Cunning Fish of the Forest - Chapter 12

As I opened the chapel door, a burst of sunlight streamed in through the towering windows, hitting me squarely in the face.

The sunlight, split into a rainbow of colors by the dust-laden chairs, looked almost sacred. The chapel’s stained glass windows, embellished with a variety of colors, were a privilege of its construction and lavished under the encouragement of the Janeth faith, which allowed opulence in such buildings.

Yet, it was odd that the place remained so deserted.

Despite the presence of eight archbishops and about twenty bishops, the Janeth faith did not enforce congregational worship. The culture valued personal prayers over daily rituals, yet it was customary for major families to have chapels within their estates.

These spaces were seldom used as intended, mostly reserved for family events and often left unattended for over half a year.

It seemed I was the only one benefiting from this situation, as I needed a place to escape.

I hiked up my loosened skirt and stepped barefoot onto a chapel chair. The only true sight within was a statue depicting a deity with three faces, carved with an expression that seemed kind but never resonated with me the way it did with my devout parents.

Perhaps that’s why I was being punished, doomed to be an improper lady.

“Um, Miss…”

The sound of the door opening was followed by a whimpering voice. Ger, my only peer and a boy as confined by his circumstances as I was by mine, and our daily sword sessions had blurred the lines of our social status. Yet, he had already ignored my command to leave three times.

“Miss.”

“I’m listening.”

It wasn’t just disappointment in his timid approach that bothered me; it was also the fear that the joy of swordplay was too easily extinguished.

“Miss Araneth.”

Perhaps an affection had grown from our encounters, for I found Ger’s subdued voice unwelcome. My arms, which had been tightly wrapped around my skirt, slowly relaxed.

“Come in, if you have something to say.”

“But… if I enter, my mother will tear off my ears and hang me in the stable.”

I looked at Ger with incredulity as his excuses grew increasingly absurd. Just seeing him barely poking his head in was enough to sap any anger I might have felt.

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. It’s just you and me here; who’s going to tell?”

My somewhat irritable remark seemed to give Ger the courage he needed to push the door open.

His muddy feet entered the chapel, filled with brilliant light that nearly blinded him. Ger’s lips quivered with emotion as he surveyed the interior. It was a realm so far removed from his usual confines near the stables.

It was a commonplace setting for me, but for Ger, it might have appeared entirely different.

“It’s an honor…”

“Sit here.”

I cleared a seat next to me by moving my skirt and shoes aside. But Ger was reluctant to sit.

“No, thank you, Miss. I’ll stand.”

I didn’t want to force him to sit if he was so averse to it. While I was arranging my shoes neatly, I asked him,

“Did your mother really say she would hang you in the stables?”

His expression was so fresh that it piqued my curiosity. Ger looked up at the ceiling before his face turned sour, and he looked down.

“Actually, that was said to be mild. I didn’t want to shock you, Miss.”

“….What’s the worst she said, then?”

My interest seemed a bit problematic even to myself. Everyone praises beauty and righteousness, but such things rarely piqued my interest. Rather, I was drawn to what was forbidden.

Ger, unable to withstand my probing look, stiffened as he continued,

“That I’d end up marrying a woman just like her when I grow up.”

“Ha ha!”

His unexpected response made me burst out laughing. It seemed Ger didn’t mind my mocking laughter, joining in with a grin that fit the mood. It was a moment that highlighted Ger’s tender side, a stark contrast to the frail boy I had often considered him. Perhaps if he could shed his timidity, Ger might indeed grow into a man worth watching.

“How did you even come to hear such a thing?”

“It was during dinner. My mother said…”

Ger’s voice, animated and nearly reaching the ceiling of the chapel in his excitement, was abruptly cut off by an extremely low voice outside the door that stopped our breaths.

‘Hasn’t it been said that there hasn’t been a service recently?’

‘The Miss is here.’

‘The Miss?’

The conversation between two unfamiliar men passed through the chapel door, and it seemed they would be entering any moment now. I glanced back and forth between the shoes and skirt in my arms and Ger’s face, which was stricken with fear.

Being caught in such a free-spirited state could bring the heavens down upon us. Seizing Ger’s wrist, which trembled as he stuttered in fright, I pulled him towards me.

“Come this way.”