The Baby Sprout Who Bloomed in the Villain Duke’s Family - Chapter 106

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 106
“Pluto, come with us.”
“…….”
“There’s plenty of fun to be had.”
At Clover’s words, Pluto’s face fell slightly. He wanted to go, but he couldn’t.
Kalid, who had been watching silently, spoke to Pluto.
“The restriction on going out was only until the Foundation Festival. After that, it might be different. I’ll ask about it.”
Since they hadn’t yet arrived at Claudian, Kalid had omitted the subject deliberately as he spoke—a move that made Sone, sitting in the same carriage, look at him with a puzzled expression.
But Kalid offered no explanation. Even without the subject stated, Pluto understood perfectly well.
“Really……?”
“Yes.”
“……Thank you, Duke.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Kalid answered lightly, then gazed at the two children for a moment before reaching out to stroke Clover’s cheek.
The soft, pale skin gave way with each gentle poke, sinking in as if made of air itself.
When her cheek was suddenly poked, Clover opened her eyes halfway and looked at Kalid.
“Mmm.”
“……Why are you suddenly poking the child?”
“She’s adorable.”
Kalid’s answer was brief, yet entirely convincing.
Sone looked bewildered, glancing back and forth between Kalid and Clover, before carefully bringing her hand to Clover’s cheek.
“Heh.”
Delighted, Clover grinned and rubbed her soft cheek against Sone’s hand.
“……!”
Sone immediately lifted Clover onto her lap and held her throughout the rest of the ride.
It was Kalid, not Sone, who found himself wearing a bewildered expression as he watched the scene unfold.
***
After the Foundation Festival ended, Kalid released Pluto from her disguise upon returning to Claudian.
During that period, it was understood that Pluto had been ill and hadn’t left the villa, so only one maidservant who attended her most closely, Clover, Kalid, and Teniron knew that Pluto had gone out in disguise.
After the Foundation Festival, Teniron had complained to Kalid that Sone, Demian, and Arwin had been needlessly sniping at him without reason—though most of his grievances were ignored.
Jena decided to stay temporarily in the servants’ quarters.
While there, she explored what field of work she might pursue going forward, and she seemed particularly interested in gardening. Kalid ordered that once her birthday had passed and she could exercise her Authority, she would be helped to find work in that direction.
And Kalid himself.
“The numbers are not as small as I expected.”
He murmured upon receiving the results of his investigation into the Trina Church. Teniron chimed in beside him.
“I thought it was a small heretical sect, but it seems larger than anticipated. The discipline appears quite strict as well.”
“Still, it’s best to deal with it cleanly. Did you confirm whether there are any major violations of imperial law?”
Every heretical sect commits acts that breach imperial law in some fashion, but that alone is not enough to dismantle an entire religion.
And if one had only suspicion rather than concrete evidence, it was even more hopeless.
“That’s the thing…….”
Teniron scratched his head.
“It’s difficult to trace. It’s as though they simply appeared in the world one day, out of nowhere.”
“……What?”
“Of course, that can’t be the case, so someone must have erased their information or backed them—but finding out who is equally difficult. Even the Information Guild cannot track them down.”
“All the more suspicious…….”
A heretical sect bold and powerful enough to infiltrate disciples into the Abe Duke Family, yet leaving no trail?
“Even the Temple has made considerable effort to investigate the Trina Church, but they too have found nothing. It seems difficult to uncover much in a short span of time. We’ll need to conduct a longer investigation.”
“Then do so. If anything shakes loose, let me know.”
“I will.”
Just as Teniron was about to leave.
Knock, knock.
Someone rapped on the door.
The sound was different from the usual knock of a servant—very soft and coming from a low height.
Upon recognizing the source, both Kalid and Teniron’s faces broke into a smile.
“Come in.”
As Kalid’s words finished, the maidservant standing outside opened the door with an equally broad smile on her face.
Then, peeking through, came Clover’s head.
“Papa, are you busy?”
“Not at all. Come here.”
At Kalid’s words, Clover grinned and stepped inside. Behind her stood Pluto as well.
A small tray rested in Clover’s hands. She had entered the room with Pluto, and now she dashed over to Kalid and Teniron, thrusting it toward them with pride.
“Papa, look!”
“Hmm? Cookies?”
