Mother-in-Law Refuses to Regress! (7 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 3
Guinevere had absolutely no idea how to handle a child.
She had given birth to William, but that was all—raising him had been entirely left to wet nurses and governesses.
She had decided to raise Larisa herself, but there was a clear limit to what Guinevere considered adequate care.
“First, feed her well and fatten her up. She’s so scrawny she’ll be useless for anything. I’ll come check on her in a month.”
‘Once she reaches a normal weight, I’ll figure out what to teach her or whatever.’
Spending money and checking in periodically—that was all Guinevere believed was necessary for a child to grow up properly.
Indeed, William had never caused any trouble or given her worry before his marriage, so Guinevere had never once doubted that her parenting methods might be flawed.
Guinevere handed Larisa over to the maids and turned away, her cloak swirling dramatically behind her.
The maids kept their heads bowed until Guinevere disappeared down the corridor. Larisa, imitating them, also lowered her head, watching the maids’ reactions.
The maid holding Larisa’s hand let out a deep breath once Guinevere was out of sight, then looked at the child watching her warily and asked,
“Hey… your name’s… Larisa, right? I’m Daisy.”
“Hello, Sister Daisy.”
“Do you happen to know why Lord Rodante wants you fattened up?”
“…No.”
Larisa’s eyes began to fill with anxious tears. The other maids smacked Daisy’s back in exasperation.
“Why’d you go asking that?”
“Ow, I was just curious!”
“The child’s going to cry!”
“Well… do you like candy?”
When Daisy pulled out a piece of candy—something she secretly snacked on whenever she got tired during work—Larisa’s eyes widened, and she nodded eagerly.
She’d only tasted candy once before, when a kind-hearted young lady had bought her flowers and given her a piece. Though small, it had been incredibly sweet and made her feel happy.
The maids hurriedly led tearless Larisa into the room, seated her in a chair, and busied themselves tidying up.
Larisa kept wriggling, eager to help, but they gently pushed her back into the chair and handed her a picture book.
Though she couldn’t read at all, Larisa was quickly captivated by the colorful illustrations.
If not for her anxiety over being in an unfamiliar place, her constant nervousness, and her habit of always watching others for cues, she would have been utterly absorbed in the storybook.
Holding the open book in front of her face, Larisa eavesdropped on the maids whispering among themselves.
“Since we don’t know what’ll become of her, let’s not get too attached.”
Hearing this, Larisa was suddenly frightened, but she bit her lip and pretended she hadn’t heard.
‘Did Mother get tricked?’
Realistically, it seemed far more plausible that her mother had been deceived into leaving her daughter in a dangerous place than that the great witch Guinevere Rodante was truly her mother’s friend.
‘What should I do?’
Larisa was terribly scared, but the carriage journey—her first ever—had exhausted her so much that she fell fast asleep as soon as the maids placed her into the warm bath.
William came looking for Larisa just as she was being lifted from the tub and moved onto the bed.
Once the other maids had left, Daisy, now alone, bowed politely.
“Is she asleep?”
“Yes, young master.”
“I came to fetch her for dinner since she didn’t show up…”
“Shall I wake her?”
“No.”
William hesitated for a moment, then asked,
“Actually… did Mother say anything?”
‘Like… that she and I are meant to marry, or that we’ll get married or something like that…’
William couldn’t stop worrying about his mother’s repeated hints that he and Larisa would be married.
At first, he’d dismissed it as a joke, but his mother, Guinevere Rodante, had never once made a joke in front of him.
Even when she said things that sounded like jokes, they either turned out to be true or she had the power to make them true—so over time, he grew increasingly suspicious.
Seeing William’s troubled expression, Daisy’s face also darkened.
“She said to fatten her up… that she’s useless as she is now…”
Daisy shivered, imagining something horrifying. William frowned at her reaction.
“Don’t worry—it’s not like she’s going to eat her.”
“Huh?”
“All that talk about Mother eating people is just rumors.”
“Oh! Yes, ha… sorry!”
Startled, Daisy bowed repeatedly.
At that moment, Larisa—who had actually woken up when William arrived but had been pretending to sleep—sat bolt upright.
“Really?”
William found it absurd, but calming the frightened child took priority, so he nodded.
“Yes. Why would she eat people when there’s every delicacy under the sun available?”
“Isn’t she going to eat a newborn’s heart to gather magical power?”
“Adult hearts hold more magic than babies’. She’d be better off eating a hunched old woman. Besides, you don’t even have magic to begin with.”
“I don’t?”
“No.”
William had confirmed this fact with Guinevere many times. Larisa had no talent for magic.
