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

As Anriche watched the warm scene unfold, she suddenly recalled the conversation she had shared with Jane.

‘I-I didn’t even get to thank her…’

It was right after Mag had conveyed her suspicions.

After hesitating for a while, Jane had carefully spoken up.

‘Make sure to express your gratitude to Liliana directly later.’

That seemed to have been quite good advice.

Just then, Jane turned to Anriche.

Her eyes were also filled with tears.

‘See? I told you Liliana would be happy.’

Anriche mouthed the words softly so that Liliana wouldn’t hear.

Jane nodded enthusiastically, her smile wide.

***

After everyone had a good cry,

Elliot and Liliana were snuggled close to Anriche, dozing off.

It seemed they were exhausted from a day full of tears.

‘But… sitting curled up on the sofa like this must be uncomfortable for them.’

More than anything, Anriche herself was feeling quite uneasy.

With her eyes narrowed, Anriche gently patted the children tucked under her arms to wake them.

“Hey, my little fish, go back to your room and sleep.”

“…Who are you calling a fish?”

“Elliot and Liliana. I’m talking about you two.”

Anriche playfully shrugged her shoulders at Elliot, who was rubbing his eyes.

“Both of you have puffy eyes, don’t you?”

“Ugh, but I’m not a fish.”

Elliot pouted his lips, then cautiously glanced at Anriche, as if he had something to say.

“What is it, Elliot?”

“Well… you know…”

Even after mustering up the courage to speak, Elliot took a while to gather his thoughts.

Then, wiggling his fingers, he said,

“…Can I sleep with you tonight, Mother?”

W-What did he just say?

Anriche’s eyes widened in surprise.

Elliot, who always acted like a little angry kitten whenever he saw her, was asking to sleep together!

In that moment, her heart swelled. But just as quickly, Elliot turned his head away with a huff.

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

“No, you little rascal. Why are you assuming things without waiting for my answer?”

With a mischievous expression, Anriche tousled Elliot’s hair.

Elliot, looking upset, patted his own hair back down.

“Ah, Mother! Really!”

“I’m happy.”

“Huh?”

“I’m really happy to be able to sleep with my son.”

At her warm voice, Elliot’s ears turned bright red.

Just then, Liliana, who had woken up, clung to Anriche with a sleepy expression.

“I want to sleep with you too!”

“Hmm?”

“I want to sleep with you, Mother!”

It was adorable how she burrowed into Anriche’s arms, unable to fully open her eyes.

“Okay, let’s all sleep together, Liliana.”

Anriche gently patted Liliana’s head.

At that moment, Elliot quietly pressed his body against Anriche’s side.

“Um, Mother.”

“Hmm?”

“I want to drink cocoa today too.”

And just like that, he was acting a bit spoiled.

Anriche looked at Elliot with a mix of surprise and fondness.

Somehow, at this moment…

‘I feel like we’re just a normal mother and son.’

Anriche fell into a brief moment of nostalgia.

A moment later, she playfully responded,

“If you drink cocoa, you know you have to brush your teeth afterward, right?”

“Well, you can just check if I brushed my teeth yourself, Mother.”

“Oh really? Then be prepared. I’ll check very thoroughly to see if you brushed well.”

As the two bantered back and forth, they both broke into laughter.

After a while, Elliot, who had been gazing at Anriche, opened his mouth.

“Mom.”

W-Wait, he just called me “Mom”?

Anriche momentarily froze in shock.

Elliot, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed himself, had his youthful cheeks flushed a bright red.

Still, he didn’t shy away from her gaze.

Instead, he continued to speak clearly.

“Thank you so much for today.”

“Uh, yeah.”

Anriche replied in a dazed voice.

Elliot, as if he had said everything he needed to say, began to awkwardly stare at his toes while avoiding her gaze.

Elliot… just thanked me.

And he called me “Mom,” not just “Mother.”

“…”

A wave of emotion surged in her heart.

It felt like her nose was tingling too, so Anriche quickly raised her hand to cover her face.

She couldn’t let the children see her face, which was on the verge of tears.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Are you okay, Mother?!”

The two children rushed to her side, looking startled.

Oh no.

Anriche quickly blinked away her tears and shook her head at the kids.

“Uh, I’m fine, really.”

“Really? But it looks like you’re crying!”

“Maybe I just yawned?”

Anriche tried to play it cool.

However, a bright smile that she couldn’t hide lingered on her lips.

***

The next day.

As soon as breakfast was finished, the butler came to find Anriche directly.

She offered him some tea.

“Butler, thank you so much for what you did.”

She meant it sincerely.

The butler’s assistance had been crucial in resolving the situation with Mag.

However, even with steaming tea in front of him, the butler’s face looked quite serious.

Was something wrong?

As she tilted her head in confusion, the butler spoke.

“I was too flustered yesterday, so I’m only now able to express my apologies to you, my lady.”

His heavy lips finally opened.

Then, to her surprise, he knelt down in front of her.

Anriche gasped in shock.

“What are you doing?”

“I didn’t mean to doubt you previously.”

The butler answered in a somber voice.

“Oh, that?”

Anriche felt a bit awkward.

In fact, she had almost forgotten about that incident.

“I really committed an unforgivable sin.”

However, the butler seemed determined not to rise until he heard her say “It’s okay.”

In an instant, Anriche’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Yeah, you did commit an unforgivable sin.”

“…”

Saying that seemed to make the butler stiffen in surprise.

She was just trying to tease him a little, but his reaction was even more amusing.

Feigning disappointment, Anriche lowered her voice.

“It hurts my heart to think that the butler doubted me…”

“…I’m truly sorry.”

The butler couldn’t even look her in the eye.

He bowed his head so low that his forehead almost touched the floor.

“I don’t even have the face to ask for your forgiveness.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Yes. So… I will accept any punishment.”

Hearing his serious voice, Anriche barely managed to suppress a laugh.

“Alright, then the punishment I’ll impose is…”

Punishment?

With rising tension, the butler gulped nervously.

Anriche continued in a teasing tone.

“If there’s ever a disagreement between me and the duke from today onward…”

At her sudden words, the butler looked at Anriche with a puzzled expression.

“I want you to side with me just this once.”

“…My lady’s side?”

“Yeah. In fact, I’m thinking of replacing all the maids in the townhouse.”

At this, the butler’s eyes widened slightly.

‘It seems that the lady has changed a bit.’

Unlike before, when she had no interest in how the townhouse operated, she was now taking active steps.

She was even directly involved in the staffing of her servants.

“I plan to get rid of all the maids connected to Liliana.”

Anriche shrugged lightly.

“But my reputation is rather notorious, you know.”

At her playful tone, the butler began to sweat profusely.

He couldn’t agree with her words, nor could he refute them.

“The duke might think that I’m imposing excessive punishments on the maids.”

“Um…”

“So, the butler needs to speak well of me to the duke. Do you understand?”

Anriche winked at him.

Then she reached out her hand to help the butler up from his kneeling position.

“Then let’s agree on that, and you should forget about what happened before.”

“M-my lady…”

“I know how much effort you’ve put into the duke’s family.”

Anriche smiled brightly.

She meant it.

Not long ago, during the time when she had neglected her duties as the lady of the house,

the butler had worked tirelessly to keep the Valua townhouse running smoothly in her absence.

How could she simply cut off someone like that?

“So, I look forward to your continued support.”

“Th-thank you.”

Just then, when the butler’s eyes were filled with emotion…

“Well, I don’t think I could misunderstand you like that.”

A calm voice rang out.

“Huh? Whose voice is that?”