What Clover held out were slightly burnt cookies. Moreover, unlike the pastries a professional confectioner would make, their shapes were uneven and rather haphazard.
“This one, Clover made it.”
“You did? How?”
When Kalid turned with a puzzled expression to regard Belze, who stood behind Clover, Belze laughed softly.
“The young lady went to the kitchen wanting to eat cookies, and after playing a bit with dough, she made the cookies together with the cooks.”
“Nothing dangerous happened, I hope——”
“Nothing of the sort, sir. The young lady merely shaped the dough, while the cooks handled all the baking. The slightly burnt ones turned out that way because she wanted to say the word when it was time to take them out herself.”
At Belze’s explanation, Kalid picked up a cookie. Clover gazed up at him with eyes bright with anticipation.
“Papa, I have something to say.”
“Go ahead.”
“Papa, ear.”
When Clover rose onto her tiptoes, Kalid naturally bent down and offered his ear to her.
Then, cupping her small hands around his ear, Clover whispered softly.
“This, Clover made it for the first time, and Papa is the first to get it…….”
“……What about the older brothers?”
“Not given yet.”
…….
A subtle smile of triumph spread across Kalid’s face. Seeing this childish display, Teniron looked bemused——
“……Here.”
When Pluto suddenly offered him a cookie, Teniron froze.
“Sir? Me? Your Highness, you’re giving this to me?”
“……Thank you for helping on Foundation Festival day.”
Pluto spoke in an awkward mumble, averting his gaze. It seemed he had been holding in his heart the fact that Teniron had helped him by postponing his vacation for several days.
‘Your Highness!’
In truth, Teniron had not entirely missed enjoying the Foundation Festival, and Kalid had already given him sufficient compensation for postponing his leave, so he had given it little thought.
Yet it appeared the young prince, unaccustomed to others’ goodwill, had been keeping the matter close to his heart all this while.
“If you don’t want it, you don’t have to eat it.”
“Did Your Highness make this yourself?”
“……Yes, with Clover.”
Clover and Pluto glanced at each other briefly. Clover broke into a bright smile.
Seeing this, Teniron’s eyes grew moist with emotion as he gazed at Pluto.
“Your Highness…….”
Pluto was a prince. It was a position where attendance from others was to be taken for granted.
Yet he had been touched by such a trivial thing, held it close all this while, and come to give him homemade cookies! Teniron found himself wishing, without quite realizing it, that Pluto were truly his nephew.
“Your Highness, I shall enjoy this greatly. This is my first time eating homemade cookies.”
Teniron smiled broadly as he accepted the cookie.
“I’ve never seen such a wonderful cookie—your craftsmanship is remarkable!”
At the word craftsmanship, Pluto stiffened. The boy quietly slipped his gloved hands behind his back.
Because of his power, Pluto remained sensitive whenever the subject of his hands came up. Noticing this, Teniron quickly smoothed over what he had just said.
“Do you dislike hearing about craftsmanship?”
“……No, it’s fine.”
“Well, that’s a relief!”
“Mm.”
Pluto nodded, then hesitated for a moment before, seeming embarrassed, he quickly seized Clover’s wrist to leave the room.
“Okay.”
“I’m going.”
Pluto, about to leave the room with Clover, paused.
At that moment, Teniron and Kalid regarded the young prince’s departing figure with curious eyes.
“……I wore gloves while making it, so eat without worry.”
“Papa, bye.”
Clover and Pluto left those words behind and vanished like the wind. In the space where the children had been, the aroma of freshly baked cookies lingered.
Kalid smiled gently and placed a piece of cookie in his mouth.
But Teniron hesitated, unable to put the cookie in his mouth. Kalid, finding this puzzling, asked him.
“Why aren’t you eating it?”
“It truly moves me, but……you didn’t tell us.”
“What?”
“He said the cookies were made while wearing gloves, but he never specified whether they were cooking gloves or regular household gloves…….”
Teniron, oddly fastidious despite his disheveled appearance, spoke with a sorrowful expression.
Kalid paid him no mind, devouring the cookies Clover had brought with evident enjoyment.
Before long, Teniron, who had been wavering, succumbed as well—eating the cookies Pluto had made.
Strange, though: only Pluto’s cookies carried the faintest hint of salt.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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