Mother-in-Law Refuses to Regress! (7 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 14
Hedel managed to prepare a carriage within a surprisingly short time. It was an imposing carriage emblazoned with the Rodante family crest. William was utterly dumbfounded at the sight. Larisa, thrilled, exclaimed,
“I asked, and they bought me a carriage!”
Larisa truly was special. Just as William was thinking that,
“You probably would’ve gotten one too if you’d asked. You’re just too timid to even bring it up, right?”
“Timid?”
William wanted to protest, but couldn’t bring himself to deny it.
“Am I really like that?”
Why couldn’t he have simply asked his mother for a carriage? Compared to the bold Larisa, he really did seem timid.
“After all, it’s not like the Rodante family is short on funds—if I’d asked, they definitely would’ve bought one for me…”
It was probably due to his own insecurity. Among all the people who came and went from the Rodante estate, he was the only one who couldn’t use teleportation magic. William gave a bitter smile.
*
And then the day of William’s entrance exam arrived.
“William, do your best!”
Larisa was incredibly cute as she tightly clenched both tiny fists to cheer for him, but William couldn’t show it.
Because right beside Larisa sat Guinevere Rodante, the cold and stern Archmage.
William sighed and hesitantly asked,
“Why on earth did you come?”
Guinevere acting as a concerned parent was utterly incomprehensible. Not just William, but everyone gathered there held their breath, anxiously watching Guinevere’s every move. Unfazed, Guinevere remained perfectly composed.
“I came to make sure you actually enroll in the Knight Division.”
“I never had any intention of joining the Magic Division anyway.”
“Then I need to see with my own eyes that you really are entering the Knight Division.”
She was completely unreasonable.
And as rumors spread that Guinevere Rodante had arrived, crowds began pouring in.
Chatter. Buzzing.
Murmurs. Whispering.
“Look over there! That’s Guinevere Rodante!”
“Then who’s her son?”
“Isn’t it that handsome boy with black hair?”
“But his eyes are different colors?”
“Must’ve taken after his father!”
“Why would he choose the Knight Division instead of Magic?”
“He’s probably already mastered magic and now wants to try something new—like cracking boards!”
“That’s not it at all…”
William sighed. Amidst all the gossip, Guinevere’s expression remained utterly unchanged.
“This is so embarrassing… Why did you even come?”
William had been absolutely certain his mother wouldn’t show up, which made the situation even more awkward.
“William, do your best!”
William gave an awkward smile to the adorable Larisa and went to stand in the waiting line.
“If only I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have just trained my stamina—I should’ve learned something more useful.”
He’d been told by his sword instructor that basic physical conditioning would be enough to pass comfortably, so he’d spent most of his free time playing with Larisa.
If only he’d known, he would’ve begged his departing teacher to at least teach him some decent sword techniques.
The thought of showing his clumsy skills in front of such a huge crowd made his stomach churn.
“Well, how could I have known my mother would follow me here…”
Without Guinevere Rodante, William was just an insignificant boy. Yet here she was, even attending his entrance exam—something he’d never imagined possible.
Surprisingly, the Knight Division’s entrance exam was conducted as a tournament, with only the top thirty candidates qualifying. William waited anxiously.
Soon, the match pairings were announced, and William’s turn approached.
His opponent, a boy with a suspicious frown, asked,
“William Rodante, why did you choose the Knight Division instead of Magic?”
He’d never heard rumors of William taking knightly lessons. In high society, news traveled fast—everyone knew what everyone else was up to.
He’d heard William had hired a sword instructor, only to dismiss him after a single day. If William truly believed that alone qualified him for the Knight Division, it was practically an insult to all the other applicants.
After all, they’d trained diligently since childhood to reach this point. And for good reason—graduates of the Royal Academy’s Knight Division could be knighted by a member of the imperial family.
“If you’re not disrespecting the Knight Division, you must have prepared something yourself. But if you care about your honor, don’t resort to tricks—face me fairly in this duel.”
“Tricks?”
“Magic is forbidden in the entrance exam.”
“I can’t do magic.”
“W-what did you say?”
“I said I can’t do magic. I have absolutely no talent for it.”
“Say something that actually makes sense!”
Thinking William was mocking him, the boy grew angry. William casually gripped his wooden practice sword and said,
“And I’ve never properly learned swordsmanship either, so please go easy on me.”
His opponent immediately resolved to give it his all from the start. And William did his best to dodge every attack.
He literally just dodged.
“Hey! Why do you keep dodging?!”
