Dad is Back From a Deserted Island - Chapter 27

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Father has returned from the Deserted Island
Chapter 27

My exploration of Vivian’s Mansion was still ongoing.
The new mansion was so sprawling that even after four days of exploration, I hadn’t seen it all.
Of course, this was partly because Vivian and I treated the exploration like a game, rummaging through every nook and cranny of the mansion.
Whenever we got fixated on a spot, we’d stay for half a day or more, forcing the Servants to come searching for us.
“Let’s explore this direction today!”
Today’s destination was the eastern wing of the mansion. I had no idea what rooms awaited us there.
As Vivian and I wandered through the mansion, we hid whenever we encountered the Servants. There was no particular reason—it was simply the rule of our exploration game.
The Servants pretended not to notice us hiding so obviously behind the pillars and struggled to suppress their laughter.
Following our thrilling(?) route, we arrived at a room designed for games after parties.
A billiard table and a chessboard. Even the cards on the table were things I’d never seen before.
“Wow. Kiki. Do you know what this is?”
[I have no idea. I’m seeing these things for the first time too.]
The Deserted Island had bananas, but it didn’t have billiard tables.
I dragged over a chair and climbed onto the billiard table, crawling across it and peering into the pockets, but finding nothing of interest, I quickly lost enthusiasm.
“Up we go.”
I jumped down from the billiard table, returned the chair to its original spot, and sat at the table.
“This one’s heart-shaped. What shape is this one?”
To my eyes, unfamiliar with card games, they were just scraps of paper.
Adults could spend hours in this room, but I left after less than ten minutes.
“That room was boring.”
[This place really has a lot of pointless rooms.]
“Where should we go next, Commander Kiki?”
[How about we head upstairs this time?]
“Excellent idea!”
We immediately set off toward our next destination.
Besides Jean’s Room and mine, there were several other rooms on this floor.
After exploring a few more guest rooms without finding anything worthwhile, disappointment set in.
“Sigh. This is exhausting.”
[Vivian.]
“Hmm?”
[Haven’t you never explored your father’s room?]
“Father’s room? Well, I suppose… but wouldn’t it be wrong to rummage through Father’s room?”
[That’s rich coming from someone who’s already turned this entire house upside down.]
Hehe. Vivian laughed awkwardly and scratched her head.
Jean had told me I could wander freely anywhere in this mansion.
“So shall we take a look? But this time, we really can’t get caught!”
[You be careful too.]
The two of us crept stealthily into Jean’s Room.
Jean’s Room was roughly the same size as mine. In truth, since Jean had decorated my bedroom far more meticulously than his own, his room appeared somewhat sparse by comparison.
Naturally, this wasn’t the first time Kiki and I had entered Jean’s Room.
Since we’d been here several times already, we bypassed any leisurely exploration and headed straight beneath the bed.
“There’s nothing under the bed, Captain!”
[Come out without eating dust.]
Fortunately, since the furniture had been brought in not long ago, dust hadn’t accumulated much beneath the bed.
Having found nothing of particular interest, I opened the door to a small room connected to the bedroom. It was a separate dressing room.
“Father doesn’t have many clothes? Yet he bought me so many.”
Next time we shopped for clothes, I’d have to insist on buying more for Father. Lost in such thoughts, I failed to notice the cloak hem caught at my feet.
“Whoa!”
[Tsk. You need to be more careful.]
Fortunately, I managed to steady myself against the wall and didn’t fall.
Since I hadn’t fallen, Kiki merely clicked his tongue once. As long as I didn’t get hurt, that was all that mattered.
Kiki diligently groomed his fur while gazing at his reflection in the mirror. He was a spirit who valued neatness.
“Oh? Kiki, look here!”
But I called out to Kiki in an urgent voice.
[What is it? Hmm? Wait. That wall—]
The wall I was leaning against suddenly shifted with a dull thud.
Both Kiki’s and my eyes widened in astonishment.
“W-Wow! It’s a Secret Room!”
[My. So such a place exists. Your father has quite the cunning side to him.]
“What does ‘cunning’ mean?”
[…Never mind.]
Now wasn’t the time to worry about vocabulary. My heart pounding with excitement, I stepped into the Secret Room hidden behind the wall.
The secret space wasn’t particularly large. The first thing that came into view was the treasure chest that had contained Kiki.
“Oh. That’s the one!”
I pretended to recognize it, claiming I’d seen it before.
[So you brought it here. Well, since these are precious items, it’s right to keep them hidden from others’ eyes. …But why is that box here alongside the chest I came from?]
Kiki was displeased by the existence of something being treasured even more carefully than the treasure chest he’d come from.
It was a small velvet box.
While the treasure chest simply sat on the floor, this box was placed atop a small table. Beside it stood a fresh vase, apparently replaced frequently.
“What could this be?”
I rose on my tiptoes and picked up the velvet box.
It was light enough for me to lift without difficulty.
With eyes full of curiosity, I opened the box, and a jewelry set emerged.
A complete set of jewelry sparkled before me—from a luminous emerald-green necklace to matching earrings, bracelet, and ring.
[Hmm? These look rather expensive.]
Kiki, buried among the Imperial Palace’s treasures, spoke with such certainty that these were clearly premium pieces.
“How beautiful.”
Vivian, who cared little for the monetary value of jewels, simply marveled at the ornaments’ exquisite beauty.
[If you like them, why not try them on?]
“Huh? Try them on?”
[Of course. They’re not your father’s, after all. That makes them yours.]
I hesitated. Could I really wear them without Father’s permission?
But it was too late to worry about that now—I was already here.
[You could always put them back afterward, couldn’t you?]
“I… I suppose so?”
Soon I succumbed to Kiki’s temptation. The bracelet, sized for an adult, was far too large for me, so I had to twist it once to wear it properly.
The necklace was loose enough that I could slip it on without undoing the clasp.
“Hehe. Kiki, how do I look?”
[Suits you perfectly. Hmm. Were these made for you from the start? They match your hair color beautifully.]
Had the emerald been a darker shade, it would have clashed with my pale hair, but it harmonized flawlessly.
At the compliment, I giggled with delight.
Preening, I tossed my hair and slipped a ring onto Kiki’s finger as well.
The ring was too large even for the young monkey’s thumb, so it slipped off whenever he held his hand downward.
Kiki brought the inside of the rolling ring close to his eyes.
[There’s something written inside.]
I stepped forward—I’d been learning to read with Anne and Jean de Lamber recently.
“I can read this! This is an A. And this one is… um… Egg! It says Egg.”
The script was in cursive, so it took me a while to decipher the letters.
[What does that mean?]
“I don’t know. Hmm… maybe it’s a name? Father writes names on his things too.”
[Then these aren’t yours or your father’s, are they?]
Lamber. Jean. Vivian. Neither of them had an A in their initials.
“Then whose are they?”
[How should I know? He didn’t steal them, did he?]
“No, Father would never do that!”
I cried out indignantly.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Lamber Mansion was thrown into chaos by my absence.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————