Dad has returned from the deserted island.
Chapter 11
“Welcome! This is Mirabelle’s Boutique, oh my goodness!”
The shop owner, who had been greeting them with a lively voice, met Kiki’s blood-red eyes and let out a shriek.
[How insolent, human! You dare scream at the sight of me?]
Kiki, angered by the reaction, chattered aggressively, which only made the owner scream louder.
“Please, calm down! It’s not a monster. It’s a monkey, an animal that lives in the New Continent. It won’t hurt you.”
“Won’t hurt me? It’s chattering so fiercely—! Oh my, what a handsome man.”
Despite Jean’s desperate attempts to calm her, the owner, who hadn’t been listening at all, saw the speaker’s face and became calm as if by magic.
As someone whose work required a keen aesthetic sense, the shop owner was a person who loved beautiful faces.
A handsome man so striking that even in one’s final moments, one would boast, “There was a man I saw when I was young…,” and a young child, so cute she drew gasps, holding his hand tightly.
The owner, who had been having a dull afternoon, suddenly felt incredibly happy.
“What kind of clothes are you looking for? Something for an outing?”
The owner ushered them inside with a kind expression, as if she hadn’t just been screaming a moment ago.
The inside of the boutique was divided into two spaces.
A space where ready-to-wear clothes were hung, and a more intimate space in the back for custom tailoring.
In the back, where the custom tailoring was done, stood a dress form. Vivian was startled for a moment, thinking it was a person.
Opposite it was a large cutting table, piled high with various fabrics and miscellaneous tools.
Jean, feeling awkward at being called handsome, hugged Vivian and said,
“I’ve been away for a long time on business, and I’ve just returned. I’d like to have several outfits made for my daughter and me.”
It was a sound as sweet as an angel’s trumpet.
A pretty customer had appeared, and with a mountain of work to boot.
Fiery steam puffed from the owner’s nose.
“Oh my, oh my! Really? You’ve come to the right place. This is where the most skilled tailor in all of Belouan, no, the entire Lambert family territory, resides!... Ah, do you have a budget in mind? Custom clothes can vary wildly in price, you see! Ho ho ho.”
The owner, who had been highly excited, checked their attire belatedly and asked with a slightly more composed face.
Having finally found someone to ignite her creative passion, she was secretly harboring an ambition to make at least one outfit that exceeded the budget.
Jean took a small pouch from his pocket and held it out.
The owner swallowed hard and carefully opened the pouch.
A dazzling golden light washed over the owner’s vision.
When they left the boutique, the father and daughter’s attire had changed significantly.
Since custom clothes couldn’t be made in a short time, everything they were wearing now was ready-to-wear.
However, because they were from the most expensive line and had been simply altered to fit their bodies, the saying “clothes make the man” proved true.
“Our little princess looks just like a fairy!”
“Dad looks like a prince, too!”
Vivian, dressed in an outing dress accented with fresh lime green, had a large ribbon with lace neatly tied in her hair.
It was a gift from the owner for bringing in three months’ worth of revenue in one go.
Even though her cheeks hadn’t quite filled out yet, Vivian’s appearance was inherently lovely.
She had stood out even in old, worn-out clothes, but now that she was dressed up, people’s gazes couldn’t help but linger on her.
Kiki, sitting on Vivian’s shoulder, was also wearing a neat checkered cape.
Kiki puffed out its chest and boasted.
[Hmph, it’s far from enough for my standards, but I shall endure it!]
“Dad, Kiki says it doesn’t like the clothes.”
[When did I ever say that?!]
At the sound of Vivian and Kiki bickering, Jean suppressed a laugh and headed toward the only café in Belouan.
They had traveled far by carriage, so it must have been quite taxing for Vivian’s stamina.
He also wanted to show his daughter around a café while they were at it.
They had never been to a place like this before because they had no money. Besides, she had been too young to be taken out far anyway.
As they opened the café door, a clear bell chime welcomed the father and daughter.
“Welcome. I will show you to your seats.”
Guided by a kind employee, Vivian sat down, her face flushed and her cheeks puffed out.
As soon as the employee left after taking Jean’s order, Vivian couldn’t hide her excitement and began kicking her legs.
