I Think My Daughter Has Regressed (7 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 14
It was after Jessica and Bruno returned from the Duke’s residence.
“Why aren’t we hiring a tutor?”
When Bruno asked Jessica the reason, she bit her lip and lowered her gaze.
“Just… because…”
“Sigh… seriously. You’re no help at all… Right, it’s my fault for even expecting anything from you.”
Bruno abruptly turned his head away.
“But, dear… why… I mean, why a tutor exactly?”
Bruno glanced sideways at Jessica, then stared into the air before breaking into a sly grin.
“We’ll place someone from our side as the tutor. Since a mere recommendation won’t suffice, we must pinpoint the exact reason. Once we’ve got the right person, we’ll just slot them right in…”
Seeing Bruno grin like that, Jessica added nervously,
“What if we wrong Lucy and Ariel throws a fit?”
“Even if she throws a fit—it’s nothing! With a spine this weak, how do you expect to make Derek the Duke?”
Though Jessica reluctantly nodded under her husband’s scolding, once she turned away, she bit her nails anxiously.
Of course, she did acknowledge it to some extent.
No matter how much Ariel made a fuss, she hardly ever reacted.
That was simply because Ariel hated conflicts to begin with.
But… precisely with people like that, there was a very clear line that must never be crossed.
And that line wasn’t hard to guess.
It was undoubtedly her daughter. It seemed best not to touch Lucy at all.
*
“The Madam says she’ll be inviting a tutor soon.”
“Oh, really.”
Damian nodded at the butler’s words.
“If I may be so bold, it appears the Duke’s Daughter has already read more than half of the book given by the Duke—without any tutor.”
Hearing this, Damian let out a soft chuckle. The butler then voiced his own thoughts.
“Wouldn’t it be best if this didn’t leak outside? Perhaps it’s wiser to keep the Duke’s Daughter’s exceptional talent somewhat hidden. If you hire a tutor, word will surely spread.”
“No, it’s fine. Let the rumors spread.”
Damian cut off the butler. After all, the butler was still a servant of the Duke’s household.
While it was understandable for the butler to worry that if the Duke’s Daughter’s scholarly talent became known, it might attract unwanted attention, Damian hadn’t considered such things when he first gave her the book.
“My apologies. Then, I shall take my leave.”
After the butler departed, Damian briefly recalled how Lucy had visited him a few days prior. Back then, the butler had come first.
“The Duke’s Daughter insists she has something important to tell you.”
At the butler’s visit, Damian set aside the map he’d been holding.
“Lucy? Tell her to come in.”
Once the butler left, Lucy entered the study, arms tightly clutching a thick book, her face beaming with pride.
A child’s picture book couldn’t possibly be that thick.
Damian glanced briefly at the book’s cover and raised an eyebrow.
Slowly turning his head, he scanned the large bookshelf behind the study and noticed one section conspicuously empty.
“I’ve come to return the book I borrowed.”
Lucy set the large volume on the table and grinned.
“It’s a history of the Eastern Continent.”
“I was worried Father might be sent as an envoy, so I looked into it beforehand.”
The child had subtly embedded a tiny barb in her words and quietly displayed its sharpness.
She certainly hadn’t come to apologize for secretly borrowing the book.
Having gained some understanding of his daughter, Damian stood from his seat.
“You said you had something to say. What is it?”
Picking up the book on the central table, Damian shifted his gaze toward Lucy.
“I don’t trust Father the way Mother does.”
Damian let out a hollow laugh at the child’s bold declaration.
“It seems you still don’t understand that continuous threats without any offer of reconciliation will only corner someone into acting out of desperation.”
“Father seems mistaken. It’s I who’s cornered—not you.”
“…I’ve never cornered you.”
“Don’t play innocent. Since you’re threatening my position, I have no choice. Unlike Mother, I won’t show you the gentle way of expressing anger.”
Damian frowned, meeting Lucy’s unwavering stare.
“Father, you’ve been far too careless.”
“Careless?”
It was the first time Damian had ever heard that word applied to himself—careless.
Yet intrigued by the child’s assessment, he sat down on the sofa.
“People sometimes become careless when their lives grow too comfortable. History books are filled with accounts of this—victorious commanders, intoxicated by endless triumphs, making fatal mistakes. Even with overwhelming numbers and resources, they often end up losing.”
Damian was surprised by Lucy’s unexpectedly sharp insight.
He’d thought her merely cunning, never truly considering—like Ariel had suggested—that Lucy was actually intelligent.
