I Regret The Kindness I Gave You (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 12
“But… our lord really chose the wrong punishment by a long shot.”
Of all things, to punish him—who had once lived as an arena slave—with starvation.
Before Merche rescued him, he’d been locked in an iron cage and gone without food for nearly twenty days. Starvation was nothing unusual for a slave. He’d even been force-fed potions before—what was this petty punishment compared to that?
After laughing for a long while, Lud flicked his fingers to summon a servant.
“Go tell that bastard: from today on, I’ll starve myself thin, so he shouldn’t bother worrying about anything I do.”
“Y-yes…? …But how can I possibly say such a thing!”
“Then die right here by my hand.”
Menacing intent rippled in his fierce eyes.
Though the servant longed to faint, he remembered his duty and reluctantly nodded before fleeing as if escaping.
A conflict between father and son, separated for over twenty years, had erupted.
Genovefa, who likely heard Lud’s declaration from the servant, surprisingly acquiesced to his son’s demand.
He dismissed the tutor he’d consistently sent and canceled every meticulously scheduled lesson.
And he gave his son no food whatsoever.
Only water was permitted. Nothing else edible was offered to Lud.
The servants of the manor gossiped unanimously: their lord was truly ruthless.
But as time passed, a different rumor soon joined the whispers.
They said the returned young master was an even more vicious breed of monster.
A full week—yes, an entire week—Lud endured without eating a single bite.
According to the servants entering his room, his face remained perfectly normal despite the starvation.
The silent manor grew restless amid this unprecedented, tense standoff.
“Young master… at least drink some water…”
“My throat’s not dry. Take it away.”
The servant, now somewhat accustomed to the young master’s outrageous behavior, pouted his lips.
Immediately, a sharp rebuke flew his way.
“Shut that mouth right now! Who do you think you are, you repulsive—”
“That’s… too harsh, sir!”
“You calling this harsh? It’s practically polite, considering your ugly mug.”
The servant quietly removed the water glass.
Lud, his face twisted in irritation, pressed his fingertips wearily against his temple as if bored.
“Hey.”
“Yes, young master.”
“Tell me again about that stand-in of mine in this manor.”
“Huh? You want to hear about Lady Merche again? I’ve already told you over ten times—I’ve run out of things to say…”
“Tell me again anyway. Repeat that same story like a broken record for the rest of your life.”
Helpless, the servant began recounting the tiresome tale once more.
Lady Merche arrived at this manor at a young age, took the heir’s education in place of the young master everyone thought dead, excelled brilliantly in every subject except for the somewhat weak ability to command the wolf legion…
Midway through the servant’s long recitation, Lud abruptly cut in.
“What kind of education did she receive?”
The servant obediently recited the list of subjects Merche had studied.
Astronomy, botany, zoology, logic, ethics, politics, rhetoric, poetics…
“All of that? She came here at just seven years old, didn’t she?”
“Yes. She began her studies from that point onward.”
“So it was the lord’s doing, then.”
“Indeed. All instructions regarding the young lady’s education came directly from Lord Lupinus…”
“Did some ghost of an uneducated fool possess him? What lunatic forces a seven-year-old child to study a dozen different ‘-ologies’? How’s that supposed to fit into a head barely the size of a fist?”
“I—I don’t know! Why are you yelling at me again…!”
Lud glared, but the servant, overwhelmed by injustice, momentarily lost his fear and raised his voice.
Though he soon fell silent under the young master’s furious scolding, he still stubbornly retorted, eyes lowered.
“The young lady showed remarkable results in all her studies… She never skipped a single lesson, and in nobility and etiquette, she rivals any royal. She’s always treated even lowly servants like us with utmost respect.”
Merche’s dignity was firmly established within the manor.
Though she appeared cold and aloof at first glance, her words and actions were always as warm as spring sunlight.
One famous incident still talked about in the manor was when she stopped the steward from punishing a group of servants caught gossiping about her, saying, “If my honor can be tarnished by someone’s idle chatter, then I have no honor to begin with.”
Such a flawless person.
Completely different in stature from someone who throws whatever he grabs and speaks only in curses or threats…
The servant sighed deeply, his eyes sorrowful.
Unexpectedly, Lud watched the servant in silence for a moment before muttering quietly,
“…She’s overly kind to everyone and anyone.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. That young lady you were just praising so fervently—your ever-gracious Lady Merche. She’s supposedly in this manor, so why hasn’t she shown her face even once?”
“…Well, that’s…”
The servant faltered, unable to answer.
