Dad is Back From a Deserted Island - Chapter 39

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Father has returned from the Deserted Island
Chapter 39

‘How peaceful.’
Seated upon the plush sofa in the sun-drenched Living Room, Jean de Lamber was savoring the most leisurely moment since his return.
Though his mind, admittedly, was far from at ease.
His thoughts churned with questions about Eduard’s shifting demeanor and the complexities of future ventures.
Yet as a guest in another’s home, he could hardly wander the Capital aimlessly, lacking any established footing of his own.
His beloved daughter was too absorbed in play with the older siblings she had met here to seek out her father.
“What color should we choose for the piano?”
A smile graced Jean de Lamber’s lips as he recalled Vivian, her face alight with joy the previous evening as she chattered about the piano lessons she had begun.
“I never imagined our little princess would take such a liking to the piano.”
Yet for all that he was her father, there was so much he did not know about Vivian.
Whether she truly enjoyed playing, or what manner of child she appeared to be among her peers.
Jean de Lamber’s smile gradually faded.
Whether she had longed for an absent father, or resented him instead.
What had stirred in her heart on that first night of an unwanted marriage, when she had wielded the blade.
What thoughts had occupied her mind as she lay dying in that cold warehouse.
These truths would remain forever beyond his reach.
Jean de Lamber remained buried in the sofa, his face cradled in his hands for a long while.
Such horrors would not befall her again—he would shatter himself utterly before allowing it.
Yet each time he recalled the daughter he had failed to save, his heart felt as though it might splinter.
Unable to bear it any longer, Jean de Lamber rose from his seat to find Vivian.
The sight of her smiling face—he needed it to dispel this ache.
“Pardon me, but might you know where the children are playing at present?”
Having inquired of a servant in the Corridor, Jean de Lamber made his way to the Orangery where the children were at play, and there he found Vivian.
The sounds of running feet and laughter echoed through the glass structure—they seemed to be engaged in some manner of chase game.
“Oh no, Luca! That’s cheating! We agreed only one-legged running!”
“I think it’s time we revised our rules. One-legged running seems rather unfair when Vivian is so remarkably swift, wouldn’t you say?”
“Hehe! I’m fast?”
At the sight of that radiant face, luminous with sunlight and laughter, he could breathe once more.
“Oh! Papa!”
Upon spotting Jean de Lamber standing at the entrance of the Orangery, Vivian came running with rapid footfalls. Jean de Lamber immediately lifted her, cradling her in the familiar embrace.
The warmth of her small body, slightly elevated above that of an adult, and the distinctive scent unique to children.
A sensation that drew him from the marshland of his past back into the present.
Behind her, Luca and Elise bowed their heads in greeting to Jean de Lamber, their expressions somewhat awkward.
It was true that an adult intruding upon children at play ought to withdraw gracefully, but I had no desire to part from Vivian just yet.
As I pondered what to do, my gaze fell upon something perfectly suited to the moment.
“Oranges?”
True to its name, the Orangery was filled with orange trees, and several plump fruits lay scattered upon the ground—clearly tended with great care by the gardener.
I smiled and set Vivian down, gathering a few fallen oranges into my hands.
“Do you children know how to do this?”
After tossing and catching an orange a few times with one hand, I began to juggle three oranges in smooth, flowing arcs.
It was a skill I had acquired before my return—though “acquired” seemed too deliberate a word for it.
On the Deserted Island, my only daily task had been to find food to eat.
With endless hours to fill and boredom gnawing at me, I had taken to juggling alone, and after years of practice, my technique had surpassed that of most traveling performers.
“Wow!”
The children were captivated by my juggling display in an instant.
Elise and Luca, who had already witnessed circus performances, gasped with particular delight.
“My goodness, Lord Jean de Lamber! You juggle even more skillfully than the traveling performers! Did you receive formal training?”
An old noble house might have scorned such work as beneath them, but Luca and Elise came from merchant families—far more open-minded in such matters.
I remembered from before my return that Luca had enjoyed juggling performances, and I had already encountered the boy in that previous life.
Back then, Eduard had favored me over his own father, which had made Luca rather distant toward me. But this time, it seemed we might build a better rapport.
“Me too, me too! Teach me, Papa!”
Vivian’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and I felt my shoulders lift with pride as I smiled and stroked her hair.
“I never received formal training, little one. I simply practiced during my time on the Deserted Island when there was nothing else to do.”
“The Deserted Island?”
“Yes. Didn’t Vivian tell you?”
“She didn’t! I never asked!”
“How could I ask about something I didn’t know, Vivi!”
Elise gently chided Vivian.
Regardless, Luca’s gaze remained fixed upon me, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of caution and far greater curiosity.
A deserted island! The wilderness! Exploration! Seafaring!
Each word set his heart racing.
Once an avid reader of adventure novels, Luca had even mentally compiled lists of items to bring if stranded on an island, and names of people he would trust to be stranded with.
My name had just risen to the very top of that list.
With someone experienced at his side, survival seemed assured.
“If I may ask without overstepping—how did you come to be on the Deserted Island?”
Unaware that Luca was already imagining being stranded there with me, I stroked my chin thoughtfully before answering.
“Well, I’m afraid I didn’t end up on the Deserted Island for any fortunate reason.”
“Oh, my apologies.”
“No, it’s all ancient history now. There’s no harm in speaking of it.”
Yes, it was all ancient history. Vivian stood beside me with a smile on her face, and perhaps if I spoke of it as though it were nothing, one day it truly would feel like nothing at all.
Hoping for such a day to come, I began my tale.
“The ship I was sailing on encountered a terrible storm….”
“The ship I was on ran into a storm…”

