LSBVF ~ 07

Chapter ~ 07

However, Daddy did not come.

Even though Clover had waited so obediently.

‘Why isn’t he coming?’

Clover curled herself up like a cat and stole a glance at the tightly closed door.

Could it be that Daddy had forgotten she was waiting here?

Until a little while ago, at least she had Belze with her, which made things a little better. But then Belze had gone out, saying she would find out when the Duke was coming.

“Hmm…”

After that, Clover had been all alone.

Bored with waiting, Clover was wiggling her fingers and toes when—

“Lady Clover!”

Belze returned.

Clover immediately lifted her head, delighted.

Was Daddy here?

‘Can I run over and hug him with an excited heart now?’

But—

“Huh?”

Belze was alone.

“Why alone…?”

Wait. Could it be?

Hop.

Tap-tap-tap.

Clover quickly jumped down from the sofa and ran over, peeking behind Belze.

Maybe Daddy was just a step behind her.

But—

“He’s not hewe…”

He wasn’t there.

Really, he wasn’t!

After confirming that Khalid truly had not come, Clover grabbed tightly onto the hem of Belze’s skirt.

Belze reached out her arms toward her.

“Oh, my poor little lady…”

“…Belze, what about Daddy?”

Clover quietly asked, unable to give up her last bit of hope.

But Belze could not answer right away.

She only smiled.

‘I know that smile.’

That was the smile adults made when they found it difficult to answer a child’s question.

The moment Clover saw that smile, she instinctively realized that Daddy was not coming.

Sure enough, Belze finally spoke.

“Lord Khalid had something he needed to take care of, so he says he cannot come today. But he said he will come to see you tomorrow instead.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Okaaay… I see.”

So that was how it worked.

If she slept well and waited patiently, Daddy would come.

But would he really?

She had waited today too, and he hadn’t come.

‘Daddy is a dummy…’

Unable to hide her disappointment, Clover buried herself in Belze’s arms.

Her tiny shoulders drooped.

Her lips stuck out in a pout, and her arms tightened around Belze.

“Oh, my poor little lady…”

Belze realized just how disappointed Clover was and gently tried to comfort her.

“Instead, Lord Khalid said that once morning comes, he will buy you every toy you want and give you lots of wonderful presents. He also told the kitchen to prepare a ‘special cake’ for you. Aren’t you excited?”

“Exciiiited…”

Belze had hoped that the promise would cheer the child up even a little, but Clover’s answer was completely downcast.

Of course.

None of that could soothe Clover’s heart.

Even if they brought her a hundred toys, or an enormous, beautiful cake, she still would not feel better.

Quick to notice such things, Belze gently asked,

“…You want to see Lord Khalid, don’t you?”

Clover nodded.

Without thinking, she nodded her head.

Then she suddenly panicked and shook it.

“No, it’s okay.”

“What?”

During her time living at her evil aunt’s house, Clover had learned many things.

Adults did not like being bothered.

So you mustn’t keep pestering them by saying you really wanted to see them!

Clover did not want to make Daddy tired.

Nor did she want him to think she was an annoying child.

“I can wait! So it’s okay. I’ve been waiting really well all this time, too.”

“Oh my…”

“So…”

Clover slowly lowered her gaze and spoke.

“One night is okay.”

She could endure it for one night.

Lucky returned that evening.

Nom, nom.

Clover had been enthusiastically shoveling down the cake Belze had brought her when her eyes sparkled at the sight of a golden four-leaf clover fluttering toward her.

“Lucky!”

Clover tossed aside the fork she had been eating cake with and quickly ran over.

Chomp!

She caught Lucky in her hands.

“Where were you?”

“Why did you weave Clover behind?”

“Why did you come now? What were you doing? Where were you?”

Then she trapped the Lucky caught in her palm inside the Question Prison once again.

The four-year-old bombarded him with question after question.

Lucky answered in an exhausted, weary voice.

