Hearing the chatter around them, perhaps most people at this tender age—when feelings first start to bloom—would react shyly to such teasing.
Yet neither Jeanne d'Arc nor Laurent, who were the center of everyone's discussion, felt this way.
The girl responded with a gentle smile, neither rejecting nor agreeing.
Her eyes turned towards Laurent, who also looked back at her. Their gazes met briefly, yet the feelings hidden there were far more complicated than simple affection.
Do I…like Laurent…?
She asked herself curiously.
This pure emotion—was this love? She genuinely wished she could express these feelings clearly, at least before she set out.
"Speaking of which, Laurent, have you taken a liking to any particular girl?"
Someone jokingly slapped his back. Laurent didn't answer directly, responding vaguely instead:
"Come on, do you guys really have to ask again when you already know?"
"So it really is the d'Arc girl. Now that's a perfect match!"
Everyone praised and offered their blessings, talking about how wonderfully suited the two were.
Under the influence of alcohol, people boldly spoke all kinds of exaggerated words. But Laurent's attention wasn't on any of that.
His eyes fell repeatedly upon Jeanne.
It seemed the girl had something weighing on her mind.
Was it because of the revelation?
Throughout this dinner, while everyone else was immersed in joy, only Laurent and Jeanne kept their own thoughts deeply buried.
After dinner, Laurent helped Uncle Jacques back home, the smell of alcohol on him enough to make anyone frown.
In this drunken state, clearly bathing was out of the question—sleeping was the only choice left.
Upon reaching the house, Laurent spoke first:
"Jeanne, wait here for me. We'll go back together."
"Mm."
He carried Jacques to his bed of blankets on the floor and sighed in relief. Jacques was no lightweight, after all.
And looking around Uncle Jacques' room, Laurent realized it wasn't much better than his own.
A thin blanket spread on the floor, stained and impossible to clean—because there was no spare.
A place like this was even worse than sleeping in the hay.
The hearts of parents truly are pitiable and kind.
They genuinely were a pair of kindhearted parents.
Just as Laurent turned to leave, his hand was suddenly gripped tightly by Jacques.
"Laurent!"
Jacques shouted loudly, obviously still intoxicated.
"I'm here, I'm here."
Jacques grumbled something, belched loudly, and released a wave of alcohol-smelling breath strong enough to make Laurent frown.
"Promise me! Make Jeanne happy! Take care of her for me! Only then can I entrust her to you without worries!"
Hearing these words, Laurent's expression shifted slightly, then softened. He spoke calmly:
"You don't have to tell me that, Uncle Jacques. I'm already doing that now. Unfortunately, even I don't know your dear Jeanne's own choice."
"You both must live on… It's chaotic out there now."
With those words, Jacques shut his eyes and instantly appeared to fall asleep.
Yet just these short words made Laurent stand silently in deep thought for a long while.
His fists clenched tightly as he silently swore a man's solemn promise:
I will. As long as I'm still alive, I won't let her tragedy happen.
Carefully adjusting Jacques' blankets so he wouldn't catch a cold, Laurent quietly left the room.
All the hesitation from earlier now became clear, giving him a definitive goal.
He'd come here precisely to change history. He, Laurent, would absolutely never allow those things to happen.
No matter how the future of the world turned out, no matter how history changed, all he wished was for this girl—who had accompanied him for over ten years—to live on safely and happily.
He wasn't someone who could sacrifice his own loved ones for some greater good. He wouldn't take that path. Even if…even if Jeanne would ultimately come to hate him.
Nothing mattered more than being alive.
Precisely because he'd been a doctor, he understood deeply the value of life. This second chance granted by heaven—this time, he only needed to live for one girl. He didn't need to save countless lives; saving just Jeanne alone was enough.
After stepping out, Jeanne stood quietly waiting by the doorway. Hearing footsteps behind her, she slowly turned around.
Historically, the Holy Maiden was the purest person, untouched by romance or marriage.
Actually, if Laurent managed either of these two things, he could directly erase her identity as the Saint.
Yet he knew clearly that Jeanne's feelings toward him were far more complicated than simple romance.
Should he beg her to stay? Or should he forcibly keep her?
These thoughts ran through his mind.
If possible, he preferred the girl to simply be content with her current life, quietly staying by his side.
"Laurent, what do you think is the root cause behind all of this?"
Jeanne walked up to him and softly asked this question.
"I don't know. Nor do I want to know."
"That's really unlike you, deliberately avoiding my questions."
"Aren't you doing the same?"
He lifted his eyes toward her.
"Normally, you wouldn't ask such things."
Jeanne fell silent again. Laurent felt a heaviness in his heart, struggling to appear calm as he changed the subject:
"Oh, right. There's still about a year before you're old enough to marry, isn't there?"
"Mm."
The girl nodded, lightly kicking a pebble beside her feet.
"This afternoon, everyone kept talking about the two of us."
"How did you feel about it?"
He asked with anticipation—no, rather, the girl's answer at this moment might help him determine the best way to keep her from leaving.
Laurent had never felt this nervous before.
Though she stood right next to him, it felt like she might vanish at any moment. In this instant, everything seemed to slow down.
He stared at her lips, her eyes, her nose, her face…
"I…don't really understand these things. I don't even know if I like Laurent that way."
She struggled with her reply, but her cheeks were a bit rosier than usual—though maybe it was just due to the cold.
Soon Jeanne relaxed her entire body.
"But I don't dislike being with Laurent. Actually, perhaps…I really do like being with Laurent?"
She replied uncertainly.
"Laurent, I also want you to always stay by my side."
Laurent stared at her in slight surprise as she stretched out her hand. His face showed a brief shock, but seeing the girl's smile, he suddenly felt calmer. Slowly, he reached out and gently placed his hand atop hers.
"Then it would be rude of me to refuse."
That day, for the very first time, the girl learned how to play with words—and she used it on the one she cherished the most.