Mother-in-Law Refuses to Regress! (7 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 21
“Ugh, don’t go, William.”
The day had finally come for William to leave for the academy. Larisa had been crying all morning, ever since they set out for the academy.
“I want to go with you too.”
“You’ll go someday too. Until then, you need to study hard at elementary school. Don’t cry—just stop.”
“No! I’ll cry anyway!”
William gave a bitter smile and lifted Larisa into his arms.
“I’ll come home every holiday.”
“Hic… but still…”
“I’ll write letters too.”
“I’ll be scared all by myself…”
Larisa wrapped both arms tightly around William’s neck and clung to him. William gently patted her back for a long time, feeling the warmth of her body and the dampness against his neck.
‘I really do feel like a proper older brother now.’
It was just like having a much younger sibling. And Larisa probably saw him as an older brother too. With that thought, William adjusted his hold on her and sighed deeply.
“Enough now—go on ahead.”
At Guinevere’s words, William reluctantly set Larisa down. As the top-ranked entrant into the Knight Division, he was scheduled to deliver the freshman oath at the opening ceremony.
Forced to part from William, Larisa sniffled and sat down beside Guinevere.
“Stop crying already.”
“Huh… h-hic… yes…”
But of course—telling someone not to cry only made them cry more. Guinevere grew irritated as Larisa kept sniffling.
After frowning thoughtfully for a moment, Guinevere finally spoke.
“Shall I hold you?”
“Really?”
Larisa immediately stretched out her arms. The moment Guinevere reached out, the child clung to her, and Guinevere felt a strange emotion at the warmth of the little body.
‘Did I ever hold William like this when I was her age?’
Back when William was about seven, he already acted like a grown-up child—too clever and too expressionless. Realizing that he was likely that way because he took after her, Guinevere felt a fresh pang of guilt.
‘What was I like at seven?’
Though the memory was so distant it was nearly gone, clever Guinevere still recalled faint glimpses of her own childhood.
She, too, had been born in the slums like Larisa. And raising a child as sweet as Larisa in such a place must have taken enormous sacrifice from Marina.
“I may never be like your mother…”
Larisa listened through her sniffles as Guinevere spoke.
“But I’ll try my best to be a good mother-in-law.”
“Huh?”
So startled was Larisa that her tears vanished instantly.
“Surely you haven’t forgotten? What price I agreed to accept in exchange for buying you a carriage?”
This wasn’t something to be discussed in public, especially with so many people around—Guinevere was always the center of attention. But Larisa was perceptive too.
“I remember, I remember!”
Larisa, who had been clinging tightly, clumsily pulled away and said,
“I’ll sit back down now.”
Then she sat quietly and began waiting for William’s oath ceremony.
She’d read countless fairy tales while learning to read, but never once had she come across a story where a girl was kidnapped by a witch and ended up bearing the witch’s son.
‘That must mean… they’re really getting married, right?’
Larisa’s brow furrowed deeply. Seeing this, Guinevere frowned as well—she wished she could open that little head and see exactly what was going on inside.
‘She’s not thinking of running away, is she?’
While both were lost in their own thoughts, it was finally William’s turn.
“Oh! Mother! It’s William!”
“Yes.”
“He looks so amazing.”
“I see.”
Dressed in the Knight Division’s uniform, William stood proudly delivering his oath—just like the prince from her dreams.
No prince from any fairy tale could have been handsomer than William. None would have more wealth or better connections either.
Even the Empress herself had been carefully watching Guinevere’s every move. Surely, being the only son of Guinevere Rodante made William a better match than even the Emperor himself?
‘…Maybe it’ll be alright after all?’
Clever Larisa put on a bright smile while secretly calculating in her head.
‘Even Cinderella would cry from envy.’
Her life was about to become as enviable as any princess’s from a fairy tale.
‘Oh, but William only sees me as a little sister he adores…’
No matter how she thought about it, this arrangement benefited William in no way. Someone like her—a slum-born girl whose only skill was pickpocketing—was a poor match for William. A true princess would suit him far better.
‘Right—someone like the Empress.’
The Empress was so beautiful it reminded her of her own mother. In fact, the resemblance made her keep glancing over unintentionally.
Of course, unlike her mother’s soft, snow-white hair, the Empress had golden locks like flowing honey and emerald-green eyes that sparkled like jewels—but still, she kept thinking of her mother.
“Did you wait long?”
William returned to his seat after finishing his oath. Larisa shook off her wandering thoughts and gave him a bright smile.
