The Baby Sprout Who Bloomed in the Villain Duke’s Family - Chapter 5

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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 5
The House of Demper fell into sudden silence.
But only for a moment.
A deep, rolling rumble.
In an instant the sky darkened and a tempest descended upon them.
A flash.
Lightning split the Demper Estate in two with a savage brilliance,
and with a tremendous crack,
a tree, bent by the howling wind, toppled helplessly to the ground.
“Fa… father……”
The moment Kalid saw Clover weeping bitterly in his arms,
“……Clover, my daughter.”
his heart pounded violently.
The Storm Authority coursing through him seemed to demand that he bring this mansion to ruin in an instant.
A madness that flowed through his Divine Power and bloodline commanded him to slaughter every soul in this estate save for one—his small, precious child.
So Kalid was desperately, desperately holding back.
But then.
“Why are you leaving me now, Father?”
Clover wrapped her small hands around Kalid’s neck.
“Don’t you want to see Clover anymore?”
Tears streamed freely from Clover’s wide eyes.
“Is Father throwing Clover away?”
Four years old.
Merely four years old—an age when a child needs only eat well and sleep peacefully to be praised and loved.
“Because Clover is useless…?”
Yet this small child clung desperately to his neck.
It would have been natural for her to shy away or flee, meeting her father for the first time as she was.
But she held on as though he alone was the one who could save her tiny body.
As though no one else would care for her if even her father left.
Kalid’s entire frame trembled with rage.
No child should ever be treated this way.
Even if Clover truly had been ‘abandoned’ by House of Claudian.
Count Demper had no right to handle a child like this.
“Count.”
Kalid, cradling the weeping child carefully in both arms, opened his mouth.
“Y-Your Grace!”
The Count, feeling a tremendous Killing Intent in those words alone, prostrated himself flat.
“Clover’s room is under repair, so she was staying there only temporarily!”
……
“B-besides, young children tend to exaggerate things……”
Before Count Demper could finish speaking, a powerful bolt of lightning struck directly into the wall of the estate.
Thunder crashed and roared.
One section of the mansion’s wall was struck by the bolt and shattered mercilessly into fragments.
“Ahhhhh!”
“N-no! Aaahhh!”
“M-Mother! H-help me!”
As rain and wind poured through the broken wall, many people trembled like aspen leaves.
Some screamed and fled in panic.
The Duke of House of Claudian, observing all of it with cold composure, spoke.
His gaze was fixed upon Count Demper with a chill.
“You will pay the price.”
Kalid wiped away Clover’s tears and continued,
“The price for making my daughter cry.”
Thunder crashed.
The murderer of the Northern Region—one who could slaughter a hundred men with a single gesture.
Another bolt of lightning descended behind the Duke of House of Claudian.
And at that very moment,
“D-Father……”
Clover, who had been shedding tears abundantly in Kalid’s arms, lost consciousness.
“……Clover!”
It all unfolded in an instant.
***
[Clover, you have a Divine Mission given to you by God.]
“A Divine Mission?”
[Yes. In time, you will help countless seeds bloom across the world.]
Lucky’s words sounded like a dream—and a beautiful one at that.
But Clover had a problem.
“But I can only make two of them…….”
Her Divine Power was so meager and insignificant.
By Lucky’s accounting, there was no way she could help “countless seeds” bloom.
And even those seeds wouldn’t grow beyond a certain point.
They would blossom briefly, then wither where they stood.
That was the end of it.
“How many do you need? Surely not ten?”
[More than that.]
“……Twenty?”
[Even more!]
“Yikes! Surely not a hundred……?”
Lucky’s eyes gleamed as it insisted she needed to bloom far more than that.
Clover was startled, certainly.
‘But having a Divine Mission given by God is wonderful!’
So I’ll just have to work hard.
I’ll train diligently every single day!
What delighted her most was discovering that her own Divine Power had a purpose.
Her Aunt had constantly belittled her, saying her Divine Power was useless for anything.
Yet Clover found she could not coax more than two seedlings into bloom.
Her seedlings bloomed by gathering the goodwill of those around her,
and at the Demper Estate, there were precious few people who held her in any affection.
So Clover had hoped her father would come fetch her soon.
Perhaps once she returned home, she could even bloom a hundred seedlings—or two hundred.
It was such a hopeful, dreamlike prospect!
As Clover was savoring that pleasant dream, her body thrashed and her eyes flew open.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
Then a maid she’d never seen before leaned her face down over Clover’s bed.
“Eek!”
Clover jolted upright with a start.
What, what is this?
Where am I?
Clover clutched a fistful of blanket and trembled as she asked.
“W-who are you?”
Was this wicked Aunt’s minion again?
If so, Clover had to escape right now.
Her Aunt would never forgive Clover for speaking ill of her in front of Father!
“Don’t worry, Miss. No one here means you any harm. This is your true home.”
Yet the maid’s voice was kind—nothing like the cruel tone of her Aunt’s servants.
Speaking with a gentle smile and soothing voice, the maid continued slowly.
“The Master brought you here after you lost consciousness. A doctor visited just now, so you should be fine.”
The Master? A doctor?
The maid was speaking in words Clover struggled to understand.
Clover sat there dumbly, listening to the maid’s explanation, before asking carefully.
“W-where’s Father?”
“Pardon?”
“W-where did Father go……?”
Clover’s nose began to run.
“D-did Father leave me here with this Master……?”
Could it be that Father had abandoned her again?
Could that really be true?
Having failed to fully absorb the maid’s earlier words about this place being her true “home,” Clover grew frightened and her eyes began to well with tears.
When I came to, I was in another strange place.
‘Father isn’t here, and Lucky isn’t here either.’
If I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have fallen asleep!
Why did I have to fall asleep at that moment?
As sorrow washed over her, tears spilled from Clover’s eyes.
The startled maid dabbed away Clover’s tears and spoke.
“Oh my. My master is none other than your father, Miss Clover!”
“My father…?”
“Yes, the Duke of House Claudian. Since you’re awake now, I’ll fetch the Duke right away.”
Father hadn’t abandoned her after all?
Clover rubbed her wet cheeks frantically against the maid’s handkerchief and asked, “But where’s the wicked Aunt? And Rui?”

