The Harvest Mouse Exits the Fairytale Together with Cinderella-Chapter 121

"It wasn't difficult for you?"

'So, does that mean he secretly enjoyed it?'

If a three-year-old had been running around asking someone to marry them, it might not have been something utterly disgusting or unbearable.

Since no one would take it seriously.

It would just seem funny and cute.

But did he really have to say that right in front of the person involved?

'Not that I care much, since it’s something from an age I don’t even remember.'

Elodie answered reluctantly.

"Oh... I see."

Seeing the child's expression, Daniel looked flustered.

"I think you might be misunderstanding something..."

"Well, being honest isn’t a bad thing."

"No, that’s not what I meant. I also had feelings for you, My Lady."

"...?"

At the completely unexpected blunt confession, Elodie momentarily lost her words and opened her mouth in shock.

Did I just hear a confession?

Daniel himself seemed to realize what he had just said, his face belatedly turning red as he covered his mouth.

"S-Sorry. I just felt like I had to clear up the misunderstanding right away, and I spoke without thinking..."

"O-oh, I see."

Elodie responded, looking even more uncomfortable.

"Um... sorry?"

She really wished people wouldn’t just suddenly blurt out confessions without warning.

She had no idea how to reject him.

'And I can’t just be cold to my savior, either.'

What was she even supposed to say?

Thank you for your interest, and I send you my deepest condolences?

As Elodie stammered, completely lost in how to respond, Daniel cupped his flushed cheeks and let out a small laugh.

"As I mentioned earlier, there's no need for you to apologize. I understand that this must be sudden for you, My Lady, since you don’t even remember me."

"Well, if you say so..."

At least he was aware that he might feel like a stranger to her. That was a relief.

Just as the child was beginning to feel a little reassured—

"I'm the one still stuck in the past. I have no intention of forcing those childhood memories or feelings onto you, My Lady."

"..."

"I’ll keep them to myself."

Why did he sound so sentimental?

Elodie couldn't help but feel guilty.

If it were just a childhood crush, she could have brushed it off, but he was also her savior.

That made it hard to ignore.

As she hesitated, feeling troubled—

"Forget meaningless memories."

"Excuse me?"

"All they’ll do is torment you."

She flinched.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Karon had somehow slipped into the conversation as smoothly as a snake, his voice coming in naturally as if he had always been there.

Just when had he started listening?

Hearing Karon’s words, Daniel responded boldly.

"Even suffering is mine to bear."

"Oh, looks like you don’t understand what a burden is."

"Karon..."

Elodie jabbed him in the side.

But the boy didn’t stop.

"Stop bothering a naive person. If it’s your feelings, then just keep them to yourself."

Hey, naive?

'This fourteen-year-old?'

The child, who had never once considered herself naive, was momentarily dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, Karon’s tongue continued to weave sharp and cutting words.

"You say you don’t intend to force anything, but why bring it up in front of the person involved? I can see right through your motives."

"..."

"Are you crying out for attention? Or do you have some ulterior motive?"

"That’s not what I..."

"Whatever it is, it's pathetic."

"..."

Did he realize that no matter what he said, Karon wouldn’t understand?

After a brief silence, Daniel simply said, "Then, I’ll take my leave."

Transforming into a harvest mouse, he climbed into a carriage designed for his kind.

Elodie watched him leave with a look of concern.

"Is it really okay to just let him go like that?"

"What, why wouldn’t it be?"

"I mean, he’s my savior..."

"Don't let the word 'savior' control you."

Then what am I supposed to be controlled by, exactly?

He saved my life. Am I just supposed to ignore that because it happened in the past?

"I’m not some heartless monster."

"I know. But you’re too extreme about these things."

"..."

Did Karon think she blindly followed anyone who called themselves her savior?

...Okay, well, she had so far.

Come to think of it, did he even realize that he himself was one of the people who had benefited from that tendency?

'Of course, he wouldn’t.'

That was something that had happened in a time that had already been reversed and erased.

But now that Karon had pointed it out, she was suddenly aware of it herself.

'I do tend to be pretty favorable toward my saviors, huh.'

