~Chapter 2~
Bang!
Just then, someone barged into Clover’s room without knocking.
Clover quickly scrambled onto the bed and pulled the blanket over herself.
She whipped her head around and glared at the intruder.
“What are you doing?”
It was none other than her nasty cousin, Louis.
He was the only son of Count Demper, and he loved bullying Clover.
Nobody else barged into her room like this—only Louis.
Sigh…
Clover let out a small sigh and pulled the blanket all the way over her head.
“I’m resting.”
“Resting? My foot! I heard you rustling around just now. Don’t lie!”
…Wow, his ears are way too sharp.
Clover froze for a moment but tried not to show it, clutching the blanket tightly.
Step.
Step.
She could feel Louis getting closer to the bed.
His footsteps grew louder.
“Hey.”
That annoying voice made her flinch.
The closer he came, the more Clover squirmed under the blanket, trying to inch away.
She hated Louis.
He bullied her every single day.
And she was sure he came here today just to mess with her again.
But then—
“Huh? What’s this?”
She heard Louis rustling around, as if he’d found something.
Relieved that his attention shifted away from her, Clover sighed in relief.
Rustle.
“…Wait. Rustle?”
There was only one thing in this room that could make that sound.
Clover shot upright in alarm.
“Louis!”
She yelled as she spun around.
Sure enough—Louis had pulled her diary out from under the bed.
“What’s this dirty paper? What did you write here?”
“Don’t! Give it back!”
Clover reached out desperately.
She couldn’t let him take that.
She needed it—so she could tell on Louis and her aunt!
Mean Louis!
“Did you write ‘idiot’ here? Your handwriting’s so messy I can’t even read it.”
Thank goodness—Louis couldn’t make out her scrawled letters properly.
“Tch. At least write so people can read it.”
He mocked her, tossing the diary around.
That was a small relief.
But still, the diary was in his hands—no way she could relax.
“Give it back! It’s mine!”
“Nope. Why should I?”
“Meanie! Why are you stealing it?”
“Why not?” He smirked.
“Everything in this house belongs to me anyway.”
“…”
“The clothes you’re wearing, this paper—everything. Mother said this whole estate will be mine when I inherit the family.”
Clover, fuming inside: Ugh, Louis is the worst…
She glared at him, but luckily Louis didn’t notice. He wandered toward the window instead.
Clover suddenly realized what he was about to do.
Her eyes widened.
“Louis!”
“That’s why I can take whatever I want.”
Grinning wickedly, Louis tossed her diary out the small window.
Flutter.
Pages of parchment fluttered away in the wind like falling leaves.
“Or I can just throw it away.”
“……!”
Her diary.
The one she had carefully written day after day.
Now scattered everywhere, like dead leaves in the wind.
Clover plopped down on the floor in shock.
“No…!”
That diary was too important to lose.
And worse—it was dangerous if discovered.
Inside, she had written about how Count Demper had been stealing the money meant for her upbringing.
Of course, “Lucky” had told her about it.
Lucky said stealing her allowance was as bad as stealing her cupcakes at snack time.
Clover had written it down right away.
But what if Count Demper ever read that?
Her face went pale.
Nobody likes reading insults about themselves.
And nobody likes the person who wrote them either.
Given his nasty temper, if Count Demper ever found her diary, Clover knew he’d explode in fury.
[That nasty brat!] Lucky raged inside her head.
But Clover didn’t have time to get mad at Louis.
I have to pick them up fast!
Before her evil aunt saw them and lost her temper!
Leaving Louis behind, Clover burst out the door.
Thump thump thump!
She dashed down the spiral staircase and hurried straight to the garden.
It was the same garden visible from her bedroom window.
So the diary pages had to be somewhere around here.
“Quick, quick, find them…!”
If her aunt found them, she’d be dead meat!
Clover bent down and frantically searched the garden, gathering pages one by one.
Found one!
Here’s another!
It was like a treasure hunt.
There was no prize for finding them… but at least she wouldn’t get scolded.
One page.
Then another.
Even a passing gardener handed her one.
“Is this what you’re looking for?”
“Yeah, thank you…”
Clover hugged the parchment close to her chest and nodded gratefully.
She managed to collect them faster than expected.
Had she gotten them all?
She wasn’t sure—she hadn’t numbered them.
Just then—
“Ah!”
One page was stuck high in a tree!
What to do?
Clover can’t climb.
The tree was tall and big—even Louis struggled to climb it.
There was no way little Clover could reach it.
She stomped her feet nervously at the base of the tree.
“Clover! Where are you, you brat?!”
Her aunt’s furious voice echoed nearby.
[Oh no, the villain’s here!] Lucky cried.
“Eek!”
Clover pressed herself against the tree trunk in fear.
She had to get that page down somehow.
If not, her terrifying aunt would surely punish her.
Then—
Whoosh.
“…Huh? A cat?”
Out of nowhere, a blue cat appeared.
It had long, fluffy fur and big eyes, and it was staring straight at Clover.
[Hmm?]
The cat looked at the whimpering Clover for a moment—then leapt gracefully up the tree.
It grabbed the parchment in its mouth and hopped down, placing it in Clover’s hands.
“You’re giving it to me…?”
The cat just stared at her silently, as if saying “yes.”
Overwhelmed, Clover threw her arms around its neck.
“Thank you!”
Watching from the side, Lucky muttered:
[That looks like a summoned beast…]
But before Lucky could finish—
“Clover!”
“Eek!”
Both her aunt and Louis’s voices rang out.
Panicking, Clover let go of the cat and whispered,
“I—I have to go now.”
“…”
“Thanks for helping me.”
She quickly rolled up the parchment so nobody could see what was written.
“There you are, Clover!”
“Eek, Auntie!”
Right as Clover hid the page, Countess Demper appeared.
“You brat! Didn’t I tell you not to go outside?!”
She easily scooped Clover up with one hand.
Clover dangled helplessly in her grip.
“You’re grounded!”
“I—I didn’t come out ‘cause I wanted to…”
“Don’t talk back!”
“…Okay.”
Fuming, she carried Clover away.
Hanging in her aunt’s grasp, Clover glanced back at the spot where the cat had been.
But it was already gone.
Was it some kind of guardian angel, sent to protect her?
Thank you, kitty.
She whispered her gratitude in her heart, hugging the rolled-up parchment tightly to her chest.
***
August 2nd, clear weather.
Aunt got mad again.
Told me not to tell Dad.
That was what was written on the page the cat had brought down.
There was no need to question its authenticity—Clover herself had been frantically gathering the pages, her face pale with fear.
So it must have been real.
There were even tear stains on the parchment.
Looking at the little girl picking up the pages and at the tear marks, Duke Cloudian muttered in a chilling voice, befitting the “Butcher of the North”:
“…I’ll have to pay Count Demper’s house a visit.”
