Dad Came Back from a Deserted Island Chapter 13

It was a flower garden shrouded in mist, creating an almost dreamlike atmosphere.

The flowerbeds had clearly been tended by skilled gardeners—though Vivian had no idea of that—the marble-paved paths, beautiful statues, and fountains that continuously gushed with crystal-clear water were all breathtaking.

Although she had never been here before, Vivian walked around without the slightest fear.

The soft grass beneath her feet and the pristine white marble decorations scattered throughout the garden felt strangely familiar, as though she had visited this place countless times before.

It was so familiar—

“Daddy!”

While admiring a statue surrounded by rose vines, Vivian’s feet tangled beneath her, and she stretched out her arms and squeezed her eyes shut as the ground rushed toward her.

But no impact came.

Instead, she felt something catch her, so she cautiously opened one eye.

“……!”

A person’s arm was supporting her.

It was shorter and more slender than an adult’s.

Curious about who it belonged to, Vivian slowly looked up—and stopped breathing.

“Gasp.”

The moment their eyes met, vivid red seemed to pierce straight through her heart.

Crimson eyes that seemed capable of enchanting anyone.

Long lashes cast a shadow over them, while a perfectly sculpted nose and delicate lips looked as though they had been painstakingly carved by the finest sculptor.

Even his skin was so white and flawless that it seemed no less beautiful than the marble behind him.

He was a boy whose beauty was so extraordinary that Vivian could hardly believe he was human.

The only flaw she could find was his expression, cold as ice.

Yet even that disappeared in an instant.

The boy’s chilly eyes softened with warmth as soon as they settled on the trembling Vivian.

“A fairy…?”

“A fairy?”

Vivian murmured the words as if bewitched, and the boy’s faint smile was like a scene from a beautiful painting.

“You’re not a fairy? Then… an angel?”

“I’m not an angel either.”

“Then who are you?”

The boy helped Vivian back onto her feet.

“Diti.”

“Huh?”

“You can call me Diti, Vivi.”

His voice carried a peculiar weight when he said those two syllables—Vivi.

“Okay, Diti! You’re really pretty. But how did you know my name?”

“You told me.”

Vivian was about to ask when she had done that when she tilted her head.

“Did I? No, we just met.”

“Yeah. Have you seen Daddy?”

Confused by the inexplicable familiarity she felt, Vivian tilted her head before nodding. Just hearing the word Daddy made a smile spread across her face.

“I can live with Daddy forever now! Today, I even went to the neighboring village with him!”

“That’s good. You missed your daddy very much, didn’t you?”

“Yeah! I’m so, so happy!”

When Diti held out his hand, Vivian naturally took it, as though she had always done so.

She had long forgotten Jean’s warning never to follow strangers because they could be dangerous.

The boy, who looked around her age, certainly didn’t seem dangerous.

“Hehe.”

Vivian giggled softly as she walked beside Diti, enjoying the sensation of the soft grass beneath her feet.

The sound of water spraying from the fountain and the distant chirping of birds made the place feel like something straight out of a fairy tale.

They arrived at a gazebo wrapped in vines around its white pillars.

The long benches beneath the blue roof were a little too high for Vivian, who was considerably shorter than children her age.

“Up we go… huh?”

Just as Vivian naturally tried to climb onto the bench, Diti lifted her with ease and placed her on it.

“Wow! You’re really strong!”

“You’re just very light.”

Vivian stared at him in amazement, kicking her feet.

Diti was taller than her, but he was still only a child!

“But Peter is two years older than me, and he couldn’t lift me either! Oh, right. How old are you, Diti?”

“One year older than you. ……That Peter fellow isn’t living with you anymore, is he?”

Diti’s eyebrows twitched the moment he heard Peter’s name.

“So you’re eight? Wait, how did you know you’re one year older than me?”

“Because you told me.”

“Oh, come on! I never told you that!”

“Anyway, you’re not living with that Peter fellow anymore, right?”

“No. Some man in armor came and took him away. Daddy said he’ll probably be living with some relatives. What about his parents?”

“Uncle Ron and Aunt Mary? Um… I-I heard they’re going to prison. How do you know all this?”

But Diti had no intention of satisfying Vivian’s curiosity.

