The Baby Sprout Who Bloomed in the Villain Duke’s Family - Chapter 114

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Chapter 114
The next morning, early.
Before the servants could wake her, Clover rose with tousled hair and peered outside at the commotion.
‘……Huh, what’s going on?’
With a light spring, the Lion of North Wind, who had kept watch beside Clover through the night, gently lifted the child onto the windowsill on a breeze.
[That’s dangerous for the child!]

[You’re never supposed to put children on a windowsill!]

While the two Summoned Creatures bickered, Clover gazed out at the Garden, which lay in plain view below her window.
From the window of Clover’s room, the Garden was visible, and Aib’s servants were bustling about, carrying something through it.
Looking more closely, she could make out beautifully decorated tables and chairs, along with flower vases.
Why were they moving all of that outside? As Clover pondered this, her eyes suddenly lit up.
‘That’s right—Neinia’s birthday party!’
Today was the long-awaited birthday party!
Sliding down from the windowsill back onto her bed, Clover tumbled forward before quickly lifting her head again.
Fluff!
After shaking out her face, Clover grabbed the doll that Neinia had given her and scurried out of bed.
Of course, the Rainbow-colored Scale she’d obtained yesterday was tucked safely in her pocket.
As the child stood before the large door, the Lion of North Wind leapt up gracefully and opened it for her.
Clover hurried out of the room, and the servants who spotted her widened their eyes.
“Oh my, young miss. You’re up already?”
Belze, who happened to be right outside Clover’s door, scooped the child up in her arms.
Belze looked surprised that Clover had awakened when there was still plenty of time before the children were meant to rise.
“Um, Belze, good morning…….”
Clover snuggled drowsily into Belze’s embrace, resting her head against the woman’s shoulder.
At the sight of this, Belze smiled brightly and patted the child’s back.
“Yes, good morning, young miss! But why didn’t you sleep a bit longer?”
“Today, Neinia’s birthday. Clover can’t be late to the party.”
Since Neinia loved Clover first and foremost, Clover had to arrive at the party first and foremost too.
At Clover’s determined words, Belze squinted with a gentle smile.
“You woke early because of the young lady’s birthday party—what a good girl you are.”
“Um, where’s Neinia?”
“She’s still sleeping, as is Lord Pluto. Only you have risen so early.”
“Wow, Clover’s first!”
“Yes, first indeed. To celebrate being first, shall we go have breakfast with fluffy pancakes and eggs? We’ll keep it a secret from the two who are still sleeping!”
A secret?
At first glance, Belze’s suggestion sounded like nothing more than a simple invitation to breakfast.
“Fluffy, pancakes.”
But even on closer inspection, it was clearly just an invitation to go eat breakfast. Yet no child could resist the word “secret.”
“I’ll prepare the fluffiest pancakes in the whole world for breakfast. The fact that your pancakes are the fluffiest in the whole world is even a secret from Lord Kalid!”
Even more so when she heard it was a “secret” from her dearest attachment figure—her father!
Clover bounced in Belze’s arms, wrapping her arms tightly around the woman’s neck.
“Yes, I really really like it. Clover wants to eat the fluffy fluffy pancakes quickly.”
“Wonderful! Then we’ll move to the Dining Hall very quietly. The prince is sleeping in the room next door, and the young lady Neinia is sleeping in the room beyond that…….”
“Quietly?”
“Yes, our clever young miss.”
Belze smiled softly and spoke in hushed, conspiratorial tones as she quickly carried Clover away before the other children could wake.
Clover nestled quietly in Belze’s arms as she dangled along, receiving what was truly the fluffiest pancake in the world.
It would have saddened the chef of Claudian to hear it, but it was the softest and fluffiest cake Clover had ever eaten.
Belze’s promise that it would be the fluffiest cake was no exaggeration!
Leaving half the pancake to share with her friend later, Clover patted her round belly and quietly left the Dining Hall.
***
“Good morning, Clover.”
Kalid appeared in an instant before Clover, who was walking about in the pretty dress Belze had dressed her in, and placed a light kiss on the child’s forehead.
“Father!”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, but scary otters came in my dream again.”
“They came again?”
“The whale man came and said, ‘Clover, I’ll protect you.'”
Thump-thump—Clover’s heart raced as she thought of the magnificent whale man from her dreams, Neptune, and she chattered away with unbridled excitement.
Kalid smiled softly and stroked her plump cheek.
“Really?”
“Yes, I want to see the whale man again.”
“After the party, Father will ask the Duke for you.”
“Yes, yes, thank you, Father. See you later then.”
Clover nodded and, unusually composed, walked past Kalid with a cool air about her.
“Hmm?”
Puzzled by this, Kalid hurried after his hurrying daughter, caught her, and asked.
“Clover.”
“Yes?”
“Where are you going?”
Neinia and Pluto were asleep, and besides them, Clover knew no one else in Aib Mansion.
Yet at his question, Clover beamed and spun around.
“While my friends are sleeping, I want to go play, Father.”
“Where?”
“In the water.”
Clover pointed outside the window with quick taps. Kalid, puzzled by the gesture, rose and looked out.
Beyond the window lay the Water Channel, House of Duke Aib’s pride and joy.
It was a channel constructed by drawing seawater from the ocean, designed to amplify the Authority of Water that House of Duke Aib wielded.
Like the one that had existed in House of Count Demper where Clover once lived, water flowed throughout the mansion in channels.
“I want to play in the water.”
Clover grinned and rummaged through the bag slung across her back.
‘A bag?’
As Kalid wondered, Clover pulled out two duck toys and showed them to him.
“These are presents.”
“For whom?”
“For the Duke…”
Giteia had given them to her.
The child bounced with excitement at the thought of setting the duck toys floating in the water channel.
“So can I go now?”
Kalid checked the time.
The party was scheduled for afternoon, and it was still morning. There was plenty of time before the Birthday Party.
Moreover, Belze stood behind Clover, having followed along with the Lion of North Wind and Aib.
There seemed to be no danger of accident. Reasoning thus, Kalid stepped aside before his daughter and kissed her forehead once more.
“Yes, go and play carefully.”
“Yes, Father, see you later!”
Clover stuffed the duck toys back into her bag and trotted off briskly.
Belze bowed briefly to Kalid and hurried after her.
***
“Duck quack…”
[Quack?]
“That’s the sound a duck makes.”
[If you just say quack once, it sounds dead… I think quack-quack twice sounds better.]
“Understood, quack-quack.”
Clover nodded at Lucky’s words and made quacking sounds as she gently set the duck toy floating on the water channel.
This was the game she had most wanted to play since she lived in Demper.
House of Count Demper, which wielded the Authority of Water, had a similar water channel where Lui would set wonderful toys, including duck toys, floating and play with them.
But he never lent those toys to Clover, so she had to play by floating leaves instead.
‘Leaves are nice too.’
But duck toys—they’re really wonderful.
The ducks bobbed gently as they drifted in the direction the water flowed.
It was as Clover, holding Belze’s hand, walked along the channel following the ducks downstream.
Slip!
The Rainbow-colored Scale in Clover’s pocket fell and splashed into the water channel.
“Oh!”
Before the startled Clover could even bend down, Belze reached out to retrieve the scale for her.
But at that moment.
Bob.
“Huh?”
The Rainbow-colored Scale that had tumbled into the water suddenly began to move in the opposite direction from where the duck toy was drifting.
As if it were finding its own path through the water on its own.