"Shall we continue from where we left off last time?" Arthur murmured as he slowly parted his lips from Jeanne's.
Jeanne still looked slightly dazed from the kiss.
The moment she finally regained part of her composure, she immediately tried to move away from him, but ended up getting too close to the edge of the bed.
"Kyaa—?!" she cried out in confusion as her body tilted backward.
Arthur immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her back before she could fall onto the floor.
Jeanne crashed against him abruptly and instantly raised a furious glare in his direction.
Or at least, that was what she tried to do.
Because the intense blush spread across her face completely ruined any real intimidation she might have had.
Arthur let out a small amused sigh as he slowly released her hand.
"...Are you really that afraid of me, Jeanne?" Arthur asked.
She immediately narrowed her eyes.
"Afraid?" she replied as anger filled her voice. "Do you really want to find out what real fear feels like? Because I can rip your skin off and—"
"I see." Arthur interrupted calmly as he began moving away. "Maybe I should leave, since my presence is clearly bothering you."
"..." Jeanne froze.
Arthur knew Jeanne far too well.
She was a cruel, violent, proud, and unbelievably stubborn woman.
But she was also exactly the kind of woman who would never honestly admit what she felt unless she was emotionally cornered first.
She was an extremely troublesome tsundere, basically.
And Arthur knew exactly which cards he needed to use to corner her.
"Wait!" She immediately grabbed his hand tightly.
It was as if her body had reacted before she could even think.
Arthur slowly turned his eyes back toward her.
Jeanne immediately realized what she had just done.
"...Tch."
She turned her face away while desperately trying to recover her lost dignity.
"I-I just wanted to say..." she began irritably. "How dare you try to run away in the middle of a conversation like that?"
Arthur had to restrain himself not to laugh.
That practically sounded like a confession.
"...Jeanne."
"Don't come to weird conclusions," she replied immediately while frowning. "You're still a trashy man."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"You grabbed me before I left, so I can interpret your words however I want."
"..."
"...Shut up."
Arthur truly had to make an effort not to smile too much at that moment.
Jeanne huffed irritably before finally looking back at him again.
"...To be honest, I still don't really know exactly what I feel toward you," she admitted slowly.
Her voice came out much quieter than usual.
"Even though you're an irritating pervert..." she continued while lightly clutching his clothes. "An irresponsible idiot who thinks it's perfectly natural to go around seducing every beautiful woman he comes across."
Arthur opened his mouth to reply.
"Don't interrupt," Jeanne immediately said.
"...But."
She hesitated for a moment, something very rare for her.
Then she finally looked away slightly.
"...I know it's going to be difficult continuing to exist without you nearby."
Arthur blinked several times.
Then blinked several more.
Then he literally pinched his own cheek.
"...Who the hell are you and what did you do to my Jeanne?" he asked completely seriously.
Jeanne's eyes widened instantly.
"I-I just told you how I feel about you and THAT'S your reaction?!"
Arthur could no longer hold it back and started laughing.
It wasn't loud laughter, but a genuinely satisfied one.
Which immediately made Jeanne even redder.
"You damned bastard..." she muttered while looking away. "I really should run my sword through your throat."
"But you won't. You love me too much to try killing me."
"..."
She hated the fact that he was right.
Arthur then gently held her waist and pulled her close once more.
Jeanne opened her mouth to complain, but he was already kissing her again before any threat could come out.
This time, Jeanne closed her eyes almost immediately.
Her arms slowly wrapped around his neck as she tried to return the kiss in a surprisingly clumsy way.
The contrast was almost ridiculous.
The same woman who had led a campaign of destruction across all of France, reducing entire cities to ashes while countless people died beneath the advance of her flames.
Now she seemed incapable of properly handling even a deeper kiss.
Arthur felt her body tremble slightly when he pulled her closer.
At that moment, the little resistance Jeanne still had simply began to collapse.
"...You... scoundrel of a Master..." she murmured softly between kisses.
But this time, there was no real cruelty in her words.
Arthur then held her waist more firmly before gently turning her onto the bed.
Jeanne let out a small sound of surprise when her back sank into the mattress.
Her hair spread across the pillow while her eyes stared up at him from below.
Despite not trusting almost anyone in this world, she entrusted her life and future to this man, even though she would never admit it out loud.
Arthur carefully removed her forehead protector and left it beside the bed before kissing her again.
Jeanne gripped his clothes more tightly this time.
Her breasts pressed against his chest while her fingers slowly slid along his back.
Then, for the first time, it was Jeanne who took the initiative.
