The Baby Sprout Who Bloomed in the Villain Duke’s Family - Chapter 116

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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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Episode 116
‘Ping-ping!’
Clover thought to herself. Lucky settled gently onto Clover’s shoulder.
The party began once Siaren arrived first, followed by all the other children.
Though they called it the young lady’s birthday party, it was hardly grand—everyone present, host and guests alike, was still too young for anything elaborate.
It was simply a small gathering where they ate delicious food and played together.
In the process, the children failed to observe proper aristocratic etiquette.
But who would scold such young children over protocol? They had long since forgotten everything their parents had cautioned them about before coming to the party.
When Nenia, the birthday girl, spoke in her clear, fresh voice saying, “Thank you for coming,” the children’s birthday party truly began.
After eating delicious food and growing cheerful, the children settled at tea tables in the Garden and began chatting away.
There, surrounding Clover and Nenia and Pluto, sat Siaren, the only daughter of Count Reno; Zeronio Solen and Rilua Solen, the twin siblings of Baron Solen; and Dorena Asher of Viscount Asher’s household.
Several of the children had flushed cheeks from occasionally leaving their seats to run about and play.
As for Clover—
‘Heh, these friends are the best, the absolute best.’
She was thoroughly delighted by this new group of companions.
Just an hour ago, she’d been sweating nervously trying to remember their names, but in that span of time, she’d forgotten all about it and was playing wonderfully with children her own age.
“Clover, try this.”
“No, eat what Nenia’s giving me.”
Though Nenia and Pluto didn’t fit in quite as smoothly as Clover did, they refused to leave their seats.
Instead, they sat glued to Clover’s sides, playing along with her games and keeping her company.
Giteia, watching from a distance, was satisfied and deeply moved simply by the fact that Nenia didn’t storm away from the table.
Last year, Nenia had declared she wouldn’t make any friends and had kicked back her chair to leave. For her to sit peacefully now was nothing short of a miracle.
Clover had just finished accepting all the food that Pluto and Nenia offered her and was wondering what to play next—
“Lady Clover.”
Zeronio looked at Clover with sparkling eyes and asked a question.
“Mm, yes?”
“Is your Ability really Sprout?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Clover nodded. Zeronio opened his mouth again, his eyes bright with anticipation.
“Then can you save withered plants?”
“Zeronio!”
“Huh? I, I was just…….”
The boy’s face fell at his twin sister’s rebuke.
Asking about another’s Ability without permission was impolite—no matter how young the child.
Especially since Clover was the young lady of Claudian. Rilua, Zeronio’s twin sister, spoke carefully to Clover.
“I apologize. Zeronio is still immature…….”
“Mm? No, it’s fine.”
Clover shook her head and answered Zeronio’s question.
“Completely withered ones I can’t save.”
But plants that were merely wilting, she could revive with her Ability.
It was something she never could have imagined back in the Demper household, but now that she’d absorbed some of the World Tree’s power and grown stronger—
Reviving wilted plants was something remarkably easy for Clover.
Clover opened her mouth, her voice full of curiosity.
“Does……your……family……have……any?”
Though she spoke with confidence, she still fumbled with the words.
[That’s right.]
Lucky confirmed that Clover had it correct.
Now with a bit more confidence, Clover finished the sentence firmly.
“Dead plants at your home?”
The boy nodded enthusiastically.
“My mother’s hobby is growing plants. But they keep wilting, and it makes Mother sad.”
“Hmm.”
Why would that be?
Since Clover wasn’t a doctor, she couldn’t know why plants she’d never seen were withering.
“If the young lady would visit our house sometime, Mother would be so very happy.”
“Could I really go play?”
“O-of course!”
At Clover’s question, Zeronio nodded eagerly, eagerly, eagerly! But Nenia and Pluto, sitting on either side of Clover, watched her with expressions that were decidedly unenthusiastic.
“Clover, leaving Nenia…….”
“I’ll come too!”
Clover laughed brightly and pulled both children toward her by the arms, gathering them into a single embrace, and Nenia and Pluto’s bodies tilted in her direction.
Yet neither Nenia nor Pluto made any effort to escape from Clover’s arms.
Both had flushed cheeks, and they nestled against her like docile kittens.
After chatting a while longer, the children soon grew restless sitting still. At their age, constant movement was only natural.
Noticing the children’s creeping boredom, Nenia spoke matter-of-factly.
“Let’s play.”
“Huh?”
“Clover’s bored, so we need to play. She said she wanted to play with her friends.”
Nenia folded her arms and gazed at her companions—her bearing suggesting they should hurry and decide what game to play.
As befitted a birthday party, the maids had prepared board games for the children, but Nenia wanted something more entertaining than that.
It was Siaren, the oldest among them, who stepped forward.
“How about hide-and-seek?”
“Oh, what a good idea! With hide-and-seek, no one will scold us for playing in an unladylike manner.”
“What a wonderful idea…”
“Hide-and-seek sounds fun!”
The children murmured their agreement.
After a moment’s thought, Nenia spoke up.
“But hide-and-seek at Aibe wouldn’t be fun for me.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I can sense where everyone is hiding.”
Nenia said this confidently. Siaren quickly added her own suggestion.
“Then let’s all agree not to use our Abilities.”
“That’s right, that’s right! Using Abilities is cheating!”
As the children chimed in, Nenia faltered slightly.
“Nia… let’s, let’s play hide-and-seek…”
Clover whispered in Nenia’s ear as she hesitated.
“Clover, I’ve never, ever played hide-and-seek before, so I really, really want to try it…!”
“…All right.”
Nenia agreed not to use her Ability, and the children decided who would be “it” by playing rock-paper-scissors.
The seeker was five-year-old Dorena. The little girl quickly bent over a tea table and began counting: one, two…
“Count up to a hundred.”
“But how do we count to a hundred?”
“Twenty, thirty… like that.”
“Won’t some numbers be missing in between?”
As the smaller children fussed, one of the maids listening to their conversation stepped forward and offered to count to a hundred herself.
With that settled, hide-and-seek began. Clover carefully looked around to make sure no one was following her, then surveyed the Garden to find a hiding place.
If they played throughout the entire Aibe Mansion, the space would be too vast, so the hide-and-seek area was limited to the Garden.
Still, the Garden was spacious enough, and since Clover was so small, she could hide almost anywhere.
“…Clover, come with me.”
If only Pluto hadn’t followed her!
Clover’s eyes widened as she looked at Pluto.
“Why are you here? Aren’t you hiding?”
“…Hide with me. I’ve never done this before.”
“But this is Clover’s first time too…”
After hesitating briefly, Clover grasped Pluto’s hand firmly.
As the two children stepped forward to search for a hiding place, a maid working for Aibe approached them.
“Young Miss Clover, Young Master Pluto—are you looking for a place to hide?”
The maid who had appeared from somewhere smiled softly at the children.
Her voice was very gentle and pleasant to hear. Clover and Pluto quickly forgot they were supposed to be hiding and simply stared at the maid.
“Um? U-uh…”
“If you’d like, I could show you a place to hide. If you hide there, no one will ever find you.”
The maid smiled faintly. Each time she smiled, her skirt rustled softly as if moved by a breeze.
[What is this? Tell her you can hide just fine on your own! Why is she butting into the children’s game?]
Lucky seemed displeased with the maid. As Lucky fretted indignantly, Clover was about to tell the maid that there was no need for her guidance.
“If you hide there, truly, truly, no one will find you!”
The maid whispered once more, her voice sweet and coaxing.
Her voice was so honeyed and gentle it was hard to refuse—or rather, it sounded as though refusing were impossible.
In that moment.
The children nodded absently.

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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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