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

Elliot?

As Aleksey was passing by, he turned to look at his son with wide eyes.

“Dad, come here!”

Elliot waved his arms frantically.

Drawn by his child’s call, Aleksey entered the tea room.

“Have you all been having tea time together?”

“Yes, that’s right. What about you, Duke?”

“I had to meet with the captain and vice-captain of the knights to discuss restructuring their training program.”

Saying this, Aleksey slightly lifted the briefcase in his hand.

“I also brought back the training plan for the apprentice knights while I was there.”

“I see.”

Anriche smiled brightly.

Just then, Delphina chimed in.

“Since you’ve come all this way, why not have a cup of tea?”

“Oh, should we?”

Aleksey, who would usually refuse due to being busy, surprisingly accepted Delphina’s invitation this time.

As he sat down, he turned to Liliana.

“Lily, I heard you’ve been sparring regularly with Sir Müller lately.”

Sir Müller!

Upon hearing that name, Liliana’s eyes sparkled like stars.

“Sir Müller has been praising you a lot, you know?”

“Really?”

“Yes. So make sure to keep working hard on your swordsmanship.”

“Yes, I will!”

Liliana nodded vigorously.

Watching her with satisfaction, Aleksey turned to Anriche.

“By the way, I heard you received the budget proposal for the duchy recently.”

Aleksey added with a worried tone,

“It’s good to review the documents, but please don’t overdo it. It’s not good for your health.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

Anriche responded with a cheerful smile.

Meanwhile, Delphina watched them with narrowed eyes.

‘Who would have thought those two would become so close as a couple…’

It had been like this since the first day they visited the duchy.

At the dinner table, Aleksey openly embraced Anriche, and afterwards, they went for a walk together at night.

Even now, they were chatting comfortably with each other.

‘Life really is about living long enough to see things like this.’

Delphina shrugged with a mysterious expression.

***

A few days later.

Delphina was watching through the window as Liliana was being trained by Kate.

A satisfied smile was already resting on her lips.

‘…So cute.’

Kate was adjusting Liliana’s posture while explaining something.

Liliana nodded her head vigorously and gripped the wooden sword with a serious look.

“Lady.”

At that moment, she heard a voice calling her, and Delphina glanced back.

It was the head butler.

“You should have your lunch.”

“Oh, right.”

Delphina nodded.

Just then, the butler glanced out the window.

“What are you watching so intently?”

“Oh, I was watching Liliana training.”

Delphina replied in a gentle voice.

Liliana was firmly planted on both feet, swinging her wooden sword.

“She looks very lively and healthy, doesn’t she?”

“Yes… that’s true.”

However, unlike Delphina, the butler didn’t seem very pleased with Liliana’s appearance.

His response sounded somewhat reluctant.

Then he continued,

“It seems that Liliana’s interest in swordsmanship isn’t solely the fault of the young lady.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Delphina asked the butler with a puzzled expression.

The butler seized the opportunity and quickly elaborated.

“She could have refused the swordsmanship lessons, but she has continued to accept them.”

“Butler.”

“She should have been strictly educated under the young lady from the start. What if she ends up with a scandal in high society…?”

“BUTLER!!”

Unable to listen any longer, Delphina raised her voice.

The startled butler looked at Delphina with wide, surprised eyes.

“L-Lady?”

“Why do you speak like that?”

“…Huh?”

“Isn’t the child having fun?”

At Delphina’s crisp reply, deep furrows formed on the butler’s forehead.

“What’s wrong with a girl learning swordsmanship?”

“But, my lady…”

“Balua has been the foremost family of knights in the empire for a long time, so it’s not so strange.”

“Still, there is a certain dignity to being a lady.”

The butler tried to persuade Delphina like this, but she remained stubborn.

“I used to think that way, but my thoughts have changed a little recently.”

Delphina shrugged her shoulders and questioned the butler.

“When did Balua ever block someone with talent?”

“Well, that is…”

“It doesn’t align with Balua’s family tradition to stifle someone’s talent simply because of their gender.”