“I realize all this kindness you’re showing me stems from your indulgence. Without your tolerance, I wouldn’t even be able to speak these words.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
“But don’t let that indulgence blind you to the point of losing something precious.”
Her sharp green eyes held the intensity of a knight preparing for battle.
Damian could feel the child’s firm resolve.
“The moment your carelessness causes Mother harm, I won’t stay silent.”
Lucy spoke as if she knew everything. Damian momentarily closed his mouth. Now that he thought about it, Lucy’s wish had always been for a younger brother.
“You’re acting as though I’ve already hurt Ariel.”
“You’ve already wounded Mother. I won’t stop her from being gentle toward you—she simply doesn’t know how to get angry, whether with me, with you, or with any family member.”
“I understand your explanation about Ariel, but I still don’t see how I’ve hurt her.”
Lucy narrowed her eyes.
Her pupils rolled slightly, then one corner of her mouth twitched upward unnaturally.
“If it were possible to erase your presence from Mother’s life, what would you do?”
Threat and inexplicable fury flickered in the child’s eyes.
Unlike Ariel, Lucy hid neither her feelings nor her expressions.
That was because Ariel had never taught her to.
Whether this would ultimately benefit her or not remained unclear, but Damian stared intently into Lucy’s furious green eyes.
He wondered if perhaps Ariel’s hidden anger and wounded heart—unseen by him—had been reflected in his daughter.
“Your warning and your threat were both excellent.”
With that, Damian rose from his seat.
The child, still unskilled at controlling her emotions, clenched her small hands tightly and trembled.
Damian barely acknowledged her trembling as he pulled two books from the bookshelf.
“An Introduction to Political Science. Ariel mentioned hiring a tutor anyway, so if it’s too difficult, ask the teacher—and learn to think for yourself.”
“…An Introduction to Political Science?”
When Damian placed the books on the table, Lucy’s face scrunched up.
“I read it at age eight. As you said, don’t settle for that comfortable life—break out of your shell. You’ve already received so much love from Ariel; reading this much should be the least you can manage.”
*
“Oh, Lucy!”
Ariel grabbed Lucy’s shoulders, her voice rising with concern.
“Have you not been sleeping lately? Why are your dark circles so pronounced?”
“…It’s fine. I’ve just been reading a lot recently.”
“Reading? Not the Eastern Continent history book—another book? What are you reading that’s making you like this? Could it be…”
“No! I really, truly, absolutely love that book!”
The child’s face, speaking in sharp, clipped syllables, burned with some inexplicable competitive fire.
“The book must be quite difficult, then.”
“Yes… but I really want to finish it.”
Seeing the dark circles under her daughter’s eyes, Ariel decided she needed to find a tutor right away.
“Alright, Mom will quickly find someone to help our Lucy.”
After several sleepless nights, Ariel compiled a list of dozens of potential tutors and summoned the first one—carefully chosen for their ability to focus especially on Lucy’s academic development.
“I’ve invited you as a teacher to instruct the child in scholarly matters. You don’t need to behave like other households’ tutors.”
After cautioning the tutor, Ariel arranged for them to meet Lucy.
“No, Your Grace, regarding this part…”
“The Duke’s Daughter must think in this manner, because…”
But by the end of the first lesson, Ariel had already concluded that selecting a suitable tutor would be far more difficult than she’d anticipated.
The tutor neither waited for the child’s thoughts nor ceased insisting that, as the Empire’s Duke’s Daughter, Lucy ought to think in a certain way.
Sighing heavily, Ariel rubbed her forehead and paused the lesson briefly.
“We should probably stop here for today.”
It wasn’t that the tutor was doing anything wrong per se.
In a way, what they said wasn’t even technically incorrect.
But this wasn’t the kind of teaching Ariel wanted. And so, she sent the first tutor away.
The second tutor arrived at the Duke’s residence. This time, Ariel resolved to explain things more thoroughly than before.
“I’d appreciate it if you could give my child ample time to think. Even if her answers don’t align with conventional reasoning, please let her discuss and reflect as much as she wants.”
“Ah! I see. I understand what you mean.”
The second tutor nodded as if grasping Ariel’s intent and proceeded with the lesson.
A flicker of hope rose that this one might be better—but, as expected, the ingrained issues remained unchanged.
“You don’t need to think about this part, Your Grace. What you should focus on more is…”
Ariel rubbed her forehead again.
“My answer may be this, but that’s a matter for knights to debate among themselves. Your Grace should rather…”
“I think we’ll stop here for today.”
It seemed she’d have to draw up an entirely new list of tutors.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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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!