I Think My Daughter Has Regressed (7 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 9
Ariel, lying in bed, came to her senses at the sound of birds chirping.
As she rubbed her eyes and turned over, she felt a firm body beside her.
Having barely managed to fall asleep the previous night, she must have overslept—uncharacteristically late.
Sunlight streaming through the window made Ariel cover her eyes with her palm.
“Ariel.”
“……Damian?”
Damian suddenly pulled Ariel closer.
Just as she nestled her cheek against his solid chest and tried to drift back to sleep—
“Bruno sent you a letter.”
It felt as though cold water had been splashed on her face.
Her drowsiness vanished instantly; Ariel’s eyes snapped open, and she squirmed in Damian’s embrace.
“A letter? What letter?”
“Hmm……”
Damian’s arms tightened firmly around her, halting her attempts to escape. Ariel lifted only her head to look up at him.
The sunlight reflected off Damian’s blond hair, making it gleam like platinum.
His blue eyes slowly swept sideways—
he was clearly reading the letter while keeping her pinned against him.
“What does it say?”
Curious, Ariel asked. Damian let out a faint chuckle, apparently having finished reading, and lowered his head.
Meeting Ariel’s gaze, he immediately smiled gently at her.
From behind Ariel’s head came the sound of paper being torn into pieces.
“Bruno’s coming to the ducal residence. He’ll need to visit the harbor for now, so tomorrow’s the only day he’s free. What about your schedule?”
Recalling yesterday’s events at Damian’s words, Ariel slowly nodded.
She’d rather not meet him if possible, but refusing now—after Damian had granted permission—seemed difficult.
Damian himself had been busy managing events like banquets and award ceremonies, so he likely needed time to relax with his brother through hunting.
“Tomorrow? That’s fine.”
“Good.”
Only then did Damian finally release her. Sitting up, Ariel surveyed the bed.
A few small scraps of paper, escaped from Damian’s hand, remained as traces.
“But why did you……”
Tear it up like that?
As Ariel brushed the paper scraps onto the floor and turned her head,
Damian, already out of the covers, tossed the remaining fragments straight into the wastebasket and headed toward the bathroom.
Though puzzled, she simply assumed he’d torn it up on purpose.
More importantly, what was their daughter doing this morning?
With a cheerful smile, Ariel got out of bed.
Just as she naturally turned toward the mirror in front of her—
Ariel let out a short scream.
“Madam! Madam! Are you all right? Is something wrong?”
On my neck! Right on my neck!
The maids waiting outside knocked on the door.
Seeing the flushed mark on her neck, Ariel tightly shut her eyes.
“……No. Nothing’s wrong.”
*
“Mom, today…… you’re wearing a muffler?”
Lucy tilted her head, looking at Ariel.
“Oh, I just thought this muffler looked nice today.”
“Then I want to wear a muffler like Mom too.”
“Sure, sure. Should our daughter wear a muffler as well?”
Ariel nodded as she combed Lucy’s hair.
“Derek’s coming to the ducal residence tomorrow.”
“Brother Derek? Why’s Brother Derek coming to the ducal residence? He doesn’t usually have any reason to visit……”
Lucy tilted her head, clearly puzzled, and Ariel let out a soft laugh.
Lucy’s affections were indeed very clearly drawn—
upon hearing someone she didn’t like was visiting the ducal residence, she immediately acted as if she couldn’t fathom why he’d come without any business.
“I suppose he wants to talk with you.”
Even as she said this, Ariel hesitated slightly.
Truthfully, it probably wasn’t Derek’s own wish—but there was no need to speak ill of him either.
Looking at her daughter’s reflection in the mirror, Lucy sighed deeply.
“You don’t… like Derek much?”
“There’s nothing about him to like.”
Lucy shook her head firmly and met Ariel’s eyes through the mirror.
Ariel smiled gently at her.
“But you still have to greet Derek nicely when he comes, all right? He’s a guest visiting the ducal residence—and your only cousin coming specifically to see you.”
“……Fine.”
Lucy puffed out her cheeks petulantly.
Seeing this in the mirror, Ariel burst into laughter—
causing Lucy’s hair, which she’d been holding to make a ponytail, to slip from her grasp.
“Why’s Brother Derek coming to our house anyway? I know it’s a lie when he says he missed me. Did Aunt Jessica say something?”
It seemed both adults and children alike could sense subtle shifts in the air.
Ariel shook her head at Lucy, who’d pinpointed Jessica directly.
“No. Dad and Uncle Bruno are apparently going to enjoy some light hunting behind the garden.”
The moment she heard Ariel’s words, Lucy slammed her hand on the table and widened her eyes as if realizing something.
