The Baby Sprout Who Bloomed in the Villain Duke’s Family - Chapter 62

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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 62
“The Magical Beasts were definitely all taken care of by the Knight Order.”
The fact that they had ridden in a carriage all the way to the entrance of the White Forest without encountering a single creature was proof enough.
But how could that Magical Beast have been hiding right beneath the Spirit Tree?
“Whether it’s an oversight by the Knight Order or an unforeseen variable that appeared without warning—I’ll need to deliver Clover to Claudian to find out.”
Clover’s eyelids grew heavy as soon as her tears had run their course.
Sone, who had been quietly watching Kalid soothe the drowsy Clover, turned her gaze toward the window.
And in that moment, beyond the transparent glass.
‘…What is that?’
A towering tree caught her eye.
One among hundreds, thousands of trees.
Why did that particular tree stand out so sharply?
Sone Claudian, who sensed an odd presence emanating from the tree in that single instant, gestured to the coachman.
“Stop.”
At Sone’s command, the coachman brought the carriage to a halt. The four horses stamped their hooves in unison, tossing their heads.
“Sone?”
“Just a moment.”
Sone leaped from the carriage without heeding Kalid’s call.
“…”
The Household Head of Claudian, the exemplary student of the Imperial Academy Sone Claudian, stood motionless and stared intently at the tree before raising her hand.
“Harna.”
The moment Sone called her Summoned Creature’s name with all five fingers aimed precisely at the tree, the Storm Bird wrapped itself around her arm, trailing its magnificent tail feathers.
“Attack.”
As Sone’s order fell, the Storm Bird, borrowing her Authority, unleashed a flurry of wing-beats toward the tree in an instant.
A powerful gust tore through the air, and with a deafening crash that reverberated through the entire forest, the tree toppled with a heavy thud.
Sone strode toward the fallen tree and examined it carefully.
From the splintered and broken base, neither movement nor any presence could be felt.
Unlike the Magical Beast that had attacked Clover, disguised in the form of a tree and lurking in hiding, this appeared to be a genuine tree.
“Then what was that supposed to be…”
Sone Claudian, who had definitely sensed an odd presence from this tree, murmured softly as she gazed at the fractured trunk.
After staring at the tree a while longer, Sone dismissed her Summoned Creature Harna and returned to the carriage.
In the meantime, Clover, who had been napping soundly, stirred half-awake at the commotion and looked toward Sone.
“Sister…?”
“It’s nothing, go back to sleep.”
Sone, now seated in the carriage, patted Clover reassuringly and had the carriage resume its journey.
Kalid waited until Clover had drifted back into sleep before looking at Sone and asking.
“Why did you suddenly break that tree?”
“I thought it might be a Magical Beast.”
“Did you feel something strange?”
“Yes, I did…”
But when she split it open, there was nothing.
Then what had Sone sensed?
Kalid asked nothing further and did not reproach her. He did not rebuke her for impulsively leaping out and breaking the tree either.
Sone was not a child prone to reckless action. When Sone moved, there was always sufficient reason behind it.
And besides.
‘Children’s instincts are keener than those of adults.’
Perhaps Sone truly had sensed something from that tree. Kalid gazed at the receding landscape of the White Forest beyond the heads of Sone, Demian, and Arwin.
An investigation was necessary, whatever it might reveal.
.
.
.
A wriggle.
From the tree with the broken trunk, a single branch suddenly shot upward at astonishing speed.
It hesitated between reaching toward the sky or burrowing into the earth, then thrust its crown deep into the ground, becoming the root of the broken tree.
And then, steadily.
It began drawing sustenance from the soil beneath.
***
Nice weather today.
Met mom today.
So happy. Mom said
She held me tight.
Mom again, I
say hello.
***
The next day,
Belze cut a piece of bread and gently placed it in Clover’s mouth, her voice warm. “So, you met your mother?”
“Mm-hmm, yes.”
“How was she? Just as you imagined?”
Clover considered Belze’s gentle question for a long moment, then nodded.
“Mm-hmm.”
The child broke into a smile.
She’d smelled so good.
Magnificent, holding that elegant Long Bow, appearing with such grace, striking down monsters and saving Clover…….