‘Then why bring her here? Is it really to marry me off to her?’
The adolescent William agonized as he looked at little Larisa, who was sniffling. She was undeniably just a tiny child—so small she fit entirely within his field of vision.
“Then why did they bring me here?”
William couldn’t bear to meet Larisa’s tear-filled eyes, yet he couldn’t bring himself to answer her question either.
“I… I don’t know either.”
“If she’s not going to eat me, why fatten me up? And why an inspection in a month?”
“Who knows? Maybe some kind of experiment?”
William said it casually—after all, his mother often used him as a test subject for her experiments. But Larisa and Daisy both paled.
‘So that’s it. I’m just a lab rat.’
Unaware of Larisa’s thoughts, William grinned cheerfully and said,
“Well, since you’re awake, let’s go eat.”
Larisa wasn’t hungry, but she followed William’s lead and trudged after him to the dining room—and was awestruck by the lavish spread before her.
“…Um, will you sit here?”
Larisa sat in the chair William pulled out for her but had no idea where to start. Hesitating, she whispered timidly,
“Am I allowed to eat too?”
“It’s been set out for you to eat, isn’t it?”
William said it casually, but Larisa just gulped nervously, unable to reach for anything.
The beautifully arranged food looked too refined for someone as dirty as her—a sewer rat like herself shouldn’t even touch it.
Finally, William couldn’t stand it anymore and began piling food onto Larisa’s plate.
“You’ll need to eat a lot.”
She was just too tiny. Out of pity, William cut her meat into bite-sized pieces, spooned salad for her, and diligently attended to her needs.
Overwhelmed by the juicy flavor of meat—something she’d never tasted before—Larisa stuffed herself until her stomach was painfully full.
Naturally, she ended up with a stomachache.
“My tummy hurts.”
“What?”
“Owwie…”
William, who had been walking ahead, turned back to find the little girl collapsed on the floor.
“You’re in too much pain.”
He was taking her back to her room because she didn’t know the way.
She’d eaten well—why was she suddenly in pain? Panicked, William crouched beside her.
“What’s wrong? Do you need to use the privy?”
“No… it hurts here. Hurts, owie.”
When Larisa clutched her stomach and collapsed sideways, William’s face turned pale.
“Little one, are you alright?”
“It hurts, it hurts—Mamaaa, owiee!”
Larisa could only cry out in pain. She’d never felt anything this agonizing in her life. She was scared and missed her mother terribly.
She slumped into William’s arms, tears streaming down her face. William hurried down the corridor, carried her back to her room, and sent for the doctor—all while Larisa sobbed for her mother.
“It’s indigestion.”
The doctor pushed up his monocle and said,
“I’ll prescribe medicine—have your maid pick it up.”
“…Thank you, Dr. Prosch.”
“And please don’t summon me again for such trivial matters. I’m a busy man.”
With that, he immediately gathered his medical bag and left the room. Even Larisa, half-delirious from pain, was intimidated by his icy demeanor.
Feeling a bit better after resting, Larisa whispered in the faintest voice,
“I’m sorry it was because of me.”
“…Tch. If I could tell the difference between trivial and serious, I’d be the doctor, wouldn’t I?”
William kicked the empty floor for no reason.
“You’re right. The doctor must be an idiot.”
“If he doesn’t like being summoned for things like this, he shouldn’t be our family physician.”
“Exactly. He’s just full, that’s all.”
“Where’d you learn to say that?”
“Everyone says it! It’s what you say to someone complaining about work being hard—since if you don’t work, you starve, but if your stomach’s full, you’ve got the luxury to complain.”
William chuckled softly.
“You’re right. He’s just full.”
No one considered William the heir to this household.
Guinevere Rodante was a witch who had lived over a century—yet remained so youthful and beautiful that no one could guess how much longer she’d live.
Her son, overshadowed by the great witch’s attention, had long since come to be regarded as little more than an expensive ornament.
‘For all I know, Mother treasures her magic artifacts more than she does me.’
William smiled bitterly.
He felt a small touch on his knee and looked down to see Larisa, lying in bed, reaching out her tiny hand to pat his knee reassuringly.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.”
William felt a sudden lump in his throat but hurriedly stood up to hide it.
“You need to take your medicine—go tell that maid from earlier… I’ll take my leave now.”
“You’re leaving?”
“I have to. It’ll soon be time for bed…”
“Will I see you again tomorrow?”
“Of course. Do you remember the way to that dining room?”
“No, I don’t…”
“Then I’ll come get you at breakfast tomorrow.”
After a brief hesitation, William offered a farewell.
“Sleep well.”
“Sleep well, William.”
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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