I Think My Daughter Has Regressed (7 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 11
“Ariel?”
Damian looked at Ariel and immediately frowned.
Ariel glanced once at Bruno and Jessica, who were seated, ignoring Damian’s expression.
“I went to the reception room, worried you might have been badly injured, but was told you’d gone up to the study.”
Ariel gave a faint smile, then lowered her gaze to Bruno’s leg.
“It seems your leg isn’t seriously hurt. That’s a relief.”
“Oh, well…”
As Bruno stammered, trying to speak, Ariel didn’t give him a chance and immediately sat down on the sofa.
“By the way, since I’ve come up to the study anyway, I have something to discuss with Damian. Yesterday, we stopped mid-conversation about our family trip… Lucy keeps asking about it, so I thought I’d settle it now before heading back down.”
“…A family trip?”
Seeing the crack in Bruno’s composure, Ariel clenched her hand tightly beneath the table. A dreadful suspicion flashed through her mind.
Derek’s words about the heir had pierced her heart like a poisoned arrow and were now slowly spreading.
It didn’t take long for the thought to consume her entirely.
Her tendons stood out on the back of her hand as though she’d been paralyzed by venom.
Her knuckles had turned pale from gripping too hard.
Yet her face remained utterly calm—so much so that no one present could discern her true feelings.
Ariel casually lowered her eyes again to Bruno’s leg and tilted her head, observing the white gauze wrapped tightly around it.
The doctor had advised against walking for now…
“Bruno, I think I need to speak with Ariel privately for a moment. If you’re not too busy, perhaps we could continue our conversation another time.”
Damian tried first to send Bruno and Jessica out of the study.
But Bruno, seated on the sofa, showed no sign of getting up.
“It’s just that I have something rather urgent to discuss—something concerning the family, I believe… Jessica, would you please go downstairs and check on the children first?”
Bruno addressed Jessica.
Damian nodded in assent, and Jessica slowly rose from her seat.
Both their gazes then fixed on Ariel.
“…Lady Ariel?”
Even after Jessica closed the door and left, Ariel remained in place, prompting Bruno to call out to her.
“The doctor did say you should avoid walking for now…”
When Ariel brought up the doctor’s advice, Bruno smoothed a hand over the gauze wrapped around his leg and nodded.
“Yes. It’s not a serious injury, but it only happened a few days ago. I was already worried it might be a problem—now it seems it’s become a family matter. So, Lady Ariel…”
“A family matter? That does sound intriguing. As it happens, I also had something to discuss with Damian regarding the family. The timing is perfect.”
Ariel gave Damian a faint smile.
Damian’s eyebrows twitched upward slightly, clearly thrown off by Ariel’s unusually composed demeanor.
“Well…”
Ariel gently smiled at Bruno, who trailed off mid-sentence.
“I’m curious—what could it be? You mentioned it’s related to your leg injury.”
As Ariel’s eyes dropped once more to Bruno’s leg, he subtly smoothed it again, as though hiding something.
Just like someone who touches their nose or avoids eye contact when lying, Bruno kept smoothing his leg whenever Ariel looked at it.
“Perhaps it’s because I’d only recently fallen from a horse… I fell again, you see. It seems my entire leg is under some strain.”
Seeing Bruno’s awkward smile, it was clear he was about to ask Damian for another favor.
“Right before quelling the rebellion, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor ordered my older brother to serve briefly as an envoy to the Eastern Continent. At the same time, I had to join the rebellion suppression campaign.”
Bruno’s eyes shifted toward Damian.
Realizing why Bruno had gone to suppress the rebellion, Ariel dug her fingernails into her palm.
“I’d planned to go as the Eastern Continent envoy within six months. But my leg… it’s not in any condition for long journeys on horseback. It’s only just improved, so yesterday I finally instructed preparations to leave for the Eastern Continent. I wanted to have one last proper talk with my brother… but now…”
Bruno glanced down at his leg and furrowed his brow.
“It seems it won’t be possible…”
He then glanced cautiously at Damian, lowering his eyes slightly.
Ariel nearly let out an incredulous laugh at his outrageous words and acting.
The diplomatic mission to the Eastern Continent had been granted by imperial decree specifically to the House of Genova.
Regardless of Damian having just returned from six months of rebellion suppression, if Bruno claimed he couldn’t go, Damian would certainly volunteer to take his place.
Bruno knew this as well as Ariel did.
In that instant, Ariel’s suspicion turned to certainty.