“Wow! Dad! Where is this? What kind of place is this?”
[It’s a place that smells good!]
“This is a café, a place that sells drinks and delicious desserts. You’re tired from traveling so far, right? I thought it would be good to take a break.”
“Waaah!”
At Jean’s words, Vivian pressed her flushed cheeks with her palms and exclaimed in awe.
“I feel like a grown-up!”
“What? Hahaha!”
Jean burst into laughter at her cute reaction. Seeing her dad laugh, Vivian giggled along with him.
“Here is your order.”
The items they ordered arrived at the table of the laughing father and daughter.
A cup of coffee for Jean, and a large pudding placed in front of Vivian. An identical pudding was placed in front of Kiki as well.
“Kyaaa—”
The sight of the firm, transparent pudding wobbling every time she tapped it with her spoon was so fascinating that Vivian kept tapping it until Jean had finished half his coffee.
Unable to watch any longer, Jean stopped her, saying she shouldn’t play with her food, and only then did Vivian take a big spoonful, it was so heartbreaking to ruin that smooth surface!
The soft, sweet, and rich caramel flavor enveloped her mouth.
“Mmm! It’s sweet! Dad, the texture is strange! You try some too, Dad!”
“Shall I?”
“Yes! Here, say ah~”
“Ah~”
Jean accepted the pudding Vivian fed him with the happiest face in the world. He made such a fuss about how delicious it was that he had to stop her when she tried to give him more.
For the record, Kiki had already finished its first serving a long time ago and was frantically eating a new pudding Jean had ordered for it.
“Our princess, eat it all! It’s so delicious, and since Dad bought it for you, Vivi, I want you to eat lots of delicious things.”
Watching his daughter look happy after finishing her coffee, Jean suddenly felt his mouth go dry.
There was something he had to say.
He was afraid of how Vivian would react, as he had only been thinking about it in his head and now had to voice it out loud.
Jean fiddled with the handle of his empty coffee cup and spoke with difficulty.
“Hey, Vivi.”
“Hmm?”
“How would you feel if we moved from our current house to a different one?”
“A different house?”
“Yes. Our current house is a bit old, you see. I’m now able to move to a bigger and better house. I think it would be for the best, but… it’s important to know what you think, too.”
No, in truth, he absolutely wanted to move. Just thinking about what he saw a few days ago…
Jean bit the inside of his cheek so it wouldn’t show.
It was the night of a day when it had rained all day long.
Vivian had fallen fast asleep after staring out the window, looking disappointed that she couldn’t go out and play with Kiki.
After confirming she was asleep, Jean went to the study to look over the paperwork he hadn’t finished.
“Phew, this is difficult.”
Even though he was a regressor, this was a time when his priority had been surviving on a deserted island without having his food stolen by monkeys, so he knew almost nothing about current affairs.
Even after escaping the island, he hadn’t been curious about what happened in the past before regaining his memories, and after regaining them and learning about Vivian, he had only moved for the sake of revenge.
For now, grasping the flow of the market was the priority.
Because of this, Jean lived buried in newsletters, except for the time he spent playing with Vivian or doing chores.
“Let’s call it a day.”
Jean pressed his tired eyes and went up to the bedroom. This fatigue would surely vanish the moment he saw Vivian’s face, sleeping like an angel.
Jean opened the bedroom door carefully, minimizing the sound of the old hinges, and tiptoed toward the bed.
“……!”
But Vivian was nowhere to be found on the bed, only Kiki, who was sleeping with its belly exposed.
Thinking she might have gone to the bathroom, he checked there, but there was no sign of her.
“Vivi!”
Jean, his face turning pale, ran all over the house calling Vivian’s name. But there was no voice in return.
Jean’s face twisted hideously.
'Was my regression just a delusion? Is my body still in that cold prison? Have I gone mad…'
Jean, gasping for air, climbed up to the floor with the attic at the very top and rushed inside upon seeing the door slightly ajar.
“Vivian!”
Just then, a flash of lightning illuminated the attic.
He saw Vivian’s small body, curled up in the corner of the attic, trembling in fear.
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