The intelligent Larissa, with William’s dedicated teaching, memorized all 28 letters of the alphabet in just one day and began reading haltingly within a few days.
Overjoyed at reading an entire fairy tale book by herself, Larissa ran to Guinevere’s laboratory. After knocking firmly, Guinevere opened the door.
“Back again?”
“Yes, mother. I can read all the letters now.”
“Really?”
Guinevere already knew this. The maids had praised Larissa as a prodigy, but to Guinevere, who had a son who taught himself to read at two, it was just something to acknowledge.
‘But she seems to want praise, doesn’t she?’
“Very well done.”
Larissa hugged the picture book she brought with a look of uncontainable happiness. Her eyes sparkled with expectation as she asked,
“Shall I read the fairy tale book to you?”
Guinevere was busy. As she glanced at the sphere related to her time regression magic and was about to refuse, Larissa interjected.
“Ah… you’re busy, aren’t you?”
Larissa was a quick-witted child. Children from the slums usually were, as it was necessary for survival. This reminded Guinevere of her own childhood.
On impulse, Guinevere said,
“Come in.”
It was just a small girl. Not much of an annoyance. Guinevere pointed to an empty chair.
“Sit there and read.”
“Yes!”
Larissa began to read the fairy tale book aloud. Guinevere dipped her pen in ink to continue her work, finishing the formulas she was working on.
“And then the frog said, ‘Now let’s sleep together.’ The princess was so disgusted she screamed, ‘No!’”
The Frog Prince story. Guinevere disliked it.
“The princess picked up the frog and threw it. The frog, hitting the wall, turned into a handsome prince.”
Thump.
Guinevere put down her pen and turned to see a startled Larissa looking at her with wide eyes.
“That story.”
“Yes?”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes.”
Larissa answered innocently.
“Why?”
Larissa hesitated. Should she be honest?
“Because the princess is cool.”
Guinevere was taken aback by the unexpected answer.
“What part?”
“When she picks up and throws the frog.”
Guinevere was uncertain whether to laugh or not at Larissa’s response. Larissa, unsure of the meaning behind Guinevere’s twisted expression, stayed silent.
“I hate that story.”
Guinevere said.
“It’s about a shape-shifting magician duping a young and naïve princess.”
“Really?”
“Yes. A creepy frog demanding to sleep with the princess just for retrieving a ball deserves punishment. But why did the princess marry the frog prince?”
“Why…?”
“Because finding a strange man in a princess’s bedroom is a fatal flaw for her.”
Larissa’s mind went blank.
“So, the lesson of the story is, don’t make promises lightly. Be cautious of men, even if they are frogs. Understand?”
“Yes…”
Guinevere felt proud. She believed she had provided proper sex education to her future daughter-in-law, not realizing she might have shattered the child’s innocence.
Larissa, looking downcast, closed the book and asked,
“That’s why William said we can’t sleep together.”
“What?”
“But it’s okay since I’m going to marry William anyway, right?”
Now it was Guinevere’s turn to be taken aback. She hadn’t expected Larissa, only seven, to readily agree to marry William. Surprised, she asked without thinking,
“Are you going to marry William?”
“But you said I have to bear his child, right? You have to marry to have babies, don’t you?”
Guinevere felt like an utterly despicable person. She realized she had made an unreasonable demand of a seven-year-old girl.
William was appalled. It’s often hard to recognize one’s own absurdities until they’re echoed back. Hearing his words from innocent Larissa brought a harsh reality check.
“That… you don’t necessarily have to.”
“What?”
“You don’t have to get married if you don’t want to. You don’t have to have a child either.”
“What?”
“The promise I made with Marina was simply to do my best to keep you happy and safe for a long time.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Your mother wouldn’t have handed you over on such terms.”
Larissa didn’t fully believe Guinevere’s words, but she trusted her mother. Her mother had told her to live the life she wanted.
“What about the baby?”
“That, that’s just my wish.”
Larissa burst into laughter at Guinevere’s awkwardness. She felt a bit closer to the formidable witch.
While Guinevere sacrificed even her nights to immerse herself in the time regression magic, Hedel had made up his mind once again.
Knock, knock.
Guinevere knew by the knocking that Hedel had arrived.
“Go away. I’m researching.”
“I’m leaving.”
“Fine.”
Despite saying so, Hedel had never really left. Angered by Guinevere’s indifferent response, Hedel kicked the door and shouted,
“Larissa came and went yesterday too! Why can’t I enter the lab?”
“You’re a magician.”
“Master! What am I to you?”
Hedel pondered. What was Guinevere Rodante to him? He was an orphan, showing magical talent and receiving Guinevere’s support from around the age of 14.
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.”