“Oh dear, Damian’s schedule will be quite full with our family trip for a while—it likely won’t work out.”
Ariel spoke, not even glancing at Bruno.
“Ariel.”
Damian’s low voice resonated through the study.
But Ariel had no intention of backing down.
Though he might not intend to eliminate Damian outright, it was obvious Bruno was determined to block anyone Ariel saw as a potential heir—hence why he kept pushing Damian out on errands.
“How about… a prayer journey this time?”
“A prayer journey?”
Ariel nodded, looking at Damian as though nothing were amiss.
“They say praying in foreign lands deepens one’s faith wonderfully.”
“But you can pray at home—must you really travel just for prayer?”
Damian asked, puzzled, having sensed the real meaning behind Ariel’s words.
“Well, offering prayers in diverse places might deepen one’s faith from many angles, don’t you think?”
“I see. That sounds good, actually.”
Damian readily nodded and turned to Bruno to decline his request.
Ariel was surprised Damian accepted her suggestion so easily, but she knew better than to show it.
She calmly nodded as though it were only natural and folded her hands serenely, listening attentively to Damian.
“Unfortunately, the family trip is already arranged, so I’m afraid it’s impossible. Since the envoy role is such an honorable duty, perhaps another lord besides me should be chosen.”
“I see… You’ve only just returned from war, yet you’re planning a family trip…”
Confusion clearly showed on Bruno’s face.
He clearly thought that didn’t sound like Damian at all.
He was right—Damian would never do that. But Ariel was different.
“These are precisely the times when travel is most enjoyable. Haha. I’m sure it’ll be wonderful, Brother. Since you mentioned you had something to discuss with Lady Ariel, I’ll take my leave now.”
Bruno collected his expression, nodded, and stood up.
Ariel accepted his farewell with a gentle smile, not forgetting to add one more remark.
“The doctor said to be careful about walking—surely this isn’t overly strenuous for you?”
Bruno took one firm step, stiffly turned his head, and gave a bright smile.
“Walking itself causes pain, but it’s not exertion. Though if I overuse it, it’ll give out.”
“I see. You don’t even grimace through the pain—truly impressive. My husband is the same.”
“Haha. When you’re part of the House of Genova, you learn not to show pain outwardly. Well then, I really should be going.”
*
The moment the door clicked shut behind him, Bruno’s expression twisted violently.
The affable smile he’d worn just moments ago vanished completely.
His gait showed no trace of injury whatsoever.
As he walked, Bruno clenched his fist tightly and trembled with rage.
He roughly swept his hair back and opened his mouth in a silent scream.
The veins in his neck stood out, his skin flushed red with fury.
Bruno came to a complete stop and whipped his head around.
“What the hell got into that woman all of a sudden?”
He ground his molars and slowly tilted his head.
All that was visible was the study door—but his eyes burned with fury as though piercing through it to Ariel on the other side.
She’d always been a quiet woman who knew only how to smile; now she’d suddenly stormed into the study and sabotaged everything.
His older brother, whose mind was usually unreadable, clearly cherished that woman above all—making it nearly impossible for Bruno to openly reprimand her in front of him.
Doing so would only push his brother further away.
Bruno roughly ran his hands through his hair again, contorting his face in frustration.
As he descended the stairs, his mind began racing.
Since when…?
What could have changed that woman so drastically?
Bruno’s eyes rolled, then froze midair.
“Don’t tell me… she twisted Derek and Lucy’s words from the investiture ceremony?”
One corner of Bruno’s mouth curled upward unnaturally as he spat a curse into the air: “Hah, damn it…”
“They say she’s utterly devoted to that kid—but just because I said something to that brat, she pulls this stunt?”
He kept muttering curses into the empty air, chuckling bitterly as he reached the ground floor.
“Fine… I’ll make sure that beloved brat of yours is utterly ruined. I’ll ensure he never breaks free from that useless little girl’s side.”
Bruno let out one last derisive laugh and headed toward Lucy’s room.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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I see that Lucy is guiding her tutor to discover the truth and realize that he is being manipulated.
Poor Ariel, I know her daughter Lucy would have ways to resolve that situation peacefully, but she went to extremes 😅 Poor mother, I imagine the next episode will show the anguish she’s carrying in that situation, especially since Lucy is under Ariel’s care.
What a fascinating novel! The title suggests that Lucy might be a regressor, but from my point of view, she behaves like a gifted child. How curious!