* * *

After finishing my duties and arriving at the Dining Room for supper, Eduard witnessed a sight that left me speechless.
Luca had plastered himself to Jean de Lamber’s side and was speaking to him with surprising warmth.
‘This boy never shows such affection even to his own father?’
I understood the reason Luca favored Vivian—I had heard it in the carriage. Since I myself was utterly captivated by Vivian, I was even delighted that my grandson got along so well with her.
But Jean de Lamber, too?
“Grandfather. Did you know that Lord Lamber once drifted on a Deserted Island?”
“A Deserted Island?”
Hearing this story for the first time, I blinked in surprise. Jean de Lamber offered an awkward smile.
I had taken pity on Jean de Lamber, who had lived on the Deserted Island without memories from before my regression and then endured slavery, and had sheltered him.
This time, Jean de Lamber’s wish was to become a more dependable partner rather than a pitiable man, but it seemed that was not to be.
“Ah, a Deserted Island, you say. Might I hear the full account of this tale?”
However, my reaction differed from what Jean de Lamber had anticipated.
‘What is this?’
Before my regression, Jean de Lamber had been merely my subordinate. Since he was neither noble nor anything of consequence, all he knew of high society was what I told him.
And so Jean de Lamber did not know.
How captivating a figure he was in high society.
A Diamond Mine Owner who appeared like a comet.
His appearance was beautiful enough to earn admiration from anyone, and his manners were beyond reproach.
And on top of that, the narrative of having been shipwrecked on a Deserted Island only to return miraculously.
If that man were to appear in high society with even more eloquent speech? He would surely monopolize the conversation of nobles hungry for fresh scandal. And if I lent my support, that fervor would endure for quite some time.
The attention of nobles translates directly into wealth.
My eyes gleamed with possibility.
I had already felt the need to expand my influence.
There existed a rival rising fiercely from below.
Though I had heard many unfavorable rumors—whether the stories of his unscrupulous methods were true or not—his growth was undeniably rapid.
It had been a long time since I encountered an opponent worthy of caution.
And now, in the midst of all this, I had found a talent who, if cultivated properly, would prove invaluable.
Until now, Jean de Lamber had been merely a Diamond Mine Owner too precious to hand over to another, a father with a beloved daughter.
‘A man worth cultivating.’
Now, I desired more.

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