Dad is Back From a Deserted Island - Chapter 28

—————
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 28

Anne was the first to notice Vivian’s absence.
When snack time arrived and she went to find the young mistress, no amount of calling brought Vivian to her.
“Could she have fallen asleep already?”
Even Anne hadn’t fully adjusted to the expanded mansion yet—how much more difficult must it be for young Vivian?
She and Kiki wandered about, collapsing to sleep in the most unexpected places.
At first, Anne thought little of it.
“Excuse me, have you seen the young mistress?”
“The young mistress? I saw her sprawled flat in the garden shrubbery earlier, but she seemed so absorbed I didn’t want to disturb her, so I just walked past.”
“Oh, I saw her too! She was covering her eyes by the pillar in front of the Game Room.”
“Her arm got stuck in the billiard table pocket earlier—I was startled and quickly freed her.”
“My goodness, that was dangerous! When I checked on her briefly, she was knocking over chess pieces with billiard balls. She was so focused she didn’t even notice I was there.”
Anne’s expression grew increasingly grave.
She stopped every servant she could find and asked about Vivian’s whereabouts, but none of them knew.
Jean de Lamber, who had stepped away from the documents in his Study for a moment to watch Vivian enjoy her snack as a form of relaxation, asked the question.
“What is the matter?”
“Master de Lamber! It’s just that the young mistress….”
“Has something happened to Vivian?”
The moment Vivian’s name was mentioned, Jean de Lamber’s expression hardened.
After hearing the full account, Jean de Lamber checked the Garden first. Fortunately, the door was firmly closed, so it seemed Vivian hadn’t gone outside.
“Who was the last person to see Vivian?”
“It was me, sir. I saw her in the Game Room, but… I didn’t see her leave.”
At those words, everyone began searching the eastern wing of the mansion as thoroughly as if hunting for a mouse.
“What on earth is happening? She’s the sort of child who answers when called, even in the middle of hide-and-seek.”
Jean de Lamber abandoned his work entirely to search for Vivian. With the child vanished from inside the mansion in broad daylight, there was no way he could concentrate on anything else.
“Vivian!”
“Young mistress! Kiki! Where are you!”
“There’s sweet cake waiting for you, young mistress!”

I had been searching frantically for Vivian for several hours.
Jean de Lamber watched the sky outside the window turn crimson with the sunset, and his legs gave way beneath him as he staggered.
“Lord de Lamber!”
“I’m fine, I’m fine. But Vivian… where on earth could she have gone?”
“S-should we report this to the Guard Militia? We thought she was in the mansion, but she’s nowhere to be found. What if someone broke in and kidnapped her-”
At the maid’s words, the color drained from Jean de Lamber’s face.
Vivian might have been kidnapped!
The servants began to murmur anxiously at this terrible possibility.
If that were truly the case, none of them could escape responsibility for negligence in the mansion’s security.
While punishment was frightening, they also dreaded the thought of the kind and gentle young lady being placed in danger.
Jean de Lamber rose to his feet again, his face ashen.
“I’ll go report this to the Guard Militia.”
“We’ll go in your stead, Lord de Lamber.”
“No. I can ride a horse faster than anyone. Continue searching for Vivian while I’m gone.”
Not a single servant dared to object to his resolute tone.
Jean de Lamber rushed up the stairs two or three at a time toward his bedroom. He intended to retrieve the portrait of Vivian—with a picture, finding her would be far easier.
‘What’s this?’
But the door to the Wardrobe Room stood open. He was certain he had closed it after changing clothes this morning.
‘Did someone come in here?’
It was possible a thief had broken in and kidnapped Vivian directly. Jean de Lamber gripped the poker from the fireplace and quietly opened the Wardrobe Room door.
Inside was empty. Instead, the wall leading to the Secret Space was slightly ajar.
“….”
A thief?
Whoever had intruded into this secret space could not be welcomed.
If the one who kidnapped Vivian were hiding here…
Jean de Lamber’s face turned cold as he pushed the wall to open the door.
Inside was…
Vivian and Kiki, adorned with necklaces and bracelets wrapped around their wrists, sleeping peacefully.
The sight was so serene it nearly made his knees buckle.
Jean de Lamber exhaled in relief, but his expression quickly hardened with fury.
“Vivian de Lamber!”
“…!”
Startled by the sound of her name, Vivian’s eyes flew open.
“Ugh… Father?”
As Vivian blinked and stretched, she saw Jean de Lamber staring down at her with a terrifying expression she had never witnessed before, and only then did she realize something grave had occurred.
“Not only did you rummage through my room without permission, but you fell asleep in a place like this? Everyone has been searching for you—do you have any idea?”
“F-Father, it’s just that-”
“I’ve been searching for hours! I was so worried you might have been kidnapped by a thief, Vivi. I was on my way to report this to the Guard Militia! And yet you-”
It was the first time Vivian had ever been scolded so severely by Jean de Lamber. She shrank back, unable to utter a word in the face of this side of her father she had never seen before.
“And on top of that, you’ve been touching things without permission. I’m truly disappointed.”
At those words, Vivian’s head snapped up from where it had been bowed toward the floor.
Disappointment—Jean had never spoken to Vivian this way, not even in jest.
Only Kiki, standing beside her, had thrown a tantrum.
[You say you’re disappointed? When you didn’t even tell her which places were off-limits!]
“You haven’t done anything right either, Shinsu.”
Kiki’s mouth fell open in shock mid-tantrum.
What did this human just say to me? To me?
Tears welled up in Vivian’s eyes.
With her lip jutting out as she fought back sobs, Jean did not soften his stance. He was genuinely angry, and there was something he needed to hear from Vivian before he could comfort her.
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
Yes. This was what he had been waiting for—for Vivian to acknowledge her mistake and apologize of her own accord.
“Sniff. I was just… playing with Kiki, and the wall started sliding, which was so strange. There were things inside I’d never seen before. So I went in and—”
“There’s no ‘just’ about it, Vivian. Tell me properly. Do you understand what you did wrong?”
Vivian sniffled, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her small shoulders heaved as she fought to contain her sobs.
“I… I went into Father’s room without permission—rummaged through things carelessly, and… didn’t tell anyone, so I made everyone worry.”
“Did you do wrong or not?”
“I did wrong—”
As Vivian began to cry in earnest, Jean finally gathered her into his arms. Her hair was disheveled from how long she’d been asleep, tangled messily in her necklace.
“Stop now.”
“Waaah—”
Comforting a crying child only brings more tears. Vivian wept bitterly until her throat grew tight, then finally managed to choke back her sobs with little hiccups.
Jean wiped his daughter’s warm, tear-stained face with his large hand.
“Do you know how frightened I was? When you go outside, you’ll apologize to everyone too. They all spent hours searching for you. Do you understand?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Sigh. What were you doing sleeping in here anyway? The space is so small there shouldn’t be much to see.”
“With Kiki… I was wondering whose ring this was, and then I got sleepy.”
At Vivian’s sniffling words, Jean fell silent.
The ring on Vivian’s thumb was terribly familiar. Not just the ring—the necklace and bracelets too.
The sight of her puffy face glittering with all those ornaments would have been amusing under any other circumstance, but Jean could not smile.
Those were things he had deliberately placed in a box and chosen not to open—and of all people, his child had found them.
Jean slowly untangled Vivian’s hair from the necklace and spoke in a quiet voice.
“…Those belonged to your mother.”
“Huh? Mother’s things?”
“Yes.”
Vivian’s eyes widened in surprise, and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks—tears she hadn’t quite managed to wipe away.

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