Maiden of Versailles

* Anime
* Novel

The **Maiden of Versailles** (ヴェルサイユの聖女, *Vuerusaiyu no Seijo*?, Yen Press: **Saint of Versailles**), also called the **Holy Woman of Versailles** and the **Femme Fatale** (傾国の女, *Keikoku no On'na*?), is a character introduced late in the *Toaru Majutsu no Index* series. She is the true power behind France, and is the twin sister of Elizalina. She allied herself and her country with the Roman Catholic Church and met in battle with the Anglicans in the frozen waters of Dover Strait.

## Appearance

Being twins, she shares the same appearance as Elizalina, skin that looks unhealthily pale and sunken eyes. She has long, pale blonde hair, worn back with a headband and with part of the front plaited and tied round the back of her head. She wears a splendid dress mostly made of loose white cloth that is a contrast to her physique.

## Personality

The Maiden is a rather enigmatic individual to the point where Elizalina, her own twin sister, states that there is much that she doesn't know about her. However, the Maiden has shown to be extremely jingoistic to France. She is also quite manipulative, a trait which allowed her to control France's politics and rule the country from the shadows for a very long time.

Furthermore, she also possesses an immense animosity towards the United Kingdom due to the long-standing rivalry between France and the UK. Despite this, she is willing to team up with them when faced with common enemy, as shown when she and Carissa join forces to take on Archangel Gabriel.

## Background

The Maiden of Versailles is said to be a recent example of women with a special disposition who have repeatedly appeared throughout France's history and greatly affect the course of the nation's history with their mere presence, whether they were good or evil, with historical examples including Joan of Arc and Marie Antoinette.

## Chronology

### Toaru Majutsu no Index

#### British Royal Family Arc

*Main article: British Royal Family Arc*
Her existence is first alluded to during this arc, as tensions between the United Kingdom and France grows. As the British Halloween takes place, Second Princess Carissa orders the Knight Leader to have the Knights of England force the military to send a destroyer to Strait of Dover, and from there threaten Versailles, as the woman who possesses the greatest intellect among the group of strategists secretly controlling France from the shadows is hiding there. Later, at the height of the English Civil War, the French president contacts Carissa, stating that they should cooperate regarding the Eurotunnel terrorist attack. Carissa dismisses his desperate attempts at negotiation by revealing she knows of his involvement, ending the call by suggesting that he asks counsel from the Maiden of Versailles.

#### World War III Arc

*Main article: World War III Arc*
In the Battle of the Dover Strait, it is revealed that her house arrest was in fact a ruse to fool her enemies and that she is still in power. She takes advantage of this to invade England, where she fights against the Second Princess Carissa from the United Kingdom.

She later works together with Carissa and Knight Leader to try to defeat Misha Kreutzev. Despite the best efforts of both the Maiden and Carissa, their weapons prove to be incapable of harming the angel, nor can they keep up with the creature's sheer strength and speed. When Misha begins targeting the vulnerable troops of the Russian Army and Academy City, both women move to protect them as English and French troops help evacuate the wounded.

## Abilities

The Maiden of Versailles has in her possession the magical artifact Durandal, which has similarities to Curtana Original but differs enough to be stopped by a fragment of Curtana. The power and theory behind this sword are related to the Royal Families of both France and England, thus it meets the rule of Knight Leader's "Thororm's Defense Formula."

She can use magic to gain a supernatural sixth sense, allowing her to feel the flow of battle and enemies and enabling her to react faster and perform attacks with higher precision. She can even call down a long-range lightning strike to attack an enemy and increase the range of this spell by lowering its power. She is also capable of using magic to communicate with people over large distances, either by projecting her voice from afar or by mental communication/telepathy.

She also has good combat skills which she performs at faster than the speed of the sound and as a magician is also shown to have used a long-distance lightning strike to attack Carissa at Dover Strait, but was blocked by the Knight Leader. In the fight against Misha Kreutzev, the Maiden of Versailles displays a similar level of speed and strength to her erstwhile foe Carissa. The two work together to thwart the archangel's murderous rampage, protecting the exposed Academy City and Russian troops.

## Character Art Design

### Design Evolution

Her design remains static throughout her appearances. Like her sister, she was designed by Haimura to look like supermodels with an odd sense of style, but had a sense of being unhealthy, as such, Haimura made her look gaunt, and had her eyes deep set.

### Gallery

The Maiden of Versailles' character design by Haimura Kiyotaka.Durandal's redrawn design.