The Harvest Mouse Exits the Fairytale Together with Cinderella - Chapter 3
“Aaah!!! Aaaargh!!!!”
The count screamed in terror, losing his composure.
‘What an exaggeration.’
Even if he were bitten by a harvest mouse, it wouldn’t hurt, let alone itch.
‘Well, he did always hate mice intensely.’
The mental impact seemed to be quite significant.
Elodie had successfully achieved her goal and felt proud.
“Kyaaaaaaak—!! A mouse, a mouse!!!”
The first stepsister, Rose, was no different from the count.
“Why are you all just standing there? Get rid of that rat immediately!”
The relatively composed second stepsister, Daisy, who had regained her composure, ordered the panicking maids.
A few maids who had hesitated for a moment gritted their teeth and rushed forward with determined faces.
‘Heh.’
However, Elodie just snorted.
Why be afraid when she was already living on borrowed time?
She felt rather pleased that she could finally cool off on her last journey.
‘If only I could take a bite at that dang prince’s nose, too.’
One of the maids, who had been fumbling several times, was about to grab Elodie as if she were about to tear her apart.
“Stop! Stop it!”
Sera suddenly shouted loudly, bringing the maids to a halt.
Everyone was shocked by the sudden rebellion of the usually calm and composed girl, including Elodie.
‘You shouldn’t have interfered!’
Elodie was so surprised that she inadvertently let go of the count’s nose, which she had been biting with her little teeth.
Sera took advantage of this and picked up the harvest mouse from the maid and hid the little thing in her hand.
It was obvious to anyone that Sear was trying to protect the mouse.
‘Sera doesn’t even know me yet at this time, right?’
That’s why I did this bold thing.
But Elodie had no idea that Sera would try to shield even a mouse that had bitten her father’s nose.
Objectively speaking, Elodie was nothing more and nothing less than a severely deranged mouse, probably with rabies, too.
No matter how much Sera loved animals and even made friends with lowly mice, Elodie expected to face the consequences.
‘But you…’
You’re saving me again.
Even when Elodie was just smaller and weaker than anyone else.
‘Sera is truly a fool….’
As she watched Sera’s resolute actions that shielded her, Elodie couldn’t help but worry about how much suffering this girl would endure on her account.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but love this child even more.
Even more beyond death.
“Hah.”
Count Bluewood, who had been watching with a stunned expression as he saw Sera’s incomprehensible behavior, finally reacted.
“What exactly are you trying to do now?”
“This child did something wrong, but I’ll… I’ll handle her.”
“Handle her? Oh, you’re going to ‘handle’ that rat?”
“It’s not sick. I’m sure of that. It isn’t strange for a timid mouse to suspect and guard against everything that seems like a predator. And since there’s food right in front of it, it must have suddenly risked its life to bite a person. There must be some reason…”
“Enough, be quiet. You must be out of your mind.”
“Th, there’s no reason to kill it.”
“To the end, you’re going to carry that filthy mouse that attacked me?”
“It’s not dirty! Harvest mice live in fields, fall asleep in flower buds, and eat only grains and pollen. It’s a clean field mouse. It shouldn’t be found in a mansion like this—there must be a reason!”
“Wh, what?”
Did he immediately expect her to apologize and ask for forgiveness right away?
When Sera instead defended the mouse to the end, the count’s expression hardened.
His red face turned as crimson as a beet.
It was a look of uncontrollable anger.
“You’ve truly gone mad!”
He raised his hand slowly.
His calloused hand, filled with wrinkles, looked like it might slap a small cheek at any moment.
The scene was etched in her mind so vividly, as if it were seared onto her retinas.
Elodie was frozen in the face of the unexpected turn of events.
This was never what she intended.
But regardless of her intentions, this was how it had turned out.
‘I, I’ve put Sera in danger.’
Her heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach.
Elodie quickly leaped out through the gap between Sera’s fingers.
It was an instinctive, unconscious action.
Simultaneously, a massive hand came down like a hammer, striking her petite body.
Elodie was sent flying against the wall with a resounding crash before sliding to the ground.
“…!”
She lay there, unable to even let out a whimpering squeak, as the tremendous impact had shaken her entire being.
It felt like every bone in her body had been shattered.
With her mouth agape, she convulsed, her entire body writhing in agony.
“Ugh…”
“Disgusting…”
The onlookers, witnessing the wretched sight of the despised mouse, exchanged disapproving glances as if they had made some kind of silent agreement.
The maids began squabbling, trying to determine who should be responsible for disposing of the creature.
“No, you can’t die…!”
The only one to react was Sera. She rushed to Elodie’s side with a brief cry, unable to bear the thought of the tiny life fading away.
Trembling, she held the fragile creature, careful not to harm it further, and retrieved a worn handkerchief from her pocket to gently wrap Elodie.
‘What should she do? Should she go to a healer?’
But she couldn’t possibly ask for a healing potion for a little mouse.
‘Maybe I should deliberately injure my hand and request a healing potion.’
It was a difficult decision, but Sera couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to Elodie.
But if she injured her hand, she wouldn’t be able to work properly, and she couldn’t afford that. Reluctantly, she decided she had no choice but to ask for help.
“Seraphina Bluewood!”
It was then.
A middle-aged woman with an air of anger approached briskly.
She was Cinderella’s stepmother.
Countess Bluewood.
