Mother-in-Law Refuses to Regress! (7 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 34
“Who is it?”
The woman who stepped out rubbed her drowsy eyes and spoke.
“It really is you, Larisa.”
“Yes, I… I came because I wanted to ask you something.”
Linda eyed William and Hedel warily, glancing back and forth between them, then asked,
“If it’s about your mother, I don’t really know much either.”
“Huh?”
“I never asked anything. All I know is… one day your mother fled here as if she were being chased by someone, and within a few months, she gave birth to you.”
Larisa was startled by this unexpected revelation. She had hoped that today, at last, she might finally hear the story about her father—the one her mother had never told her…
Linda, gazing at her with pity, added in a soft voice,
“This place… is where girls end up after being charmed by flashy nobles, losing themselves, and ruining their lives. Oh dear, what am I even saying to a child…
With a dismissive wave of her hand, as if shooing away a fly, she continued,
“Go on, now. If your mother didn’t tell you her story, it’s probably better left unknown. You’re a noble lady now—stay away from this place entirely.”
She even began pushing William and Hedel away herself.
“Hurry now, okay? Get back before sunset. Drunken louts start prowling around once the sun goes down.”
Larisa, reluctant to leave, called out as she was being pushed away,
“Wait, just a moment! You really don’t know anything? Nothing at all about my father?”
“I truly don’t. He was probably a nobleman. If anyone ever blabbed who he was and the rumor got out, do you think the head of that household would just let it slide? Around here, it’s an unwritten rule never to ask or say anything.”
“What about my mother’s family? Her hometown?”
“If she’d had family, she wouldn’t have ended up in a place like this. As for her hometown… her speech was so perfectly refined I couldn’t even guess.”
In the end, Larisa had no choice but to return empty-handed. Arriving back at the mansion’s portal via Hedel’s teleportation magic, she hung her head low in dejection.
Unable to bear it, Hedel offered what sounded more like tough love than comfort.
“Miss Lara, perhaps that woman is right. It might truly be better not to know. And now you’re part of House Rodante—what use is it to dig into your origins?”
“Yeah…”
What Larisa truly wanted to know wasn’t her bloodline or heritage—it was her mother’s story. But she simply nodded.
William hesitated, trying to think of something comforting to say, then gave up.
“Let’s go. I’ll treat you to something sweet.”
“Okay.”
Larisa took the hand William held out to her.
Wanting to cheer her up, William asked a passing maid to bring tea and desserts to the garden table and seated Larisa there. He couldn’t stand seeing her so downcast.
But William, who had never really tried comforting anyone before, ended up blurting out something curt instead.
“What do you want to know for? What will you do if you hear something awful?”
He immediately slapped his own mouth.
‘Ah, you idiot. Must you always say things like that…?’
But Larisa, undaunted, replied with fiery determination.
“I’ll take revenge.”
“What?”
“If my mother suffered something terrible, I’ll get revenge.”
William was stunned by her unexpected answer.
“Why are you so surprised? I’ve always suspected there was a story behind my mother. When your mother came to take me in, I thought I’d finally learn the truth. But she just kept saying she didn’t know anything and that I was William’s fate.”
William gaped at Larisa, utterly baffled by how mature she sounded for a seven-year-old.
“When I grow up—when I go to the academy like you and become a knight—I’ll be able to punish the bad people.”
Tears began welling up in Larisa’s eyes, then soon started falling steadily like chicken droppings. She didn’t sniffle or sob—she just let silent tears stream down.
“…Alright.”
“…”
“Let’s take revenge. I’ll help you.”
“I’ll do it myself.”
“Fine. You do it. Do whatever you want.”
William had no idea how to comfort a crying Larisa. If she’d just wailed loudly, he could’ve picked her up and patted her back—but this grown-up way of crying left him utterly lost.
‘Is she really seven?’
Surely she was stunted from lack of food and was actually ten… though even ten would still be young. How on earth did she even learn the word “revenge”?
“Do they teach words like ‘revenge’ at school these days?”
“No? I learned it from Boss.”
“What?”
“‘I’ll get revenge on you, you bastard.’ People say stuff like that all the time.”
This kind of blunt language was jarring coming from Larisa—utterly unfitting for someone raised in aristocratic grace like William. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow, struck by a deep sense of dissonance.
“Hmm. Anyway, stop crying now, don’t worry.”
“I wasn’t worried. If I feel like crying, I’ll cry…”
“I said I’m not crying anymore!”
