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

At that moment,

Anriche was deep in thought, staring at a mountain of documents piled on her desk.

‘These documents are quite clean.’

After receiving the documents from the steward, she had carefully examined each one.

And she realized why the steward had been so confident.

‘Not a single minor issue exists.’

Every budget execution had a clear reason, and the amounts had been used properly.

‘But this is work done by people. How can it be like this?’

Anriche flipped through the documents once more.

Not a single incorrect number or typographical error—these documents were truly flawless.

‘Am I just being picky because I dislike the steward?’

Anriche even thought this about herself.

“Ugh. Why did I have to stir up trouble…”

She sighed deeply, her body slumping in her chair, and absentmindedly glanced at the titles of the document folders.

“Replacement of street trees, replacement of flooring, replacement of plaza streetlights…”

As she read the titles, one by one, a sudden chill ran down her spine.

‘Wait a minute.’

Why are there so many landscaping projects?

Reaching out, Anriche began to separate the documents by project type.

A moment later, her violet eyes widened slightly.

‘…Twelve of them.’

Moreover, all these landscaping projects had occurred during the time Alexei was away.

Considering that he only came down to the Balua Duchy in winter…

‘That’s almost two landscaping projects a month!’

Of course, it could be that these projects were genuinely necessary.

The flooring might have been damaged, or the street trees might have withered and needed replanting.

But still, she couldn’t shake the feeling of suspicion.

‘I’ll need to ask the Duke about this.’

Since Alexei had come to the Balua Duchy last year, he should know what the situation was like back then.

Just as Anriche thought this while organizing the documents,

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Yes, come in.”

As soon as she answered, the door swung open, revealing Liliana and Elliot peeking inside.

“Mom!”

“Mother!”

Upon seeing the children, Anriche’s expression brightened.

“Oh my, you two.”

The two children hurried over to Anriche’s desk.

Anriche looked down at them with a warm smile.

“What brings you here?”

“Um, Mom. Are you very busy?”

At Elliot’s question, Anriche’s eyes widened.

“Huh? Busy?”

“Yes. Well, you see…”

As Elliot began to speak, Delfina burst into the office.

“Kids, you shouldn’t disturb your mother…!”

“Uh, Mother?”

Anriche’s eyes widened in surprise.

The two women exchanged silent glances.

“…”

“…”

After a brief, heavy silence,

Delfina turned her gaze away and cleared her throat.

“I-I’m sorry for interrupting your work…”

“It’s okay, I’m fine…”

“Mom, you should have tea with Grandma and me and Liliana!”

Just then, Elliot jumped into the conversation without a clue.

“We just had tea in the greenhouse that Great-Grandma took care of. The flowers are blooming beautifully, it’s so pretty!”

Liliana eagerly chimed in.

Delfina felt anxious and tried to dissuade the children.

“Kids, if you keep insisting like this…”

“Sure.”

Huh?

Delfina questioned her own ears.

She thought it would be reasonable for Anriche to be angry since her work was being interrupted.

But such a calm response?

“Are you not angry?”

“Pardon? I just said I was fine, didn’t I?”

Anriche, looking bewildered, faced Delfina.

“Why would I be angry?”

“Um… no, it’s nothing.”

Delfina turned her head away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

After all, the last time she had met Anriche…

‘When her work was interrupted, she would get furious, regardless of whether it was an adult or child.’

People really do change over time, it seems.

As Delfina contemplated this, her gaze fell on the documents Anriche was looking at.

‘Is she examining the entire budget executed so far?’

In that moment, she noticed her own signature at the end of the documents and narrowed her eyes.

‘Now that I think about it, I don’t recall examining the documents that closely.’

She had trusted the steward so much that she often just skimmed through them before signing.

‘Hmm.’

Feeling a twinge of conscience, Delfina frowned slightly.

‘From now on, I should pay more attention.’

At that moment, Elliot tugged at the hem of Delfina’s skirt and whined.

“Grandma, let’s go quickly!”

“Oh, right.”

Delfina snapped back to her senses and looked down at Elliot.

Liliana was already holding Anriche’s hand tightly.

Anriche smiled gently.

“Shall we go, Mother?”

“Y-yes.”

With that, the four of them headed toward the tea room set up in the greenhouse.

***

Inside the tea room, the air was warm, contrasting with the chilly weather outside.

As soon as they entered, Anriche gasped in admiration.

“Oh my, it’s so beautiful.”

The tea room had floor-to-ceiling glass windows, allowing them to enjoy tea while gazing at the flowers blooming vibrantly in the greenhouse.

The brilliantly blooming flowers dazzled her vision.

“It must be because you took such good care of them, Mother, that they’re blooming so beautifully,” Anriche said, and Delfina’s cheeks flushed slightly.

It was true that she had devoted a lot of care to the greenhouse.

“Hmph. You should at least spit out a compliment properly.”

“Oh, I really mean it! I’ve never seen such extravagant flowers before.”

A small vase on the tea table was filled with charming little flowers.

Gently touching the soft petals, Anriche beamed.

“Did you bring this flower from the greenhouse too?”

“Indeed.”

“I thought so! That red flower blooming over there, right?”

Watching her daughter-in-law enjoy herself like a child, Delfina found herself speaking without thinking.

“…If you really like those flowers.”

“What?”

“I’ll pick a few for you to take home later.”

Delfina said with a playful tone.

‘Huh?’

Anriche’s eyes widened at the unexpected offer.

“Your office is quite dreary, after all.”

Hmm, was my office dreary?

It seemed just an ordinary office to her.

Anriche tilted her head but didn’t bother to refute Delfina’s words.

“Having a few flowers would surely brighten it up, wouldn’t it?”

“Ah…”

“I’ve noticed you’ve been diligently looking over the budget materials lately, but sometimes you need a change of pace.”

“You’re right. Thank you for your consideration, Mother.”

Anriche smiled brightly.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Delfina awkwardly turned her gaze away and spoke.

“Sit down quickly.”

“Oh, okay.”

Anriche took a seat.

From then on, Anriche’s thoughtfulness continued.

“Elliot, be careful; the tea is hot.”

She stopped Elliot, who was trying to drink his tea too quickly.

“Liliana likes fruit tarts, right?”

Just remembering Liliana’s favorite food and pushing a plate toward her showed her thoughtfulness.

Delfina observed Anriche’s actions closely.

‘She really doesn’t seem to be doing this just for show.’

Now that she thought about it, even during her first visit to the duchy for a banquet, Anriche had been like this.

She was strict about correcting the children’s picky eating habits and easily covered for their mistakes.

Feeling confused, Delfina gently bit her lip.

‘If Anriche truly cares for the children…’

Just then, Elliot’s eyes widened as he looked out through the glass wall.

“Whoa? It’s Dad!”

Elliot jumped out of his seat and rushed to the glass wall, waving his hands excitedly.

“Dad!”