The Baby Sprout Who Bloomed in the Villain Duke’s Family [Novel] Chapter 1 - Chapter 1 is available as a full text chapter. Published August 29, 2026 and updated August 29, 2026.
Translator: Nox
The Baby Sprout Who Bloomed in the Villain Duke’s Family - Chapter 1The Baby Sprout Who Bloomed in the Villain Duke’s FamilyChapter 1
Chapter 1
「Alright, let's give it a try.」
“Awwight, let’s give it a twy.”
Don't be scared, I can do it!
Because Clover is super-duper smart!
Clover nodded firmly.
Then, with a face brimming with confidence, she directed her Authority toward the floor.
And then—
Pop!
Right where Clover had channeled her power, a tiny little sprout popped up from the ground.
“I did it!”
「I did it!」
The fresh, light-green sprout was petite and vibrant.
Overjoyed at having successfully used her power, Clover hopped up and down before crouching low to gently poke the sprout with her finger.
At that exact moment—
Snap.
The little sprout, which had been so fresh only seconds before, limply snapped at its stem.
“……!”
Its leaves turned yellow, withered away, and tumbled over onto the floor.
“I din't do it…….”
Another failure.
Her heart sinking, Clover slumped onto her bottom and pulled out the withered sprout.
Having already dried up straight to its roots, the little plant came out with a feeble tug.
“Failed again today.”
She had failed yesterday, and the day before that, and today was no different.
She tried every single day, yet every single day brought a brand-new failure.
She was utterly sick and tired of failing.
The tiny girl let out a heavy sigh and mumbled to herself.
“Am I not good enough……?”
Was Clover just too, too weak to use her Authority like other people?
As Clover grew visibly downcast, Lucky floated up right before her eyes and spoke.
「It's okay, it's okay, kiddo! You just have to practice again!」
“Again?”
「That's right! You just have to succeed next time! Trying means doing it until you succeed! Don't let failure get you down—stay brave and keep going.」
“Stay bwave!”
「Right, and then next time you'll succeed brilliantly. Don't you worry.」
“Uh-huh, I'll succeed!”
Instantly cheered by Lucky’s words, Clover leaped to her feet.
“Yep, I just have to pwactice again!”
If she failed once, she would try once more; if she failed again, she would try twice more!
Her earlier gloom had vanished without a trace.
“I'll pwactice real cool-like, and show Daddy later.”
「Yes, yes, of course.」
And later, when Daddy came to find Clover...
Since Clover could use such an awesome Authority, too...
She would ask him never to send her anywhere else again.
Clover murmured softly beneath her breath.
‘I wanna live with Daddy…….’
With that, she channeled her Authority once more.
Flicker.
A faint glow illuminated her two tiny hands.
***
The Claudian Dukedom, masters of the power of storms.
Every member of the Claudian family was born with the Authority of the Storm.
From the moment of their birth, they could wield that power at will.
Until now, not a single child born with the Claudian name had ever been incapable of using their Authority.
Except for one.
“Foolish thing…….”
Except for Clover.
Clover was the youngest daughter of the Claudian Dukedom, turning four this year.
Yet Clover possessed no power to command the wind and rain.
After all, she was the only child who had not been born with the Authority of the Storm.
Was that why?
The moment she was born, Clover had been dumped onto her maternal family, the Demper family.
‘I want you to look after the child.’
Four years ago, the Duke of Claudian had left those words and departed, leaving the infant with the Demper family.
Of course, he had not abandoned her empty-handed.
He sent an exorbitant sum of money to the Demper household for her living expenses.
However...
‘Who does he take me for, a nanny?’
Count Demper had already heard plenty of rumors about the youngest daughter of Claudian.
The only child not born with the Authority of the Storm.
A defective half-blood who failed to manifest a single Claudian trait.
Word had already spread that opinions were sharply divided within the ducal house on how to dispose of the child.
And yet, to dump her off here!
‘He might as well have thrown her away on my doorstep!’
Still, she could hardly refuse the Duke’s request.
In the end, Count Demper was saddled with a useless niece.
Even so, she had tried to look on the bright side.
‘Even if this brat has neither the golden eyes that symbolize the Claudians nor the Authority of the Storm……’
They said no direct descendant in Claudian history had ever failed to awaken their Authority.
Perhaps, once this child grew a little older, she would awaken hers as well.
And when she did, she might repay the aunt who had raised her!
Those hopes, however, were shattered within a few short years.
“Can you really not do anything?”
“Clover can do it.”
“Do what?”
“A spwout!”