But that wasn’t because they had saved her. It just so happened that the people who had saved her were the kind of people she naturally liked.

Like Sera.

And the Fairy Godmother... ahem.

'Well, no, I liked Long-Long, not the person herself.'

Elodie added that correction in her mind for no one's benefit but her own before clearing her throat and saying,

"I get that you’re worried. You’re thinking that just because he’s my savior, I’ll give him my heart and soul like I do with Sera, right?"

Like that would ever happen.

She had planned to continue that thought and tell him he was overthinking things.

But—

"No. Don’t get involved with him at all." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Huh?

Elodie blinked at the unexpected response.

Karon continued,

"He’s suspicious."

That was surprising.

It was the first time he had so openly rejected someone like this.

Even when it came to Geno, whom he hated, he had never told her outright not to associate with him—though, to be fair, he had broken Geno’s fingers.

Actually, maybe that was worse.

"He hasn’t done anything, though?"

"He clings too much. The way he keeps bringing up the past connection and making you think about him—it’s unsettling."

"That’s just..."

It must have been his most vivid memory from when he was human.

Judging by his current age, he had probably been around seven at the time.

If he had lived as a mouse ever since then, it wasn’t strange that he would hold on to any connection he had.

Elodie knew that well, having lived as a mouse herself for so long.

'And besides, I was the one chasing after him back then. Calling him suspicious just because of that...'

As she continued to think, something odd suddenly struck her.

If his feelings had been strong enough that he had even talked about marriage, shouldn’t there at least be some lingering traces of those emotions?

Shouldn’t she have felt something like she did when she first reunited with her parents, that overwhelming flood of emotions?

But she felt nothing.

'Well, I guess no childhood love at the age of three is going to be some legendary romance...'

Her parents were different. No matter how little time she had spent with them, it was °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° natural to feel attached to them.

But a first love at three years old?

Of course, she felt nothing.

"My Lady, we can’t use magic to travel past this point, so we’ll need to take the carriage. I’ll drive."

"Oh, coming!"

At Edmund’s call, Elodie grabbed Karon’s hand tightly.

"Let’s talk inside."

"..."

The boy didn’t resist and let himself be pulled along.

***

Elodie had no intention of letting any beastfolk—or even the emperor—discover that she was heading to the Holy Kingdom.

She didn't want to reveal that she was rebuilding the Holy Kingdom to outsiders, and more importantly, she could no longer trust anyone.

‘Now that the emperor of Terranolia is involved, I can’t be certain that the emperor of Animallia is completely on our side either.’

Of course, this might just be paranoia.

The emperor had been a benefactor, secretly supporting the Ratson family all this time.

‘But if the emperor of Animallia turns out to be the insider who cursed the Ratson family, that would be the end of everything.’

Complete annihilation, with no chance to fight back.

To prevent the worst-case scenario, Elodie decided that she couldn’t trust anyone.

That was why she chose to put Edmund, a Valkyrisen, at the forefront.

To ensure secrecy, they minimized their luggage.

Successfully hidden inside the carriage, Elodie passed through the Holy Kingdom’s barrier and peered outside the window with hopeful eyes.

And then—

"Oh..."

A sigh escaped her lips as she took in the sight of the Holy Kingdom, which looked even more ruined than she had expected.

Well, it was only natural. Even mountains and rivers could change in ten years.

If the land had been left unattended for seven years, of course, it would have reverted back to nature.

"This place remains unchanged," the old nurse muttered as she struggled to pull ivy off a crumbling wall, only to give up in the end.

"Or perhaps... it’s in a state we’ve never seen before."

"We’ll need to increase the workforce as soon as possible."

For now... farmers!

Elodie turned toward the Holy Knights and called out,

"I’ll rent out all the land here!"

"Truly?!"

"Of course! You’ll get a fair share of the harvest, plus generous compensation for your efforts!"

Elodie approached the harvest mouse farmer and whispered the amount she was willing to pay.

"I will dedicate my entire life to you!"

The Holy Knight harvest mice, who had been watching their fellow farmer with wary eyes, briefly had an expression of cold terror on their faces.