*
On the way home, Guinevere couldn’t bear to leave Larisa crying alone, so she rode in the carriage with her.
‘I’ve really changed.’
In the past, she would have teleported instantly, unwilling to waste even a moment of travel time. But now she couldn’t—not after realizing how William had been treated while she cared only for her own convenience.
The carriage bore the noble crest, useless to Guinevere herself but essential for William, the rightful heir of House Rodante, and his companion Larisa.
She understood this even more clearly after witnessing the sea of stares as she entered the academy in the Rodante family carriage with William.
‘I used to think all this ceremony was pointless.’
What must it have been like before? Back then, no one would have recognized William—arriving in a common carriage—as the trueborn heir of House Rodante. Even if they realized later, they’d have dismissed him as a half-blood.
After all, he barely passed Magic Studies, failing repeatedly before scraping by—so they likely saw him as a discarded son.
‘To only realize this now… I really am hopeless.’
“Sniff…”
Startled from her thoughts, Guinevere looked at the crying Larisa and said,
“Shall I hold you again?”
“No…”
She had no idea how to comfort a crying child.
“Then what should I do so you won’t cry?”
Larisa glanced nervously at Guinevere and answered timidly,
“S-sorry…”
“I’m not scolding you.”
Was it her expression? Guinevere tried awkwardly to smile. It came out as a strange, crooked grin, though she didn’t realize it.
“Then… do you need a friend?”
“Huh?”
“If you miss William, doesn’t that mean you need a friend?”
“Well… I guess…”
“You’d probably prefer a girl around your age, right?”
Guinevere fell into thought for a moment, then spoke as if an idea had struck her.
“I’ve thought of a girl who’d be just right as your friend.”
“Huh?”
“She’s about your age too.”
Shortly afterward, Guinevere invited the Crown Princess to the mansion.
“Now, this is Her Highness the Crown Princess. She’s ten years old. Her name is Elizabeth Del La Adelia. And this is Larisa Rodante.”
“Huh?”
Larisa was shocked—she’d just been introduced with the Rodante surname attached. The girl named as Crown Princess beamed and said cheerfully,
“Hello! So you’re the famous Larisa! Please call me Lizzy, okay?”
“Huh? Uh… okay?”
“Oh dear, I invited you to be friends! Don’t call me ‘Your Highness’—just call me Lizzy!”
Seeing the Crown Princess approach so warmly, Guinevere smiled contentedly.
‘Now she won’t be bored without William.’
The moment Guinevere vanished via teleportation, the Crown Princess unleashed a barrage of questions.
“But are you really a commoner?”
“Huh?”
“Is it true you’re from the slums?”
“Uh… yes…”
“Then how did you catch Lady Guinevere Rodante’s eye?”
“Well…”
“Do you have some amazing magical talent or something?”
The questions came too fast to answer. Feeling slightly dizzy, Larisa sat down on the sofa. The Crown Princess gasped in mock outrage.
“How dare you sit before I gave you permission!”
“Eeek! I’m sorry!”
Larisa jumped up and bowed deeply. The Crown Princess burst into laughter.
“Just kidding!”
Even quick-witted Larisa couldn’t tell what tune the princess was dancing to. The princess plopped onto the sofa and said,
“Now, you sit too.”
After joking about it, she actually gave permission to sit. Clever Larisa realized at once that she’d never be able to treat the princess as a casual friend.
“So… does that mean you’re officially adopted into House Rodante now?”
“No…”
More like a prospective daughter-in-law… Unsure how to explain, Larisa gave an awkward smile.
“Well, I heard she’s a strict meritocrat—they say she ignored even her own son until he entered the Knight Division as top student, and only then started paying attention!”
“Huh? That’s not—”
“Not what? I know more about this than you do, growing up in the slums.”
“Oh… right…”
“But then, what did she see in you? Is it really magical talent?”
“I don’t have any magical talent…”
“Really?”
The princess tilted her head in confusion.
“Then what are you good at?”
‘Pickpocketing? Begging?’
Of course, she couldn’t say that to the Crown Princess. Larisa fidgeted with her fingers and replied,
“I read well, and I’m good at addition and subtraction.”
“I speak not only Ariendian, but also Larran and Kadian.”
Larisa’s spirit sank.
‘What even are those…’
“By the way, have you ever been to Kadia?”
‘As if…’
“What about Larran?”
Larisa shook her head quickly. The princess sighed as if bored.
“Then what on earth am I supposed to talk to you about?”
‘I really hope she goes home soon.’
Larisa just smiled.
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
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