After sending Boudica off, Lance also noticed Joan nearby, looking at a loss.
At twelve years of age, in this era, one was considered a young adult. Previously tormented by hardships while fleeing calamity, she had appeared disheveled and gaunt, like a bamboo pole. Yet, her delicate features and lively eyes had left a deep impression on Lance; otherwise, she wouldn't have caught the attention of those rogues and rascals.
After arriving in Hamlet, the resources she received were excellent, whether due to her mother's position as headmistress or Lance's intentional grooming. She hadn't even enjoyed such treatment back in the city.
Having been nourished for a while, she had blossomed. Standing there, she was gracefully slender. Though still with thin arms and legs, the long hours of rigorous training gave her an appearance not of frailty, but rather a hint of a valiant spirit.
Her eyes were still bright, as if one could see hope shining within them.
