Because she knew very well that beauty and tranquility were not for her; her destiny could only be war and chaos.
"Jeanne, Jean Bart, come for a walk with me."
Jack invited them.
These two came from the two factions that emerged after the split of the former Iris Theocracy.
In terms of numbers, they were far fewer than Eagle Union and Royal, and their presence in the port area was very weak.
Moreover, the two of them looked preoccupied, which they couldn't hide, so Jack had the idea of a life consultation.
Jeanne hesitated slightly, then smiled and accepted, stepping forward to gently link her arm with Jack's.
Jean Bart remained in place, politely declining: "You go with Commander. My presence would ruin the atmosphere of the flower sea."
But even though her words were firm,
Jean Bart's eyes could not hide her longing for that beauty.
Jack pulled Jeanne towards her, firmly grabbing her arm.
"Now, look into my eyes. Are you sure you want to refuse this invitation?"
"I…"
Jean Bart bit her lower lip, unable to say the words "I'm sure."
"No answer means no denial. Let's go."
...
"They left~"
Musashi dragged out her words, hinting at something for the others to hear.
But no one responded to her.
Because these people were either rational (Belfast, Warspite, Yorktown, Yixian), didn't understand (Enterprise, Pinghai), or were even shyer than Jean Bart herself (Unicorn, Ning Hai), so it was impossible for them to rush up and interrupt Jack's psychological counseling for his Shipgirls like Taihou or Akagi would.
There was no other choice; Miss Musashi, with no fun to be had, could only join the OMO army and watch the three of them stroll through the sea of flowers.
...
"When I was away, how were things at the port?"
"At first, everyone was in a bit of a panic, and there were disagreements about who should lead the port. As the Commander can see, Iron Blood, North Union, and Sakura Empire all returned to their own ports."
"What about you?"
"Us...?"
"Free Iris and Vichya Dominion, with three factions leaving, yet you, with your equally distinct personalities, stayed. Was there not even a tiny bit of unpleasantness during this time?"
Eagle Union and Royal were staunch allies.
Eastern Radiance was from another timeline (guided destroyers, 055 large destroyers, modernized), forming its own widely connected system.
However, Free Iris and Vichya Dominion were in an awkward position. Due to their internal issues in the past, they had plunged the entire world into crisis (main story chapters, not going into detail), causing a significant drop in their allies' trust.
Therefore, when it was time to welcome the Commander this time, Richelieu, the flagship of Free Iris, was 'detained' at the port, and only Jean Bart, the flagship of Vichya Dominion, was sent.
All of the above was what Jeanne believed Jack had seen through, causing her to lower her head in shame.
"I'm sorry, Commander, I can explain this. Actually—"
"That woman volunteered!"
Jean Bart showed an expression of exasperation, "She said there was no need to compete for anything (favor), that she would humble herself, serve the port, and slowly regain the port's trust in Iris through various efforts."
"How ridiculous! When did the Iris Orthodoxy fall so low that it needs to live by the grace of others?!"
Jeanne's face turned pale, and she turned to look at Jack, afraid to see emotions like disgust or pity in his eyes.
However, there was none.
There was neither disgust at Jean Bart's complaints nor sympathy for their difficult situation.
There was only an emotion she couldn't quite describe but could name: love.
Jack gently placed his hands on their heads.
"Do you know why I brought you to this park?"
"No... I don't know."
Jean Bart was stunned, not understanding why Jack would ask such a question.
Jack smiled, squatted down, and plucked a fresh flower from the ground: "This is a spring flower."
Then he summoned another from afar: "This is a summer one."
Followed by autumn and winter.
Flowers from all four seasons of the year were woven into a wreath, which he placed on Jean Bart's head.
"How is it? Any thoughts?"
Jean Bart frowned and said, "Are you trying to say that our Shipgirl factions are like the different seasons of the year, and even though they never truly intersect in reality, under the Commander's great power, they can achieve harmonious coexistence?"
"No, think again."
Jeanne chimed in, "Even flowers from different seasons, when carefully woven, can become a beautiful wreath. Is it a call for us to unite?"
"Very close."
Still not right?
Jean Bart and Jeanne exchanged glances, both shaking their heads.
Jack hugged Jean Bart and kissed her, "My wife is so beautiful!"
Jean Bart's face flushed for a moment, her mouth twitching slightly: "That's... that's it?"
"That's it! Actually, I just wanted you two to give your opinions, to see if it looked good on you, my wife."
"But you just asked us about the conflicts of the Iris Orthodoxy in the port, and I thought..."
"Thought what...? You're overthinking it! Jeanne, let me ask you a question, what are you to me?"
Jeanne subconsciously touched her oath ring: "Uh... wife, my wife."
"Alright then, before you became my wife, you were a Shipgirl belonging to Free Iris. So what does Free Iris mean to you?"
"Probably home."
"Well, there you have it, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
Jeanne indicated that her little head was almost burning, and she still hadn't understood the Commander's logic.
Jack embraced the two of them, and his mental network pulled their gaze to an extremely distant point, until they could take in the entire port.
[Jack: Still don't understand? Eagle Union, Royal, Sakura Empire, Eastern Radiance... and so on, all factions are merely in the past tense. Here, you only have one identity: my Shipgirls, my wives.
Here, your former factions are nothing more than a kind of scenery, a kind of culture, just like a season in a garden. The cultural scenery is simply there, and you are the ones admiring the flowers, so please do not let their superficial appearance sway your emotions.
Actually, Yorktown, Warspite, and the others have already understood this, including Richelieu. They all know that without me, the world would return to the theme of war; with me, the world will become one big family. The ones who truly haven't understood are the others from the Iris Orthodoxy, represented by the two of you~]
At this moment, Jean Bart and Jeanne simultaneously felt an emotion surge up from their chests.
Bitterness, joy, excitement... love.
"This sea of flowers is lovely, even a lady would not be particular about it. So, ladies, would you be willing to give your first kiss here?"
Jeanne said nothing, but shyly raised her swan-like neck, her small lips slightly pouted.
Jean Bart's movement was slight, but she closed her eyes, awaiting his favor.
Jean Bart.jpg
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