Delphina added calmly.

“Just look at Sir Müller; she holds the position of vice-captain of the knights as a woman, doesn’t she?”

“…”

With that statement, the butler had no retort.

After all, Kate was a knight who had never been accepted anywhere because she was a woman.

It was Aleksey who accepted her and gave her the position of vice-captain.

This meant that to say Kate’s case was wrong…

‘…would imply it goes against the Duke’s wishes.’

The butler bit his lip firmly.

“Above all, swordsmanship isn’t a crime, and there’s no reason to prevent a child from being taught when she’s happy.”

“Still, Lady Liliana has to look after the Duke’s family in the future…”

“I’ve considered that part as well, but swordsmanship is merely one of the subjects Liliana is learning.”

Delphina recalled the time she had tea with Liliana.

At that time, Liliana had shown impeccable poise as a lady.

‘Of course, her statistics are still a bit difficult, though…’

As she muttered this and let her shoulders droop, she felt her heart waver.

“She’s receiving thorough education in the culture and practical skills she needs to build as a hostess, so I think the butler need not worry further.”

“…Understood.”

When Delphina, of all people, said this, the butler ultimately fell silent.

However, alarms were already ringing in his mind.

‘Why is the lady showing such a favorable attitude toward the young lady?’

If it had been the usual Delphina, she would have already had Liliana stop her sword lessons immediately.

Instead, she was talking about Liliana’s sword lessons with a satisfied expression…

‘Let’s change the subject for now.’

The butler had an excellent conversation topic in mind.

His daughter, Meg.

‘The lady probably thinks the young lady has been too harsh with Meg.’

Even though Delphina had said she wouldn’t listen to any requests regarding Meg, she secretly felt sorry for her since she had worked there for so long.

‘So if I bring up Meg, the lady might appropriately temper her mood.’

With this calculation, the butler subtly began to speak.

“Oh, and Meg…”

“Didn’t I tell you not to bring up Meg?”

…But in response to that statement, he received Delphina’s piercing gaze.

“No matter how long your family has served Balua, and even though Meg has been the head maid of the townhouse for a long time…”

Delphina concluded firmly.

“Meg has crossed the line.”

“M-my lady, I didn’t mean to disturb your mood…”

“Sure, from your perspective, she’s your daughter, so you might want to mention her. But from now on, please be cautious.”

Drawing the line like this, Delphina pressed her forehead and let out a short sigh.

“I’m tired. Please leave.”

“…Yes, my lady.”

The butler left the room, sweating coldly.

‘Why is the lady so favorable toward the young lady?’

With a sense of crisis piercing his heart like a dagger, the butler clenched his fists tightly.

***

Knock knock knock.

At the sound of a brief knock, Aleksey raised his head.

“Come in.”

Click.

The door opened.

At that moment, Aleksey’s eyes widened in surprise.

“My lady?”

He had thought it would just be an administrative officer, but the unexpected visitor was Anriche.

She peeked her head through the door, smiling sheepishly.

“Are you busy?”

“No, not at all.”

Aleksey quickly stood up from his seat.

“What brings you here, my lady…?”

“I have something I’d like to ask the Duke.”

Saying this, Anriche lightly stepped into the room.

In her slender arms were stacks of documents.

“Oh, let me take those.”

Aleksey accepted the documents first.

Then, with a puzzled expression, he asked Anriche,

“By the way, why did you bring these documents?”

Glancing down, he examined the titles of the documents.

“…These seem to be related to the landscaping project in the duchy.”

Then Anriche replied with an unusually serious expression.

“Please take a look at these documents first.”

“These documents?”

Aleksey looked somewhat perplexed but set the documents down on the desk.

He first glanced at the titles of the documents.

, , …

As he looked through the stacks of documents piled high, Aleksey suddenly narrowed his eyes.

“Could it be that this is the landscaping work done over the course of a year?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Anriche nodded.

Aleksey stroked the documents with a subtle expression.

“There seems to be an excessive amount of landscaping work.”

At those words, Anriche looked at Aleksey with a surprised gaze.