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

Anriette spoke in a firm voice.

The butler nodded heavily.

“I understand what you mean. If that’s the case, I will keep a close watch on the head maid.”

“Thank you, and I look forward to your continued support.”

At her seemingly natural expression of gratitude, the butler momentarily wore a strange expression.

It was as if he were looking at a stranger, thinking, ‘Is this really our lady?’

***

After finishing her meeting with the butler, Anriette found herself wanting to see the children’s faces.

She headed to the playroom where the kids were playing.

“Mother, you’re here!”

The first to rush over was, of course, Liliana.

“What brings you here, Mother?”

Elliot wore a sullen expression but didn’t openly avoid Anriette as he had before.

Anriette playfully shook her head with a mischievous smile.

“Oh my, do I need a reason to come see you?”

“No, Mother! You can come whenever you want!”

Liliana shook her head in surprise.

Following her, Elliot glanced down at his own feet and added, “Well, since you’re our mother, it’s up to you to come.”

“Right, right.”

After comforting both children, Anriette settled into a corner of the playroom.

She watched the kids play while reflecting on her earlier conversation with the butler.

‘For now… I’ll have to wait and see.’

With that thought, Anriette sank deeply into her chair.

Her narrowed eyes were as sharp as blades.

In the meantime…

“Mother, can you take a look at this?”

Liliana trotted over, cautiously presenting her sketchbook.

“I drew you, you know…”

Anriette’s eyes widened in surprise.

Inside the sketchbook was a crude drawing of a woman made up of a rough circle and a golden triangle.

‘Well, since Liliana said she drew me… I guess it must be a person?’

The brown hair that stuck out was adorned with a silver ribbon, making the woman in the drawing really shine.

“Is this me?”

“Yes! And this is Father, and this is Elliot!”

Like a puppy seeking praise, Liliana’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Elliot, who was glancing at the drawing from the side, pouted.

“Why did you color only Mother with gold and silver crayons?”

“Th-That’s because…”

“Hey, you usually don’t even touch the gold and silver crayons because you say you’re saving them.”

Elliot seemed quite displeased with Liliana’s drawing.

Specifically, he was upset that his character in the drawing wasn’t colored with gold and silver crayons.

“Why are you treating Mother and me differently?”

“No, um, I, Elliot… you see…”

“Forget it, that’s so petty. Liliana, you only like Mother…”

Elliot sulked heavily, feeling a bit left out.

Liliana rolled her eyes in confusion, unsure of what to say.

Seeing the cute antics of the children, Anriette couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

‘I just… hope you two won’t get hurt.’

For that to happen, the issue with the head maid needed to be resolved safely first.

Anriette steeled her resolve.

Now, all that was left was to wait.

She fervently hoped that her waiting wouldn’t be in vain and that the head maid wouldn’t cause any trouble…

Anriette wished earnestly.

***

Magg stood in front of the door and took a deep breath.

‘How did it come to this? Why do I have to take on such a dangerous task…’

She muttered to herself, feeling a bit grumpy.

But to gain something substantial, one must take on a bit of risk.

‘I need to get rid of that girl, Liliana, from the duke’s family somehow.’

The method Magg had chosen was to frame Liliana for theft.

‘As long as I can make her seem suspicious, the other maids will handle the rest.’

After all, the maids were in the palm of her hand.

With just a little provocation, they would testify that they saw “Lady Liliana stealing.”

“…”

Magg carefully opened the door, trying to avoid making any noise.

The lavish interior of the room caught her eye.

As if to prove Anriette’s extravagant nature, every piece of furniture and item in the room was of the highest quality.

‘Let’s see, where’s the lady’s jewelry box…’

After glancing around for a moment, Magg approached the vanity with a familiar gait.

When she opened the drawer, a jewelry box adorned with delicate floral and vine patterns in gold leaf lay inside.

Magg lifted the lid of the jewelry box.

True to her nature, which often didn’t value possessions, the precious gems were rolling around carelessly inside the jewelry box.