“Hunting! Right, hunting!”
Ariel gathered Lucy’s scattered hair again and tilted her head sideways.
“Huh? Hunting?”
“No, I mean… hunting……”
Lucy laughed awkwardly, waving her hands dismissively, and returned to fiddling with the glass marble on the table.
Ariel smiled warmly and finished tying Lucy’s hair.
With the ponytail lifted up, Lucy’s lovely head shape became even more pronounced.
“How’s this? Do you like it?”
Ariel spread both arms wide and, from behind Lucy, made a dramatic “ta-da!” gesture.
Lucy, looking at herself in the mirror, gave a thumbs-up.
“Mom’s the best!”
“Really? I’m glad you like it. Then shall we pick out a muffler for our Lucy to wear?”
Ariel instructed the waiting maid to bring the mufflers.
While waiting briefly for the maids, Lucy snuggled into Ariel’s lap.
“Mom… um… you know…”
Lucy, who’d suddenly clung to her, hesitated slightly before calling Ariel’s name.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Is it true that Derek often goes hunting with Uncle Bruno?”
Ariel searched her memory at Lucy’s question.
She didn’t recall much, but now that she thought about it, Jessica had mentioned something like that at a tea party a few months ago—
that Derek loved and excelled at hunting, so he often went out with Bruno.
“It seems that way. Why…? Do you want to go hunting too?”
Ariel asked, hoping desperately for a “no.”
She wanted to indulge Lucy as much as possible, but she didn’t want dangerous things like guns or knives near her—
not even slingshots, which children often used for hunting.
“No, I’m not interested in hunting at all. It’s just that… um…”
Just as Lucy hesitated again, the maid arrived, carrying an assortment of mufflers on her arm.
Ariel selected a few that matched Lucy’s bright yellow dress.
Settling Lucy back onto the chair—half still in her lap—Ariel lowered herself to Lucy’s eye level.
“It’s just that…?”
Ariel waited for Lucy to continue, trying different mufflers against her neck.
“When will I get to play with Dad?”
Ariel’s hands, adjusting the muffler’s colors, froze mid-motion.
“Dad… he’s home now, right? I mean—he even received such a big gift from His Imperial Majesty the Emperor! So… doesn’t that mean he’ll stay home now?”
Staring into Lucy’s green eyes, Ariel’s own widened as if she’d been struck hard on the back of the head.
“Brother Derek always brags about how often he goes out to play with Uncle Bruno. When he comes tomorrow, he’ll probably brag again……”
Unable to answer right away, Ariel watched Lucy’s dangling feet fidget in the air.
Her downward gaze held a hint of sulkiness.
“We’re from the same Genova family—so why… is Dad always busy with me?”
Ariel set the muffler down on the nearby table and gently took Lucy’s hands.
“Dad… will stay home now.”
Ariel told Lucy—and then blurted out the words lingering in her throat.
“Yes, let’s go on a family trip.”
It was a promise nearly impossible to keep, considering Damian’s schedule… but she didn’t care.
Hearing her daughter’s words had stirred something unbearable within her—it felt right just to say it out loud.
“A family trip? Really? I love it! Can I tell Brother Derek when he comes?”
“……Of course!”
Ariel nodded firmly.
“Mom, then when are we going? Let’s go soon!”
Lucy jumped up from her seat and bounced excitedly.
To think she’d be this happy over just a family trip—it made Ariel’s heart ache.
“First, Mom will ask Dad.”
“Can’t you ask him right now?”
Lucy suddenly grabbed Ariel’s sleeve.
“Okay. Mom’ll go right now!”
Knock knock.
“Damian?”
Ariel knocked on the study door after arriving.
Damian usually handled even work from the bedroom, but the butler had said he’d gone to the study today.
Apparently, having only recently returned to the Empire, he was quite busy.
“Come in, Ariel.”
At Damian’s permission, Ariel opened the door.
Seated at his desk, Damian lifted his head briefly, taking his eyes off the book he’d been reading.
His blue eyes fixed on Ariel—an unspoken request for her to state her business immediately.
“Well…”
But now that she stood before Damian, Ariel found her lips wouldn’t move easily.
“Well…”
Repeating the same word, Ariel turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.
Damian, silently staring at her, raised an eyebrow.
“Well…”
Remembering Lucy’s green eyes, Ariel squeezed her own shut tightly.
“Let’s go on a family trip!”
After blurting it out, Ariel cautiously opened her eyes.
Damian, who had been looking up at her, immediately looked down.
His fingers, reopening the closed book, seemed to trace an “X” in the air.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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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!