Charlotte de Valois, a childhood companion of Montmorency, Arthur de Richemont, and Philip, trained alongside them at a royal knight academy until its dissolution following France’s defeat at Agincourt. As a gender-flipped analogue of Charles VII, she contends with the French monarchy’s turmoil during the Hundred Years’ War, wielding authority while relying on her Grand Chamberlain, Count La Trémoille, as both counselor and covert adversary.

La Trémoille relentlessly undermines her rule, colluding with England to force France’s surrender while positioning himself as the realm’s savior. His machinations include sabotaging Montmorency’s efforts to elevate Jeanne d’Arc as a unifying figure—most notably by orchestrating a perilous virginity test to discredit her. Charlotte must navigate a fractured political landscape, where La Trémoille’s faction, Burgundian alliances, and English invasions threaten her fragile bid to reclaim the throne.

Though bound by shared history, her ties to Montmorency and the others fray under the war’s scars. The narrative prioritizes Jeanne’s meteoric influence and the alchemist knights’ clandestine battles, framing Charlotte’s struggles through court intrigues and shifting loyalties rather than intimate portrayal. Her resolve to unify France persists, etched into every strained alliance and contested decree.