I Regret The Kindness I Gave You (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 13
It was less a question expecting an answer and more a reflection meant for contemplation.
Understanding this, the steward wisely kept silent, while Genovefa slowly stroked his chin with his eyes closed.
The boy, who now adamantly refused to bathe, had lived perfectly well and washed himself normally before entering the castle.
What answer lay in that gap? What had made his son willingly bathe before?
Considering the years he had lived, the answer had always been right beside him.
His son Lud had been saved by Merche and received her care and protection.
During that time, Lud’s body had remained clean and tidy—at the very least, free of any unpleasant odor.
Then the key to bridging that gap must also be Merche. That girl.
Genovefa’s eyes gleamed as he called the steward.
“Steward.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“You said Lud kept questioning my servants about Merche.”
Anyone who owed their life to another would naturally feel ardent gratitude toward that person.
But what if that fervent feeling was not mere gratitude—and had twisted in another direction?
If a beast, forced into confinement and goaded only to fight, had met Merche like a gentle rain and been saved by her—what eyes would that beast use to look upon his savior?
“…Ha. So that’s how it is.”
At last, he had found the perfect move to solve everything. Genovefa, his face lit with a broad smile, gave the order.
“Bring Merche here at once.”
The scales had tipped. It was time to propose a new deal—one far more certain and advantageous.
[This is the timeline separator]The formal lunch between the estranged mother and son was silent. Neither spoke a word until the salad arrived, following the appetizer and soup.
Elizabeth, lifting her spoon to taste the pale cream-colored soup, suddenly paused.
“…Lud.”
His eyes—long and sharp, inherited from his father—followed her.
Though his gaze seemed annoyed, as if asking why she’d called him, her chest tightened briefly before she carefully swallowed and gently probed,
“Why aren’t you eating anything?”
Lud hadn’t spared a single glance for any of the dishes served so far. He must surely be hungry.
After a week of starvation, his stomach was likely close to actual pain.
Yet her son kept his mouth tightly shut, staring resolutely elsewhere.
At his mother’s question, Lud raised one eyebrow crookedly and, with great reluctance, slowly picked up his spoon.
The moment he lifted a spoonful of soup to his lips, Elizabeth’s expression abruptly hardened.
Staring incredulously at Lud’s fingers gripping the spoon, she then summoned his servant with a stern, severe face.
“Have you not taught my son any dining etiquette whatsoever?”
“I—well…”
Etiquette? Just getting him not to throw things was already a blessing! The servant nearly blurted out the thought but forced it down.
Seeing the servant unable to utter a word, Elizabeth took it as an admission, and her voice sharpened further.
“So it’s negligence! You are employed by this house, yet you neglect your duties. How dare such shameless wretches attend to my son?”
“I’m sorry, Master Komeo.”
“This calls for disciplinary action. Go summon the head steward.”
Just as the situation began growing serious—clang! Everyone jumped at the harsh sound of the spoon slamming down, turning their eyes to Lud.
Ignoring them completely, Lud abruptly rose, walked over to the servant, and growled right in his face.
“Why won’t you speak? You’ve got something to say, don’t you? Stop whining and just spit out the truth!”
“…Lud? …My son, what on earth are you talking about?”
“Tell her you couldn’t teach manners because your master’s such a vulgar bastard he’d likely have your head chopped off for trying! That’s the truth, isn’t it?”
“……Lud! What is this! How dare you keep using such vulgar language!”
At Elizabeth’s angry outburst, Lud sharply turned to face her.
A chilling smirk flickered across his lips before he returned to the table and gulped down the entire bowl of soup in one go.
A cry of horror escaped Elizabeth’s lips.
“Good heavens… Lud!”
Crash! Once again, Lud hurled the bowl away.
The fragile dish shattered with an ear-piercing screech, scattering fragments everywhere. Elizabeth clapped her hands over her ears, her face draining of color as she swayed unsteadily.
“My son has always been vulgar. I suppose you didn’t know—this is who I really am.”
“Huh…, ugh.”
Elizabeth gasped for breath, clutching her chest, yet Lud showed no sign of stopping his mockery.
“So instead of taking it out on some innocent servant, punish me if you must! It’s your lowborn son’s fault for being so uncultured he can’t even hold a spoon properly. Understood, Mother?”
He scooped up the spoon from the floor, thrust it toward Elizabeth’s face, and grinned.
Elizabeth’s complexion had turned so pale she seemed on the verge of collapse at any moment.
“…Goodness, Master Komeo!”
