Dad Came Back from a Deserted Island – Chapter 15

Author: isuzuuy

An old carriage came to a stop in front of House Lambert.

Vivian, who had been playing with Kiki in the garden, was startled and quickly hid behind a pillar.

Daddy wasn’t supposed to have anyone else coming back, and there certainly shouldn’t have been any visitors.

“Gasp.”

Could Ron, Mary, and Peter have returned?

Vivian instantly went pale and began trembling, while Kiki’s fur stood on end as it cautiously watched the stranger.

[Vivian. Don’t be afraid! Why would you fear anything when I’m by your side?]

“But, but… what do we do? What if it’s Uncle and Auntie…?”

[What do those pitiful humans matter?! This body is a divine beast! All humans should kneel before me—]

The baby monkey’s grand declaration did little to make Vivian feel reassured.

Before Kiki could become offended by the realization that it had failed to earn even a shred of Vivian’s confidence, the carriage door opened.

“Gasp.”

Vivian instinctively held her breath.

A pair of slightly worn but neatly maintained shoes appeared first, followed by a full skirt and a large bag.

Before Vivian could look any higher, a lively voice rang out.

“Is this the Lambert residence?”

The woman had neatly braided hair and freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose.

Vivian briefly sighed in relief that it wasn’t the people she feared, but she was still wary. Having grown up in a small village where strangers rarely visited, she watched the unfamiliar woman cautiously.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, the woman’s head suddenly turned toward her.

“Eek!”

Vivian had hidden, but her attempt at concealment was far too clumsy to fool an adult.

The woman’s eyes lit up when she spotted the little girl hiding suspiciously nearby.

Step. Step.

She walked toward Vivian without hesitation, making the girl freeze.

Just as Kiki was about to leap forward to protect her—

“Hello!”

The woman crouched in front of Vivian and greeted her at eye level.

“Ye… y-yes?”

“My name is Anne, and I’ll be working at House Lambert starting today. Are you the young lady of this household? Oh! What is this animal? It doesn’t look like a scrawny puppy… Please tell me it doesn’t bite! It looks like it could attack me at any moment!”

Kiki had been glaring threateningly, but its expression deflated as it began smoothing down its fur in disappointment.

“Mm-hmm. Y-yes, that’s right. His name is Kiki. He’s not a puppy but a monkey… or something like that. He’s never bitten anyone, but he can attack people.”

[Hmph. I am not some “monkey or something.” I am a divine beast. But the large human told me not to reveal that, so I shall let it slide.]

“A monkey? I’ve never seen an animal like this before! He’s so tiny… Hmm, I probably shouldn’t call him cute unless I want to get bitten.”

“Vivi? Who’s outside?”

Hearing the lively chatter, Jean leaned out of the window.

The moment Anne saw his face, her eyes widened.

“Oh my! He’s handsome!”

“Handsome… Ha-ha. Are you Miss Anne? I received a letter saying you would arrive this afternoon, so you came earlier than expected.”

“Yes! Nice to meet you. Are you Mr. Lambert? I’d only heard that you were a young man, so I didn’t realize you’d be this handsome! Ah, please don’t misunderstand me. I’m a confirmed bachelor-minded woman. I simply appreciate beautiful people!”

[She is the most talkative human I have ever encountered.]

Vivian and Jean both felt dizzy just watching Anne’s nonstop-moving lips.

She really was an incredibly energetic young woman.

And why did she talk so fast?

Still, Jean tried not to show his bewilderment as he escorted Anne inside.

“Keep playing here, Vivi. Miss Anne, this way. ……As you were told, I’d like us to spend about a month getting to know each other rather than making a final hiring decision immediately.”

“Yes, of course! The cute, pretty, adorable young lady might not like me, after all. Though I fell in love with her at first sight! Goodness, I’ve never seen a little princess who looks so much like an angel. All children that age are adorable, but she might just be the cutest of them all. Anyway, I understand!”

The corner of Jean’s mouth twitched.

For someone whose mental age had already passed middle age, Anne’s boundless energy was difficult to handle, but no parent could ever get tired of hearing someone praise their child.

“Ah, yes. I’m glad you understand. Let me take your luggage.”

“How kind of you!”

Vivian quietly followed the two of them.

The stranger she had been curious about was actually a new servant.

Ignoring that curiosity would have been a betrayal of her duties as a child.

After showing Anne to the parlor, Jean prepared some simple refreshments and brought them out himself.

The Lambert residence was certainly better than the homes of ordinary commoners, but it was considerably smaller and more worn than the mansions of nobles or wealthy families.

Seeing the master of the house personally serving tea, Anne asked,

“Don’t you have any other servants? I was only told that my job was to look after the child, but if you need help, I can also take care of the housework for a little extra pay!”

“We’re planning to move soon. I’ll hire additional servants after that. Since I can’t leave the child alone while I’m out, I decided to have only you come first.”

“Ah, I see! Then I have quite a responsibility on my shoulders. Still, I’ll help with preparing meals and cleaning up until the others arrive. I’ll feel better doing that anyway!”

“I’d appreciate that. We’ll move within a month and hire more people then, so I’d like to ask you to manage until then.”

“Yes! I look forward to working with you. ……And with you too, young lady!”

“Eek!”

Anne’s head whipped toward Vivian, who had been secretly peeking in through the window.

Startled, Vivian fell backward onto the ground.

Jean hurried to the window, picked her up, brushed the dirt from her clothes, and scolded her.

“Vivi! I told you to keep playing. Really, listening in on other people is bad behavior.”

“Ahaha. She’s at the age where she’s curious about everything.”

“Even so, wrong is wrong. Miss Anne, please make sure she learns proper manners as well. By the way, how did you know Vivian was eavesdropping?”

“I have pretty sharp hearing! It also means I’m confident I can stop children from getting into trouble before anything happens!”

Anne smiled proudly, but Vivian instinctively shrank back.

In her seven years of life, she had never met anyone quite like her.

***

Several days had passed since Anne arrived.

Her first impression had been a little overwhelming, but Anne proved to be highly capable and had certainly won Jean over, even if Vivian remained unsure about her.

Enough that Jean was comfortable leaving Vivian alone with her while he went to another village to take care of some business.

“Then I’ll leave things to you. Vivi! Daddy will be back before it gets dark, okay?”

“Don’t worry and go!”

“Mmm. Come back quickly.”

Vivian only waved goodbye after reminding Jean several times to return soon.

She stood there until the horse carrying Jean disappeared into the distance, then glanced nervously at Anne.

After watching Anne for several days, Vivian didn’t think she was a bad person.

She had never met an adult who consistently spoke politely to a child her age and treated her so kindly.

But being left alone with another adult after Daddy left inevitably brought back unpleasant memories.

[Why are you shrinking into yourself like that? Straighten your back, Vivian!]

If Kiki hadn’t been there, Vivian probably would have begged to follow Jean.

The arrogant little divine beast gave her the courage to stay behind.