Dad Came Back from a Deserted Island Chapter 31

“There are so many people!”

[Ugh. Seeing them all crammed together like that makes me sick.]

Belouang was a bustling place, but it was nothing compared to the capital of the Empire.

Vivian could hardly close her mouth as she faced a crowd larger than any she had ever seen. The streets were unbelievably wide, and there were so many buildings. It felt as though the world had suddenly become much bigger.

“Vivi, you’re going to get a bug in your mouth.”

Jean gently closed his daughter’s open mouth and gazed at the capital, lost in thought.

This was where he had spent the most time before his regression. He knew the streets so well that he could find his way with his eyes closed.

And yet, he had returned to this place with Vivian by his side. The feeling was indescribable.

The gathering was being held at a mansion in a district where nobles and wealthy bourgeois families lived.

Since there were guests like Jean coming from far away, the schedule had been arranged so they could first rest at the mansion before heading to the outskirts for hunting, tea, and other activities.

As their carriage entered the district lined with luxurious mansions, Vivian fell silent, visibly tense.

It wasn’t because she had never seen such a magnificent house before. The new House Lambert was just as impressive.

It was the atmosphere of the neighborhood itself, which seemed to thoroughly reject outsiders, that made even a child feel nervous.

[Why are you so tense? What is there to be nervous about? Compared to the Imperial Palace, this is nothing.]

At the divine beast’s indifferent voice, Vivian’s stiff shoulders relaxed.

“Reallyyy?”

[Of course. And I will not tolerate the sight of you, who has been entrusted with the most important duty of serving this great one, acting meekly in front of other humans!]

Kiki’s words were full of bluster, but Vivian could tell that it was worried about her.

She smiled brightly, hugged Kiki tightly with one arm, and took Jean’s large hand with the other.

The warmth flowing from them reassured her, filling her with strength.

“Hnnng!!”

Jean burst out laughing at the sudden battle cry.

When they arrived at the mansion, the father and daughter were given a warm but appropriately restrained welcome and naturally shown to their room.

The servant assigned to attend to them introduced the room with impeccable courtesy before withdrawing so Jean and Vivian could rest from their long journey.

After an appropriate amount of time had passed, the same servant returned.

“Are you feeling rested? Some of the other guests have already arrived. If you are ready, shall I escort you to them?”

“Would it be all right if my daughter came too?”

“Of course. This gathering is for the children as well.”

“Shall we go, Vivi?”

“Yeah!”

Father and daughter walked down the hallway hand in hand. The servant occasionally stole glances at Kiki perched on Vivian’s shoulder but never let it show.

As Vivian held Jean’s hand tightly, she whispered to him.

“Daddy, are you feeling all fluttery too?”

She could feel his heartbeat through the hand she was holding.

Jean smiled and whispered back.

“Yeah. My heart’s beating fast. What about you, Vivi?”

“Me too! I want to meet lots of friends. Hehe.”

The servant listened to their conversation and secretly smiled with fondness. When they reached the door, he announced their arrival in a respectful voice.

“Lord Lambert has arrived.”

The beautifully decorated yet dignified doors opened, and the sound of children laughing greeted them first.

It really was a more relaxed atmosphere than other gatherings, just as they had said, since everyone had brought their children.

Some of the children sat on the floor reading books or gathered together drawing pictures, while the adults stood around a table by the window.

A gentleman standing with his back to the window welcomed them.

“Oh! You’ve arrived. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I’m Eponine Clemence.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Jean de Lambert, and this is my daughter, Vivian.”

After the host’s warm welcome, it was time to introduce the other guests.

An elderly gentleman who had been facing the window with his back to the room turned around.

Jean swallowed the pounding of his heart and forced himself to smile.

Eduard.

He was reunited with his benefactor.

 

***

 

“As you may have heard, this is Lord Eduard de Valmont, the owner of Valmont Merchant Company.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Lambert.”

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

Naturally, the kind gaze Jean remembered was nowhere to be found.

The sharp eyes of a merchant evaluating someone he had only just met were entirely different.

When Jean had first met Eduard, he had been a pitiful man suffering from amnesia, so this was the first time he had ever received such a calculating gaze from him.

But Jean made no attempt to hide his nervousness.

He was standing before the greatest merchant in the Empire.

It would have been stranger if a young man who had luckily become the owner of a diamond mine hadn’t been nervous in front of him.

The somewhat rigid atmosphere was broken by a childish voice.

“Hello!”

Perhaps Vivian knew her father was nervous, because she greeted everyone in a louder voice than usual while holding his hand tightly.

Children were adorable enough on their own, but Vivian was so beautiful that she looked as though she had stepped straight out of a masterpiece.

The adults who had already noticed her smiled warmly as they looked at the child.

Eduard’s expression softened as well.

“It’s our first time meeting. Your name is… Vivian, was it?”

“Yes! That’s right! Please call me Vivi!”

Even in front of unfamiliar adults, Vivian answered brightly and confidently.

Children were sensitive to their parents’ emotions.

Vivian instinctively sensed that although Jean was nervous in front of Eduard, he neither disliked nor feared him.

“Hoho. You have a very adorable daughter.”

“Of course! Our Vivi is very, very adorable.”

Normally, a parent would respond modestly to such praise, but Jean had absolutely no intention of being humble when it came to Vivian.

Not even in front of Eduard.

Eduard burst out laughing again at Jean’s unabashed pride, and his gaze became noticeably softer.

Of course, that alone was nowhere near enough for him to finish forming an opinion of Jean.

The host, Clemence, finished introducing the other guests, and just as the adults were about to begin their conversation, the children who had been watching Vivian curiously from afar began approaching her.

“Father. Now that you’re finished with the introductions, may we…?”

“Ah, Elize. This is my daughter. I think it would be nice to let the children introduce themselves to one another. Would that be all right?”

“Of course. Vivian has been excited about making friends for quite some time. Vivi, is that okay?”

“Yeah!”

With a shy expression, Vivian approached the other children.

They were extremely interested in her. For one thing, Vivian’s appearance immediately drew their attention.

“Wow, you’re really pretty. Look at your hair!”

“You look just like a flower petal. How old are you? Five?”

“No. I’m seven!”

“What? Seven? You’re lying! You’re so tiny!”

“Eeeing.”

One of the children became interested in Kiki, who was sitting on Vivian’s shoulder with its bright eyes wide open.

“By the way, why are you carrying a doll on your shoulder…? Eek! This thing is alive!”

[How dare you call this great one a ‘thing’! What an ill-mannered brat!]

The divine beast, who showed mercy only to Vivian, immediately bared its teeth, and naturally, the children were terrified.

One child who looked younger than Vivian was so startled that they collapsed onto the floor, tears welling in their eyes.

“Kiki! Calm down. It’s because you look so cute!”

[……Hmph.]

Vivian had already figured out that Kiki could be easily appeased by even the smallest compliment, so she skillfully calmed it down.

The tiny monkey raised its chin with a smug smile, as though it had never bared its teeth threateningly in the first place.

Impressed by how easily she handled such a fierce creature, one of the children spoke to her in admiration.

“Wow! It really listens to you. It doesn’t look like a puppy, so what is it?”

“Divine… monkey!”

“Monkey?”

“What’s that?”

“Uh… It’s a monkey, but if you’re asking what a monkey is…”

“Is ‘Monkey’ its name?”

“No! Its name is Kiki. A monkey is, um, like a puppy or a cat.”

“It must be a rare animal. Where can you buy one?”

[Buy what?! Do you think this great one is an object?!]

Furious, Kiki let out a fierce series of screeches as though it were about to leap at them.

The child who had asked the question became terrified and burst into tears.