Dad is Back From a Deserted Island - Chapter 82

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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 82

Dietrich sighed as he observed the father and daughter, their gazes so strikingly alike.
“A businessman ought to possess a keen sense for perceiving reality. If you remember the past, surely you remember my appearance as well.”
No assassin had ever succeeded in taking his life, nor had any poison ever brought him down.
With Dragon blood flowing powerfully through his veins, Dietrich possessed strength and a physique that transcended the bounds of ordinary humanity—which was precisely why a prince without faction or backing could claim the imperial throne.
Comparing the Dietrich of that era to the present… calling him a corpse would have been generous. It would be more accurate to say he was long dead, reduced to nothing but bleached bones.
“I am aware. Your Majesty then—or rather, the late Emperor. You were a man whom the word ‘absolute’ suited perfectly.”
Jean de Lamber retained a vivid memory of that man seated upon the high throne, passing judgment upon him.
Yet there was Kiki. A divine beast. A creature born directly from the Dragon’s creation. Jean de Lamber was certain that a prince followed by such a divine beast could move the hearts of the people.
“If there is one concern, it is that Your Majesty’s presence instills terror in those around him—”
“That—that problem, actually I have something I want to say about it!”
Vivian, who had been observing from behind as Jean de Lamber requested, could no longer contain herself and interjected.
That Jean de Lamber possessed memories from before his regression was something she could never have imagined, and her head still felt as though it had been struck by the revelation, but now was not the time for such matters.
“I was actually talking about this with Kiki last night before we fell asleep.”
The two men, who prioritized Vivian above all else in any circumstance, waited for her words with composed expressions.
“Even with Father’s help, the only thing that gets resolved is money, right? If becoming Emperor were possible with money alone, Grandfather Eduard would have become Emperor. Since that’s not the case, I’ve thought a lot about what we should do instead.”
Until now, her knowledge of politics extended only to what she had learned as general education, yet even that was sufficient to grasp the gravity of Dietrich’s situation.
Had Dietrich been the sole prince, circumstances might have been somewhat more favorable. But he possessed a formidable rival.
The Second Prince. Unlike Dietrich, who had been exiled to this Remote Region, his younger brother actively demonstrated his presence in the Capital.
Everyone knew that the Emperor and Empress held the Second Prince in exceptional favor.
To surpass the Second Prince and ascend to the throne, gathering the support of the people and building a faction was of paramount importance.
“The fact that people instinctively fear Diti is the biggest problem. Since Father and I don’t feel that way, we’d been forgetting about it until Kiki awakened.”
Kiki had spoken to Vivian as she lay troubled in the night.

[It was strange, though. After you touched hands with Vivian, that one’s presence changed somewhat.]
[Hmm?]
[He became more… human, I suppose. The dreadful feeling one gets from merely looking at him has lessened.]

Vivian gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.
“Even Kiki doesn’t fully understand the reason yet. She only speculates that something might change in the process of transferring power through me. Anyway, the point is that if I stay close to you, people will be less afraid of Diti, right?”
Jean de Lamber stroked his chin—a habit of his when he was troubled.
Had the atmosphere shifted? Certainly, the Castle Steward’s demeanor seemed to have changed somewhat.
The fear of Dietrich remained, but whereas before he would flee at the mere sight of Dietrich’s hair, nowadays when Dietrich appeared alongside Vivian, he wouldn’t bolt immediately. Instead, he would finish his work first before disappearing.
‘I thought he’d simply grown accustomed from seeing him more often, but perhaps that wasn’t it?’
Vivian’s words that startled Jean de Lamber didn’t end there.
“And I’ve been thinking about the matter of gathering forces. Until now, I believed it was right to keep things hidden, but…”
“You mean to reveal the divine beast’s existence? Father has entertained that thought as well. Of course, only when Kiki consents—”
Vivian shook her head.
“What if I revealed my own abilities instead?”
“What?”
Both Jean de Lamber and Dietrich stared at Vivian with astonished eyes.
“If I demonstrated my abilities before people—reviving withered trees, making flowers bloom in an instant—it would certainly become a topic of conversation. I could be called ‘the Chosen One’ or ‘the Miracle Girl’ or something like that.”
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke such names, but her voice remained steady.
“Then, after drawing people’s attention that way, I would publicly support you, Dietrich. That way, you’d become the prince chosen by the Chosen One.”
“Do you really need to reveal your abilities?”
“That’s right, Viv. Kiki’s appearance alone would be sufficient.”
[These people. They speak without even asking this body’s opinion.]
“I’m going to do it. I have to do it. If your reason for turning back time was me… then this time, it’s my turn to save you.”
Vivian didn’t retreat an inch. Her unwavering eyes already revealed that she had made her decision.
“Why shouldn’t I step forward? It’s about saving someone who sacrificed even their lifespan for me. I don’t want to leave that to someone else. And it’s not as if I’m incapable of doing anything, you know.”
Kiki, perched on Vivian’s shoulder, looked at Dietrich and spoke.
[Give up. This body tried to persuade her several times last night, yet couldn’t break such stubbornness. And… Vivian’s words aren’t wrong either, are they?]
“…”
Jean de Lamber, unable to hear Kiki’s words, bristled at Dietrich’s accepting attitude.
“Your Highness. What do you mean by accepting this? You should stop her. With hostile forces so clearly arrayed against you, if Vivian steps forward and becomes a target—”
“Father.”
“Think about it more carefully. Vivian, this is entirely different from moving to the Northern Region to awaken Kiki. Father hasn’t even witnessed the depths of that world—how politics and power transform people.”
“I’m not a child. It’s fine. I didn’t step forward without understanding the risks involved. And if danger comes, so what.”
“What do you mean ‘so what’!”
“Because I have Kiki. Whenever danger approaches, she can transform and protect me—my magnificent divine beast.”
[Ahem.]
Kiki puffed out her chest.
“And even if someone plots to harm me—no matter how secretly they scheme—they can’t escape the eyes of the animals.”
I had already obtained Kiki’s confirmation that she could station animals to monitor every move of any faction that might threaten me.
“Still, that’s far too reckless, Vivian…”
“Father. I’ve seen what you did in the past. I don’t want to hear such words from you.”
Jean de Lamber’s words caught in his throat. Murder, arson—she had witnessed his past crimes.
Vivian clapped her hands to lighten the mood.
“That’s the end of this discussion! No matter what either of you says, I won’t change my mind. I’m done listening to arguments meant to stop me.”
“Vivian.”
Dietrich, who had remained silent throughout, finally opened his mouth.
“You might come to regret this.”
Vivian shook her head briefly in response.
“If I’m going to regret anything, it will be for having done nothing at all.”

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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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