The Harvest Mouse Exits the Fairytale Together with Cinderella

Elodie panted, her breath quick and uneven.

She barely held herself back from shouting, "What do you mean, ‘what am I’? You’re my everything!"

How could Sera not be everything to her?

Sera was the only one who had ever treated her as a person, despite Elodie having spent her entire life as a mouse.

It was because of Sera that she had even been granted this second chance—this opportunity to return to the past and become human.

A savior?

No, Sera was more than that. She was the redeemer of her soul.

"Come with me, okay?"

"…Elodie. I’m a Bluewood. At least until I come of age, I have to stay here."

Sera spoke with forced composure, hiding her unease.

She didn’t want to hurt Elodie, but she hoped that rejecting her outright might make her give up.

"They’re still my family by blood. Someday… yes. Someday, they’ll acknowledge me. They’ll accept me."

Elodie didn’t find this convincing in the slightest. If anything, her vision went red with rage.

What? She was going to stay in this hellhole, endure their abuse, and wait until she became an adult?

And then, what—she’d let herself be swept away by that shallow, polished prince and marry him?

Let that bastard abandon her in the palace, where she’d cry for ten years before being cast aside?

"Over my dead body!"

"…Huh?"

"You're serious? Someday? That someday is never coming! It’s always been like this, so when is that gonna change?"

"Wait, just—"

"If it’s not now, it never will be! Sera, you have to leave with me, right this moment! You have to live happily until the day you die! You have to be loved!"

"E-Elodie…"

"Who wouldn’t love you? Tell me! Who? WHO?!"

Elodie hissed furiously, her whole body trembling with fury.

If anyone dared to claim they hated Sera, she’d skin them like a fish on the spot.

Sera, startled by Elodie’s intensity, instinctively turned to look at Duke Valkyrisen’s son, bewildered.

She seemed to be asking: Is this really okay?

"Hmm…"

The boy, who had been quietly deep in thought, finally spoke.

He had already made up his mind.

"Seraphina Bluewood."

"…Yes?"

"If that’s truly your name, then leaving your house shouldn’t be a problem."

"…Why would that be?"

"Because I’ve never heard it before. Which means your name was never even recorded in the Bluewood family registry."

"…"

Sera had always believed that one day, she would be acknowledged.

But if her name wasn’t even in the family records…

That meant they had never intended to accept her as one of their own.

Not now. Not ever.

She had been blind to that reality.

Her expression darkened.

Elodie, restless and unsure how to console her, fidgeted anxiously.

That was when Edmund spoke again, his voice resolute.

"That’s wrong. Unquestionably."

He continued, unwavering.

"So if you want to leave, I will help you."

He spoke as though offering help was as natural as breathing.

Had he aided others like this before?

Had he always stepped forward whenever he saw someone suffering unjustly, righting wrongs as though it were second nature?

His words weren’t honeyed flattery, and his sincerity was evident in his unshaken voice and unwavering gaze.

Well, considering he’s the kind of person who feeds sunflower seeds to a mouse even as an adult…

Maybe this was simply a reflection of the Valkyrisen family’s long-standing creed—one that he carried with genuine conviction.

Elodie scoffed.

Fine, I’ll admit it. He’s a good person.

A rare, almost mythical breed of one.

But he wouldn’t do as Sera’s groom.

Not a chance.

Not only would he have to pass a hundred of Elodie’s grueling tests…

But he was Valkyrisen.

She bore him no ill will, but what was impossible was impossible.

"Sorry, I’ll find a way to repay today’s favor, but you can forget about marrying Sera."

Elodie cast him a look of sympathy, though the boy himself had no such thoughts in mind.

Meanwhile, Edmund turned his gaze toward the butler and knights still clinging to the floor like lifeless statues.

"You two. Step outside for a moment. I’ll bring them out once I’m finished."

"…Finished?"

"It will only take a minute."

One minute?

Sera, still holding Elodie in her arms, hesitated before slowly nodding.