Having heard the commotion, her maid rushed in belatedly, wrapped her arms around the slumped Elizabeth, and shouted at Lud.
“How dare you treat your mother this way, you heartless brute! Lady Komeo was overjoyed to have found you again…!”
“It’s your fault for having such a heartless son. And why did you have to go looking for me anyway? Look at this mess—I’d have been better off never found.”
The maid, raised as a refined noble, was no match for Lud’s gutter-hardened sarcasm.
Moreover, Elizabeth seemed on the verge of fainting if left any longer, so the maid finally helped her mistress withdraw.
Just before crossing the threshold, the maid glared back, gritting her teeth as she warned,
“Just you wait! The head of the family will surely punish you severely for this!”
As if Lud cared. He wiped all expression from his face and ordered the servants,
“Clean this up. Especially that damn bowl of soup.”
Just as he thought. All humans were the same. Every single person in this world treated him in exactly the same way.
Merche. Only she was the exception.
The maid’s warning that the head of the family would punish Lud proved true. That very night, Genovefa came to see him.
“My son, I am deeply troubled over how to deal with you. Disrespecting your parents is an unforgivable sin.”
“Then either cast me out or kill me. I’ll accept whatever you decide, Most Honorable Head of the Family.”
“How could I? You are my only bloodline—my child.”
His father, looking exactly like him, smiled. The strangely unpleasant feeling made Lud snap back even more fiercely.
“So what? What do you want me to do?”
“Go apologize to your mother and swear never to commit such insolence again.”
Bullshit. Lud twisted his mouth in disdain.
“Why should I?”
Discarding even the pretense of honorifics made him sound all the more “disrespectful.”
Genovefa stared at his face for a long moment, as if licking it with his eyes, then casually opened his mouth.
“It was Merche who pulled you out of the arena.”
“What’s she got to do with this? Why bring her up now?”
There it was. His son was still so clumsy, so raw—exposing his fangs the instant he was poked.
Wasn’t that just the same as parading his own weakness for all to see?
With genuine sorrow, Genovefa spoke.
“It’s no problem that the lost direct heir of Lupinus was raised by some noble couple. Even if they turn out to be commoners, that much wouldn’t matter.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? Just state your business and leave quickly, Father.”
“But not a slave. If word spreads that you were born a slave, you’ll never be recognized as a Lupinus. That’s simply how this world works, my son.”
Genovefa gripped Lud’s shoulder firmly.
Lud tried to shake him off, but Genovefa spoke faster.
“Yet there is someone who knows your true origins—someone in this castle with the standing to threaten you.”
Lud’s entire body turned cold in an instant. No matter how dull-witted he was, he knew exactly who Genovefa meant: Merche.
“My son. For your sake, Merche Ashtad must die.”
“Don’t spew that crap. Why kill her? She’s the one who saved me!”
“Her very existence is a threat to you. In every way except her power, she surpasses you. She’s the one who received heir training in your stead and holds information that could endanger you. How dangerous is that?”
“Shut your damn mouth. She’s as clever as you are. Did you really think she didn’t know? She knew everything and still saved me—if not for her, I’d be dead!”
“Exactly. She knew everything and still saved you. That was her greatest service to the Lupinus family. So instead of killing Merche, I’ll make you a proposal.”
Genovefa’s grip on Lud’s shoulder tightened further.
Though shorter than Lud, Genovefa looked up at him—but strangely, the suffocating pressure weighed entirely on Lud.
“I know you hold Merche in special regard. For your sake, I’ll make one concession.”
“…….”
“On the fourth day of Innaweol, I will hold a public ceremony to name you as my heir. So become a noble before then.”
He should have shoved him away, yelling that this was ridiculous nonsense—that he’d never, ever do such a thing. That would have been right.
Yet Lud couldn’t bring himself to do it. He just clenched his teeth.
What if he killed Merche? What if this man, claiming to be his father, actually killed Merche Ashtad…? Then what?
His jaw tightened with bitter rage.
He couldn’t even bear to imagine it. Being blackmailed by this so-called father was infuriating enough, but the thought that Merche might die because of him was even worse.
Heat surged in his head until it reached its limit. His vision blurred, and his limbs went numb.
Had he ever endured such fury in his life? For someone like him, who had always lashed out freely and splattered blood wherever he pleased, this felt like torture.
Yet somehow, he held back from driving a knife into the face before him and barely managed to force out the words.
“What do you mean, ‘become a noble’?”
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
_____
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