The Harvest Mouse Exits the Fairytale Together with Cinderella-Chapter 116

Prince Cesare was nearly put on trial in the Terranolia Empire.

No—he almost was.

The queen managed to prevent the catastrophe and instead listened to Cesare’s account of everything that had transpired.

"Ruining things this spectacularly takes a certain kind of talent."

"......I apologize."

How in the world did something as trivial as being caught cheating escalate to the level of heresy?

"They were dead set on trapping you."

The queen clicked her tongue as she spoke.

"And who told you to spit out an apology so easily? This is not your fault. The moment you think and act as if it is, it truly becomes your fault."

Understood?

She firmly warned her son.

"Yes."

Cesare obediently accepted her words.

Ever since Crown Prince Astore—whom he once called his elder brother—had passed away, there had not been a single instance where listening to the queen had led him astray.

"This is why I told you not to associate with a woman who grew up without proper upbringing. So what if she comes from a count’s family? She was raised like a maid without receiving a proper education."

The queen naturally pointed to Seraphina as the root of the problem and continued speaking.

"Beauty is fleeting. It doesn’t last more than ten years. What truly matters is inner refinement."

"......Well, I thought she was quite useful."

"Competence isn’t everything. You have to be able to control her. Can’t you tell at a glance that she’s the kind of woman who will never bow to you?"

At the queen’s words, Cesare’s eyes twitched.

He didn’t believe his judgment had been wrong.

If she had simply fallen into his grasp, there would have been no better alternative than Seraphina.

That was precisely why both the crown prince—who constantly provoked him—and that Ratson heir had gone to such great lengths to protect her.

"I intended to destroy her socially before she could even attempt to gain any hold over me."

"And yet, this is the result?"

"......."

"Thank the heavens it was the heir of Animallia’s High Priest who detected traces of heresy."

Had it been the Terranolia High Priest who discovered it first, Cesare would have been expelled from the palace without any chance of recovery.

But since the revelation came from an heir of a foreign continent, the queen had room to maneuver.

She immediately sought an audience with Terranolia’s High Priest.

Then, playing on his inferiority complex toward the Ratson family, she managed to have the matter erased.

"If it were to be known that His Holiness was unable to decipher what the mere heir of Ratson had read—what would happen?"

"......."

"If His Holiness does not refute the heir’s claim, then His Holiness himself will be in trouble, wouldn’t he?"

The Ratson family’s power was unrivaled.

Even Terranolia’s High Priest was no match for them.

Unlike the Ratson family, whose divine power was inherited, the priests of Terranolia did not depend on a single heir.

While this meant their abilities remained consistent, it also meant they could never produce a prodigy like the first head of the Ratson family, who had performed miracles that bordered on the divine.

This was why Ratson symbolized beastfolk, whereas humans had Valkyrisen—not the High Priest—as their representative power.

So, in reality, Terranolia’s High Priest had been unable to decipher the power embedded in the exam paper.

Fortunately for them.

Of course, simply exploiting this fact would not have been enough to intimidate the High Priest and avoid an inquisition.

But they had a powerful ally—the Emperor.

"We burned every last copy of the exam papers. That Ratson girl herself insisted they had to be burned to analyze the power within them."

They had used the same excuse.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Now, Terranolia’s High Priest could also claim he had burned the papers purely for analysis.

"Since she was the one who said it, she won’t be able to accuse us of destroying evidence later."

The queen murmured as she twisted her lips.

"That little wretch."

To think she had survived and was now dragging her son down.

"This is why I told you never to leave behind loose ends. This is what happens when you let emotions sway you."

It was exasperating.

They had already won—so why had they let it fall apart?

The queen pinched the bridge of her nose as if giving her son a word of advice, then looked up.

And there, she locked eyes with a man who was smiling placidly, utterly unshaken despite her blatant rebuke.

Or rather, she looked at Nyx Basilisk, who sat beyond the communication link.

"What reason did you have for keeping that Ratson brat alive? No—what’s the point of cursing the entire Ratson family? If you had the power to cast a curse over an entire domain, why didn’t you just wipe them out completely?"

His entire figure was shrouded in a hood, making it impossible to see his identity.

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"It was not out of personal feelings, Your Majesty. Though, of course, I made it appear that way on purpose."

"Make your excuses sound more convincing. Do you think this is the time for word games?"

"Oh dear, so you don’t believe me?"

Not that it matters.

Nyx smirked before continuing, unhurried.

"The Basilisk family has carried out countless assignments. Do you think we would jeopardize a mission over something so petty? It was ‘His’ will to kidnap the Ratson heir and abandon her in Terranolia."

"Then, it must have been the one who ordered the job that let emotions cloud their judgment."

The queen narrowed her eyes and muttered.

She was convinced the true mastermind behind all of this was the Emperor.

But one thing didn’t sit right.

Why would the Emperor of Terranolia bear such a deep grudge against the High Priest of Animallia?

"No, that’s not it. It seems you fail to grasp the matter because you have lived your life completely detached from faith."

Nyx openly sneered before elaborating.

"It’s not about emotions. It’s cold, calculated strategy. The reason we have left the Ratson family alone until now is to determine the boundaries of divine intervention."

"Boundaries?"

"Yes. We needed to test how much influence the gods could exert over the mortal world and how much we could manipulate things to our will."

That was why they had allowed Gracia Ratson to survive and abandoned her in Terranolia.

You couldn’t run an experiment if the test subject was dead.

"And please refrain from making such foolish remarks. Do I really need to explain what happens when someone lays their hands directly on the being most beloved by the gods? We wouldn’t accomplish our goals—we’d just be cast into hell."

"Heh, so you believe in hell?"

"I have no interest in what happens after death. What matters is that, in life, we will never be able to take the Ratson family's place."

Nyx’s conclusion was clear.

They could not kill them directly.

So, how far could they go while staying within those constraints?

"The results of this experiment were quite fruitful. We now know that as long as we don’t directly strike down the Ratson family, the gods will not intervene in human affairs."

"My son is about to be branded a heretic, and that’s what you have to say? You were the one who lent him that heretical power in the first place!"

The queen’s fury exploded as she shot to her feet.

If Nyx had been present in person, she wouldn’t have hesitated to order his immediate execution.

"All this for an experiment?!"

Nyx smirked as if he had expected this reaction.

"It was necessary. What good would it be if we orchestrated everything only for the gods to intervene and overturn the board? This was all part of the plan."

"So, you’re certain now? As long as no one directly invades Ratson’s domain, there are no consequences?"

"Yes, I’d stake everything on it. Now all that’s left is to break the peace treaty and start a war. Isn’t that exactly what Your Majesty has long desired?"

"And after all your failures, how do you expect to break the treaty?"

"Valkyrisen would have been the best target, but since we failed, our next move must be against Ratson."

"You just said you can’t touch them directly."

"But Gracia Ratson has a girl she adores, doesn’t she?"

"Ah, I see. You plan to use that girl’s hands to do it?"

Finally, she had an answer she could accept.

The queen calmed herself and sat back down.

"Everything is in place."

***

Meanwhile, Elodie thought to herself.

'Who... is this?'

Even though he «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» had called out to her so wistfully, she had no idea who he was.

She had recognized the nanny instantly by her demeanor and way of speaking.

But this boy...

Aside from having curly blond hair and a cute face, there was nothing familiar about him.

Judging by the fine material of his cloak, he seemed to be a noble.

'Wait... could it be that harvest mouse from earlier?'

The one who had immediately fled the moment their eyes met.