LSBVF ~ 10

Chapter ~ 10

But what could possibly be going through one’s mind when the youngest child, whom they had been separated from for so long, finally returned looking not merely shabby, but absolutely filthy and miserable?

‘Just what on earth were they thinking when they treated that child like that?’

Putting aside the fact that she was a direct descendant of the Claudians, she was still a tiny child who was barely four years old.

Even if she had been born with a powerful Ability, a four-year-old could hardly display much power at that age.

“I can’t forgive them…”

Damian muttered.

Outside the window, Clover was lying flat on the lawn, tangled up with some sort of blue mass.

“What is that…?”

Damian narrowed his eyes, wondering what on earth it was. Just as he was trying to get a better look at the ‘blue mass’—

“Wait, that!”

“Huh?”

“Brother, isn’t that Father’s summoned beast?”

“What? The Lion of the North Wind?”

The two boys were startled and hurried over to the window.

As their emotions stirred and their movements became more agitated, a faint breeze blew between them.

But they had no mind to pay attention to such things. What mattered was the identity of the creature playing beside Clover.

Damian, astonished, stared more closely at the ‘blue mass’ beside the pea-sized little girl.

“It really is…”

He whispered softly.

It truly was Khalid’s summoned beast, the Lion of the North Wind.

A summoned beast.

A being born from an Ability User’s power, and a companion that shared both life and death with its master.

The appearance of a summoned beast varied depending on how vast and powerful its master’s Ability was.

Some Ability Users possessed summoned beasts that were nothing more than simple, crude masses, while others had summoned beasts with much more delicate appearances.

Therefore, the size and beauty of a summoned beast were used to determine the magnitude of its master’s Ability.

And Khalid’s summoned beast, the Lion of the North Wind…

According to the unanimous opinion of Ability Users, it was the largest and most beautiful summoned beast among all those belonging to the Ability Users currently living.

It was as proud as its reputation suggested. Unless summoned by its master, it never showed itself before others or allowed anyone to approach it.

It rarely even approached Khalid’s own children—Sonne, Damian, and Arwin—so it was safe to say that it almost never allowed anyone else near it.

And yet that very Lion of the North Wind had thrown away its dignified and noble appearance, transformed into nothing more than a cat, and was rolling around over there?

‘That’s impossible…’

When the pea-sized girl suddenly hopped into the air, the Lion of the North Wind, after hesitating for a moment, jumped up in the same spot as well.

It was a rare sight that Damian and Arwin had never witnessed even once during all their years living in the Claudian mansion.

And Damian could swear that Sonne Claudian, the eldest Claudian daughter who had lived several years longer than them, had certainly never seen anything like this either.

“This won’t do!”

Arwin, who had been unable to take his eyes off the constantly moving girl, muttered.

“I want to meet Clover.”

“What?”

“If I leave now, who knows when I’ll get another chance to see her?”

Arwin stared thoughtfully at the round back of the little girl.

“I have to meet her. I want to say hello to the baby.”

Clover returned to her room dangling from Belze’s arms, happily eating the strawberries from the top of her cake as she smiled brightly.

[Do you like it that much?]

“Uh-huh, of course!”

Of course she was happy. Clover felt as though she could fly right now.

It was all thanks to the cat—the summoned beast of Khalid—that she had met just a little while ago.

<Not today. I’ll tell you tomorrow.>

‘Tomorrow?’

<We’ll meet here tomorrow.>

After leaving those words behind, the cat casually departed.

But even after the cat had left, Clover remained sitting in the same spot for a long, long time.

She simply couldn’t believe the incredible luck that had suddenly come her way.

Clover sat there for a while, and only after pinching her own cheek did she finally realize that what had happened moments ago was real.

Then she had become so excited that she started jumping up and down, only to be discovered by Belze and brought back to her room.

Still, that was fine.

It was practically the same as having already found the treasure.

‘Tomorrow…’

Tomorrow, she would be able to find the treasure.

Then she wouldn’t have to go to the Demper family.

What if Clover found in a single day what her father had been searching so hard for?

Wouldn’t Dad be happy too?

Clover’s imagination began to run wild.

Overcome with excitement, Clover gave a bashful little smile.

Even when she tried not to smile, laughter kept slipping out from the corners of her mouth.

[Yes, that’s wonderful. Then you really will be able to live here. I wasn’t particularly happy about having to go somewhere else either, so this worked out perfectly.]

“Yeah, it weally worked out. But, Lucky…”

[Hmm?]

“Why can’t Dad find it?”

[Hmmm… Well, I don’t know either. I suppose we’ll find out if we look for it.]

“Mm-hmm. I wish tomowwow would come quickly…”

Clover grinned and scooped up a big bite of cake, putting it into her mouth.

The soft cream melted sweetly on her tongue, perfectly matching her mood.

‘I like Claudian…’

Dad was here.

There were also an older sister and older brothers whom she had not met yet.

And there was delicious cake.

Just thinking that she might be able to stay in such a place naturally made her smile.

It was just then, while Clover was holding her fork in her mouth and happily munching on her cake, that—

“Miss.”

Belze, who had briefly gone outside, returned and called out to Clover.

Clover stopped eating and looked up.

“Mm?”

“You have a visitor. Would you like to meet him?”

“A visitor?”

“Well…”

Belze hesitated, looking outside as though she were troubled.

Judging by how cautious Belze was acting, whoever was waiting outside the door must have been someone very important.

“Who is it?”

“Can’t we just go inside?”

An unfamiliar voice came from outside.

Clover’s eyes widened, and her ears perked up.

Who was it?

“But, Young Master, Miss Clover hasn’t fully recovered yet…”

“But I saw her earlier, and she was perfectly fine with the Lion of the North Wind. If she can tolerate him, then she should be fine with us.”

The voice was gentle, but there was a stubbornness to it.

Slightly startled by the unfamiliar voice, Clover slowly reached out and pulled the cushion beside her into her arms.

‘A stranger. A voice I’ve never heard before…’

In truth, Clover was somewhat shy around strangers.

Considering how startled she had been when she first met Belze, it wasn’t particularly strange.

[It’s okay, little one. They don’t seem like bad people.]

Lucky began glowing golden and floated in front of Clover.

[If you ask me, I think your family has come to see you.]

“Mm? Family…?”

Clover murmured softly.

At that moment, the half-open door swung completely open.

Whoosh.

A tiny breeze slipped into the room where Clover was sitting.

Her short bangs fluttered in the wind.

And then two boys who looked exactly like Khalid appeared.

Both boys had the same golden eyes as Khalid, and although faint, the power of the storm could be sensed from them.

They even carried the same ‘scent of wind’ that Clover had noticed from the cat.

The boys were dressed neatly and looked every bit as handsome as Khalid.

Even though this was their first meeting, somehow they didn’t feel like strangers at all.

Clover hugged the cushion tightly and shifted her gaze toward the boys.

The boy standing on the left smiled brightly.

“I won’t come any closer. I’ll just look at you from here. Is that okay?”

He spoke as though asking Belze for permission.

Belze hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

And the two brothers really seemed to have no intention of crossing the threshold.

They took a step back from the doorway and looked at Clover.

“Hello, Clover.”

“Hello, baby.”

The two brothers, similar yet distinctly different in appearance, looked at Clover simultaneously with golden eyes as radiant as the sun.

Clover quietly stared at them.

Then, following the words Lucky had told her just moments ago, she murmured—

“Family.”

“Hm?”

“Clover’s family…”