FVN Chapter 10
Chapter 10
“Yes?”
“It’s been two years since then, so you’re only five years old now.”
Elodie blinked her large eyes.
“Do you know what my grandson said to me at that age?”
What did he say?
“That little brat, with a face round as a steamed bun, asked who I was and why I was in his house.”
“...”
“No matter how little he was when he first saw me...”
Edmund, his cheeks slightly reddened, muttered under his breath.
“...Please stop. I’ve heard that story at least twenty times now.”
“Then hear it ten more.”
Had that really been such a shock to him?
Ignoring his grandson’s grumbling, Eisen looked back down at Elodie.
“Who remembers anything from when they were three? Even if some do, they’re rare. No one expects that from you.”
“...”
“Just the fact that you’re alive and well like this is already a miracle to them.”
The Duke’s massive hand landed atop Elodie’s head.
A simple pat.
For someone who gave off the impression that he’d be rough, regardless of whether his opponent was a child, his touch was surprisingly gentle.
He had seen right through her.
Was this the wisdom of experience?
Elodie still couldn’t quite grasp the situation, but the crude attempt at reassurance settled her nerves just a little.
“...Am I really their daughter?”
“You spoke to them yourself. What kind of parent wouldn’t recognize their own child?”
“...”
“Beasts lower than that deserve to be buried and used as fertilizer. At the very least, they should serve some purpose, don’t you think?”
Duke Valkyrisen said this while gazing intently at Count Bluewood.
Was squeak-execution actually fertilizer-execution?
The Count, still trapped in the terror of the squeaking, had gone beyond pale—his face was now deathly blue.
“Ahem, Grandfather.”
Was there anything he wouldn’t say in front of a child?
Mildly flustered, Edmund swiftly plucked Elodie from the Duke’s arms and handed her back to Seraphina.
***
I escaped.
So easily.
On my own two feet.
That’s right, two feet!
I can walk on two legs now.
With Sera!
What an absolute miracle.
Elodie still remembered her past life vividly.
To think she could now face humans without them trying to kill her on sight.
She no longer had to hide or run.
She could stand proudly beside Sera.@@@@
“...Huh? Elodie, what’s wrong?”
Seraphina looked at her in concern.
She could see the entire estate at a glance.
Stunned, Elodie took in the sight of beastfolk mice freezing in place and scrambling in panic at the sudden arrival of humans.
She felt like a giant.
This... this is the Ratson estate?
From a harvest mouse’s perspective, this must have been an unimaginably vast and impressive domain.
From a harvest mouse’s perspective.
For reference, the average harvest mouse was about 5 to 6 centimeters in size.
Thinking about it that way, it made sense that the estate seemed like a massive and wealthy territory.
But.
But still...
If I try practicing walking here, I might end up destroying the entire estate...
Was this really happening?
Did this mean she couldn’t live with Sera?
How was a human supposed to live in a harvest mouse’s house?
Even a doghouse wouldn’t be livable, let alone this.
Elodie was still frozen in shock when—
“Oh my goodness...”
Seraphina let out a breathy sigh.
Her eyes shimmered like the surface of a lake, her cheeks blooming a soft pink.
I’m doomed.
Elodie had known Seraphina for fifteen years—she could tell exactly what she was thinking.
She’s absolutely melting over how cute this is.
She had planned to become the proud noble daughter of a prestigious family, standing tall and composed so Sera would have no choice but to rely on her.
Just like the prince had in her past life.
She had envisioned herself standing before a grand castle, spreading her arms wide, and saying,
"Now, all of this is yours. Let’s live happily together forever."
"I will give you everything."
That had been the plan.
But there was nothing to give.
The wealth and luxury she was supposed to flaunt... were all harvest mouse-sized.
Unless they wanted to play an elaborate game of dollhouse fantasy, it was completely useless.
As Elodie clutched her head in despair, Eisen turned to the guards at the estate’s walls—walls that he could easily step over if he raised his leg.
“I’ve come to see His Holiness.”
His Holiness?
Was one of my parents... the High Priest?
The High Priest.
The religious leader of an entire continent.
Someone whose authority in Terranolia was equal to, if not greater than, that of the emperor.
According to history, there had even been times when the High Priest had turned emperors into mere puppets.
Elodie’s jaw dropped.
Now that I think about it... I did hear something once.
That the former High Priest of Animanolia had lost a daughter at a young age.
And that daughter...
Was me.
In the beastfolk world, abilities were inherited through bloodlines, and only those with the strongest healing powers could become High Priest.
But a harvest mouse family?