[There was something I needed to check for a moment… Were you okay, little one?]

“Mm…”

[But why does my little one look so gloomy? Did someone say something to you while I was gone?]

“It wasn’t that…”

Clover fidgeted before finally opening her mouth.

Then, as though she had been waiting for this very moment, she told Lucky every little detail about how she had waited for Daddy but Daddy had never come.

After listening to everything Clover had to say, Lucky bounced high into the air by snapping his stem.

[No, but he should at least see her face! The child woke up, and he didn’t even come to see her!?]

“Waaah…”

[I understand that there must be circumstances preventing him from coming, but how can he bring a child to this enormous house and then leave her all alone!? At the very least, he should have written her a letter and left it beside her while she slept!]

“Mm…”

Clover’s heart softened a little when Lucky took her side, and she nodded.

“But don’t say mean things about him. He’s Clover’s daddy.”

[Oh, dear…]

“And I’m okay. Daddy said he’ll come see me, so I can wait.”

[Yes… Good grief. Even if he’s going to send her away, shouldn’t he at least see the child’s face first?]

Hmm?

“…Send me away?”

Clover, who had been answering confidently, raised her head.

[…Huh?]

A brief silence passed between Clover and Lucky.

[…]

“?”

The silence grew cold.

Clover stared intently at Lucky.

Lucky began sweating nervously and avoided her gaze.

“What does that mean?”

[…]

“What does it mean? I won’t ask twice.”

[You just asked twice, little one.]

“I said I won’t ask twice.”

Clover asked a third time, her expression unusually serious for a four-year-old.

[…No, I just misspoke. You don’t need to worry about it.]

“Lie.”

[Huh?]

“Lucky doesn’t make mistakes when he talks.”

Clover pointed this out with crisp, deliberate pronunciation.

Lucky flinched.

Then, hesitating, he began to speak.

[Well, you see, Clover…]

Lucky thought to himself.

‘Clover was sent to the Demper household because she couldn’t withstand the power of the Cloudians, but it’s okay because I’m here!’

And there was good reason for him to think that.

The stronger Lucky’s power became as Clover’s summoned beast, the more firmly Clover’s own power gradually stabilized.

Of course, both of them were still weak at the moment.

Even so, Lucky thought it would be enough for Clover to withstand the Cloudian power.

In other words, even if four-year-old Clover returned to Cloudian immediately, she would be safe under his protection.

But—

‘Daddy…’

Clover had collapsed.

Even with Lucky by her side, she had been unable to withstand the Cloudian power.

Lucky had been deeply shocked.

Even if he had not yet fully recovered his strength, how could she have collapsed from something like that?

[This is shocking. Truly shocking…]

And so Lucky changed his mind.

Of course, it was important for Clover to live happily with her family in a safe home.

But that was not more important than Clover’s health.

If a house was a place that harmed Clover’s body, then she needed to be sent somewhere that had a branch of the World Tree.

That was why Lucky had gone to investigate the Cloudian Duke’s true intentions.

As it happened, the Duke thought the same way Lucky did.

Clover needed to be sent somewhere else.

However, Lucky did not want to be the one to tell Clover that she had to leave because she could not withstand the Cloudian Duke’s power.

Explaining that and persuading her was the parents’ responsibility.

No matter how much Lucky had been Clover’s guardian until now, he could not take that away from her parents as well.

So Lucky had no choice but to leave out the most important part.

[If you stay here, you’ll get sick, Clover. If you don’t want to get sick, you have to go somewhere else.]

“Hmm…?”

[You don’t want to get sick, right?]

Clover looked at Lucky with her wide, innocent eyes.

“Mm… But I hate leaving even more. Can’t Clover just stay here even if I get a little sick?”

[It’s not going to be a little sick. You’ll get very sick. That’s why your daddy is trying to send you away…]

“Daddy…”

Clover fidgeted with her hands.

“Daddy is sending me away?”