When I Quit Being A Wicked Mother-in-law, Everyone Became Obsessed With Me

It was a request for someone to lend an ear.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Anriche tilted her head in confusion, looking toward Alexei.

In a low voice so the children wouldn’t hear, Alexei added, “Also, thank you for handling Lilianah’s matters well.”

Did the sun rise in the west this morning? What’s gotten into Alexei…?

Anriche stared at Alexei in a daze.

Feeling her gaze upon him, Alexei turned away, seemingly embarrassed.

At that moment, Lilianah jumped up and greeted him.

“I-I’m honored to meet you, Duke Valua.”

Due to her nervousness, Lilianah’s voice trembled slightly.

“I am Lilianah Everitt. Thank you very much for allowing me to stay in the townhouse.”

Swallowing hard, Lilianah finished her greeting.

Anriche watched Lilianah with a warm gaze.

Oh, my child. You handle greetings so well!

“Right.”

…In contrast, why is that person being so cold?

Anriche squinted her eyes and shot Alexei a sideways glance.

When our Lilianah greets someone so cutely, isn’t it only natural for the heart to melt a little?

“Excuse me, Duke.”

Anriche suddenly spoke up.

Alexei glanced back at her.

“Why are you being so cold to our Lilianah?”

Anriche shot back sharply.

At her words, Alexei seemed a bit taken aback.

He had just answered as usual; did she think he was being cold?

“Um… Did I really come off as cold?”

“Of course. Would it hurt to smile a bit more kindly?”

Alexei couldn’t hide his sour expression at Anriche’s scolding.

To hear such a reprimand from no one other than ‘her’ Anriche…

Just then, Elliot, who had been watching Lilianah’s expression, suddenly spoke up.

“Mom’s right, Dad.”

“Huh?”

“When you have that blank expression on your face, it’s sometimes a little scary.”

With the sole intention of impressing Lilianah, Elliot focused his gaze on Alexei, his eyes intense.

“What if Lilianah gets scared because of Dad?”

…Elliot is saying something like that too.

Alexei unconsciously brushed his lips with his hand.

Now that he thought about it, there wasn’t a hint of a smile on his face at all.

‘I see. I didn’t realize my face was this stiff…’

He felt a sense of realization in various ways.

It was surprising that Anriche, who had never shown any interest in the children, would give him the advice that “you should be kind when dealing with children.”

But what was even more remarkable was…

‘Despite her pointing out my behavior, I don’t feel that bad about it.’

Normally, he would have thought, “Who are you to say such a thing?”

It was quite astonishing.

Meanwhile, while Alexei was having his moment of self-reflection, Anriche was checking the time.

It was just a little past one in the afternoon.

And Anriche had a temperament that could not bear to see the children skip meals.

“Kids, it’s time for lunch now!”

Anriche expertly got the children up.

The scene looked like a hen calling her chicks under her wings.

‘So, the lady and the children are going for lunch…’

As Alexei stood awkwardly, Anriche glanced back at him.

“Are you also having a meal, Duke?”

“Ah, yes. I am, but…”

“Hmm…”

Anriche fell into thought for a moment.

Now that she thought about it, it was true that Lilianah and Alexei were meeting for the first time today.

Since Lilianah had a slightly shy personality, it would be good to allow her some time with Alexei.

But…

‘Will that picky Alexei really join us for a meal?’

She had a rough idea of Alexei’s reaction.

He would probably say something like, “I need to get back to work, so it would be better for you and the children to eat together.”

Moreover, Anriche already had quite a bit of animosity toward Alexei.

Sigh, such is my fate…

Thus, Anriche opened her mouth without any expectations.

“Since we’ve met like this, how about we all have a meal together?”

“That sounds good.”

“Ah, you’re busy? Then I suppose we can’t—wait, what?”

Anriche’s eyes widened in surprise as she had anticipated a refusal.

Alexei shrugged lightly.

“I said it sounds good.”

“Uh, um, well, I’ll be having a meal too… is that okay?”

“Of course it’s okay.”

Hearing Alexei’s response, Anriche found herself utterly bewildered.

Is it really okay for him to have a meal with me?

