~Chapter 13~
If there’s something I can do, I want to do it.
I’ve always felt that way, and I’ll keep feeling that way.
Clover dipped both her hands into the clear water.
Since the sun had set, the water was icy cold.
But it was just as clear—under the moonlight and Lucky’s glow, she could see straight through to the bottom of the fountain.
She was standing on the top tier of the two-level fountain.
If she fell from here, she’d get hurt.
Just the thought of it made her little heart pound.
For a four-year-old, this height felt like standing on the rooftop of a five-story building.
But stronger than the fear was the thrill of, “I can do something with my own hands.”
“Not Daddy?”
He can’t. He’s under the protection of the Storm. Same goes for the others.
Only you, Clover. Only you can do it.
Clover thought of how her father had been desperately searching for that treasure.
If she could find it and hand it to him herself, wouldn’t he be so happy? Just imagining it made the dark night and the high fountain seem not scary at all.
And then—
Flash!
Something sparkled inside the fountain.
It glowed just as bright as Lucky.
Among the flowing water, it stood out alone, like it was calling Clover’s name.
Almost hypnotized, Clover reached her hand toward it.
Splash.
Her small hand slipped into the water again.
This time, she grabbed hold of the glowing thing.
Slowly, carefully, she pulled it out.
It was a ring.
A ring with a radiant jewel—probably the most beautiful ring in the world.
Clover’s big round eyes reflected the glittering jewel like rippling water.
“I found it…” she whispered blankly, still clutching the ring in her tiny hand.
“I really found it. The Claudian treasure.”
She didn’t need anyone to tell her. She just knew.
This was the treasure the North Wind Lion had talked about.
It was the most beautiful, most dazzling thing she’d ever seen in her life.
Even Lucky’s golden glow, which she always thought could outshine anything, looked dull next to this ring.
[That’s the…]
But before Lucky could finish speaking—
Rumble, boom!
Dark storm clouds suddenly gathered right above Clover’s head.
…Huh?
Rain poured down, and fierce winds blasted across the fountain.
Startled, Lucky and the cat jumped to her side.
“Lucky, what’s happening…?” Clover clutched the ring tightly in both hands, looking to him for answers.
CRASH!
Lightning flashed, and in an instant, the storm’s power exploded—winds strong enough to uproot trees and hurl people away.
It was the power of the Storm itself.
But wait—wasn’t this ring supposed to neutralize the storm? So why was the storm raging now?
Before Clover, Lucky, or the cat could even think it through—
[Clover!]
My daughter, get out of there!
Both Lucky and the North Wind Lion shouted desperately.
But Clover was on the second tier of the fountain.
A four-year-old couldn’t climb down from there on her own.
So where was she supposed to run?
“L-Lucky…”
Rumble. BOOM!
***
The storm exploded right in the middle of the garden.
All the Claudian servants jolted awake and rushed outside in panic.
Khalid, Damian, and Arwin also hurried out.
Only Khalid, Sone, Damian, and Arwin had the ability to wield the Storm’s power.
But among them, only Khalid and Sone could fully unleash it like this.
So why—why was the Storm’s power suddenly raging out here in the garden, and out of nowhere?
“Has Sone come back?”
“No, Master, she hasn’t returned yet.”
“Then who—?!”
Khalid, shocked, sprinted toward the garden, the servants trailing behind.
And what they saw—
“What in the world…”
The grand fountain, built by the very first Lady of the house for her beloved husband—once a proud symbol of the Claudian family—was shattered, torn apart by the Storm’s fury.
And beside it—
“…Clover?”
There she was, covered in dirt, staring up at Khalid in a daze.
“O-Oh my…”
“Little miss…!”
The servants gasped, frozen in shock.
Khalid just stood there, staring at his small daughter.
Could Clover have caused this storm?
Impossible.
He knew better than anyone that Clover had no such power.
Then what in the world had happened just now?
His eyes, confused and searching, fell on his tiny daughter.
Standing in his shadow, she looked even smaller.
Her little body was covered in cuts and scrapes, like she had truly been caught inside the storm.
Clover, filthy and trembling, looked up at Khalid—then tears suddenly spilled down her face.
“…!”
“D-Daddy…”
On all fours, she crawled clumsily toward him, fighting back sobs.
“Daddy, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
“Clover…”
“Hic, hic… I-I caused trouble, I didn’t mean to, I didn’t know, I didn’t…”
Rain poured down harder from the storm clouds overhead, soaking her small face.
Mud, rain, and tears all streamed together down her round cheeks.
“I just wanted to help. I just wanted…”
But before she could reach him, she collapsed to her knees and wailed.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, hic, Daddy…!”
All she wanted was to help him.
Daddy had been doing everything he could to keep her here, in the Claudian family.
She just wanted to help by finding the treasure, so she could stay too. That was all.
If she had known it would cause such a disaster—
Breaking the fountain, waking everyone in the mansion—
Doing something everyone would hate her for—
She would never have done it.
And now, because of this one ring, she might end up being hated by the father she had just reunited with.
That thought crawled all over her like ants, eating her up with fear.
Clover didn’t know what to do—so she just cried and cried.
“No, Clover. You didn’t do anything wrong. Are you hurt? Come here, let me see.”
Khalid gently stretched his hand toward the terrified child. She trembled, sobbing and sobbing, as if she could flood the garden with her tears.
“I didn’t mean to, please don’t send me back to Demper…”
“I won’t send you back. Never. Now let me check your wounds.”
“D-Daddy…”
Still gasping through her tears, Clover finally lifted her head and met his eyes.
“That’s it. Come closer, Clover. Come to Daddy.”
At his desperate call, the North Wind Lion—who had been crouching guiltily behind Clover—lifted its head and looked at its master.
Meanwhile, Lucky the four-leaf clover kept circling Clover’s little hands, glowing and pointing as if to show something.
But Khalid didn’t spare either of them a glance.
The only thing that mattered to him now was his daughter’s safety.
Nothing else.
But Clover… had something more important than her own safety.
She wiped the cut on her cheek with her sleeve, then held out her hand to Khalid, eyes still wet with tears.
Khalid rushed closer, like she’d just given him permission. He looked at what she was holding.
“…This is…?”
Something rested in Clover’s palm.
A ring. A sapphire set in the center, with diamonds encrusted all around it.
Of course he recognized it.
He had been searching desperately for this very ring for the last four years.
Before he could even react, Clover pressed it into his hand with her tiny fingers.
“I found it, Daddy.”
“…Clover.”
“S-So… please don’t send me away. Hic… because I found this for you…”
Tears streaming down her face, Clover begged him with the ring that had now lost its glow.