Her tongue timidly touched his.
She truly seemed irritated with herself for doing that.
Jeanne tried maintaining her usual irritated and fierce expression, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
Especially because her own body seemed to be completely betraying her thoughts.
Her fingers squeezed Arthur's shoulders while she tried controlling her uneven breathing.
"...You trashy man..." she murmured softly, turning her reddened face away. "Do you really think you can just do whatever you want to me?"
"Yes, Jeanne. You've already been mine since Orleans," Arthur replied while raising an amused eyebrow. "No matter how much you try to deny it."
"...Tch."
She turned her face away even more.
But she didn't push him away or try to distance herself. Quite the opposite, despite all her complaints, her body remained pressed against his.
As if unconsciously seeking even more contact.
That absurd contradiction suited this Jeanne perfectly.
She was too proud to admit any weakness.
But too honest to completely hide what she felt.
Arthur smiled faintly before kissing her neck again.
Her body immediately shivered at his touch.
"...Nn..."
Jeanne quickly covered her mouth after noticing the sound that escaped her.
Her eyes glared at him irritably.
An extremely embarrassed kind of irritation.
"...Stop looking at me like that."
"Like what?"
"...Like you're satisfied."
"What man wouldn't feel satisfied seeing the woman who tried destroying an entire country blushing and moaning shyly beneath him?"
"...Jerk."
She tried sounding threatening but failed miserably.
The woman who had terrorized all of France now seemed more concerned about how sensitive she was to Arthur's touch.
It was far too cute.
He slowly ran his fingers through her hair while observing her reddened face.
"...You look adorable like this."
Jeanne immediately froze, then slowly turned her eyes toward him.
"...Say that again," she said through clenched teeth.
"Adorable," Arthur repeated while kissing her neck.
"..."
"...Very adorable," he added while moving his kisses upward.
"...I'm going to kill you," she threatened.
"You've said that several times today," Arthur replied.
"Because I still mean it," she gritted out, trying to suppress a moan.
"But you still won't do anything. You're my tsundere," Arthur said.
"I'm not a tsundere, I really hate you," Jeanne gritted her teeth.
Then she looked away again while lightly tugging on his clothes.
"...Now shut up and come here."
Arthur immediately smiled upon hearing that.
After all, for someone like Jeanne, that practically amounted to begging for attention.
The heated kiss continued until Jeanne finally pushed Arthur lightly away, trying to catch her breath.
Her breathing was completely uneven.
Arthur took advantage of that brief moment to quickly remove her clothes and, without waiting another second, returned to attacking the Avenger's tempting neck.
His lips slowly slid along her pale skin as he moved downward.
And naturally, Arthur did not forget to mark his territory.
A small line of hickeys began appearing along her neck and collarbone until his face finally stopped before the Frenchwoman's magnificent breasts.
Jeanne immediately turned even redder upon noticing his gaze.
"Idiot..." she whispered while trying to push his face away with one hand. "D-Don't look at them like that."
However, she stood absolutely no chance against him in terms of strength.
Arthur simply gently held her hand before revealing a small amused smile.
"Your breasts are beautiful, Jeanne."
"...!"
Jeanne instantly froze.
Before she could reply with some particularly violent threat, Arthur had already buried his face between her breasts.
The soft flesh gently enveloped his cheeks while a pleasant fragrance filled his senses.
Large breasts truly were the best.
"Nngh... s-stop..." Jeanne let out between small muffled moans. "That tickles..."
Arthur froze briefly upon hearing that unexpectedly cute reaction.
Then slowly raised his head to look at her.
Jeanne immediately turned her face away sulkily after noticing his gaze on her.
Her cheeks were completely red now.
"...Idiot."
Arthur let out a small amused chuckle before gently nibbling on her pink nipples, drawing a low involuntary moan from Jeanne.
Instantly, she covered her own mouth in a desperate attempt to muffle any sound escaping.
Unfortunately for her, that clearly was not going to work.
On the contrary, every little reaction she made only made Arthur want to tease her even more.
While alternating between small bites, slow licks, and caresses across her soft breasts, Arthur slowly slid his fingers along her bare abdomen, gently passing over her navel.
Jeanne's body immediately trembled upon feeling his touch.
Her eyes stared fixedly at him, and despite the irritation and pride still present in her expression, there was also expectation mixed within it.
"...You pervert," Jeanne murmured through uneven breathing.
Arthur merely smiled after hearing that.
Then he slowly raised his eyes toward her while his fingers continued gliding softly across her skin.
"May I?" he teased with a small smile on his face.
(End of Chapter)