🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 5
Morning came.
But Vivian didn’t want to open her eyes.
‘I had such a wonderful dream….’
A dream where her father had returned, scolded Ron, Mary, and Peter, and then held her tightly in his arms.
Once she opened her eyes, that scene would surely disappear, replaced by the old, bleak room waiting for her.
And then she’d have to go back out and do exhausting housework again.
“Don’t wannaaa—”
Soft.
As Vivian rolled onto her side, she sensed something strange.
‘Why is the pillow soft?’
Warm—
‘Huh? Why is the blanket warm too?’
The pillow Vivian used to sleep on wasn’t soft at all—it was rough and worn out. And the thin cloth she used as a blanket was far from enough to keep out the cold.
But now everything was soft and warm, so Vivian became certain she still hadn’t woken up from the dream.
“Our princess! It’s time for breakfast.”
If not for the familiar voice and the arms lifting her up.
“Mmm?”
Feeling the warmth rubbing against her cheek, Vivian finally cracked one eye open.
Filling her vision was her father’s face, completely crumpled without a shred of dignity.
“Did you sleep well?”
For reference, after being shocked by his daughter asking, “Who are you?” the previous day, Jean had shaved clean.
His skin was darker and rougher than she remembered, but that only made Vivian more certain this wasn’t a dream. She had never once imagined her father looking like this.
“Dad…?”
“Yeah, it’s Dad. Dad made breakfast, so let’s eat.”
Still half asleep, Vivian stayed in Jean’s arms as he carried her to the dining room. The delicious smell instantly made her mouth water.
“You’re really Dad?”
“Of course! Is there such a thing as a fake dad?”
“No…”
Her tiny hands kept touching Jean’s face without rest. Stroking it, pinching it.
Jean didn’t stop her even though the food was getting cold. He waited until his daughter was completely satisfied.
It still felt like a dream to him too, so how unbelievable must this be for Vivian?
“Hehe.”
At last, Vivian truly realized Jean had returned and broke into a grin.
Jean grinned foolishly right back at her.
“Our daughter, shall we eat now?”
“Yeah. But… did M-Mary come back again?”
Seeing the food spread across the table, Vivian clung to Jean and asked nervously.
“…No. Mary won’t ever come back again. Dad made all of this himself.”
“Dad did?”
Vivian’s eyes widened.
Even if he was a poor noble with nothing but a title, Jean was still a noble. He’d never had reason to cook himself.
‘Dad made all this delicious-looking food?’
Receiving his daughter’s amazed gaze, Jean puffed out his chest proudly and sat Vivian down in a chair.
“Of course! Dad even learned how to cook so he could make delicious food for our Vivian.”
In truth, it was a rather simple meal for someone to boast about.
Freshly baked bread and soup were the only things that truly counted as cooking, while the scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, and fruit were closer to simple preparation than actual dishes.
Still, to Vivian—who used to survive entire days on a single piece of black bread—it was a magnificent feast.
The smell of food made her empty stomach cry out in hunger. Vivian grabbed a fork and stared at the dishes like a predator hunting prey.
“Oh dear, Princess. It’s dripping everywhere. Slowly, slowly.”
“’S delicious—!”
Jean didn’t even pick up his own fork and simply took care of Vivian instead. Just hearing her praise the food with puffed-up cheeks seemed enough to fill him up.
“Huff, huff…”
After eating until her belly bulged out, Vivian leaned back in her chair and started catching her breath. Only then did Jean begin his own meal.
“Thank you for the meal.”
Jean finished off everything Vivian had left behind without wasting a bite. Just as he stood to clean up—
“Thank you for the meal!”
Vivian suddenly sprang up from her seat and ran to the kitchen carrying her dishes.
“Vivian?”
“Dad, just bring the plates! I’ll wash them!”
Jean’s hands froze as he was stacking dishes.
Wash them?
Vivian was only seven years old.
And even smaller than most children her age.
