I Think My Daughter Has Regressed (7 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 16
“Mom!”
Ariel turned her head at Lucy’s voice.
“Our Lucy, you’re back?”
Ariel took Lucy’s hand as she approached from the side and walked forward.
“Yeah. Oh, Mom, can I help pick the tutor too?”
“Lucy too?”
“Yeah! I want to see them with you!”
Ariel recalled the two tutors who had visited the ducal residence and slowly nodded.
“Alright. It’d be good if Lucy helps look and choose too. Shall we decide together tomorrow?”
“Yeah yeah! …Wait? Now that I think about it, Benjamin has a tutor too! Should we ask what kind of tutor he learns from?”
With that, Lucy called out to Benjamin, who was walking ahead.
Ariel watched Lucy’s bouncing back disappear down the hall and smiled fondly.
“Benjamin! Who’s your tutor?”
At Lucy’s question, one of Benjamin’s eyebrows lifted as if in a frown.
“What kind of tutor? Aren’t tutors all basically the same? Anyway, are you starting lessons with a tutor too now?”
“Yeah! Two tutors came to our house a few days ago.”
Benjamin’s face fell into despair.
“Aaah…! Lucy, you beat Derek-nim without a tutor, so Mom was going to reconsider hiring tutors… Haa… Please tell the Duchess you’re doing just fine without one. At least you need to survive!”
“Huh? But I was the one who asked to hire a tutor!”
Benjamin’s eyes widened in shock.
“…Why?”
“There are so many things I want to learn, but some parts are just too hard to figure out alone.”
“No way. Please, think this over again. They assign homework four days out of every week! Have you even done homework before?”
“Homework? No… I haven’t, since I didn’t have a tutor. Why? Is it really that hard?”
“You’ve never done it? Wow… That’s so enviable. It’s super hard! So don’t do it. Seriously.”
“Really? If it’s that hard, then I want to try it!”
Benjamin took a hesitant step backward and narrowed his brows at Lucy.
“Why on earth would you want to do something difficult?”
“Because it wouldn’t be fun if it were easy.”
Hearing the children’s exchange, Ariel burst out laughing, while the Marchioness pressed a hand to her forehead as she looked at her son.
*
Just as Lucy had said, Lizzy had informed Bruno the matter was well concluded—but a week later, she visited Bruno’s mansion again.
With every step she took, her breath grew tight, but it was best to avoid any behavior that might draw suspicion.
After taking a deep breath, Lizzy entered Bruno’s study.
Right now, deceiving Bruno and ensuring things unfolded as the Duke’s Daughter wished was the best course of action.
“Daniel? They hired Daniel as the tutor?”
Upon hearing Lizzy’s words, Bruno scrunched up his face and spun around once in place.
Chin cupped in his hand, he tapped his fingers thoughtfully and tilted his head.
“Haa… Of all people, it had to be Daniel. That guy isn’t someone you can control with money alone… No, actually, this might work out well after all.”
Spinning two more times in place, Bruno finally stopped.
Without even glancing at Lizzy, he waved his hand dismissively, signaling her to leave.
Lizzy inwardly sighed in relief and bowed deeply—just as she reached for the doorknob…
“…Wait.”
“Yes?”
“You. You’ll need to help me trick that guy.”
Bruno rolled his eyes toward the empty air and let out a sly smirk.
Lizzy’s heart dropped—then, exhaling another sigh of relief, she stepped one pace closer to Bruno.
“There’s nothing more delightful than watching that daughter grow to hate her own mother.”
After murmuring this to himself, Bruno flicked a finger.
“Listen carefully. Now you’ll go and tell that tutor exactly what I say… If you do, Daniel will believe your every word.”
“…Me?”
“Yes, yes! And once he confirms you’re a maid working in the ducal residence, he’ll be completely on our side. The moment that happens, even if the other side finds out, only he’ll look like a madman.”
Not even waiting for Lizzy’s reply, Bruno slammed his palm onto the table and burst into a cruel laugh.
“Krahahahaha! That single tutor will bring the whole household to ruin!”
*
“Hello. My name is Daniel, and I’ve come as the tutor.”
Daniel bowed to the Duchess and unconsciously swallowed hard.
He’d only heard rumors about the Duchess’s beauty, never having met her personally, so he’d assumed the tales were exaggerated.
But standing face-to-face with the Duchess now, Daniel realized the rumors had actually understated her loveliness.
At the same time, he fully understood the words spoken to him the previous evening by the one who’d hired him.
“His Grace the Duke is, in truth, being deceived by the Duchess.”
He’d previously thought that no matter how beautiful a woman might be, Duke Genova wouldn’t make such an irrational judgment—but now, meeting the Duchess in person, he began to suspect those words might actually be true.
