished your tasks, I'll definitely report you to Jacques."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it."
After the initial shock, Laurent waved his hand dismissively, pretending indifference. Jeanne, however, couldn't calm her mind that easily.
Seeing her like this, Laurent felt somewhat helpless.
"Don't worry. Even if those guys are unreasonable, they won't actually kill anyone."
"But last time, Father barely managed to gather enough food from everyone in the village. Right now, almost everyone is starving. There's absolutely no way we can collect that much food again."
Jeanne shook her head worriedly.
"Uncle Jacques definitely has his own plan."
Jacques d'Arc, Jeanne's father, was recorded historically as being unaffected by the raids. Laurent knew this village wouldn't end in total destruction—later, some villagers even pleaded for Jeanne during her trial.
As for the finer details, Laurent didn't have a clue. Who would bother studying Jeanne's life history in such depth? For a medical student, remembering even this much was already impressive.
Precisely because of this knowledge, looking at the innocent twelve-year-old girl next to him now, he felt an inescapable sense of powerlessness. Only one more year, and this girl would have to start preparing for war?
The girl fell silent, quietly continuing her work.
"Jeanne."
At this moment, Laurent suddenly spoke, looking straight at her.
"Could you promise me something right now?"
"Promise something?"
She tilted her head, puzzled.
"Laurent, are you thinking of playing another prank again?"
Jeanne's voice held a gentle helplessness.
"It's fine if it's just an ordinary day, but now really isn't the time for jokes, Laurent."
He shook his head.
"I want you to agree right now."
Seeing his unusually serious expression, Jeanne hesitated a moment.
"If it's not something unreasonable…"
"From now on, no matter what happens, always put the fact that you're a girl first."
"..."
The two stared at each other quietly. Jeanne just stood there, staring blankly at him in disbelief. After a long silence, she puffed her cheeks, annoyed.
"What strange thing are you saying now? I'm already a girl!"
"I hope you can always say that to me in the future too, and someday marry, start your own family, and live happily."
Laurent didn't seem bothered by her annoyance; instead, he let out a soft chuckle.
"You're saying confusing things again."
Jeanne went back to her task.
"And besides, you have to be at least fourteen to get married."
Laurent smiled faintly.
"I hope your Catholic faith allows such devout believers to marry."
"You know perfectly well it does. You used to encourage me in my faith and always wished me well. Why are you being so critical lately?"
"Did I upset you?"
Laurent looked gently at her, his tone softening somewhat.
"After all, I'm not a believer."
"You weren't a believer back then either."
Jeanne still remembered how Laurent used to accompany her to church prayers when they were younger. Though he had always appeared to just go through the motions, he never used to make these pointed comments about the Church as he did now.
"But nuns in your church aren't allowed to marry, are they?"
He shrugged playfully. Jeanne immediately felt both annoyed and amused.
"You're sidetracking again! Why do you dislike it when I go to church nowadays?"
"It's not exactly dislike, it's just—I suddenly thought, if you're such a devoted believer praying every day, why hasn't your God come to help you yet?"
"The Lord shines upon all of us—even upon someone like you who doesn't believe. He'll bless you just the same."
"I'd rather you were safe and sound."
"But I'm standing right here, aren't I?"
Jeanne looked down at herself.
"You've been acting strangely lately, Laurent."
This time, Laurent didn't reply.
Indeed, when he'd first come here, he'd thought of her as France's holy savior, full of admiration and supportive ideals. After all, the future of France would rest on this legendary figure.
But now, after knowing her for more than ten years, Laurent realized his heart had changed. He was no longer as firm as he'd once been. Every festival spent together with Jeanne had become a precious memory for him.
And now, he had to face a harsh truth:
This girl, whom he'd grown up with for over a decade, would receive an angel's prophecy next year, head off to war, and at nineteen, be executed as a witch, burned at the stake.
He didn't know the exact timeline, but he clearly remembered Jeanne's birthday was January 6th.
Each year around this time, Laurent would prepare some nice gifts for her. Jeanne always received them happily. After more than a decade together, he had grown accustomed to her presence.
Humans were selfish, after all. Now, he didn't want her to endure all that suffering.
Fragments of historical knowledge still lingered vaguely in his mind. Though he couldn't recall everything clearly, he occasionally wondered—what if he took her away from all this? How would history between France and England unfold then?
Unfortunately...that wasn't something he could decide.
"If that's your only request, though it's a little strange, I'm already a girl—I don't need you to remind me."
Jeanne's face once again displayed her familiar, gentle smile.
"So… does that mean I can choose another one?"
"If it's another weird request, I'm definitely going to get angry."
This time, Laurent chuckled softly.
"Then my new request is, no matter when or where, I want you to always stay by my side."
As these words left his mouth, everything around them seemed to grow quiet. Laurent maintained his smile, but Jeanne looked at him with clear surprise.
A faint blush briefly flashed across her face, vanishing as quickly as it appeared. She tucked her hands behind her back, turned briskly around, and said lightly:
"I've already finished my work, Laurent. You better hurry up too."
Laurent watched her retreating figure helplessly.
Did this count as agreeing—or did she simply choose not to answer?
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T/N: bro its the second chapter!! asking for marriage already?