Some people have a way of doing exactly what they’re told not to do—only to end up suffering the consequences.
Elodie was one of those people.
Everyone had warned her not to go, but she had still entered the secluded palace and met the bedridden Third Prince.
A slight pang of guilt settled in her chest.
But she had gone because she was sure she wouldn’t die...
Elodie recalled the terrifying moment when she had nearly been struck down by a marble angel.
Was that why Karon was so sensitive to intruders?
‘Could that be why... he later came to see me in his snake form?’
Was he checking to see if she was dead or alive?
Her conscience pricked at her even more.
“Of course, it’s not wrong to fear disease. If it’s fatal, who wouldn’t be afraid?”
Howlf spoke bitterly as he continued.
“But even so, because of those fears, the Third Prince must have suffered countless wounds.”
So, in short, he was saying that his emotional scars ran so deep that if she approached recklessly, it would only lead to disaster.
‘His mind is the bigger problem than his body, then?’
Elodie understood.
In the end, she had no clear way to heal him right now.
His condition was severe. Unlike the injuries she had treated before, he wouldn’t recover instantly.
And mastering detoxification abilities still seemed like a distant goal.
That meant she needed his cooperation—so that she could continue approaching him freely.
‘Force won’t work here.’
He had to open his heart before he would willingly accept treatment.
Nothing—not even a single blade of grass—could survive near that child named Karon.
Who had he ever formed a lasting bond with?
‘I might not have lived a normal human life either, but at least I had Sera and the house mice.’
Even if he occasionally wandered outside when his condition improved, what did that really mean?
It was nothing more than stepping outside for a breath of fresh air.
And it wasn’t as though he made an effort to interact with others.
He had completely rejected even Edmund’s concern.
‘Actually, the closer he gets to them, the more painful it must be.’
Because he was a Basilisk.
Even thinking back to what had just happened—as soon as it was revealed that Packer was a spy planted by the Basilisks, Karon had immediately fled.
He would never be able to feel at ease in this place.
Whether he was a spy or not.
Simply being born with Basilisk blood—from a family infamous for its crimes—was enough to condemn him.
Even if he wasn’t a spy, could he ever fully lower his guard and embrace Valkyrisen as his home?
Could he open his heart and accept them as his family?
‘I doubt it.’
Even Elodie didn’t think she could do that.
How could he possibly trust that the Basilisks wouldn’t ruin everything one day?
Just look at what happened with Packer.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
‘And Packer came to Valkyrisen five years ago—the same year Karon was adopted.’
That was enough to make anyone suspect him.
Which meant he must have already accepted the fact that he would always be under suspicion.
That was why he kept pushing everyone away.
‘False hope is more painful than despair.’
Elodie had spent her life thinking she was a mere mouse, never realizing how wretched her situation [N O V E L I G H T] was.
Because for a mouse, that was simply normal.
But then she had met Sera—and she had finally understood just how cruel the world had been to her.
Because of Sera, she had learned what it meant to live like a human.
A simple mouse like her, and yet Sera had treated her with warmth and kindness, showing her what a human life should be.
But when she learned that she was actually beastfolk,
She despaired.
Because once she woke up from that brief dream, she wouldn’t be able to survive returning to her reality.
She had thought...
That if she was going to die, she would rather die while dreaming.
Of course, later, she had realized it wasn’t a dream—and she had felt relieved.
‘Does Karon feel like Valkyrisen is just a dream?’
A beautiful hell—so sweet that once he woke up, he wouldn’t be able to bear it.
‘If I approach carelessly, I’ll only end up hurting him.’
Elodie decided to step back.
At least until she gained an ability that could truly help him.
***
So, does that mean I need to find someone with a wounded heart first...?
Easier said than done.
She couldn’t just recklessly test her abilities on someone suffering from psychological wounds.
What if she messed up while trying to help?
Just imagining it was horrifying.
‘Even in Dad’s books, it said the mind must be treated more delicately than the body.’
That was why it advised mastering external wound treatment first before attempting anything else.
‘But I’ve already perfected external treatment.’
Elodie was mulling over these thoughts when, of all people, she ran into Sir Leopard-Trash in the hallway.
Smack—!
To be precise, she witnessed him getting slapped.
“Break up with me.”
“Princess, wait a momen—”
“Get lost. Don’t ever call me again.”
Elodie watched as the lion beastfolk stormed away, fuming.
‘No, Trash Sir, you didn’t even call her properly in the first place.’
He hadn’t even used her name—just vaguely called her ‘Princess.’
Honestly, she wasn’t even surprised.
“How many does that make? Nine now?”
Elodie recalled that his girlfriend count had once reached ten, an absolutely ridiculous number, and walked over to ask.
“They’ll come back to me. They always do. There’s no one else like me for the princesses.”
Sir Leopard-Trash replied with a pathetic, wistful look in his eyes.
“...Why would they?”
“Because I am the Alpha Male of the most prestigious lion family.”
Elodie instantly regretted talking to him and brushed off her ears, feeling like they were rotting from his words.
If this was what the highest-ranking Alpha looked like, then from now on, she was officially boycotting all Alphas.
Without hesitation, she turned and walked away, but of course, Trash-Knight leisurely followed behind her.
“Where are you going so dangerously all alone?”
It had been peaceful and safe until she ran into him.
‘Now, I just feel irritated.’
Elodie gave him a death glare.
How could someone who looked so normal be this much of a mess?
Even after getting slapped, he still hadn’t come to his senses.
Truly, some people were beyond saving.
‘Wait a second.’
...Or could he be salvaged?
‘Can he be fixed...? Let’s find out.’
Elodie abruptly stopped in her tracks.
Then, she turned around with a mischievous grin.
‘I have the perfect test subject right here.’
Even if fixing Leopard’s brain ended in failure, well... he couldn’t get any worse than he already was.
“Baby Lord? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Oh, nothing. More importantly, come closer.”
“...Why do your eyes look like that?”
This was kind of scary.
He instinctively took a step back, as if suddenly realizing how closely he’d been following her.
“What, are you scared? The great Alpha is scared of a tiny harvest mouse?”
Elodie smiled sweetly, as if to reassure him.
“I promise I won’t do anything.”
She just wanted to... make a few adjustments.
Huh? What kind of adjustments?
Oh, nothing much. Just lower your head a bit for me.
“I won’t turn you into a complete idiot.”
And with that, the so-called Alpha Male bolted.
Without looking back.
‘Wow. He’s fast.’
***
Elodie’s attempt at fixing Leopard’s chronic womanizing had ended in complete failure.
When Inferno heard about it, he commented:
[Even the Ratson ancestors wouldn’t be able to fix that. It’s a terminal illness.]
Was he serious?
‘No wonder I couldn’t find any books on the subject.’
Realizing how utterly pointless her efforts had been, Elodie firmly decided never to interact with Sir Leopard-Trash again.
But whatever. That wasn’t her problem.
“None of these detoxification books will open at all.”
Elodie sighed, struggling with the book “Hey, You Can Detox Too!”.
No matter how hard she pushed, pulled, and pried, it refused to budge.
All she got for her efforts was exhaustion.
Hngh, you said I could do it too...
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Even just looking at the book title pissed her off.