As Clover carefully unfolded her tiny hands, a single sprout popped up into existence.
Yet before long, it withered and died.
Watching this unfold, Count Demper spoke with a chillingly cold face.
“Who said I wanted to see something like that?”
At those words, Clover hung her head in dismay.
Count Demper, however, could not have cared less.
What she wanted to see was the power of storms.
That mighty, destructive force exclusive to the direct line of Claudian!
Yet even at four years old, Clover had failed to manifest anything remotely resembling it.
To be sure, Clover did possess an ‘Authority’ of her own, but...
“What good is a useless Authority like this?”
Clover's power was the Authority of the Sprout.
A power that did nothing more than sprout a tiny little bud.
It was so trivial, so worthless, and so utterly pathetic that Count Demper grew furious every time Clover used it.
Irritation flared hot within her chest.
“I can't stand the sight of you, so get lost to your room.”
The moment the Count finished speaking, the child hurriedly bowed her head and scurried out of the room.
Her little shoulders slumped low.
Count Demper watched the tiny head scramble away in a hurry.
Click.
And the moment the door shut, she clicked her tongue and muttered.
“To dump her on me the moment she turned out useless…….”
Was this how they had always disposed of worthless direct descendants who couldn't use their Authority?
If so...
“Claudian isn't all that impressive after all.”
Count Demper muttered, recalling the hesitant, timid child.
***
After lowering her head and letting her shoulders droop, Clover dashed out of the room.
Click.
Yet the instant the door swung shut behind her...
‘Hmph!’
Clover’s slumped shoulders snapped right back up as if they had never drooped in the first place.
After glancing around her surroundings, Clover stuck her tongue out at the closed door.
The moment she confirmed no one was watching, she scampered away on quick, pitter-pattering feet.
‘Hurry, gotta go fast!’
Clenching her tiny fists tight, Clover sprinted along.
The instant she reached her room, she slammed the door shut.
“Haa, haah…….”
She caught her breath, panting softly.
Right then.
The golden four-leaf clover tucked into Clover's hair fluttered down.
“Hup!”
With practiced ease, Clover snatched the four-leaf clover out of the air with both hands.
Held firmly in her pint-sized palms, the four-leaf clover shimmered and spoke.
「Good job, kid!」
“Did I do good?”
「You did great! Now write in your diary! Quick, write before you forget! Put down every single detail!」
“Uh-huh, evewy single detail!”
Wearing a resolute expression, Clover pulled a sheet of worn parchment from beneath her bed.
Then, on the empty space, she began scribbling crooked letters.
She was still clumsy with her writing.
Even so, she could write.
August 2, weather sunny.
Auntie got mad again.
She told me not to tell Daddy.
「Write that she called you an idiot, too.」
Clover wrote down each stroke carefully.
She called me an idot.
「You forgot a letter.」
“Fowgot a letter.”
Clover neatly corrected her spelling.
idot
She called me an idiot.
“All done.”
Clover smoothed out the densely filled parchment with immense pride.
She blew gentle breaths—hoo, hoo—across the parchment so the ink would dry faster.
Flutter. As the parchment shifted, the lines of text Clover had crammed into the page came into view.
Written upon it were lines like these:
They only gave Clover a teeny-tiny bit of food.
Louis pushed Clover, he din't say sorry.
They told Clover she was useless!
She said Daddy isn't coming!
.
.
.
Letting the ink dry, Clover let out a soft giggle, “Heheh.”
Watching her, the four-leaf clover spoke in a profoundly satisfied voice.
「Well written, kid.」
“Did I do good?”
「You did great! With this, we can defeat the villainous aunt!」
The four-leaf clover cackled wickedly, “Hehehe.”
Clover copied the clover and giggled like a mischievous little villain, “Hehehe.”
Then, after rolling the parchment up nice and tight...
“Now I gotta hide it good.”
She slid the rolled-up diary deep beneath the bed.
She didn't forget to drape a worn blanket over the opening to conceal it, either.
In the space beneath the bed, briefly revealed when the blanket fluttered, rested a considerable stack of hidden parchment.
Every single page had been written by Clover herself.
Things she had been recording ever since the day she learned how to write.
Inside that ‘diary’...
Every instance of Count Demper losing her temper.
Every time the countess’s maids treated her with contempt.
And every time her cousin Louis bullied her—all of it was meticulously recorded without missing a single day.
Right down to the tiniest detail!
For now, the diary remained safely hidden beneath the bed, but should it ever be revealed, it was bound to unleash a monumental storm.