Lucky had once said that survival depended first and foremost on knowing where your enemies were.
Clover faithfully followed the first rule of Lucky’s survival manual.
The maid who’d been drying Clover’s tears smiled warmly.
“That person isn’t here. And she won’t be able to come here anymore—your cousin either.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. So first you’ll need to wash up. Once you’re clean, I’ll take you to meet the Duke.”
“The Duke…”
“It’s an honor to serve you. I’m Belze, your new maid starting today.”
Speaking in a voice so tender it was almost a whisper, Belze lifted the small Clover into her arms.
Then she leaned her cheek gently against Clover’s damp one.
“Mm-hmm, Belze.”
Until now, Clover had always thought maids were bad people.
They tormented her every day, or avoided her, or just flicked at her dismissively.
But Belze was different.
Belze didn’t avoid her, didn’t flick at her, didn’t steal her food.
She gently wiped away the tears from Clover’s eyes, held her small body with such care.
And then.
“After we wash you, I’ll dress you in something pretty. Do you like rabbits?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Good. I’ll put you in Rabbit Pajamas with bunny ears. Here we go.”
Belze undressed Clover and slowly lowered her into the warm water she’d prepared in advance.
There was nothing forceful about any of it.
When Clover squirmed slightly, Belze patted her small back reassuringly.
‘This is so strange!’
It was a truly strange feeling.
A maid who didn’t hate her, didn’t dislike her, wasn’t annoyed by her.
In that brief moment, Clover felt as though her heart had been stolen away.
And then.
Pop!
As Clover’s hand soaked in the warm water, a small sprout covered in soap bubbles unfurled within her palm.
‘Oh! A sprout! It appeared in my hand!’
But because it had bloomed within the bubbles, Belze didn’t see it.

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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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