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

‘Wow, the Duke can immediately grasp the contents of the documents upon seeing them.’

In comparison, she had struggled with the papers for hours, and the thought made Anriette’s gaze turn distant.

As she looked down at the folders with a doubtful expression, Alexei spoke up.

“So, you mentioned you wanted to ask me something?”

“Oh, yes. I’d like to ask whether these landscaping projects were carried out reasonably.”

Anriette straightened her posture as she continued, “Since you visited the duchy last year and conducted an inspection.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“In your opinion, how was the state of the duchy at that time?”

“Regarding the state of the duchy at that time…”

After pondering for a moment, Alexei replied, “I don’t recall any particular issues.”

“Then, within the one year since you left the duchy,” Anriette looked up at him with a cool expression, “is it likely that all the bricks on the plaza floor would break?”

In an instant, Alexei’s gaze sharpened.

“…The possibility is low.”

Anriette picked up the folder related to the replacement of the flooring.

Flipping through the documents, she found a page and handed it to him.

“If you look here, it states that all the bricks on the plaza floor have been replaced.”

“Indeed, it does.”

Alexei examined the document closely and muttered, “It would have been sufficient to replace only the broken bricks, yet they replaced all of them…”

“The same goes for the trees along the street.”

Now she held the folder concerning the replacement of the trees.

“This year, all the trees planted in the duchy were pulled out and replaced with flowering trees.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Anriette nodded vigorously.

“Of course, flowering trees are beautiful when they bloom, but I don’t think it’s necessary to pull out perfectly healthy trees just for the sake of appearance.”

“Are you saying that you believe the trees were replaced solely for aesthetic reasons?”

“Well, for now, the reason listed for the tree replacement was ‘environmental beautification.’”

Anriette shrugged lightly.

“If there had been a specific reason, like the trees suffering from disease or pests, it would have been noted, but there was no such indication.”

A deep crease formed on Alexei’s forehead.

“It feels like unnecessary expenses are being incurred overall. What do you think, Your Grace?”

“I agree.”

Then, Anriette laid a couple of folders out neatly in front of Alexei.

“Moreover, there’s one more suspicious aspect.”

“A suspicious aspect?”

“I’ve marked that part for you. Please take a look.”

Raising an eyebrow, Alexei looked down at the documents.

And then he read aloud, “Lisa Ferguson?”

He couldn’t hide his incredulous expression.

“Who on earth is this person…?”

Typically, landscaping projects are outsourced to external companies.

The problem was that over eighty percent of the contracts involved this ‘Lisa Ferguson.’

“It seems we need to look into this person.”

“Are you sure? You’re quite busy, after all…”

“No, it’s fine.”

Alexei shook his head coolly.

“The fact that you’ve uncovered this much is already a significant effort on your part.”

“Really?”

“Leave the rest to me. I’ll investigate as discreetly as possible.”

Saying this, Alexei flashed a gentle smile.

“I’m not planning to sit back and relax while leaving everything to you.”

At that warm smile, Anriette felt her face heat up inexplicably.

‘Wow, really. His looks are absolutely stunning.’

However, in such a serious situation, she couldn’t afford to idly admire her husband’s appearance.

Anriette decided to focus on what she needed to do.

“I have a somewhat uncomfortable request to make…”

“Please feel free to speak.”

“I would like you to keep this matter a secret from the housekeeper.”

At her words, Alexei’s eyes widened slightly.

“The housekeeper?”

“Yes. I don’t mean to suspect him deliberately, but…”

After taking a moment to choose her words carefully, Anriette spoke firmly.

“The person who has been in charge of budgeting and executing the plans with your mother’s approval is the housekeeper.”

“…”

Alexei fell silent for a moment.

Anxious, Anriette added hastily, “I’m aware that the housekeeper has served Valua for a long time.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

“While it might upset you to suspect him, Your Grace, I hope you understand?”

Anriette questioned her own ears.

But it seemed her ears were faithfully performing their duty.

“Your statement is correct,” Alexei nodded calmly in front of her.

“…I know it’s an unreasonable request.”

Anriette spoke in a softer tone.

“Still, thank you for agreeing to my request…”

She whispered and smiled brightly.

In an instant, Alexei looked down at her with a dazed expression.

The way she softly lowered her gaze…

‘…It’s almost like a fairy.’

Towards his silence, Anriette tilted her head in confusion.

“Your Grace?”

“Ah, yes.”

Only then did Alexei snap back to reality.

“I’ll pay attention to the matters you mentioned.”

“Thank you.”

“Then please, take some rest.”

With that, Alexei hurriedly exited the room.

As he turned quickly, the back of his ears flushed red.

Meanwhile, Anriette, left behind in a daze, couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

‘Wait, what if the Duke just leaves?’

After all, this was the Duke’s office!

***

At that moment, Delphina was standing in front of Anriette’s office, taking a deep breath.

‘Don’t be nervous. I’m just going to say I want to help with a little work.’

Recently, Delphina had been reflecting a bit on her own actions.

‘If Anriette, who used to be so arrogant, is working hard like that…’

Watching Anriette busy herself made Delphina feel somewhat guilty about her own laziness.

Above all,

‘No matter how much I trust the housekeeper, I shouldn’t just skim through the documents.’

Eventually, Delphina couldn’t shake off her guilty conscience and found herself at the Duke’s wife’s office.

‘Alright.’

She was finally ready to knock.

Swallowing hard, Delphina raised her hand.

Knock, knock.

“Dear.”

“……”

But there was no response.

Delphina narrowed her brow.

“Hey, Anriette.”

“……”

Still, there was no answer.

‘Well, I can’t just barge in.’

Even if it was to help Anriette, entering the office without permission felt wrong.

Just then,

‘Huh?’

Delphina, bending down, picked up a piece of paper that had fallen under the door.

“Lisa Ferguson.”

The note bore Anriette’s handwriting with a woman’s name written on it.

Delphina tilted her head.

“Lisa Ferguson?”

She felt like she had seen this name somewhere before.

Delphina pondered for a moment, but the identity of the name eluded her.

However, since Anriette had written it down herself, it seemed like an important person in some regard.

‘I think it’s best to return this note directly to Anriette.’

Stowing the note in her pocket, Delphina turned around.

***

Days passed.

“Ah!”

A sudden exclamation escaped Delphina’s lips.

“Lisa Ferguson!”

Finally, it clicked.

She remembered where she had seen that name, which had been swirling in her mind for nearly a week!

“Right, it was the sender’s name on the mail going to the housekeeper.”

It seemed the housekeeper regularly corresponded with this ‘Lisa Ferguson’ person.

Until now, Delphina had thought it was just the housekeeper’s private matters, so she hadn’t paid much attention.

“…But why did Anriette have that name written down?”

She wouldn’t have noted it without a specific reason.

With a sudden surge of ominous foreboding, Delphina firmly pressed her lips together and thought,

‘Whether it’s Anriette or Alexei… I need to meet with them.’

Delphina promptly got to her feet.