The Harvest Mouse Exits the Fairytale Together with Cinderella

Elodie felt an odd tickling sensation in her ears and instinctively rubbed them vigorously before responding.

"I’ll have to think about that."

"Then give me the reward I want."

It was true that it was often easier when the recipient chose their own gift.

Besides, the giver also found joy in seeing the recipient pleased with what they received.

Elodie shrugged and asked, "What is it?"

"I’ll tell you later."

"Heh, I can buy you anything you want! Just name it!"

Elodie grinned confidently as she spoke.

After developing the rejuvenation potion that reversed aging by five years, she had amassed a considerable fortune across both continents.

Actually, calling it considerable was an understatement.

She had raked in a fortune.

If Karon wanted, she could easily buy him a diamond necklace without a second thought.

‘If I add in the allowance Mom and Dad give me to spend on good food, I might even be able to buy a mansion in the capital...’

The Ratson couple sent Elodie gold coins every year through Valkyrisen.

Her vault was already overflowing—she had even begged them to stop sending more.

‘The Fairy Godmother is my benefactor and savior who gifted me a new life. A mansion is nothing in comparison.’

As her thoughts leaned more and more toward actually gifting a mansion, something caught her eye.

Through the vent’s small opening, a head of deep red hair—almost purple—flashed by in a blur.

The color was so familiar and unpleasant that her expression immediately soured.

‘Wait a second, that color... It’s the same as the Bluewood Countess’s hair.’

Rose, the eldest daughter, had that exact shade, too...

‘No, hold on. Is it actually her?’

But in Elodie’s [N O V E L I G H T] memory, Rose had never attended the academy.

She wasn’t academically inclined, nor did she have any interest in studying.

‘Then why is she here?’

Had she thrown a tantrum about not wanting to fall behind Sera and demanded to be sent here?

Or had her mother, unable to stand the thought of her precious daughter being outshone by Sera, forced her into the academy?

Either way, if she was here, that meant she was enrolled.

Still, speculating by herself was pointless.

That flash of red hair had passed by too quickly for her to be certain it was Rose.

‘But... wasn’t she heading in the same direction the prince disappeared to?’

Until she saw it with her own eyes, everything was just conjecture.

But if that really was Rose... if she was meeting with the prince for some kind of secret scheming—

Or worse, if they already had—

That would explain why Cesare remained so confident despite being cornered.

Elodie’s instincts screamed at her.

Without hesitation, she scrambled up Karon’s massive body, perching herself atop his head.

"Follow that woman! Right now!"

If there was ever a time for a Black Mamba to show off its speed without legs, this was it!

"And I need Geno here, too."

She might need him at any moment.

A deeply ominous feeling settled in her gut.

***

Six days after the exam, the academy hosted a grand banquet in its hall to celebrate the graduating students.

“Gasp.”

“Wow...”

Yet, despite the recent scandal, Cesare entered the venue with his usual entourage.

Not only did he show no signs of guilt, but he walked in with an excessive amount of confidence—completely unfazed by the uproar he had caused.

"That man has no shame..."

"Wait, I heard he was falsely accused and was only given probation while the matter is investigated."

"So, what’s the truth?"

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"Who knows? But if he really had cheated, would he show up here holding his head high?"

"If he had the audacity to deceive everyone for eight years, I wouldn’t put it past him."

The confusion among the students only continued to grow.

However—

"Cesare, are you all right?"

"It’s disgraceful that you were subjected to such humiliation. I can’t imagine who would scheme something so underhanded against you. You must have been tormented by this ordeal..."

"Stay strong, Your Highness."

"I believe in you! I truly hope you’ll prove your innocence!"

There were plenty of people—far too many—who wholeheartedly believed in Cesare.

His impeccable looks and gifted performance had completely won them over.

At that moment, Seraphina, who had just stepped into the banquet hall, caught sight of Cesare and his devoted followers.

Her face immediately twisted in disgust.

‘Ugh...’

She needed to cleanse her eyes.

If only Elodie were here.

But since she wasn’t, the only option left was to protect her own vision.

Not wanting to witness any more of the disgusting scene, Seraphina quickly retreated to the side, pressing herself against the wall near the entrance.

‘I didn’t hide behind the Crown Prince just to end up seeing this nonsense.’

A part of her regretted not completely crushing Cesare on the spot.

She had managed to expose some of the power used in his deception but hadn’t gathered enough irrefutable proof.

If only she had been allowed to touch and examine Cesare’s test paper directly, she could have immediately secured the physical evidence to have him expelled.

‘But I did the best I could.’

Seraphina hadn’t pushed further—not because she feared any repercussions.

There was only one reason.

She wanted to return to Elodie as soon as possible.

‘Forget it. It’s not worth thinking about. This is the last time I’ll have to see this ridiculous display anyway.’

Expulsion was inevitable.

After all, Cesare himself was the culprit. How could he possibly produce evidence to expose someone else?

Seraphina let out a soft chuckle and crossed her arms, leaning against the wall.

And yet—

Something felt off.

‘What is this?’

Normally, from the moment she walked in until the moment she left, there would be piranhas swarming her, desperate for attention.

But now—

Nothing.

It was too quiet.

‘Is it because all the attention is on Cesare?’

That would make sense.

After all, he had orchestrated an elaborate fraud for eight years—of course, he’d be the center of attention tonight.

And yet, even with that in mind, something still felt wrong.

Many students weren’t approaching her at all.

Instead, they stole glances from afar, whispering among themselves.

‘Are they just sulking because they know I won’t agree to their ridiculous requests for asylum?’

That could be it.

But she still didn’t fully understand the shift in behavior.

‘Well, I don’t mind, actually. Makes my life easier.’

Still, it was bothersome not knowing why they were acting this way.

It was frustrating.

Even so, Seraphina paid no mind to the uneasy atmosphere.

She simply helped herself to champagne and finger foods, killing time as she pleased.

She had made an appearance—perhaps now it was time to leave.

Just as she was about to turn and exit—

"Lady Bluewood."

Seraphina turned to see Julian, the Crown Prince, approaching her without so much as a greeting.

"Your Highness."

"There’s no need for formalities. More importantly—are you aware of the rumors going around about you?"

"Rumors?"

She couldn’t care less.

From the moment she left the Bluewood household, rumors had always followed her.

Scandals, lies, baseless gossip—it never stopped.

Not once had she ever paid attention to them.

People only entertained such gossip because it was amusing, not because they actually believed it.

After experiencing it time and time again, Seraphina had long stopped caring.

"This rumor started a few days ago. Since you always seem to attract ridiculous gossip, I didn’t take it seriously at first. But it seems many people do."

"Is that so?"

She responded with complete indifference.

Now that she knew why people were whispering, she had nothing left to be curious about.

But Julian, on the other hand, was growing increasingly irritated.

"This is serious. Everyone is obsessed with talking about it."

"And what exactly is the rumor?"

Julian let out a long sigh before finally revealing it.

"The rumor says that the reason you’re staying at House Valkyrisen is because you fell in love with a beastfolk and eloped with them."

"...Eloped?"

"Yes. And that you’re receiving Duke Valkyrisen’s support so you can marry a beastfolk."

"......"

"It’s a vile rumor. Clearly, someone is trying to completely destroy your standing in noble society."

"......"

"......"

"......"

"Why aren’t you saying anything?" Julian asked, looking increasingly uneasy.

"Hmm."

For a brief moment, Seraphina was silent, seemingly caught off guard.

Then, she calmly returned to her usual demeanor.

"It’s just... this is the first rumor that’s ever been so close to the truth."