The Harvest Mouse Exits the Fairytale Together with Cinderella-Chapter 141

"I knew you would say that."

Countess Bluewood responded with satisfaction and began to massage her husband's shoulders.

"You should subtly let the Queen know that His Highness the Prince is having foolish thoughts."

"Yes, that’s probably a good idea. It would be troublesome if he decided to take revenge because we didn't follow his orders."

It was a seamless exchange.

Count Bluewood felt a deep sense of relief from the unwavering support of Claire, who continued to respect and support him just as she always had.

Yes, I am still the head of the Bluewood family.

That has been the case for the last 20 years, and it will continue to be so.

No matter how much blood ties there are, no one, without permission, can ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) take what is mine.

"There’s no one but you."

"Don't mention it."

The Count and Countess waited in silence.

***

Not long after, the Count received a telegram saying that Seraphina had started moving.

The High Priest of Ratson, and Duke Valkyrisen, had completely severed ties with her, and now she was wandering across the continent alone.

Well, not completely alone.

"It seems that the third prince has also started following her, but I’ll handle that. Focus on Lady Bluewood."

Nyx Basilisk said.

Mentioning the third prince brought back painful memories of the past, where the Count had been helpless in the face of the first prince, Edmund's schemes.

He scowled deeply, muttering curses under his breath.

What a worthless family, like some beast clan...

As he fumed, Nyx Basilisk, who was relaying the message, suddenly squinted, as though something was bothering him.

"Hmm."

It looked like he was trying to assess something.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, nothing like that. It seems Lady Bluewood will be arriving at the training hall soon. She’s used every means possible to meet with the Emperor."

"...So? According to you, everything is going according to plan, isn’t it?"

"Yes, everything is proceeding smoothly, with no unexpected changes."

The Count, taken aback by Nyx's comment that seemed to express doubt about the situation's smoothness, responded in disbelief.

"So should I be worried that something went wrong?"

"Of course not."

"Then what exactly is the problem?"

"You told me you didn’t need my help. You said you’d handle it yourself."

The Count had indeed said that.

He had only one goal: to ensure Seraphina’s death.

"Then you need to take care of it yourself. If I leave it to someone else and she finds a way to escape and survive, everything will be ruined. The punishment of annihilation that was put on hold will be carried out."

Although Claire’s instigation was crucial, the Count believed without a doubt that it was his own decision.

"Only you know Lady Bluewood’s weakness... and you promised you wouldn’t tell anyone else. I’ve already lent you my strength under that condition."

"What is the point of bringing this up now?"

"I just hope everything goes as you expect."

After a brief pause, Nyx smiled confidently and said,

"I’ll break the communication device. You’ll know whether the mission is successful, so there’s no need to signal me. Best of luck."

Crack—! Beep—

"What the hell, that bastard."

Suddenly, the sound of the device shattering came from the other end, rendering it completely useless.

The Count, frustrated, muttered curses under his breath.

So everything is going too smoothly, and that makes you uneasy?

How is this cowardly fool even thinking he can handle such a major task?

The plan is going exactly as planned, yet he’s already backing out, acting like he’s distancing himself.

'Let him do whatever. I don’t care.'

There was no more room to retreat.

He wasn’t about to be swayed by that obnoxious person, especially not in this situation.

The Count stood up as if he had been waiting for this moment and threw on his hood.

"I'm leaving now."

"......"

"Claire!"

The Count called out urgently, and Countess Bluewood, who had been looking at the communication device, slowly replied.

"Ah... yes, you’re right."

Though her face looked as if she was deep in thought, the Count was too preoccupied to notice.

Soon after, Camel, the head of the training hall, approached them.

"I received word from the reception staff. It seems that Lady Bluewood has applied to join the training hall in order to infiltrate."

"Lead her to the designated area."

This meant using the trainees they had intentionally placed inside to subtly inform them of Lady Ratson's location.

Of course, they would not reveal the actual location where she was kept.

Naturally, they would lead her to an empty, sealed place.

'Well, not completely empty.'

