The Baby Sprout Who Bloomed in the Villain Duke’s Family
Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Yet imagine how it felt when the youngest sibling, sent away in that bitter separation, returned looking not just grimy, but utterly destitute!
‘What on earth were they thinking, treating that child like that?’
Setting aside the fact that she was of Claudian’s direct bloodline, she was a tiny child of barely four years old.
Even if she had been born with a powerful Authority, a four-year-old could hardly display significant power.
“I can’t forgive this…….”
Demian muttered.
Meanwhile, outside the window, Clover was lying flat on the lawn, tangled up with some blue blob.
“That’s…….”
What on earth is that? Narrowing his eyes in wonder, Demian was just about to take a closer look at the ‘blue blob’.
“Wait, look at that!”
“Huh?”
“Hyung, isn’t that Father’s summon?”
“What? The Lion of the North Wind?”
The two boys started in shock and pressed themselves close against the window. As their hearts churned and their movements grew agitated, a faint wind blew between them.
However, they had no presence of mind to pay attention to such things. What mattered was the identity of the thing playing beside Clover.
Startled, Demian looked more closely at the ‘blue blob’ clinging to the girl who was as small as a sweet pea.
“It really is…….”
He then muttered in a low voice.
It truly was Khalid’s summon, the Lion of the North Wind.
A summon.
A being born from an ‘Authority-wielder’s’ Authority, and a lifelong companion who shared life and death with the wielder.
Such summons took different forms depending on how great and magnificent the wielder’s Authority was.
Some wielders possessed summons shaped like simple, crude lumps, while others had summons of far more delicate forms.
Thus, the scale of an Authority was judged by how large and beautiful its summon was.
And Khalid’s summon, the Lion of the North Wind, was…….
As Authority-wielders said with one voice, the largest and most magnificent summon among all existing wielders.
As proud as its exalted reputation, it would never show itself before others or approach them unless summoned by its master.
It rarely even approached his own children, Sone, Demian, and Arwin, so it was safe to say it barely permitted anyone else near it.
Yet that very Lion of the North Wind had tossed aside its majestic, noble dignity and was rolling around out there in the shape of a mere cat?
‘Unbelievable…….’
When the pea-sized girl hopped in place, the Lion of the North Wind hesitated briefly before hopping up in place alongside her.
It was a rare sight that Demian and Arwin had never once witnessed in all their years living in the Claudian manor.
And certainly, Sone Claudian, the eldest daughter of Claudian who had lived several years longer than them, had surely never seen such a thing either.
“I can’t stand it!”
Arwin, who hadn’t been able to take his eyes off the constantly moving girl the whole time, muttered.
“I want to meet Clover.”
“What?”
“If she gets sent away now, who knows when we’ll see her again.”
Arwin said, gazing intently at the back of her round head.
“I have to meet her. I want to say hello to the baby.”
Having returned to her room while dangling from Belze’s hand, Clover devoured the strawberry on top of her cake and beamed.
[Are you that happy?]
“Ung, of course!”
Of course she was happy; Clover felt like she was flying right now.
It was all thanks to the cat, Khalid’s summon, whom she had met just moments ago.
<Not today. I’ll tell you tomorrow.>
‘Tomorrow?’
<Meet me here tomorrow.>
Leaving those words behind, the cat had vanished. Yet even after the cat left, Clover had remained sitting there for a long, long time.
It was because she could hardly believe the stroke of good fortune that had dropped out of nowhere.
Only after sitting there and pinching her own cheek did Clover realize that what had just happened was real.
And then, as she was hopping around in excitement, Belze found her and brought her back to the room.
Even so, it was fine. The treasure was as good as found.
‘Come tomorrow.’
Come tomorrow, she could find the treasure, and then she wouldn’t have to go to the Demper family.
If Clover found in a single day what Papa had been searching for so diligently and went poof! here it is?
Papa would be happy too, right?
Wings of imagination unfolded inside Clover’s mind.
Utterly thrilled, Clover giggled bashfully. Even when she tried not to smile, chuckles kept slipping out over and over.
[Yes, that’s wonderful. Then you really can live here. I wasn’t thrilled about going somewhere else either, so this worked out great.]
“Ung, it really did. But Lucky.”
[Hm?]
“Why can’t Papa find it?”
[Hmmmmmm…… Well now, I’m not sure about that either. Well, once you find it, we’ll know.]
“Uung, I wish tomorrow would hurry up and come…….”
Grinning softly, Clover scooped up a big bite of cake and popped it into her mouth. The smooth cream melting softly was a perfect match for her current mood.
‘I like Claudian…….’
Papa was here, and so were the unnie and oppas she hadn’t met yet, and delicious cake too.
Her face broke into an involuntary smile at the thought that she could stay in such a place. It was just as Clover was holding her fork in her mouth and chewing on the cake.
“Milady.”
Belze, who had stepped out for a moment, returned and called to Clover. Clover paused in eating her cake and lifted her head.
“Ung?”
“A guest has arrived. Would you like to meet them?”
“A guest?”
“Well…….”
Belze hesitated awkwardly and glanced outside. Judging by the way Belze was walking on eggshells, it seemed whoever stood outside the door was someone very important.
“Who is it?”
“Can’t we just go in?”
An unfamiliar voice could be heard from outside. Clover’s eyes widened round, and her ears perked up.
Who could it be?
“Young Master, Lady Clover has not fully recovered yet…….”
“But we saw earlier that she was doing fine with the Lion of the North Wind. If she can handle that guy, she’ll be fine with us.”
The voice was gentle, yet carried a certain stubborn streak. A little startled by the unfamiliar voice, Clover quietly reached out and hugged the cushion beside her.
‘A stranger, a voice I’ve never heard before…….’
In truth, Clover was a bit shy around strangers. Given how startled she had been when she first met Belze, it wasn’t all that surprising.
[It’s okay, kiddo. They don’t seem like bad people.]
At that, Lucky glowed golden and floated gently before Clover.
[I think your family is here.]
“Ung? Family……?”
Just as Clover muttered in a low voice, the half-closed door swung wide open.
A gentle gust of wind drifted into the room where Clover sat. Her short bangs fluttered in the breeze.
And then, two boys who looked identical to Khalid revealed themselves.
Both had golden eyes just like Khalid’s, and the faint presence of the Authority of the Storm could be felt from them. They even carried the ‘scent of wind’ that had drifted from the cat.
Neatly dressed, the boys were every bit as dashing as Khalid, and despite this being their first meeting, they somehow didn’t feel unfamiliar at all.
As Clover clutched her cushion tightly and shifted her gaze toward the boys, the one standing on the left beamed brightly and spoke.
“We won’t come close; we’ll just look from here. Is that okay?”
When the boy spoke as if asking Belze for permission, Belze hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.
Then, seemingly with no intention of crossing the threshold, the two brothers took a step back from the doorway and looked at Clover.
“Hello, Clover.”
“Hello, baby.”
The two brothers, looking alike yet distinct, gazed at Clover simultaneously with golden eyes as brilliant as the sun.
Clover stared quietly at them, then repeated the word Lucky had said to her moments ago.
“Family.”
“Hm?”
“Clover’s family…….”
