~Chapter 21~
Khalid noticed that Clover was once again talking with her summoned companion.
So, instead of interrupting, he quietly waited for her to finish.
Every time she opened her mouth to speak, her small, round head—like a tiny pea—bobbled just a little.
To Khalid, it was the cutest thing he had ever seen in his life.
So cute…
He lifted his hand to block the sunlight so it wouldn’t fall directly on her.
A light breeze brushed past them.
***
“…Hm?”
Clover blinked and looked at Lucky, then at the seed in her hand.
Then back to Lucky.
Then the seed again.
Then Lucky again.
“Lucky, what did you say?”
That’s not a normal seed! It’s a Heart Seed, Clover! Your power has gotten stronger!
“A heart seed?”
Yep! You just made a seed using your dad’s heart! Hahaha! My little bean! My tiny sprout! You’ve grown so much!
Clover tilted her head, not quite understanding what Lucky meant.
A “heart” isn’t something you can see—so how could she make a seed out of it?
Seeing her confusion, Lucky fluttered down and landed on Clover’s lap, meeting her eyes to explain properly.
Do you remember how you felt when you first met your dad?
“Clover liked it… a lot.”
She giggled softly.
Right! It made you happy. And what about your dad? How do you think he felt?
“Daddy, um…”
She glanced up.
Khalid was looking down at her with a warm, almost ticklish smile that made her heart flutter.
But Clover couldn’t be sure what he felt. She wasn’t inside his heart, after all.
So she answered hesitantly,
“Daddy liked it too… maybe?”
Lucky nodded wildly.
Exactly! I guarantee it—he definitely did! You see, little one, when people feel strong emotions—sadness, happiness, anything really—their hearts release something like smoke.
At that moment, Clover’s eyes sparkled wide.
“Wait—smoke?”
She had seen it before!
Just yesterday. And again today.
From her dad—blue smoke drifting from him and floating toward her.
Could that have been… his heart?
That smoke got drawn into your hands, and that’s how the seed was made.
Clover stared down at the seed resting in her palm.
The little blue seed rolled around lightly, glowing faintly.
So basically, Clover—you just created a seed using someone’s heart.
Lucky emphasized the point, then fluttered down next to the seed she had made.
And this—this is that “heart.”
He explained that things like hearts couldn’t normally be seen or touched.
Unlike Clover’s own heart, which was thumping inside her chest, a person’s emotions didn’t usually take shape.
But—
“Then… I touched it?”
Did she actually touch her dad’s heart?
You did. You’re touching it right now.
“Waaah!”
Clover’s face lit up in pure delight.
She was holding her daddy’s heart!
And she had made something out of it!
Her tiny heart pounded fast in her chest.
Wow, I’m such a genius!
Would this seed sprout if she planted it?
Making seeds wasn’t all that hard for Clover.
This was her first time creating one from someone’s heart, but she’d made ordinary seeds plenty of times before.
The problem was—none of those seeds had ever sprouted.
Maybe this one will be different?
Because this one was made from Daddy’s heart.
“Hehe, heheh!”
Clover grinned so wide her cheeks hurt, clutching the seed carefully in both hands.
She couldn’t stop smiling, feeling like she’d done something truly amazing.
***
When they came back from the picnic, Clover was so tired she fell asleep almost right away.
By the time they arrived home, she could barely keep her eyes open—just a sleepy little child her age.
Even then, she never let go of the seed she’d made. Khalid found that so adorable.
After tucking Clover into bed and making sure she was sound asleep, Khalid headed to his office.
There was still work left undone from earlier, since he’d spent the whole day playing with his daughter.
“How’s the thing I asked for?”
“Here it is, sir.”
His aide, Teniron, handed him a neatly organized stack of documents.
Khalid took them and began flipping through.
Inside were detailed records of how Count Demper had embezzled the child support funds.
Khalid gave a quiet, humorless laugh.
“So, they got involved in a ridiculous business scheme.”
From the looks of it, Count Demper’s husband had gotten mixed up in some illegal dealings, and she’d gone to great lengths trying to cover it up—stealing Clover’s support money in the process.
At first, the funds had indeed been used for Clover, but once her husband caused major trouble, all that money started flowing elsewhere.
As Khalid turned the pages, he asked,
“How much property do they have left?”
“Almost nothing, sir. Most of their assets are gone, and even their land is heavily in debt. But they still make some income from the diamond mine.”
That diamond mine was one Khalid had gifted to the late Count Demper—Elicia’s father—when he married her.
“Then it’s time to take it back.”
He set the papers down firmly on his desk.
“I gave it as compensation for raising Elicia. But since they couldn’t even take care of her daughter properly, they’ll return it. Don’t you agree?”
“You’re absolutely right, sir.”
“Count Demper neglected Clover, insulted the Claudian family, and damaged our name. I won’t overlook that. Start by investigating their business dealings. If there’s any crime involved—prosecute them.”
“Yes, Your Grace. As you command.”
Teniron gathered the documents quickly.
That was the end of the Demper family’s luck.
They would have to pay back everything they had taken—twice over—and the Demper house would collapse.
Khalid had been lenient until now only because Elicia’s older sister was involved, but not anymore.
If they thought they could escape without consequences, they were mistaken.
Not that his wife ever had much affection for that family anyway.
He could deal with it himself now.
Elicia Demper.
She had wanted their daughter to stay with the Demper family for one reason only—because a branch of the World Tree lay buried in their courtyard.
So, what happened to them wasn’t his concern anymore.
I should find a way to retrieve that branch of the World Tree…
He opened a drawer and took out a small framed portrait.
It was Elicia, smiling brightly, looking happier than anyone else in the world.
Khalid’s fingers brushed over her face in the picture.
Of course, he couldn’t actually touch her.
“…”
He stared at her face for a long time, then finally looked up and asked Teniron,
“How’s the White Forest these days? Any incidents?”
“No, sir. The knights are guarding it around the clock. Nothing unusual has been reported.”
“Good.”
“Are you planning to go there?”
Teniron was one of the few people who knew Elicia’s true identity.
Khalid carefully set the portrait back down and said quietly,
“Yes.”
Because Elicia was in the White Forest.
“Clover’s come home, after all.”
Elicia Demper, the spirit born from that forest’s sacred tree, was sleeping within it now—resting to recover her power.
“I want to show her our child.”
Elicia had once told him that spirits of the forest, when their strength ran out, returned to their trees to rest.
She had assured him not to worry—that she’d come back soon.
But it had already been four years.
And not once had she appeared in his dreams.
So now, there was only one thing he could do—
take Clover there himself.
After a long silence, Khalid spoke slowly.
“My daughter misses her mother. And I’m sure my wife misses Clover, too.”
“Then I’ll make the arrangements for a trip to the White Forest soon, sir.”
“Thank you.”
Teniron bowed and left the room quietly.