He had given her such a hard time when she brought him cookies earlier!

Well, he did come to thank her now…

‘Didn’t he dislike me?’

Feeling dazed, she led the children toward the dining room.

Alexei followed behind with a composed gait.

***

When they sat at the table, Alexei was indeed a huge concern for her, but that was only temporary.

‘Hmm… he isn’t being as difficult or uncomfortable as I expected.’

Anriche glanced at Alexei, who was elegantly engaging in the meal.

Alexei was truly the epitome of a perfect nobleman.

The knife moved fluidly, expertly carving the meat attached to the T-bone.

Wow, he’s really good at cutting meat.

Come to think of it, Alexei had been called the greatest swordsman in the Empire.

So, if he was good with swords, does that mean he’s also good with table knives?

While Anriche was caught up in such trivial thoughts, at that moment…

“…”

Elliot was groaning as he reached for the salt shaker placed in front of Anriche.

Without thinking much, Anriche handed him the salt shaker.

“Here you go. Salt.”

“Th-thank you.”

Elliot accepted the salt shaker with a shy face.

Alexei’s eyes widened slightly.

‘…He didn’t scold Elliot just now.’

Normally, he would have scolded him for being so noisy and undignified.

But then something even more surprising happened.

Anriche noticed sauce smeared on Lilianah’s lips and naturally took out a handkerchief.

The way she gently wiped the child’s lips was very tender.

“Oh dear, you’ve got some sauce on you.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Lilianah’s face was a mix of embarrassment and joy from Anriche’s attentive care.

To convey that it was alright, Anriche smiled sweetly at Lilianah.

Alexei observed Anriche intently.

‘…Has she always been this good with children?’

That couldn’t be right. The Anriche I know is definitely…

At that moment, a deep crease formed on Alexei’s forehead.

Lilianah dropped the knife while trying to cut the meat.

Clang!

With a sharp sound, the knife clattered across the marble floor.

Brown sauce left a stain on the ground.

Startled by the sauce, Lilianah froze in place.

“Ah, I-I’m sorry…”

Lilianah muttered, her face full of fear.

Seeing this, Anriche briefly narrowed her eyes.

Clang!

She dropped her own knife to the floor as well.

In response to her unexpected action, both Alexei and Elliot widened their eyes.

Despite this, Anriche remained calm.

“It’s okay, everyone makes mistakes.”

Saying this, she patted Lilianah on the shoulder.

“See? I just dropped my knife too.”

“But…”

“How can people be perfect? Even I, an adult, make mistakes like this.”

Anriche spoke clearly.

At her words, the tension in Lilianah’s shoulders eased slightly.

“It’s natural for someone as young as Lilianah to make mistakes while learning.”

Meanwhile, Anriche noticed Alexei’s gaze fixed on her.

His eyes were clearly showing surprise.

Towards him, Anriche winked one eye.

‘I know this goes against etiquette, but just let it slide this once.’

Anriche quietly moved her lips so that Lilianah wouldn’t hear.

Alexei stared at Anriche blankly.

She seemed completely absorbed in comforting the thoroughly intimidated Lilianah.

‘She used to be someone who would fly into a rage over even the slightest breach of etiquette…’

It was the first time he had seen Anriche so generously cover up someone else’s mistake.

At that moment, Elliot’s and Alexei’s eyes met.

Elliot looked just as shocked, his face clearly displaying his disbelief.

***

After the meal ended, Anriche received some welcome news.

“Miss Lilianah’s room has been completely tidied up.”

Finally, Lilianah’s room was ready for her to use going forward.

Lilianah looked up at Anriche with sparkling eyes.

“Mother, I’d like to see the room with you… is that okay?”

At that, Elliot immediately spoke up.

“What? You and Mom are going alone together?”

“Uh? N-no, yes?”

“I want to see your room too.”

Elliot declared with a sulky voice.

In the meantime, Alexei chimed in.

“I’m curious about how Lilianah’s room is decorated as well.”

“Y-you too, Duke…?”

“Of course. Since we’ll be living together in our townhouse from now on, it’s only right to know what kind of environment we’ll be in.”

Alexei spoke firmly.