Chapter 264: The Holy Maiden of France (2/2)
When the physician had begun to examine him, the young Duke, who was no older than twenty-six, pushed him aside before barging over to Aubry while wrapping the young Prince in his bloodstained embrace.
”Thank God you are alright! I don't know what I would do without you!”
After saying this, the man began to violate the Prince's tongue with his own; despite this act of passion, the Prince did not turn away and instead accepted the gift. It was a little-known secret that the Duke of Burgundy and the French Prince were in an illicit relationship.
Though the Duke was married and had three children, the moment he first laid eyes on Aubry, he fell in love, and thus for the past three years, Aubry had been in a relationship with the Duke of Burgundy.
Of course, the Duke of Burgundy was just one of Aubry's many lovers, he was a rather promiscuous young man, and thus he had more than one man by his side. He was even in a scandalous affair with several of his Knights.
The Duke of Burgundy had no way of knowing this. Thus he thought that Prince Aubry was loyal only to him. After their little intimate display, Aubry wiped the blood from the Duke's face before putting on a gentle smile and asking the question on his mind.
”Did we win?'
To this, the Duke chuckled lightly before nodding his head.
”Would I be here if we hadn't?”
Though this was good news, it was far too early to celebrate; the English invasion was not something to be taken lightly. The French had been fighting the English for decades, and yet the war was still entirely unresolved.
With this said, the couple maintained silence for some time. Eventually, the Duke of Burgundy spoke his views on the conflict that embroiled the Kingdom of France.
”This war is far from over. However, this victory is a good start. With our Holy Maiden leading the charge, the morale of our forces is stronger than ever!”
Aubry was confused when he heard these words and spoke softly, as he was attempting to limit the amount of pain he felt from his broken ribs.
”Holy Maiden?”
The Duke of Burgundy removed the gauntlet from his hand and wiped the bangs out of Aubry's eyes. In doing so, he whispered into the young man's ear.
”That's what our troops are calling you! They saw your honey hair and petite figure as you bravely charged the English Knights. Without your tabard, the men have begun to think that you are a woman. This is why they are calling you the Holy Maiden.
Rumors have already spread of your feat in battle, and the men are speculating about your origins. Some are even saying that you are a young woman of low birth chosen by God to lead the French to victory in our hour of need. If you ask me, it is a nickname fitting of your divine beauty!”
Upon hearing this, Aubry began to blush as he looked to the side, not willing to gaze into the eyes of his lover. He was far from pious; in fact, one could call him the personification of lust. Despite this, he had been given such a beautiful nickname.
After a while, the effeminate Prince began to giggle like a girl; to him, it was the greatest joke he had ever heard. However, for the sake of morale, he would continue to present the image of a pious young woman; after all, what France needed now more than ever was a symbol to rally behind.
Thus the lustful trap that was the Crown Prince of France had become the Joan of Arc of this world, while in reality behaving far more similar to the ancient Roman Emperor Elagabalus. Of course, the promiscuous character of the so-called ”Holy Maiden” would never be revealed to the public at large, nor would his identity as the Prince of France.
The war would continue to wage for some time; who would win the Hundred Years War in this timeline had yet to be determined. Though with Berengar's intervention in this world's affairs, anything was possible. For now, the French would continue to fight against the English, as they had for decades.