He’d heard about how Vivian had lived while he was gone, but seeing it with his own eyes was indescribable.
The phrase heartbreaking wasn’t enough.
Right now, he wanted to march straight to the prison and tear Ron apart limb from limb.
Suppressing the urge, Jean bit down on his lip. He stopped just before the thin skin split and bled, then forced a smile.
“No? Our princess has a different job to do.”
“Huh? What?”
“That’s right! Eating snacks. If you go sit in the drawing room, Dad will bring them right away.”
“But—”
“It’s super, super delicious chocolate. Vivi, remember the one you ate a long time ago? The soft and sweet brown snack.”
“Ah! Really?”
As expected, Vivian began hesitating while still holding the plates. Swallowing down the burning rage rising in his throat, Jean playfully ushered his daughter out of the kitchen.
“……”
Clink, clink.
As he cleaned the dishes, Jean made a vow.
Never again would he let Vivian say such things.
His foolishness had already forced the child to suffer hardships she never should have endured. From now on, he would make sure the rest of her life was spent walking only upon silk.
As for chocolate—the kind too expensive for him to buy often—he’d make it so she’d eventually complain she was sick of eating it.
Jean was confident he could do it.
No, he had to.
He was no longer the ignorant country bumpkin he once had been.
“That’s right, because I—”
He possessed memories brought back from the future.
Two years ago from now.
Or rather, more than ten years ago according to Jean’s memories.
Jean de Lambert had set sail filled with grand dreams.
He aimed to import luxury goods from the New Continent and earn a massive fortune.
There was only one reason a man who had lived a modest life all his days began dreaming such dreams.
For the happiness of his beloved daughter.
Jean’s wife seemed to have been the daughter of a rather remarkable noble family. In truth, Jean never even knew which house she belonged to.
He never asked, and she never told him.
As long as they deeply loved each other, that alone was enough.
But one’s origins could never truly be hidden, and Jean could read many things from her stories.
Debutante dresses worth several years’ worth of living expenses.
Jewels passed down through generations.
Countless balls and endless guests.
Servants so numerous she didn’t even know the exact number.
Yet the wife who abandoned all of that to fly to his side never once missed any of it.
‘Jean. Look at me. Don’t cry. You need to remember my last 모습 properly.’
Even as she died giving birth to their child, his lovely wife had no regrets.
Except for one thing.
That she would never see her newborn daughter grow into an adult.
‘I wonder how pretty she’ll become. Tell me about it later.’
‘No matter which of us she takes after, she’ll be beautiful.’
‘That’s true. Oh right, I brought some jewels with me when I left home. If Vivi ever says she wants a pretty dress later, sell those and buy her one. And if she says she wants a debutante… though that might be difficult. Maybe I should’ve brought more. Right?’
Knowing she was joking to make him smile, Jean forced himself to laugh.
Only after memorizing his smiling face did his wife finally smile in relief.
‘Then please take good care of our princess… I love you, Jean. I’m sorry….’
Feeling her hand gradually grow colder, Jean swore an oath.
That he would give their daughter the most beautiful debutante in the world.
But the Lambert family was a tiny house without even a proper estate remaining. Even selling everything they owned wouldn’t cover such expenses.
To gain great wealth, adventure was necessary.
‘Our princess, Dad will be back soon!’
Jean waited until Vivian was old enough to remember him. Then, when she turned five, he sold off every asset he could and departed on a long voyage.
Life aboard the ship was boring at first.
The sea was calm, and there was little to do except fish.
While he and the sailors were seriously inventing a new card game—
A devilish storm arrived.
That hellish scene, the screams, thunder roaring like the heavens themselves, the twisted expressions on people’s faces.
Waves as massive as houses shattered the proud ship apart and swallowed the people whole.
Among them, there was only one survivor.
Jean.
‘…Where is this?’
The waves spat Jean out onto a deserted island.
‘Who… am I?’
When Jean opened his eyes there, he had forgotten everything.
He was completely blank white.