It was already common knowledge throughout the manor—though never spoken aloud—that knights stood guard outside Merche’s chamber and that she’d been placed under house arrest.
Such an order could only come directly from the lord himself. In Lupinus Manor, the lord’s word was absolute.
No servant dared speak openly about their master.
Seeing the servant clearly hiding something yet refusing to speak, Lud instantly flared up.
“You wretched cur! Open your mouth right now!”
“I can’t! Kill me instead…!”
“You think I won’t? Spit it out before I crush your face in.”
“I can’t, young ma—master…!”
Just as the master lunged forward determined to extract an answer and the servant dug in his heels, a commotion arose at the door—and it suddenly swung open.
Standing there was Elizabeth Lupinus, her expression troubled.
His mother—the woman who, believing Lud dead, had spent the last twenty-odd years suffering severe neurosis, only to embrace him days ago and sob uncontrollably until his ears rang.
Annoyed by her sudden appearance, Lud frowned.
Elizabeth slowly approached her son.
“…You look a mess.”
“……”
“They say you’ve starved yourself for a whole week out of stubbornness. No wonder your face is so gaunt.”
Her hand gently brushed Lud’s rough cheek.
Though her touch was awkward and trembling, the deep affection within was unmistakable—and Lud found himself unable to easily brush her off.
Elizabeth turned and spoke to several waiting servants.
“Go bring food.”
“…Master Komeo. We cannot defy Lord Lupinus’s orders.”
“Oh? Shall I go report to Genovefa myself, then? Tell him his servants dared disobey my command and treat me with contempt?”
“M-Master Komeo…”
“It’s merely a guilty mother sharing lunch with her son. Since my boy has starved for days, bring soft, gentle food to avoid upsetting his stomach.”
This was the command of the lord’s most cherished companion.
Though punishment was inevitable either way, enduring the wrath of one was far better than facing both the lord and his consort—so the servant finally relented and withdrew.
[This is the timeline separator]“Lord. There’s correspondence requiring your attention.”
Genovefa, who had been processing documents with unwavering posture, lifted his head.
Even as he did so, his hand continued moving neatly, still holding the pen.
“If the steward interrupts my work, this letter must be of significant importance.”
Otherwise, punishment would surely follow.
Without further comment, the steward bowed respectfully and presented two sealed letters to Genovefa.
As head of one of the kingdom’s six most prestigious noble houses, recognizing the seals on the letters was effortless.
Especially since both seals, like Lupinus’s own, symbolized one of the Six Meritorious Houses.
One bore the crest of waves encircling a sword; the other depicted entwined serpents amid chaotic blossoms.
These belonged respectively to the Fondo and Beneum houses.
Genovefa first opened the letter from House Fondo.
“…Steward. Prepare to receive a guest. The third son of House Fondo will visit in fifteen days.”
“But the heir announcement ceremony is still over a month away. Fifteen days is far too early.”
“Officially, he claims he’ll visit early because he cannot attend the ceremony. But I cannot trust that entirely—we must deduce his true intentions. We’ll need collective wisdom.”
“I’ll compile a list of trusted retainers and issue summonses immediately.”
Years of shared service meant the lord and steward needed no lengthy explanations.
With just a few concise words, they fully understood each other’s hidden meanings.
Genovefa then opened the letter from House Beneum.
This time, he took considerably longer to read it.
Noticing the faint but distinct crease forming on his master’s forehead, the steward lowered himself even further and asked humbly,
“Does Beneum intend to show you disrespect, my lord?”
“…In essence, it’s not much different from Fondo’s. They, too, wish to visit the manor early.”
“If I may offer my humble opinion, it seems suspiciously like collusion between the two houses.”
How else could this happen unless they’d coordinated beforehand? The steward’s eyes glinted coldly.
“How dare they treat the master of Lupinus…”
He looked ready to slaughter every sender of those letters on the spot.
Amused by such blind loyalty, Genovefa gave a faint smile and waved his hand dismissively.
“That’s enough. At least the young viper of Beneum won’t arrive until the end of next month, so we have some leeway in preparing for this guest.”
“…However, my lord. It’s far too soon to present the young master before these two guests.”
“…Indeed. That’s precisely the issue. My returned son—that ignorant, beastly boy.”
Then, after silently signing several mundane documents, Genovefa suddenly broke the quiet.
“He reportedly refuses even to bathe.”
“Yes. Three servants sent to assist him retreated with considerable injuries.”
“…Yet when he first arrived at the manor—he clearly appeared washed. Isn’t that right, steward?”
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
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