‘It was exactly like I imagined.’
The image of her mother that had visited Clover’s dreams every night—it was precisely, perfectly the same.
Even though they hadn’t been together long.
Still, the sensation of her mother’s arms around her—that alone remained crystalline in Clover’s memory.
Recalling the feeling of her mother’s embrace, Clover hugged herself tightly and blinked.
‘Ancient Flowers.’
I wish I could bloom more of them.
Then I’d gather an armful and show them to Mom.
I’ll place them beneath her tree and rest against that beautiful, towering Spirit Tree for a nap.
The sorrow in the child’s heart at parting from her mother transformed, filling instead with anticipation for the day she would see her again.
As Clover’s smile bloomed, Belze, who had been watching the child with warm eyes, gently wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.
“Our young lady must have been very happy indeed.”
“Mm-hmm, hee-hee.”
“Your mother is truly magnificent, isn’t she? I’ve known her for a long time, serving her faithfully.”
Belze smiled softly. Clover tilted her head, studying her.
“Belze too?”
“Of course. It was your mother who saved me when I was small.”
She smiled radiantly.
“You resemble your mother so very much, young lady. Those round eyes, that warm smile, and those eyes that sparkle like stars.”
“Really?”
“Indeed, I’d stake my life on it—there is no one in this world more beautiful than your mother. And since you’re her spitting image, I’m quite certain you’ll grow into someone equally lovely.”
For a four-year-old Clover, such words belonged to a distant future. Yet anything about her mother delighted the child.
“I wanna see Mom again.”
As Clover murmured this softly, Belze let out a gentle laugh and answered.
“There’s a portrait hanging in your mother’s chamber. Shall we go look at it together?”
“Yes!”
Clover’s face lit up with joy.
“The picture won’t move, but that’s okay.”
Because Elicia lived and moved within Clover’s heart, that would do just fine.
[You’ve grown so wise, our little one.]
“Mm-hmm, I’m getting wise now.”
The child grinned, and Belze bent down to meet her gaze.
“Miss Clover.”
“Mm-hmm, yes?”
“When you miss someone terribly, would you like to know the method I use?”
“Oh!”
Clover’s eyes widened with wonder.
“Do you miss someone too, Belze?”
“Of course, I have someone I miss dearly. There was a time long ago when I missed them so much I wept all day.”
She smiled gently.
When Clover flinched, Belze—letting the subject pass as smoothly as water flowing downstream—gazed at the child and continued.
“It’s a method we used in my village. On a night when the moon hangs very high, you fill a shallow bowl with water and gaze into it.”
“A bowl……?”
“Yes, and then the face of the person you wish to see appears reflected on the surface.”
“……Really?”
“Of course, it doesn’t always appear. You try everything because you miss them so. So don’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t work, young lady.”

Belze gently stroked Clover’s small fingers.
“And if you ever feel like doing something like that, please don’t go alone. Come with me instead.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Clover beamed up at Belze and spoke.
“Belze, how many times have you succeeded?”
“I……”
She laughed softly.
“Only once, I’m afraid. But you will succeed far more often than that.”
“Just once.”
I see.
If she wept simply from longing, it must have been someone she missed terribly.
That meant she must have peered into the bowl at least ten times.
‘Only once.’
Still, I want to try.
If fortune favors me, perhaps I could see Mother on my very first attempt.
Clover was in the midst of calculating on her fingers how many times she might need to try before seeing Mother twice, when it happened.
Knock, knock.
Someone rapped at the door. Clover and Belze, deep in their conversation, turned their heads toward it in unison.
Who could it be? While Clover tilted her head in puzzlement, Belze rose and stepped closer to the door.
Then she eased it open a crack.
“Who is it…… Oh my?”
Belze’s eyes widened as she recognized who stood beyond the threshold.
“Hmm?”
Who had come?
Clover, standing behind Belze, poked her head around Belze’s shoulder to catch sight of this unexpected visitor.
And at the sight of the figure standing beyond the door, she opened her eyes wide in astonishment.
“Whoa?”

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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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