Dad has returned from the deserted island.
Chapter 15
A dilapidated carriage pulled to a stop in front of the Lambert mansion.
Vivian, who had been playing in the garden with Kiki, was startled and hid behind a pillar.
There was no Dad left to return, nor were there any guests expected.
"Hah."
Could it be that Ron, Mary, and Peter had returned?
As Vivian began to tremble, her face turning pale in an instant, Kiki bristled his fur and stood guard against the stranger.
[Vivian. Do not be afraid! I am by your side, so what is there to fear?]
"B-but. What do I do? The mister and the missus are..."
[What do those mere humans matter! I am a Divine Beast! All humans should kneel before me-]
The baby monkey, speaking with such dignity, did not look reassuring in the slightest.
Realizing that he had failed to earn even a shred of Vivian's trust, Kiki grew indignant just as the carriage door opened.
"Hup."
Vivian reflexively held her breath.
Shoes that were a bit worn but neatly maintained.
Above them, the hem of a full skirt and a large bag.
Before her gaze could travel any higher, a spirited voice struck first.
"Is this the Lambert family?"
It was a woman with impressively braided hair and a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose.
The relief of realizing it wasn't the people she had feared lasted only a moment.
Coming from a small village where strangers rarely visited, Vivian watched the unfamiliar guest with wary eyes.
Perhaps sensing that gaze, the woman's head whipped toward Vivian.
"Eek!"
She had tried to hide, but it was a clumsy attempt that was obvious to any adult.
The woman's eyes lit up as she spotted the small child hiding and watching her with caution.
Stride, stride.
Vivian froze as the woman walked toward her without a hint of hesitation.
Just before Kiki could leap from his spot to protect her—
"Hello there!"
The woman crouched down in front of Vivian to meet her eyes and offered a greeting.
"Yes... huh?"
"I'm Anne, and I'll be working for the Lambert family starting today. Are you the daughter of this house? Oh my. What is this animal? It doesn't look like a scrawny puppy... please tell me it doesn't bite! It looks like it might attack me at any second!"
Kiki, who had been wearing a highly threatening expression, lost all his steam and began smoothing down his fur in response.
"Umm. Y-yes, that's right. This is Kiki. He's not a puppy, he's a... monkey? Something like that. He's never bitten anyone, but he can attack."
[Hmph. I am not a monkey, I am a Divine Beast. But since the big human told me not to reveal it, I shall let it slide.]
"A monkey? That's an animal I've never heard of! It's very small and... well, if I said it was cute, I feel like it would bite me anyway."
"Vivi? Who's out there?"
Hearing the chattering, Jean leaned out the window.
Anne's eyes went wide at the sight of Jean's face.
"Oh my! A handsome man!"
"Hand... haha. Are you Miss Anne? I received a letter saying you would arrive this afternoon, but you've arrived early."
"Yes! Nice to meet you. Are you Jean? I only heard you were a young man, but I didn't know you were this handsome! Oh. I hope you don't misunderstand me saying that. I'm a celibate. I just happen to love beautiful people!"
[Of all the humans I have seen, this one talks the most.]
The father and daughter felt dizzy at the sight of Anne's lips moving without pause. She was truly a lively young woman.
Why does she talk so fast?
Still, Jean tried not to show his bewilderment as he ushered Anne inside.
"Stay here and keep playing, Vivi. Miss Anne, this way... As you've been informed, we would like to have a month-long trial period to get to know each other before making a final hiring decision."
"Yes, of course! That cute, pretty, and lovely young lady might not like me, after all. Though I fell for her at first sight. My goodness, I've never seen such an angelic little princess! Children her age are all lovely, but she must be the loveliest of them all. Anyway, I understand!"
The corner of Jean's mouth twitched.
For Jean, whose mental age was already well past middle age, she was a young woman with an overwhelming amount of energy, but one could never hear enough praise for their child.
"R-right. I'm glad you understand. Please, let me take your bags."
"How kind of you!"
Vivian secretly followed behind the two.
To think that the person she thought was a stranger was actually the new servant.
Ignoring this bubbling curiosity would be failing in her duties as a child.
After showing Anne to the parlor, Jean prepared some simple tea and brought it out.
It was a mansion that was better than the homes of commoners, but far smaller and older than the estates of nobles or the wealthy.
Seeing the master of the house serving tea himself, Anne asked,
"Do you not have other servants? The instructions I received were only to look after the child, but if you need, I can help with the housework for a small additional fee!"
"I plan to move soon, so I intend to hire other servants after that. I couldn't leave the child alone to go out, so I decided to bring you on first, Miss Anne."
"Aha. I see! My responsibility is great, then. Still, I'll help with meal preparation and tidying up until someone else arrives. It makes me feel better to do so!"
"I would be grateful if you did. I will move and hire new staff within a month, so I ask for your help until then."
"Yes! I look forward to working with you... And you too, Young Miss!"
"Eek!"
Anne's head whipped around toward Vivian, who had been secretly peeking from outside the window.
Startled, Vivian fell onto her bottom.
Jean walked to the window, picked up the fallen Vivian, and brushed the dirt off her while scolding her.
"Vivi! I told you to go play—honestly, eavesdropping is bad behavior."
"Ahaha. She's at an age where she's curious about everything."
"Even so, wrong is wrong. Miss Anne, I ask that you strictly educate her on matters of etiquette like this. By the way, you certainly have sharp eyes to notice Vivian was eavesdropping."
"I have quite sharp hearing! Thanks to that, I'm confident in stopping children before they get into trouble!"
Vivian shrank back as she watched Anne smile proudly.
In her seven years of life, this was a type of human she had never met before.
A few days had passed since Anne arrived.
Her first impression had been somewhat bewildering, but Anne was a capable talent, and she had certainly won over Jean, if not Vivian.
"Then, I'll leave it to you. Vivi! Dad will be back. I'll be back before nightfall. You'll be okay, right?"
She was capable enough that he could leave her alone with Vivian to run errands in another village.
"Don't worry and go!"
"Mm-hmm. You have to come back quickly."
Only after Vivian had urged him to return quickly several times could she wave goodbye to Jean.
Vivian stood there until the horse Jean was riding became a small dot and disappeared, then glanced at Anne, feeling quite tense.
Having watched her for a few days, Anne didn't seem like a bad person.
She was the first adult she had ever met who used polite language even with a child like her and treated her with kindness.
However, the experience of being left at home with another adult after her father had left inevitably brought back bad memories.
[Why are you cowering like that? Stand up straight, Vivian!]
If it weren't for Kiki, she would have insisted on following Jean.
Because this arrogant little Divine Beast was by her side, Vivian was able to find the courage.
'I-if the lady changes like Ron and Mary, it's okay. Kiki will scold her!'
And she would be sure to tell Jean, too.
Once she decided to tattle, she felt much more at ease.
"Finally, it's just the two of us!"
"Huh?"
"I've been waiting so long for this moment!"
"Wh-why were you waiting, miss?"
"Ooh-hoo-hoo. Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!"
At Anne's laughter, Vivian felt a sense of foreboding and stepped back, hesitating.
"Ki, Kiki...!"
Vivian called out to Kiki as if clutching a lifeline.
But to her surprise—
"Kiki?"
Kiki, who had been sitting on Vivian's shoulder, hopped right down and climbed onto Anne's shoulder instead.
Vivian's world came crashing down.
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