FVN Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Eisen had three grandsons.
The eldest was Edmund.
The second was a notorious scoundrel.
Rumor had it that he was involved in all sorts of scandals and incidents, and after House Valkyrisen fell, he completely lost his mind.
Whether he was dead or alive now... no one really knew.
And the third grandson—
He had been born with a chronic illness and passed away at a young age before even reaching adulthood.
If that was the case, then the one in the Serenity Palace was supposed to be a frail, sickly child.
So why had Eisen warned her about the third grandson and not the infamous second one?
Elodie had no way of knowing.
***
"Here. Eat this. Hurry."
Elodie proudly presented Sera with the mountain of food that the kitchen staff had prepared.
Sera looked down at the steaming walnut pie in front of her.
Following Elodie’s urging, she picked up a fork, cut a piece, and put it in her mouth.
It was delicious.
The butter used was clearly high quality, making it exceptionally rich. It was moist, and the cinnamon had just the right balance of sharpness and warmth, filling her mouth with a pleasant aroma.
As expected of a professional chef.
That was the extent of her thoughts.
At the end of the day, it was still just a walnut pie.
But then—
"It’s my favorite."
Elodie’s words changed everything.
Suddenly, the pie tasted sweeter than anything she had ever eaten before.
Sera’s lips curved into a soft, melting smile as she asked,
"You’re giving me your favorite thing, huh?"
"I—I dunno. Don’t ask stuff like that."
"I’m happy."
"......."
"Really happy."
Elodie cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Eat lots."
She pushed all the desserts on the table toward Sera.
Her short arms weren’t very effective at moving them, but the effort was there.
"From now on, I’ll make sure you get to eat stuff like this every day."
"Pfft...."
Sera chuckled and gently brushed the crumbs from Elodie’s lips.
***
“My lady, you’re really walking well now!”
“Really? Am I cool?”
“Of course, of course!”
Elodie had finally managed to walk without holding onto the walls.
It had taken a full week to achieve this milestone.
Though her steps were still wobbly and unsteady, she could now toddle forward on her own.
“Oh, amazing! Genius! Absolute genius! The coolest in the world!”
Squirrel clapped enthusiastically with every step Elodie took.
And with every bit of praise, Elodie became more eager to walk.
At this rate, she would soon be able to show off her progress to Sera.
Maybe I can go for a walk in the garden!
Of course, she was immediately stopped.
“No matter how much you improve, it’s still too soon!”
But she had no idea what kind of family they had been in the past.
Seeing how people avoided mentioning them, though, it was obvious they had something to hide.
Elodie played it off, pretending she had just heard about them somewhere.
“The Basilisk family? Oh, they definitely don’t exist here.”
...What?
Elodie, who had been considering how to track them down, froze.
There were no Basilisk beastfolk?
But Valkyrisen is neutral territory.
Weren’t all beastfolk supposed to be here?
Even if they weren’t in the castle, she had assumed there would be at least one in the territory somewhere.
“No, the Basilisk snakes rarely leave their own lands.”
Why?
Snakes weren’t territorial like cats.
Even Valkyrisen had a massive number of feline beastfolk—though, fortunately, Elodie had yet to run into one.
“They’re incredibly secretive. The only time they leave is when they have a job to do.”
“A job?”
“I don’t know the details, but from what I hear, they accept all sorts of commissions—as long as the price is right.”
What is this, an assassin’s guild?
So unless someone went directly to them, they wouldn’t appear.
Not that she was reckless enough to charge into a snake’s den on a whim...
Then what should I do?
Just as she was mulling it over—
Ah.
She noticed something familiar growing in the grass.
“Oh dear, the weeds are overgrown. I should have a word with the gardeners.”
“No!”
Beaming, Elodie dropped to the ground with a plop.
“My lady!”
Squirrel’s eyes nearly popped out of her head as she saw Elodie’s dress instantly covered in dirt.
“...Sorry.”
She hadn’t meant to. She had just been excited.
But there was no helping it.
She wasn’t steady enough to crouch properly yet, so sitting down without getting her clothes dirty was impossible.
Spreading out her skirt, Elodie began gathering the tiny purple-flowered herbs growing nearby.
“What is that?”
“Lobelia!”
Having spent fifteen years as a field mouse, Elodie had naturally become an expert in plants.
If she hadn’t learned, she would have died.
It was pure survival instinct.
She had even survived illnesses thanks to these very herbs.
“What’s it used for?”
Squirrel crouched beside her, watching curiously.
Lobelia had many uses.
After thinking for a moment, Elodie mentioned the one that had helped her the most before.
“Antidote.”
Particularly for snake venom.
Just as she was absorbed in her thoughts—
Rustle—
A faint sound of movement in the grass made both Elodie and Squirrel whip their heads in the direction of the noise.
A child emerged, parting the overgrown rose vines with a gloved hand.
Their crimson eyes gleamed as brilliantly as the surrounding flowers.