Gateways to Casselonia Vol1( Light Novel )

Chapter 6

Early morning of the next day.

The resonating bells from the chapel called out to the village population, announcing the time for holy services. A middle-aged priest dressed in a dark brown cloak stood outside the chapel's rustic doors welcoming and greeting the villagers going inside.

Entire families consisting of twelve members, to smaller families containing as few as two members, arrived en masse with delight and joy on their faces. There was still some time before the service's commencement began, so children played with each other while all the adults socialized and talked.

Sorata and Mizuki were on their way to the chapel following behind Lola down the hill on where the manor resided. Except, the only thing missing was Lola.

Just a few minutes ago, the maid had stayed behind halfway down the hill where a very talkative, ( almost annoying ) female villager suddenly struck up a conversation with her, only a few seconds after they had come out of the manor. And to make things worse, other women started joining in on the conversation, like pigeons crowding around bread crumbs in a park. It didn't seem like Lola was going to be able to shake off the gossiping women from her any time soon, so Sorata and Mizuki had no choice but to walk down to the chapel themselves.

As they walked downhill together, not a word came out from either of their mouths. The aura from last night's dismal episode between Sorata and Mizuki still lingered around them. The fact that they tried to ignore it didn't mean it would go away. But on one hand, it was a good thing that it happened. For starters, Sorata now had solid confirmation that Mizuki had taken him up on his promise the other day to protect her. This meant that Mizuki did see him as a man in her eyes and ultimately trusted in his words.

And second. With that trust, they could both grow emotionally closer together. Giving Sorata the best chance to win over Mizuki's heart.

Even if it meant that every night they would have to do the same thing, he had nothing to lose. But the easy part was over. The hard part was going to be staying true to that promise and being there for her when she needed him the most.

Luckily for them, the beautiful village scenery below was enough to at least provide a sense of calm. Seeing the villagers' lively faces and the beauty of the lush fields was a better thing to wake up to than the grumpy and cold faces of busy Tokyoites.

Though for Sorata, he felt lucky just to be walking alongside Mizuki: the girl of his dreams. "After what happened last night, we haven't said anything to each other. Mizuki woke up by herself this morning, so that destroyed any possibility of me doing it. We haven't even said good morning to one another. The only communication we've really had was only a slight bow and the silent nodding of our heads." Sorata glanced at Mizuki to his left from the corner of his eyes. She was wearing a white dress with a blue and black colored over-bust corset. In his eyes, she looked like a pure and innocent angel, despite her stubbornness to show more emotion like she did back in Japan.The only thing different today was her hairstyle. She had it tied in a single braid and over her right shoulder, making her look somewhat more formal than usual. Most likely she wanted to look a bit more proper, given that they were on their way to a religious gathering.

"I wonder what she's thinking right now. Could she be thinking about me? No... I doubt it. She probably feels awkward. I can't blame her, I kinda feel the same but..." He quickly went back to what happened in their bedroom last night. Remembering Mizuki's trembling body and the hopelessness in her crying voice was painful to go through, but his confidence slowly built up inside because Mizuki was relying on him from now on.

Shaking his head, Sorata said to himself, "Ughh!!! Get it together Sorata! Mizuki's relying on you. If I really meant what I said, then there's no way I can afford to show any weakness around her. She needs to feel safe when she's in a crisis. And only I can be there to console her. From here on, man up!"