With a bewildered expression, she stepped out of the storage room.

Edmund closed the door behind them, his face serene, as if to reassure them.

A moment later—

"Shall we go?"

He emerged from the storage room, completely unruffled, smoothly closing the door before anyone could glance inside.

An eerie silence hung over the place.

…What the hell had he done in there?

***

Count Bluewood and the Countess were hosting Duke Valkyrisen in the drawing room.

“Haha, I never expected the young master to accompany you as well,” the Count said with forced cheer.

“…”

“It’s fortunate that my daughters are around the same age as him,” he added, his voice betraying the nervous sweat beading on his forehead.

Duke Valkyrisen, however, remained indifferent. He barely moved, save for the occasional flick of an eyebrow, showing no intention of engaging in conversation.

Instead, he took out a pocket watch, tapping the armrest of his chair in rhythm with the ticking second hand.

The steady sound gnawed at the Count’s nerves.

I thought he’d be threatening me with a sword or something…

Despite being a grand noble with an illustrious legacy, the man had earned the infamous title of the King of Beasts.

Even the rumors alone painted a picture of a man as wild and untamed as his name suggested.

Yet, the Duke was… calm. Far too calm.

The Count found himself continuously dabbing at his forehead with a handkerchief.

Why does he keep checking the time?

What is he waiting for?

“My daughter Rose is the same age as your young master—what a delightful coincidence. She’s been terribly lonely without friends her age. I do hope they can become close companions.”

At that moment—

The Countess, who had been waiting for her chance, suddenly broke the charged silence like a storm shattering the stillness before it struck.

“It’s not just because they’re my daughters, but I must say, Rose and Daisy are exceptionally refined and well-educated for girls their age. Perhaps it’s because we chose not to send them to the academy and instead had them privately tutored by esteemed scholars in their respective fields.”

The Count screamed internally.

What is she doing? This isn’t a formal betrothal meeting!

The fate of the Bluewood family hangs in the balance over that damned mouse’s survival!

Hadn’t he made it very clear that their only goal was to send the Duke away without giving him a chance to make a move inside the estate?

But how many opportunities would the Bluewood family ever have to be in the presence of such an influential figure?

Even if they risked displeasing him a little, leaving a lasting impression was more important.

The Countess, her eyes gleaming with ambition, pressed on.

“I also heard that your young master never attended the academy, just like my children. I’m sure he received an excellent private education, but it must have been difficult to find companionship among his peers.”

“That’s true.”

For the first time, the Duke responded.

“He’s never had friends. Not before, and not in the future either.”

That was a bit extreme.

“And it’s not that he never went to the academy—he did. But he got expelled shortly after arriving. Or perhaps I should say, he left of his own accord.”

“Ah, I see…”

“He has no social skills and no adaptability. I have no idea who he takes after…”

The Duke sighed in frustration.

For a moment, the Countess hesitated, unsure if she had just stepped on a landmine.

But she quickly steeled herself.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Why are you so certain he won’t have friends in the future?”

“Hmm?”

“Now that fate has brought us together like this, wouldn’t it be wonderful if he got along with my daughters?”

The old man’s thin lips curled into an expression of unreadable amusement.

“There’s no need to worry about that. It seems he’s already entangled with one of your daughters.”

“Oh my, really?”

The Countess lit up in delight, though her eyes also flickered with curiosity.

How could the Duke possibly know that?

Or… was he voicing his own desire?

Had he already chosen one of her daughters as his grandson’s match?

“Who do you mean?”

Rose? Or Daisy?

Her heart pounded with anticipation.

But the moment she met the Duke’s gaze, she froze.

The golden glow in his eyes flickered like judgmental flames, burning fiercely.

A chill ran down her spine.

For some reason, she suddenly found it difficult to breathe, as if an invisible blade had been pressed against her throat.

She had no idea what was happening—only that something felt very wrong.

And then—

“Your third daughter.”

The Duke’s low voice rang out.@@novelbin@@

Her heart plummeted.