‘Hmm, something suitable… Ah, this will do.’

Magg, with the eyes of a hawk, picked up a pumpkin brooch with a satisfied expression.

It was a brooch that the lady often used.

So, it would be easy to tell if the brooch went missing.

As she stuffed the brooch into her apron pocket and was about to turn her body, she heard a voice calling her name.

“Magg?”

“Ah!”

Startled by the innocent voice calling her, Magg almost dropped the jewelry box she was holding.

It was Elliot.

Elliot poked his head through the door, tilting his head and asking, “What are you doing here?”

Panicking, Magg quickly shoved the jewelry box into the drawer.

Then, she turned her body to point at the drawer and gave an awkward smile.

“Oh, I’m cleaning the lady’s room.”

“Huh? But today isn’t the day to clean Mother’s room, is it?”

“Well, um, it seemed like… the lady’s room was too dirty.”

Cold sweat trickled down Magg’s back.

As she tightened her grip on her apron pocket to keep the brooch hidden, she stepped toward Elliot confidently.

“So even though it’s not a cleaning day, I wiped away any visible dust.”

“It doesn’t look dirty at all to me.”

“No, I saw a lot of dust on the window frame earlier.”

Magg quickly shook her head and showed him a dust-covered rag she had prepared.

Then, with a fierce glare, she continued speaking.

“I’m going to scold the maid responsible for the lady’s room.”

“Scold her? Really?”

“Of course. How can someone treat the mistress of Valois so carelessly…?”

Magg frowned, pretending to care about Anriette, but suddenly lowered her voice and looked serious.

“Um, by the way, young master?”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Could you keep the fact that I came to the lady’s room a secret?”

Elliot’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected request.

“Why? You said you came to clean. Why does it have to be a secret?”

“Yes, that’s true, but…”

Magg put on a very frightened expression on purpose.

Now her voice was so soft that it was barely audible unless one paid close attention.

“After all, the lady is quite strict, isn’t she?”

She drooped her shoulders dramatically.

Elliot, looking unsure, didn’t know how to respond.

“Magg?”

“Just in case the lady suspects me of something unnecessary and I end up getting punished or something…”

Magg looked up at Elliot with pitiful eyes, trailing off at the end of her sentence.

However, Elliot couldn’t fully accept Magg’s words.

It was true that their mother had acted that way in the past.

Elliot himself had feared his mother for a long time and still felt a bit wary.

But reflecting on how their mother had been lately, he thought there was no need to be that scared anymore…

“Mother hasn’t been that sharp lately, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

Elliot gently stroked Magg’s back.

“You’ve been quite kind to me, and… oh, right!”

Elliot’s eyes widened, and he flashed a bright smile at Magg.

“You’re so good to Liliana too.”

Liliana?

In an instant, sparks ignited in Magg’s eyes.

Wasn’t she the reason for all this trouble?

If that girl hadn’t come to the Valois townhouse…

And if young master Elliot hadn’t grown closer to that girl than to her!

‘If only I hadn’t had to sneak into the lady’s room and steal the brooch!’

To suppress her frustration, Magg clenched the brooch tightly in her apron pocket.

“But, young master, that is ‘the’ lady, you know.”

Magg flailed her arms in exasperation.

Elliot flinched slightly.

As Magg looked at him, tears were beginning to well up in her eyes.

“Do you really trust the lady?”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“No matter how gentle the lady is now, we can’t forget how she’s treated us in the past.”

Magg’s voice, tinged with tears, caused Elliot’s expression to darken slightly.

It was true that Anriette had been cold and harsh toward him and the servants up until now.

Even if her attitude had changed, the selfish behaviors she had shown before couldn’t simply disappear.

Moreover, Magg had played a part in filling the void left by their mother.

“So… I just can’t help but remember the times we were treated harshly, and I’m really scared of the lady…”

Finally, tears like bird droppings began to fall from Magg’s eyes.