“I’ve never learned swordsmanship, so I don’t even know how to attack…”
“Stop running away and attack already!”
“I told you, I really don’t know how!”
While William nimbly evaded, his opponent’s stamina steadily dwindled. Surprisingly, William was naturally athletic. Despite only doing basic physical training, his endurance surpassed that of boys who’d trained for years.
“Attack already!”
Exhausted, the boy finally shouted in frustration. In that moment, William’s sharp reflexes caught sight of a glaring opening—both of the boy’s sides were completely exposed as he raised his sword high.
William didn’t miss the chance and struck hard with his wooden sword.
“Aaah!”
The boy collapsed from a single blow.
And so William’s tedious series of duels continued. He simply waited until his opponents grew exhausted and exposed an opening, then clumsily swung his sword.
Yet William emerged victorious every time—each match ending in a single decisive strike.
“Wow! William! You came in first!”
As William smiled and walked toward the ecstatically jumping Larisa, he froze—because of what Guinevere had just said beside him.
“You ranked first. Well done.”
“Did I just imagine that?”
He looked again, but Guinevere remained silent.
On the carriage ride home, Larisa chattered away.
“Mother, what does ‘first’ mean?”
“It means he came in first place.”
“Wow, William—you ranked first! Well done!”
Larisa repeated Guinevere’s words. Lately, whenever she learned a new word during her studies, she eagerly tried using it.
Because of that, William realized he hadn’t imagined it after all.
“Mother, you’ve… changed recently, haven’t you?”
“Me?”
“You’re saying things you never used to—like praise…”
Hearing praise didn’t make William happy—in fact, he looked suspicious. Guinevere felt a pang of bitterness watching him.
“This time, I really must change.”
Glancing at her son, Guinevere quietly offered a small excuse.
“I always thought it only natural for my son to excel.”
“My son? Just now?”
William was inwardly shocked. Was his mother seriously ill or something? Then again… she had already lived over a hundred years—maybe it really was possible.
Suddenly worried, William asked,
“Is your time… coming?”
“What?”
“I just heard that when people change this much, it means their time is near…”
“No.”
Phew. William breathed a silent sigh of relief. Guinevere, barely holding back tears at her son’s childish worry, quickly changed the subject. Lately, every time she thought about how her son had once taken his own life, tears would uncontrollably well up.
“In any case, your talent truly lies here. I’m glad you finally discovered it—even if it is late.”
“You were quick, though. You’re only fourteen…”
Guinevere, who had only realized her son’s talent after sixty-four years, had no words.
“I’m busy—I’ll go now.”
And with that, she vanished via teleportation.
Back in her study, Guinevere collapsed onto her bed and burst into tears—but William simply thought it was typical of his unpredictable mother.
Left alone, Larisa began chattering again.
“William, you were really amazing. And I’m so glad you didn’t get hurt.”
“If I’m going to join the Knight Division, I have to accept getting hurt during training.”
“Accept?”
“I mean, I have to be prepared for it.”
“But I didn’t want to see you get hurt right in front of me. I’m really glad you dodged everything.”
…William felt the same. He never wanted to see Larisa get hit right before his eyes. But he couldn’t oppose her wish to join the Knight Division, either.
William understood clearly what it truly meant to “protect”—as if he’d spent a lifetime pondering only that.
“I feel the same. I never want to see you get hurt.”
“Then I should practice dodging like you do!”
“Yeah.”
William smiled bitterly. Had he been lonely all this time? Is that why he’d grown so attached to this child who suddenly appeared?
And his mother too… Ever since Larisa showed up, she’d changed. Not just Hedel—everyone in the manor had noticed.
“Is it just because Larisa is so cute?”
William briefly recalled himself at age seven.
“Why on earth do I have to learn magic?”
He remembered shouting rebelliously as a seven-year-old.
“Was there ever a time I was cuter?”
He tried remembering age five.
“No! I don’t want to learn magic! You do it yourself!”
He recalled the stunned look on Guinevere’s face after he’d told her “you do it yourself,” and how she’d staggered away. Huh. Not cute at all.
“You’ll help me, won’t you, Willi?”
“Huh?”
Larisa tilted her head cutely as she asked. Seeing William’s blank stare, she beamed and said,
“You’re a great teacher! You taught me how to read, and I bet you’ll teach me swordsmanship well too.”
“Oh, right.”
Though William himself knew nothing about swordsmanship yet, he answered with a pleased smile. He’d better teach her well.
After all, it would break his heart to see her get beaten up by some harsh instructor.
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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