He simply raised a hand and gently stroked her cotton-candy-soft hair.

“Prison, huh? Good. That’s a relief, Vivi.”

“Grrr! You don’t answer anything I ask, but you keep asking me questions!”

Vivian puffed out both cheeks in frustration.

Unfortunately, her angry expression was anything but threatening.

She looked like an indignant little rabbit.

“Sorry. It’s just… I had so many things I wanted to know about you.”

Diti lightly poked Vivian’s cheek with one finger before spreading his hand over her face.

“There were so many things I wanted to ask you.”

At the gentle touch against her face, Vivian’s cheeks flushed bright red.

It tickled.

It felt as though someone were brushing the inside of her chest with foxtail grass.

The boy’s unbelievably delicate features remained focused entirely on her.

Overwhelmed by a fluttering sensation she had never experienced before, Vivian placed a hand over her chest and took several deep breaths while Diti waited patiently without rushing her.

Eventually, she calmed down.

They continued chatting about all sorts of trivial things, and the time they spent together felt both incredibly enjoyable and strangely familiar.

After they had been talking for quite some time, Diti suddenly looked up at the sky.

His expression remained blank, yet there was a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

“Your daddy is looking for you.”

“Huh?”

“It’s time for us to part.”

“Daddy is looking for me? But I don’t see him.”

Vivian hopped down from the bench and looked around, following Diti’s gaze.

But no matter how much she searched, she couldn’t see her daddy.

She couldn’t even hear him calling her name.

The mist seemed to have grown thicker, and her head felt a little dizzy.

She could no longer see the boy who was saying goodbye.

“See you again, Vivi.”

Only his voice remained.

 

***

 

“Vivi! Wake up!”

“Mmm…?”

The morning sunlight was dazzling.

When Vivian opened her tightly scrunched eyes, she saw Jean’s face.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah. It’s Daddy, our little princess. You must have been exhausted yesterday. Daddy couldn’t wake you even after trying for a long time.”

“Mmm? Titi…?”

“His Divine Beastship has been awake for ages. Come on, get up and let’s have breakfast!”

“No, not Kiki. Wait… who was it?”

“Come back from dreamland now.”

“Ugh.”

Her head felt hazy, as though she had just awakened from a fairy’s spell.

She was certain she had been with someone.

Someone she felt she shouldn’t forget.

Jean carried her to the dining room, but no matter how hard she tried to remember who she had been looking for, nothing came to mind.

Kiki, dressed neatly in the clothes they had bought yesterday, was staring at the food on the table when it spotted Vivian and immediately began complaining.

[“Vivian! My stomach nearly stuck to my back. Instead of getting up and preparing this body’s meal, you dare sleep in?”]

“Hey! I forgot what I was thinking about because of you, Kiki!”

[“What? How dare you blame this body for your own stupidity…!”]

By the time Vivian reached the dining room, she had completely forgotten what she had been trying to remember because she was too busy bickering with Kiki.

Jean had prepared cream stew with baguettes for breakfast.

She dipped the hard bread into the stew and waited until it had absorbed enough of the sauce to become soft and moist before taking a bite.

It tasted heavenly.

Jean watched his daughter happily stuffing her cheeks with food before returning his attention to his own work.

He ate his stew absentmindedly, his eyes fixed on the map spread across the table.

“Let’s see~ Where could the mine be~?”

Kiki watched Jean closely.

[Vivian. Why is that human singing to himself?]

“Huh? Adults are just like that. Whenever they’re looking for something, they always do that.”

[And why is he looking for a mine?]

“Hmm… I don’t know either. But what’s mine? Daddy! What’s mine?”

“It’s a mountain where you can find things like gemstones by digging into the ground. Sorry, Vivi. I told you not to get distracted while eating, but Daddy isn’t setting a very good example. I’m looking for something really important right now…”

“Wow! If gemstones come out when you dig into the ground, it must be a really sparkly mountain!”

[Hmm. If it’s something important, then fine. I like these clothes very much, so I shall bestow my favor upon the large human!]

“Huh?”

[…I said I’ll find mine for him!]

“Eeeh?”

“Vivi. What’s wrong?”

“Kiki says it’ll find the mine for you.”

“Eeeh?”