Elodie quickly regained her composure and pointed decisively at the bracelet, its crimson gemstone gleaming from within the glass case.
"I want that."
"T-That is absolutely out of the question—!"
"You wouldn’t dare say ‘absolutely not,’ would you, Mother?"
"……."
"If so naless man left it here for no reason, then it must not be anything precious."
"……."
"Elodie says she wants it."
"……Fine. Do as you wish."
Clare’s restrained voice barely concealed the murderous intent beneath it.
But Sera ignored it completely.
She simply opened the glass case, making it easy for Elodie to retrieve the bracelet.
Elodie’s hands trembled slightly as she picked it up and clenched it tightly.
Basilisk.
No matter how strong her suspicions had been, there had been no concrete evidence.
Until now.
At last, she had proof.
***
"Hic, Mom! How could you do this to ?!"
Rose, unable to contain her frustration, finally burst into tears.
How could she hit ?
Even after hearing every single thing that wretched Cinderella said to —how could she just stand there?!
No, worse—she even agreed with her!
Rose still couldn't believe what had happened.
The image of Cinderella—her personal maid, who once scrubbed her clothes and polished her shoes—sneering down at her with contempt remained burned into her mind.
Clare, watching her daughter wail so loudly it seed as if the mansion itself might shake, felt a splitting headache coming on.
"You foolish girl. Do you not realize that, thanks to , it ended with just this?"
"What? Can’t you see my cheek? It still stings!"
"Stop wallowing in your pain for a mont and think—was that really the sa Cinderella we knew?"
Rose sniffled, montarily ceasing her tears.
"……No."
That filthy little girl, who had always obeyed every ridiculous command without protest, was gone.
She had changed completely.
Had Cinderella ever looked her in the eye with such bold defiance before?
"Strutting around so proudly just because she has the young lord of Valkyrisen and so rat from Ratson behind her…"
Rose ground her teeth as she muttered.
At last, Daisy, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.
"But still, no one can change that much in just a few days."
"Exactly. That girl was rotten from the start."
The fact that she had kept her claws hidden until she had enough power to seize control of the Bluewood estate—wasn't that proof enough?
From the mont Clare first laid eyes on Seraphina, she had felt an intense foreboding.
If she didn’t crush that girl imdiately, disaster would follow.
She had been absolutely certain that she could not afford to leave Seraphina with even the slightest chance of survival.
At first, she had simply assud that bearing a son would solve everything.
But as ti passed, she changed her mind.
She assigned her work.
She punished her if she disobeyed.
She dressed her in servant’s clothes.
She erased her na from the family records.
She even gave her a na—Cinderella, aning "little ash-covered girl."
She worked her harder than a re maid, making sure everyone believed it was natural.
And after officially declaring her dead, she turned her into nothing more than a ghost, a forgotten existence.
Ten years passed since her remarriage, yet she never bore a son.
She beca convinced she had made the right decision.
But she had never expected this.
"Perhaps that little rat was actually so high-born beastfolk, and Cinderella already knew it all along."
How cunning.
All her ticulous efforts had been wasted in an instant.
Yet, to prevent imdiate ruin, they had no choice but to comply for now.
Clare placed a firm hand on Rose and Daisy’s shoulders, her face set in an expression of grim determination.
"Keep your heads down. For now."
Just as Cinderella had done.
At least that much was worth learning from her.
"After all, all she has done is reclaim the family na. She’s still just a penniless girl. There will be countless chances to turn the tables."
And this ti, Clare would not make the sa mistake.
She clenched her fists.
Yes, my mistake was…
It was being satisfied with simply erasing her na and making her a servant, just because she was still young.
This ti—
She would make sure Cinderella stayed dead.
No more unexpected variables.
***
The bracelet taken from the Bluewood estate might as well have fallen from the sky.
No trace of its origin could be found.
"I'm sorry."
Edmund’s voice carried unmistakable frustration.
It was clear that he felt responsible for failing to uncover anything despite Elodie’s request.
"It’s fine. That was expected."
She had asked him to investigate the bracelet’s origins, but she hadn't held much hope.
There was no way they would have left any trails leading back to the true culprit.
Wasn't the Basilisk family known for never leaving their territory unless specifically hired?
Naturally, they would have been ticulous in erasing their tracks.
Though, it seed they hadn’t anticipated that this bracelet would trigger her lost mories.
Which ant—
The bracelet itself didn't have the ability to store mories.
Then how…?
"This gemstone is a red diamond," Edmund explained.
"It’s incredibly rare and highly valuable. However, it was not crafted into an artifact."
He confird it was nothing more than a plain gemstone bracelet.
She had heard before that the rarer the gemstone, the more powerful the artifact it could be crafted into.
But was it really possible for her to imprint her own mories onto a non-artifact gemstone?
Well, I am the descendant of a divine agent…
Maybe, in a mont of overwhelming emotion, her latent abilities had surfaced.
Elodie marveled at the unknown power her younger self had displayed—without even realizing it.
I must have been furious.
Seriously, that man had pushed his mockery too far.
Claiming that if the gods were watching, they would save her, or that she could bring divine punishnt upon him if she had the power—
Even a three-year-old wouldn’t stand for that kind of provocation.
"Do you believe this bracelet belonged to the one who abandoned you in Terranolia, Lady Ratson?"
At Edmund’s cautious question, Elodie, still gripping the bracelet tightly, raised her head.
"Edmund, do you know the Basilisk family?"
"Basilisk…"
Edmund repeated the na, pushing his hair back in frustration.
"I do."
If even the young lord of Valkyrisen only "knew" of them, that ant they were even more secretive than rumors suggested.
Valkyrisen was a neutral faction, and it was said they had no dealings with Basilisk at all.
Just how many secrets did that family hide?
"The Basilisk snakes never use their real nas. Even when eting outsiders, they cover themselves completely with cloaks and hoods."
"What? Why?"
"…Because of their ‘family business.’"
Edmund brushed off the topic, as if reluctant to speak of such things in front of a child.
Not that it mattered—Elodie already knew.
She had learned the truth from Squirrel.
Basilisk’s "family business" was simple: as long as the price was right, they would carry out any request.
Ethics be damned.
Murder, kidnapping, illegal trade… They must be involved in every cri imaginable.
There was no way their "jobs" consisted of running petty errands.
The fact that they could abduct a child with zero hesitation proved they were an infamously depraved family.
"In fact, Lady Ratson likely knows more about them than I do. I’ve heard they only ever reveal their true identities before the Emperor of Animallia and the High Priest."
Hearing that, Elodie finally understood.
That was why the Basilisk man had shown his face and stated his na in front of her.
Because I was the High Priest’s child.
"Is this Basilisk’s doing?"
Edmund’s voice grew quiet.
But his sharp gaze was deadlier than ever.
The air around him tensed, the sheer killing intent making Elodie’s skin prickle.
He wouldn’t… march on Basilisk right now, would he?
Basilisk was still considered a noble house. An attack on them wouldn’t be a major blow to Valkyrisen, but—
That’s not the right move.
There was soone behind all of this.
Basilisk likely had rely carried out soone else’s request.
If they attacked too soon, the real mastermind would cut ties and disappear.
This had to be handled carefully.
Quietly.
In the shadows.
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