Chapter 68: Festival with Vivienne (II).

Chapter 68: Festival with Vivienne (I).

Father and I had a few long chats afterwards including fixing Vivienne's adoption papers, I told him to wait after a few months and then ask Vivienne if she would like to be part of the Hills family.historical

"Where did you leave the little one? By the way, I haven't seen her all morning." (Baron Hills) was floating flowers onto the expression on his face. "I can't wait for her to see the painting I did." he tells me while keeping the painting at his hand as we walk side by side.

I remember leaving Vivienne on the couch of my father's study when I was doing my paperwork from before. "I left her in the study. You know father, I was not expecting my morning to be covered in a blanket and a cake was left on the table."

"Oh? Speaking of which that cake she left you must be the one she didn't touch last night and told me she was going to give it to you." (Baron Hills) tells me continuing the story of last night, apparently the blonde girl was ecstatic that she was getting to eat something so sweet but she told Father that her Moma hasn't eaten so she picked up her cake and immediately brought it to me.

"I did see you both being huddled up together and thought it would be best to leave you both alone to rest."

Father it hasn't been a week but you're already getting attached- then again Rose and I have only gotten her for a week and we're already attached so I can't exactly judge him. "Well thank you for not minding us... we have the whole day ahead. Do you have anything planned today father?"

"I'll be busy preparing for the festival on our side, the [Lumineria Festival] is in two days so everyone is busy preparing for it. Perhaps you and Vivienne could take a small stroll together in the city." (Baron Hills) suggested to visit the capital city with Vivienne.

I haven't been there for a while. Maybe it really would be better if I could take the girl out so she can get used to the capital life soon.

I remember the first time I went there, it was certainly an odd isekai experience- except I was just a little kid trying to find ways to make money out of my painting. It's where I met my first client, who is now my adoptive father.

I turn to Baron Hills nodding, it's a good idea! We should all come as a family trip of three. "You'll come with us right?" I ask father with a little hope that he'll come with us but he shakes his head.

"I can't come with you today, it's preparation time. What I can do to make up for it is finishing all my work and bonding with the two of you when the actual festival comes." he reaches to pat my head, we were of the same height but even so...

He still continues to do this and I didn't really mind. I didn't have a proper father figure in my old world so this... is another new yet old territory for me that I'm experiencing.

"The contractor you hired to make your academy for commoners has sent a letter of confirmation that it has been finished. The presented bills for all the resources used and hired labor workers have already been paid." He stops patting my head and I look away, with a serious expression.

The school building is already done? In the amount of time given and the people who had to work on it, I'm certainly impressed.

With this the people of Puronia will have at least a chance in having an educational background. This reminded me of the maid who thanked me this morning for having her little brother applied into it.

Peter Blackwolf, also known as Veronica's husband who has a lot of experience in architecture design and blacksmithing. The one who I signed a contract with and I assume that he also came from the same world as mine.

Seeing that many of his inspired design on the blueprint he showed me was similar to the ones on mine.

"Peter has already finished in such a short amount of time? I'm impressed. I ought to give the school a visit before heading into the capital to see how the preparation is going." I would have to carry Vivienne all the way over there too. I don't mind but I wonder if she'll be alright with taking a carriage there and not the usual Pegasus route.

"I would also have to talk to you father, I'll be having another expedition to travel and obtain something but this time- I'll have to visit the [Sprivanto Kingdom], an order from the royal family." I told my father who stopped walking and looked at me in a confused expression.

"You just came back from an expedition to guard the royal family now they're going to have to send you out again? That's strange, you're only a knight of lower ranking yet you're already getting so many tasks from the royal family." (Baron Hills) asks, clearly suspicious of what I've been doing of late.

Shit I have to think of a good excuse he'll have to believe for now. I don't want father to be wrapped up in whatever we're trying to do since that could get him executed while being innocent on the line.

"Oh! That! You remember how I was particularly close with the first princess Cecilia to the point she invited me to her tea parties- uh I got a letter of request for us to meet and she has a job for me that only I can handle." It was the excuse I had for that moment. I could hear my heart beating really fast, my palms were sweaty and nervous that he's going to find out that I'm lying.

