The Baby Sprout Who Bloomed in the Villain Duke’s Family - Chapter 117

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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 117
Clover and Pluto followed the Maid in a daze. She led the children to the corner of the Garden, where a Wooden Box sat waiting.
The surface had been carefully sanded smooth and polished, and the box was large enough to hold both children comfortably. The Maid tapped Clover and Pluto lightly on their shoulders.
“Right here, Miss. Your Highness.”
[Something’s off about this.]
Lucky watched the Maid and the children in turns with the keen, protective gaze of a guard dog.
Yet there was nothing unusual about the Maid—at least not that Lucky could detect.
Or was there?
It was impossible to tell whether she was a bad person skillfully disguised, or simply a well-meaning Maid eager to help the children play Hide-and-Seek. And in this form, Lucky found it even harder to judge.
Lucky was about to fly closer to the Maid’s face for a better look when—
“Ah!”
Clover’s eyes flew open with a soft gasp, and she looked rapidly between the Wooden Box and the Maid.
“Miss?”
The Maid turned to Clover with a worried expression. Lucky felt equally concerned watching her.
‘What is it?’
Why was she looking at Clover like that?
Clover glanced at Pluto’s hand—still firmly clasped in her own—then at the Wooden Box.
Then the memory came flooding back.
“Shall I show you a place where you can hide? No one will ever find you there.”
‘She said she’d show me a place to hide.’
But that was all she could remember.
When did Clover get here!?
Clover’s eyes widened in alarm, and she studied the Maid warily.
Pluto, who had been clutching Clover’s hand tightly the entire time, felt equally uneasy.
He looked at the Maid with confused, uncertain eyes.
Clover spoke in a small voice.
“When did Clover come here?”
“Just a moment ago.”
“Just now?”
“Yes~ You followed me just now, didn’t you, Miss? I’ve shown you a good hiding spot, so I’ll be on my way. Miss, Your Highness, please keep it secret that I showed you this place!”
The Maid smiled softly, letting her long, curly hair flutter as she turned to leave.
In that moment, Lucky fluttered down onto Clover’s shoulder and asked urgently.
[Clover, Clover.]
“Hmm?”
[Did you notice anything strange about that Maid?]
Strange?
Clover narrowed her eyes and watched the Maid disappear into the distance.
She saw nothing unusual. The only thing that caught her attention was the skirt hem swaying busily as the Maid walked away.
“……I don’t see anything.”
As Clover replied hesitantly, Lucky flew off toward the box.
She darted around it carefully, checking every surface to see if anything suspicious had been placed there. The way she moved so diligently made her look exactly like a young child’s protector.
“Lucky, is something wrong?”
[I don’t know why, but something feels off…… Didn’t you sense anything strange?]
“I didn’t feel anything…”
Of course, when she’d come to her senses just now, she was surprised to find herself somewhere different from where she’d been before.
But it wasn’t really that strange. Sometimes when her attention wandered, she forgot what she’d been doing moments earlier anyway.
“Your Highness, did you feel anything strange?”
Pluto asked back, looking equally bewildered.
“Feel what?”
Clover shook her head quickly.
“No.”
After her brief exchange with Pluto, Clover grabbed Lucky and said firmly.
“He didn’t feel anything strange either.”
[The box doesn’t have anything suspicious on it either…… So why did that Maid approach us with such a suspicious face and guide us so suspiciously? Why is she being so unnecessarily suspicious? Is she always like that?]
Lucky rambled on with worry, pressing her tiny face against Clover’s cheek.
[Little one, I think it’s better if we hide somewhere else. And be careful of that Maid—did you remember her face?]
“Curly hair, dark eyes, freckles.”
Clover recited the Maid’s distinctive features slowly and clearly, just as she’d seen them moments ago.
[Good. Let’s stay away from that Maid.]
“Okay.”
[Hide somewhere else.]
“Yes, yes!”
Clover raised her hand smartly, striking the pose that meant “understood.”
The understanding pose was something Clover and Lucky had used since they were three years old—a Hand Signal Clover had relied on back when she still struggled to speak, using her raised hand to answer instead of words.
