Dad is Back From a Deserted Island - Chapter 61

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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 61

Vivian awoke with her face drenched, every inch of it soaked—not from water, but from tears.
Heavens. How much had I cried in my sleep?
I hurriedly wiped away the tears and checked Jean de Lamber’s bed; fortunately, he remained blissfully asleep, oblivious to the world.
I had moved all manner of luggage and belongings entirely on my own, not allowing him to lift a single finger, so the fatigue had accumulated considerably.
“Sigh….”
After wiping my face clean, my sleeves had become damp and uncomfortable.
I brushed off my sleeves with a grimace and checked on Kiki, who lay sleeping at the head of the bed.
The small body rose and fell in a steady rhythm, no different from before I had fallen asleep.
Normally, a gentle stroke of my index finger across that tiny head would prompt a yawn and wakefulness, but now, no matter how much I tickled, Kiki refused to open her eyes.
Even the adorable sleep murmurs had vanished from sight.
My expression grew wistful with longing, but upon catching my reflection in the window glass, I hastily used my index finger to lift the corners of my mouth upward.
‘Father will worry.’
Ever since I had collapsed and Kiki had fallen asleep in my stead, I had noticed that Jean de Lamber observed my condition with far greater care.
I kept my index finger pressed against my lips until the smile became natural, then I released my hand and approached the bed where he lay.
Gazing at Jean de Lamber’s peacefully sleeping face, I nestled against him.
A familiar scent.
He remained at my side.

* * *

Jean de Lamber and Vivian, who had decided to depart early, hurried through their preparations and descended the stairs.
“Two bowls of stew, please.”
“Yes! Two bowls of stew!”
They needed to reach the next village by evening to avoid sleeping outdoors. Since lunch would have to be eaten inside the carriage, they decided to have a hearty breakfast.
“You’re sure you didn’t have a nightmare?”
“Father, I said no! It’s just been so long since I slept in the same room as you that I was thinking about old times. How many times do I have to tell you?”
Jean persisted with his questions while spooning stew into his mouth. He had been so startled when he woke to find Vivian sleeping with her leg draped across his stomach.
The shock had quickly given way to worry.
Had she been having a nightmare? Or had she felt achingly lonely falling asleep alone, after all those nights chatting softly with Kiki before drifting off?
Each time he asked, Vivian denied it and fluttered about, but a father’s heart could not be easily set at ease.
“You keep asking even though I said no, and if you keep doing that, I won’t talk to you anymore!”
“…!”
In the end, Vivian had played her trump card. Jean nearly dropped his spoon.
‘Really. Father thinks I’m still such a little child.’
I could feel Jean glancing at me nervously, but I deliberately ignored him. I understood his concern, but I wished he would also understand my reluctance to let him know I had cried.
“Then… shall we go now?”
At Jean’s dispirited voice, Vivian felt a pang of conscience.
The awkward, cold atmosphere that hung between father and daughter was unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
Since they had not hired a separate coachman, Jean sat at the reins himself, and Vivian took a seat beside him without comment. Of course, the basket containing Kiki came along as well.
“Once the carriage starts moving, it will get cold. And it will be terribly bumpy—wouldn’t you rather go inside—”
“No way. Being inside just makes my stomach queasy! I want to go with you, Father. What are you doing? We need to leave quickly!”
“Vivian…!”
Jean’s eyes rippled with waves of emotion. He made no attempt to suppress the trembling smile spreading across his face.
Just as marital quarrels are as clean-cut as cutting water with a knife, so too were the disputes between this father and daughter.
“Hyah! Hold tight, Vivian!”
“Okay!”
The moment they crossed the village boundary, Jean increased the carriage’s speed.
As the wind grew stronger against her face, Vivian hugged the basket containing Kiki closer.
If they drove without stopping all the way to Norvalang, it would take a month.
Since she could not subject Vivian to sleeping outdoors, they would need to stop at villages along the way to rest. This meant it would certainly take more than a month and a half in total.
Even reaching their destination would not be the end. Norvalang was a name that encompassed quite a vast territory. Finding the person the Ancient Tree had described within it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
‘Still, once we arrive there, I can ask around and search. If crows avoid the place, other animals won’t venture near either, so people will likely find it strange too.’
Having finished his thoughts, Jean gripped the horse’s reins firmly. Even with good fortune and quick discovery, the round trip alone would take three months, and accounting for the possibility of getting lost, he would be away for at least half a year.
The faster the pace, the better.

* * *

‘Can calluses even form on one’s backside?’
Vivian pondered this question as the carriage rattled along the uneven road.
A month had already passed since the journey began. Even the plush cushion, subjected to sixteen hours of torment daily, had lost all its stuffing.
‘Poor, suffering backside.’
As they traveled northward into increasingly frigid weather, Vivian and Jean de Lamber had bundled themselves in thick winter garments.
They had changed horses once at a village along the way, but not their driver. Jean de Lamber’s overworked forearms were developing visibly with each passing day.
“Look there—a village appears on the horizon. Let me see the map. What does it say?”
Vivian, now quite accustomed to serving as guide beside Jean de Lamber, brightened as she consulted the map.
“It’s called Sainte-Lorore. Father, just beyond this village lies Norvalang!”
The map confirmed her words perfectly. One mountain pass beyond Sainte-Lorore would bring them into Norvalang’s territory.
My heart already swelled with anticipation—as though Kiki would open her eyes the moment we crossed into Norvalang. I drew a deep breath, deliberately tempering my soaring emotions.
Little effort was needed for that.
As we drew closer to the village, the sound of quarreling voices grew louder. Jean de Lamber’s expression, which had begun to relax at the prospect of rest, hardened once more.
“The atmosphere feels decidedly strange. Why are all these people out here fighting?”
“Yes, indeed.”
I had encountered villages that were unwelcoming to outsiders, but never one where everyone had gathered to quarrel openly.
The people arguing loudly only ceased their dispute when they noticed the carriage entering the village.
“Now, now! That’s enough! You too—step back.”
“Step back? This isn’t a situation where stepping back helps! I saw it clearly with my own eyes…!”
“Enough, I said!”
The quarrel did not fully cease. A huffing man stood among the crowd, seething with frustration.
As Jean de Lamber hesitated, uncertain whether this was the right moment to inquire about an inn, Vivian leaned forward boldly and asked.
“What exactly did you see, sir?”
“Vivian!”
Jean de Lamber tried to stop her in alarm, but everyone present had already heard the question.
At the unmistakable appearance of this refined father and daughter, the villagers exchanged glances and fell silent, elbowing one another.
Just as the huffing man opened his mouth to speak, the middle-aged man cut him off.
“Hold on, Theo!”
“But why stop me? These people are clearly headed to Norvalang—shouldn’t they know where they’re going?”
“Well, it’s hardly certain….”
The man called Theo flared up again at the middle-aged man’s restraint.
“I saw it with these very eyes! Miss, sir—if you’re heading to Norvalang, I urge you to reconsider. I witnessed something there… a demon or something equally horrifying!”

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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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