"Hmm... if that's the case I cannot judge her highness' choices, after all being a knight of our standing is only natural. Just make sure you come back home safely now, Kein." Father told me with no judgment in his voice, whew, now that it seems that I'm in the clear- that cross dressing prince and that Princess Cecilia is really giving me a hard time.

What's with royalty just ordering me around like they own me?

In any case I breathed a sigh of relief that I was out of father's worry. Now that we've arrived at the study, we saw that the door was open and immediately father and I went in to see the couch empty with no Vivienne in sight.

The only thing that was left was the blanket I covered her up with this morning.

I looked around and she was nowhere inside the study too, "Vivienne?" I called out softly at first and a few more times. Father joined me in calling her but when there was no answer and I immediately thought of the worst and ran out of the room.

"Vivienne! Where are you?!" I yelled running through the halls barging through every door and tried looking for Vivienne. "Are you here?!"

Father was quick enough to catch up with me and held me by the arm. "Kein calm down surely she's still at the estate- she's just most likely lurking around-"

"Father! That's what I'm worried about! Do you know we still haven't removed our displayed armory?! What if she messes with one of them and a sword lands on her head?!" I explained and father stopped making a similar fearful look like mine.

Father owned a lot of the armory and hung them around outside with no glass cases of protection because we weren't expecting a child to be living inside a weapon-filled estate.

"ALFRED! CALL ALFRED! WE NEED ALL THE SERVANTS ON A SEARCH FOR MY GRANDDAUGHTER NOW!" He yells over the halls with a booming voice.

Alfred heard of his name and immediately ran over to father's side looking tired and out of breath. Jeez- he was running like the devil was after him. "Alfred- how about you take a moment to breathe first-" I told him and he shakes his head.

"No- Milady it's... huff... fine. Master Hills- you've called for me-"

Without even letting Alfred finish or telling him to go take a breather he instructs the butler on what to do, using his commanding tone.

"Alfred I want all the servants to stop whatever they are doing and do a search party on every inch of the estate until we find my granddaughter." and some of the servants that were lingering there were questioned if they saw a little blonde girl walking around or anything.

All their answers were the same, they haven't seen Vivienne anywhere.

"I'll continue looking for her as well! Let's meet up in your study in an hour if we still can't find her, father!" I told Baron Hills who nodded seriously, it looks like he would never forgive himself if Vivienne get hurt inside of his home to which he created a safe space for his family and I worry.

Bam!

"Not here!"

Bam!

"Vivienne Are you here?!"

Bam!

"Kyah! I-I'm using the bathroom, milady!"

"I don't care! Vivienne is not here either!"

Every door I saw leading to a room, I opened. Even if it was a bathroom and some servant was accidentally using it I didn't care- I busted that door right open.

My walking speed became faster and I stopped to look at my old room when I was still a servant. It wasn't really abandoned, this is where I stayed when I was still working for Baron Hills before he adopted me. "Huh?"

Is it just me hallucinating or is the door slightly open?

"It is... and last time I checked- I had it closed to store my old things there."

Don't tell me...

I held the doorknob and pushed the door to reveal the same blonde girl that we were trying to find all this time fiddling around the drawers and cabinet, "Vivienne!" I yelled her name and she turns to look at me while holding a heavy box that I used to store all my sketches of-

"That box-!" I look down on the box where she smiles walking up to me, giggling.

"Moma! Hehehe! Lwook!" (Vivienne) was holding the box but then she tripped and all the contents of the box fell out. So many of my old sketches came flying out into the ground and the little girl saw it all fall with a pained expression on her plumpy face.

"...Eh." she mutters out weakly and after managing to stand up on her own she looks up at me with tears in her eyes.

Eh?

"EH?"

Is she about to cry?! Wait-!

"Wahhh! M-Mama... Guhhh... Owie...!" she cries out very loudly and has both of her hands on her eyes trying to stop the tears.