Having answered with their private signal, Clover grabbed Pluto’s hand and scampered off to hide somewhere else.
But Lucky didn’t immediately follow Clover; instead, he stayed where he was, scanning the surroundings warily.
Still, nothing seemed amiss.
[Am I just being paranoid……?]
Muttering to himself, Lucky hurried after Clover.
A soft, warm breeze swept across the spot where the children had been just moments before.
***
“Where did you run off to?”
“Really! And you’ve left all this work piling up!”
Several maids gathered around the washing, treading laundry underfoot, looked up at their returning friend with cheerful smiles and asked her questions. With their skirts hitched up to their shins, they stamped forcefully on the clothes to scrub away the stains.
Splash, splash!
Amid the slight commotion, one maid who had been smiling softly broke into a grin, picked up the laundry basket, and replied as she began filling it with water.
“Oh, just to the Garden for a moment.”
“The Garden? Why the Garden? Miss is having her birthday party right now!”
“I thought I’d dropped something, so I snuck in for a quick look, but they were playing Hide-and-Seek, so I told them where they could hide.”
She lifted some of the pile of dirty laundry from the basin and placed it in the water-filled basket.
“Is that so? Didn’t you get scolded?”
“Scolded?”
“Miss Nia, I mean—she doesn’t really like people meddling in her affairs, does she? She’s been that way since she was small, never liked accepting help with anything.”
“That’s right, that’s right—she preferred doing things on her own.”
The maids wrung out the laundry, twisting it at both ends to squeeze out the water. Hearing the gurgling sound, she smiled softly.
“Oh, it was fine! It wasn’t Miss Nia—it was someone else.”
“Someone else?”
“Miss Clover! She’s not familiar with the Mansion yet, so she was wondering where to hide.”
“Ah, I see. She really is adorable, isn’t she!”
“Right, right! I was so surprised when I saw her! To think our Miss Nia is so cute, but there’s someone even cuter!”
“Hmm, I still think Miss Nia is a little cuter, though?”
“Honestly?”
“I love Miss Clover’s light green hair—it looks just like little round peas!”
The maids chattered away, shaking off the water from their hands. The laundry was nearly finished. Where mountains of clothes had been stacked, only a small pile remained. In one corner, maids were hanging the clean laundry on a clothesline.
Meanwhile, the maid who had arrived late scrubbed away at the stains in the remaining laundry.
“Well, we’re done with our share, so we’ll head out first! The rest is yours.”
“Good work!”
The other maids finished their laundry and departed from the Laundry Site one by one. Left alone there, she took a quick count of the remaining laundry and let out a brief sigh.
“Hmm, when will I ever finish all this?”
But it was all right. If she waited just a little longer here, someone would show up to finish the laundry for her!
True to form, it wasn’t long before—
“What are you doing here? Can I help?”
An Attendant with flushed cheeks rolled up his sleeves and approached her hesitantly.
The maid who had been sitting quietly beside the laundry basket turned to greet him with delight.
“Yes! Would you?”
She smiled at him with sparkling eyes.
***
“Found you!”
Dorena’s eyes lit up. Clover, who had been hiding in the bushes, laughed with a delighted squeal and popped right out.
Behind her, Pluto, who had been hiding together with her, crawled out clumsily on his hands and knees.
Zeronio and Siaren, who had been caught first and were already searching for the remaining children alongside Dorena, squeaked in protest when they saw Clover and Pluto emerge together.
“You hid together?”
“If you hide together, both of you get caught at once!”
“That’s right—you’re supposed to hide separately so you get two chances!”
“Wow, two chances!”
Dorena, Siaren, and Zeronio cheerfully brushed the leaves off Clover and Pluto’s clothes.
But one leaf, which the children hadn’t noticed and so hadn’t brushed away, remained caught near Clover’s bangs.
Because the leaf was a similar color to her hair, they had missed it. Clover herself remained unaware and laughed merrily.
“Whose turn is it to hide now?”
At Clover’s question, the children put their small heads together and began counting up the ones they still hadn’t found.
With Siaren and Zeronio, Clover and Pluto found, only Lirua and Nainia remained.

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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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