“Right…”
“I won’t give up. I don’t know what to do right now, but once I figure it out, I’ll find out my mother’s story—and if there are bad people, I’ll get revenge.”
“Alright.”
“I’ll scatter popcorn all over them.”
“Oh, uh, okay.”
After eating some dessert, Larisa quickly perked up. William secretly sighed in relief.
It was better, he decided, for her to focus on hunting down the villains and scattering popcorn over them than to sit around sad and crying alone.
“Gotta eat well and get strong!”
“Yeah. Here, have some more.”
William diligently waited on Larisa. Seeing her stuff her cheeks full of cake made him strangely content.
*
Word soon reached Guinevere and Siod that the three had gone out. Guinevere, after hearing the full story from Hedel, decided to pretend she knew nothing—but Siod was different.
During the afternoon lesson, Siod, wearing a deeply sulky expression, grumbled to Larisa,
“You should’ve taken me along too…”
“Oh, um…”
“Does Larisa like Uncle Hedel more than her teacher?”
“No…”
“I’m hurt.”
Siod covered his face with both hands and pretended to sob dramatically. To Larisa, apart from her mother, this was the first adult who’d ever acted this way.
“It’s not like that! William and I were just going alone, but Uncle Hedel came along on his own.”
Siod immediately turned serious.
“You shouldn’t go to dangerous places like that just by yourselves, Larisa.”
“Yeah…”
Siod resumed his mock sobbing.
“I like Larisa the third most in the whole world.”
“Huh? Third?”
That was a pretty high rank. Surely not right after Mom and Dad? Larisa frowned slightly—until Siod suddenly asked,
“Where do I rank with you, Larisa?”
“Hmm…”
Larisa thought hard. First was Mom, second William, third Guinevere, fourth Daisy, then the butler… After counting for a while and losing track, she grinned sheepishly.
“Teacher, I want candy!”
“You little squirrel.”
Pretending not to notice, Siod pulled some candy from his pocket. What could he do? It’s a known saying: fathers-in-law adore their daughters-in-law.
“But why did you go back to your old place?”
“I just wanted to see it once.”
“Your old house?”
Larisa gave a vague nod. Teacher Siod seemed kind, but they weren’t close enough yet for her to share everything.
“How was it?”
“Someone else is living there now.”
“I see. That must’ve been disappointing.”
“Yeah…”
She had her own private regrets, but Larisa just nodded vaguely again.
“Shall I buy it for you?”
“Huh?”
“Your old house. It’s a secret, but… I’m rich.”
“Whoa.”
It wasn’t actually that surprising, but Larisa pretended to be amazed anyway.
“And actually, I’m the wealthiest of all.”
That was quite a secret. Larisa nodded, not believing a word.
“So next time you go somewhere, you must tell me. Protecting you is my job too.”
“Um… okay.”
Her mouth full of candy, her reply was half-hearted—but Siod decided that was enough scolding for now.
*
The following weekend, Larisa was flustered—she’d expected their usual lesson.
“An outdoor lesson?”
“Yes. So hurry up and get ready.”
Daisy started rushing around, caught off guard by the sudden outing.
“Where are you going?”
“I have a gift to give.”
Could it be?
They say “never say never,” and sure enough—Larisa stood dumbfounded in front of the house where she’d once lived with her mother, holding the deed in her hands.
“I told you I’d buy it. Of course, there’s a tenant living inside, so you can’t just go in—but if you want, I can evict them.”
“No! Please just leave them be.”
“Of course. The owner’s wishes come first.”
Still bewildered, Larisa held the deed and asked,
“Why… why are you giving me this?”
“Huh? Why what?”
“Well… you’re just my tutor, right?”
“Oh, right. That’s true.”
He still hadn’t been accepted as a father-in-law. Siod chuckled awkwardly.
“Just take it. It’s because I’m rich. Now, shall we do some reading? You need to learn how to read contracts so you don’t get tricked.”
Larisa began slowly reading the deed and contract in her hands. Siod immediately explained any difficult words beside her. As she read, the reality finally sank in.
The house where she’d once lived with her mother now belonged to her.
“Once you’re strong enough, Larisa, you can renovate it and make it your secret base—but only when you’re strong enough to knock down anyone who gives you trouble.”
“How can I repay you?”
“Gifts don’t need to be repaid.”
“But…”
“Oh dear.”
Siod lifted Larisa into his arms as tears streamed down her face.
“You’re crying because you’re happy, right?”
“Sniff… yeah.”
“I got worried all of a sudden—promise me you won’t follow just anyone who offers you candy, okay?”
“I already know that.”
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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