Dad is Back From a Deserted Island - Chapter 74

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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 74

Was this a dream?
Vivian tilted her head in confusion. Well, it had to be a dream, but…
“Are you really Kiki?”
[Is there a fake Kiki out there?]
I felt certain that the divine beast before my eyes was not a creation of my imagination.
“How did you get into my dream?”
[You’re saying this is inside your dream? Well, I suppose it wouldn’t make sense otherwise.]
Kiki answered nonchalantly while sniffing at a golden candelabra, then turned back to Vivian.
[This isn’t the first time something like this has happened. Why are you so surprised?]
“Huh?”
[Haven’t we met in a place like this before?]
At Kiki’s words, I finally recalled the memory.
That time when I encountered Kiki in a different form in a place I couldn’t tell was my dream or my subconscious.
“Back then… is there some kind of connection between you and me?”
[A tremendous force flowed between us, so it’s certainly possible.]
It was truly a remarkable thing. Since Kiki’s very existence defied explanation, I quickly accepted it and moved on.
[This place doesn’t feel unfamiliar.]
“Unfamiliar?”
If a place felt familiar to Kiki, it had to feel familiar to me as well. This divine beast had always been with me.
Yet no matter how I looked at it, this was the first time I’d seen this place.
“I couldn’t possibly forget if I’d been somewhere like this.”
There were few places more ornate and antiquated than the House of Lamber’s new Mansion or Eduard’s Residence.
In my lifetime, I had seen such a place only once.
The Imperial Palace.
But the Imperial Palace I had visited was limited to the Petit Debutante Ballroom. I had no memory of walking through corridors like these.
[It might just feel that way because it’s inside your dream. In any case, you seem to like this place.]
As I slowly examined the Corridor, I instinctively hid my body behind the curtains at the sound of approaching footsteps.
[Why are you hiding? It’s just a dream anyway.]
“I couldn’t help myself…”
I laughed sheepishly and peered out through the gap in the curtains.
A Maid with a deathly pale complexion came rushing down the hallway.
“Ugh, ugghhh. Ugghhh.”
The Maid stopped in the middle of the Corridor, bent over, and began to retch.
Kiki spoke in a reluctant tone.
[What kind of dream are you having, Vivian?]
“W-well, I suppose…”
The Maid, unaware that someone was watching her from behind the curtain, wiped her mouth carelessly with her sleeve and stumbled forward with unsteady steps.
“Should we follow her?”
[Let’s do that.]
Vivian began to cautiously follow the Maid. I was worried about being discovered, but the Maid seemed too preoccupied to notice her surroundings.
“Gasp!”
“Kiki! What’s wrong with you!”
Kiki, who had been watching the Maid’s back, suddenly let out a cry.
Vivian was startled and quickly covered Kiki’s mouth.
But the Maid didn’t turn around, as if she hadn’t heard anything.
She simply continued to glance nervously at her surroundings.
[I tried calling out on the off chance, but it seems this woman can’t sense our presence at all.]
“Maybe it’s because it’s a dream? Either way, that’s fortunate. We can move about more freely now.”
It felt as though we had become ghosts.
The anxious Maid stopped before a door. She carefully looked around to confirm no one was watching, then cautiously stepped inside.
“I’ve never had a dream like this before.”
[That’s a relief. I was starting to wonder what was going on in that head of yours, Vivian.]
Just as Vivian was glancing at Kiki.
Crack!
A loud sound echoed.
Startled, I turned to see the Maid sitting on the ground, clutching her reddened cheek.
The woman standing before her with heavy breathing was the one who had struck her.
The fine dress she wore made it clear that this woman was no ordinary person.
“You failed again? How am I supposed to explain this to him? Are you really trying to pull some other scheme?”
“No, no, my lady. I truly, truly put it in exactly as you instructed!”
“Just a few drops of that poison could fell an elephant! How could he possibly be fine if you administered it properly!”
The Maid could barely respond, tears streaming down her face.
[Vivian. What kind of book have you been reading while I’ve been asleep?]
“How could I read anything when you were sleeping so soundly! Honestly. I’ve never had a dream like this in my entire life, and of all times, it had to be when you’re with me.”
Kiki spoke with a tone of exasperation, and Vivian pouted and grumbled in response. I had read some pulp novels with Elise before, it’s true.
But never anything as sinister as talk of poison.
“Tell me again. What was his reaction after eating the food?”
“W-well. He just swallowed the food without any change in expression, and then-”
The Maid trembled as if recalling something horrifying, squeezing her eyes shut.
“He just stared at me intently. It was definitely the look of someone who knew something was wrong with the food.”
“So what you’re saying is, he discovered the poison and came back without accomplishing anything?”
“I-I only did as you commanded! Please, spare my life!”
Watching the two of them, Vivian left the room with an uncomfortable expression. Even if it was just a dream, I didn’t want to see such things.
The moment I closed the door and stepped out, the scenery before my eyes transformed.
“Oh!”
[Where is this place?]
The familiar mist welcomed Vivian.
“This is the garden that often appears in my dreams. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
Startled by the sudden change in scenery, Kiki clung to Vivian’s shoulder while glancing around nervously.
Vivian, having visited this place many times before, soothed Kiki and continued walking.
“There’s an incredibly beautiful fountain over there. I’m sure you’ll love it too, Kiki.”
[Fountain or whatever… my mind is completely scattered.]
“That’s how dreams are. …Speaking of which, Kiki. You don’t remember having any dreams while you were sleeping? You were even talking in your sleep. Do you remember any of them?”
Kiki scratched her head, saying she didn’t remember anything.
“You weren’t just dreaming about eating bananas the whole time, were you?”
[Do you think I’m a pig?]
As we walked along playfully, we soon arrived at the place with the fountain.
Despite the thick mist, the beautiful water streams scattered light all around.
[Hmm. It certainly is a masterpiece.]
“Right? It’s pretty, isn’t it? We can sit in that pavilion and enjoy the view… oh, someone’s there?”
A person was sitting beneath the pavilion’s roof.
Vivian’s eyes widened.
It was a familiar face.
A beautiful boy with black hair and refined features beneath it.
He looked exactly as I remembered him.
Excited to call out his name after years of reunion, Kiki suddenly grabbed Vivian’s shoulder.
[That person—]
“Oh, he looks exactly like the Crown Prince, doesn’t he? But he’s not the Crown Prince. His name is Diti, an imaginary friend I used to play with in my dreams when I was little. That kind of person.”
Vivian’s voice grew wistful as she recalled childhood memories.
[He resembles someone.]
“Right, he really does look alike, doesn’t he?”
[No. That’s not what I meant by resemblance. He resembles that person.]
Kiki spoke with a dazed expression.
“That person?”
[The Dragon.]
“Huh…?”
It was a response I couldn’t understand at all.
Diti and Crown Prince Dietrich looked identical, yet Kiki, who had been so terrified seeing the Crown Prince, now said Diti resembled the Dragon.
[I don’t mean they look alike in appearance. I mean I understand now what it means when you say someone gives off a similar aura to the Dragon.]
“You’re saying Diti has a similar atmosphere to the Dragon?”
[Yes.]
Kiki’s gaze was fixed on Diti’s face as if enchanted.
Then, as if sensing the stare, Diti turned to look in our direction.
Gasp.
Vivian swallowed hard without realizing it.

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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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