She would be surrounded by mercenaries and trainees, and, of course, he himself would be there to neutralize any powers that could potentially counteract their plan.

As the Count seemed ready to rush there immediately, Camel stopped him.

"Hey, you’re too impatient. If we tell them the location immediately, they’ll obviously suspect a trap."

The head of the training hall sighed, rolling his eyes irritably.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

"I’ve mentioned that we should take our time before allowing her to join. This is the first time a human has applied, but the purpose of the training hall is to allow anyone to gain divine power equally, so we’ll make it seem like we’re giving her special permission."

"So, how much longer do we need to wait?"

"Just be patient. If we continue to delay, they’ll start to get anxious. It will take a few more days, so please wait."

"Tch."

Though the words made sense, Count Bluewood could do nothing but force himself to wait, despite his impatience.

He and Claire waited through the night.

Until he received the signal that Seraphina was heading to the meeting hall.

"She’s on her way."

Finally...!

He had prepared everything long ago.

The sound of the meeting hall door creaking open reached his ears.

The Count, ready for the moment, knelt on the cursed seal he had engraved on the floor and began muttering incantations.

He had learned this plan by heart, practicing it until he could recite it even in his sleep.

"What is this...?"

Seraphina, who had unknowingly stepped into the meeting hall, covered her mouth in shock.

"Ah... Is that...?"

"Your mother had a rare power that wasn’t publicly known. A power that weakens all others," the Count said, suddenly bringing up the story of his late wife.

She had been the daughter of the Wiltshire Marquis.

The title of a Marquis’ daughter might make one think she was loved and pampered by her entire family, growing up as a spoiled child.

But in reality, it was the opposite.

Back then, magic and other well-known powers were the only ones accepted.

Any strange or foreign powers were rejected and discriminated against.

The reason the Count, who was only a mere Count, had been able to marry the Marquis’ daughter was because of this very discrimination.

"Ugh!"

Seraphina, startled by the power of the curse closing in on her, tried to break free using her countermeasure.

But unlike the prince’s time, she couldn’t break it instantly and was soon subdued.

"How...?"

The Nova training hall was imbued with the power of the curse god.

Whether the head of the training hall had intended it or not, the place was filled with the power of the curse god.

Though the hall was intended to be a place of training, it had long since turned into a cult-like establishment worshiping the curse god.

Naturally, this made the situation very different from the prince’s case.

But that wasn’t all.

For some reason, she felt as though her body and soul were bound, unable to move at all.

"W-What have you done?!"

Seraphina’s eyes landed on the old hand mirror the Count held.

He used it to reflect her image and spoke.

"It was a measure passed down to me from the Wiltshire family when your mother started acting out."

I knew this would work on you too.

Then, he mockingly added,

"When you took your mother’s belongings, you were blinded by the jewels, forgetting this mirror, weren’t you?"

Since the Count had hidden it, Seraphina could never have known about the mirror’s existence.

He grinned maliciously as he watched her glare at him as though she wanted to kill him.

"Seraphina, my daughter."

"Elodie? Where is Elodie?"

"Even now, you’re looking for that rat? She couldn’t possibly be here."

Still holding the mirror toward her, the Count drew his sword and placed it at her neck.

"See, if you had just listened to me, this wouldn’t have happened. If you hadn’t been so greedy for your title and tried to stand above your father, this is the price you’d pay."

"Ha..."

Seraphina chuckled bitterly.

"Is this the price for betraying your father?"

Betrayal? She had been betrayed from the moment she was born.

And what was happening now was also betrayal.

"If there was even a chance I could have been hurt, it would have been good for you, father."

What is the bond of blood?

If I were a complete stranger, I never would have given you the chance you’ve already had three times.

But I’ve done enough.

Now, the Count was just an obstacle in her path.

Seraphina wiped away her shocked expression in an instant and replaced it with a deep smile.

Clang—!

At that very moment, a sound like the wind rushing by her ear was followed by a tremendous noise.

Startled by the threat to his life, the Count instinctively jumped back.

In the process, the only weapon he had—his sword—was shattered by the force.

"The rat’s here."