Moreover, the maid standing beside the Duchess was clear proof of that.
“My name is Lizzy, and I work as a maid in the Genova ducal residence. His Grace is currently being thoroughly deceived by the Duchess.”
At first, it had clearly been an introduction meant to help him become a physician.
Yet somehow he’d been led to a suspicious place, where a masked man sat waiting.
And then that man began saying unbelievable things.
“I am, like you, loyal to the Emperor. But our Imperial faction’s greatest power—the Genova House—is now in grave peril. The Duchess has turned traitor and is leaking secrets to foreign powers! That’s why I need you to enter the ducal household as a tutor and assist us.”
At first, Daniel had refused to believe such absurd claims—but when Lizzy appeared, claiming to be a maid from the ducal residence, he changed his mind.
After all, if a real maid from the household confirmed these claims, they carried real credibility.
“As you’ve probably heard already, before meeting the child, I’d like to discuss a few important matters.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
As Daniel nodded in response to the Duchess’s words, he recalled yesterday’s encounter.
“The Duke’s Daughter doesn’t yet know the Duchess is that sort of person. Even now, the careful selection of a special tutor might be an attempt to taint the child’s mind.”
Taint her mind.
He wouldn’t know for sure until he heard the specific conditions, but certain parts were already predictable.
“Please focus solely on theory and academic subjects… To be direct, I’d prefer you avoid discussing matters related to the Duke’s Daughter’s station in life. I want our Lucy to think freely and expansively on her own. I don’t wish to restrict the thoughts growing within her—and if that proves impossible for you, you’re welcome to withdraw your tutorship offer.”
…Just as expected!
To phrase something so direct so delicately—truly, she deserved her reputation as the belle of high society!
No wonder Duke Genova had fallen completely under her spell!
Though she’d phrased it diplomatically, what the Duchess truly meant was clear: she rejected the Empire and harbored rebellious intentions.
First, her request to avoid discussing the Duke’s Daughter’s station in life.
That clearly meant she intended to instill anti-Imperial ideologies into the child—
Ideologies that rejected the noble titles bestowed by His Imperial Majesty the Emperor!
Second, her desire for the child to “think freely and expansively.”
That was a phrase long used by rebels plotting treason.
…”Think big. Who’s to say I couldn’t become Emperor myself?”—to twist such a sentence into this context!
“…Master Daniel?”
Ariel tilted her head toward Daniel, who hadn’t answered.
“Oh—no, no! I fully understand what you’re saying. I’ll do exactly as you ask.”
When Daniel nodded, Ariel’s face brightened visibly.
“I’m glad to hear that. Thank you for understanding. Now, shall we go to Lucy’s playroom? I’ll observe just the first lesson before making my final decision.”
“Yes, understood.”
Upon entering the Duke’s Daughter’s playroom, Daniel couldn’t help but clench his fists.
The moment the petite, doll-like Duke’s Daughter offered her greeting, Daniel could barely contain his boiling rage.
To brainwash rebellion into a child barely seven years old! Into the Duke’s Daughter—who so resembled the Duke of Genova, whom Daniel admired deeply and held in the highest regard! Such sacrilege…!
Daniel stole a quick glance at the Duchess beside him and exhaled slowly.
Though this breath was meant to suppress his anger, it came out sounding as if he were nervous.
“I’m quite nervous. First, is there any particular academic subject Your Ladyship wishes to study?”
From that very first sentence, Ariel already found herself quite pleased with Daniel as a tutor.
He was the first tutor she’d encountered who took the initiative to inquire about Lucy’s interests.
Most others immediately began explaining pre-prepared materials or launched straight into what they deemed important for a Duke’s Daughter.
Because of that, Ariel always had to intervene partway through the lesson.
Recently, she’d explained to them that Lucy had been reading a book on Eastern Continent history.
If the tutors doubted her, she had to convince them it was true—only then could the lesson finally begin, and even then, it usually ended with them emphasizing the Duke’s Daughter’s station so much that Ariel had to cancel the session.
But this time was different!
Ariel tried hard not to get her hopes up—but she couldn’t help feeling excited anyway.
“I’ve recently been reading Introduction to Political Science.”
“I see. Then, is there a particular topic you’d like to discuss with me from it?”
Ariel was greatly surprised that Lucy had brought up politics instead of Eastern Continent history—and even more astonished to see Daniel calmly suggest a discussion as if it were perfectly ordinary.
“I’d like to start with the idea that politics must be conducted rightly.”
“Very well. Let us first discuss the concept of ‘the right path.'”
Watching the lesson begin so calmly, Ariel froze in her seat.
It was a moment where she witnessed both her daughter’s genius and the teacher worthy of nurturing that brilliance—all at once.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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!