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

But at that moment,

Anriche suddenly asked a question.

“Other people must feel this pain every day, right?”

“…What?”

Alexei was momentarily taken aback.

“The Balua duchy is quite large.”

However, Anriche seemed quite serious.

“We may have private carriages, but the vast majority of the residents without carriages must find it inconvenient to travel around the duchy.”

“…That’s true.”

Alexei, who had initially looked puzzled, was now focused on his wife’s words.

“Then, do you have any solutions in mind?”

“Hmm, well…”

Anriche recalled memories from her past life.

The country she had lived in had very convenient transportation.

Especially the mode of transportation she frequently used was…

‘Buses.’

In an instant, Anriche’s eyes narrowed.

‘Although implementing a large-scale subway construction would be difficult, we could at least manage to create a bus service, right?’

Just like buses that run periodically around the city, carriages could be made to move in a similar fashion.

“That’s a good idea.”

Alexei, who had been listening to her, unexpectedly nodded in agreement.

“Really?”

Anriche’s face brightened as if a light had been turned on at his positive response.

‘Great. Then should we discuss this matter properly later?’

Just then, as Anriche was pondering this,

“How about you take charge of this project yourself, my lady?”

Alexei dropped a bombshell.

Anriche stared at him with wide, surprised eyes.

“Me?”

Unlike her shock, Alexei shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

“Since it’s an idea you came up with, wouldn’t it be better if you handled it directly?”

“But, what about public opinion…?”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Alexei’s voice was unusually firm.

“I don’t want to see you held back by something like that.”

“….”

Anriche stared blankly at Alexei.

‘The Empire is… a conservative nation.’

Just recalling how many hardships Lilyana had faced when learning swordsmanship was enough to demonstrate that.

Moreover, there had been no precedent of a woman directly undertaking a large-scale project until now.

If Anriche were to take on this endeavor…

‘It would create a precedent.’

A precedent that women could step into society.

Though it was unclear if Alexei had considered this aspect when he made the suggestion, she still felt grateful.

“…Thank you.”

Anriche’s cheeks flushed with a rosy hue.

Alexei, who had been watching her intently, suddenly spoke.

“Setting that aside, do you only talk about work here?”

A mischievous grin appeared on Alexei’s face.

“You’re workaholic.”

“Well, you’re not really one to talk, Duke.”

Anriche shot back playfully, and Alexei pretended to be wounded.

“If you poke at me like that, it really hurts.”

“Really? Does it hurt?”

“Of course.”

As they laughed lightly,

“Eh?”

Anriche suddenly looked up.

“Just now, on the street…?”

Glimmers.

The streetlights installed all around began to flicker to life one by one.

Vibrant crimson light spilled everywhere.

It was a fantastical scene, as if they had stepped into a fairy tale world.

Among them, the most beautiful sight was…

“That tree is so pretty.”

It was a fir tree symbolizing Saint Philip’s festival.

Anriche looked up at the colorful fir adorned with various decorations, her eyes sparkling.

‘It looks like a Christmas tree.’

Especially the golden star ornament perched on top of the tree.

And just as that thought crossed her mind…

“….”

For some reason, a wave of emotion surged within her, and Anriche fell silent for a moment.

It wasn’t that she suddenly missed her old world immensely.

But when faced with something that reminded her of the past…

‘I miss it.’

Just then, someone urgently grabbed her wrist.

“Madam!”

It was Alexei.

His expression was strange.

He looked both confused and deeply fearful.

Startled, Anriche blinked.

“Duke?”

“…No, it’s just that…”

Alexei struggled to find his words, his lips quivering.

In truth, he didn’t even know why he had held onto Anriche’s wrist.

It was just that…

‘Suddenly… I felt like she might disappear.’

Anriche’s gaze, quietly staring at the sparkling fir tree, seemed filled with longing.

It felt as if she wanted to leave this world and go somewhere else, a place he could never reach…

“Madam.”

And so, without realizing it, Alexei spoke in a suppressed voice.

“You are my wife, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

What was this all of a sudden?

Anriche couldn’t hide her confusion.

However, it was too serious to let it slide.

‘…The duke’s expression is too earnest.’

Unable to turn away from him, Anriche nodded in a daze.

“Y-yes.”

“Then…”

After a moment of hesitation, Alexei earnestly asked again.

“You won’t be going anywhere else, will you?”

“Huh? Anywhere else?”

Wait, where would I go?

Anriche’s eyes widened in surprise.

Alexei bit his lip and continued.

“Because we are family…”

Family.

The word sent gentle ripples through her heart, like a stone thrown into a lake.

As Anriche quietly gazed at Alexei, she eventually nodded vigorously.

“Of course, I will stay here until the end.”

In that instant, Alexei felt a deep sense of relief.

It seemed as if she had returned to his side, someone who had felt so far away just moments ago.

Just then, Anriche looked toward the center of the plaza.

“Wow, look at that!”

Her eyes sparkled with joy, like a child with a mouth full of candy.

“It looks like everyone is getting ready to dance.”

“…Ah, dancing?”

Only then did Alexei remember that there was a dance time in the plaza on the eve of the festival.

At that moment,

Alexei squeezed all his courage and extended his hand.

“My lady.”

“Yes?”

“Would you… dance with me?”

Anriche looked at the hand he extended with a strange feeling.

It was such a peculiar thing.

Even though she had received dance invitations countless times as a lady from a noble family,

‘Just the fact that the Duke is standing right in front of me…’

This moment became something very special.

Anriche took his hand and stood up.

“Sure.”

The two of them headed towards the center of the plaza together.

Listening to the soft prelude, Anriche couldn’t help but think,

‘…I’m glad the music is loud enough.’

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to hide the sound of her wildly beating heart.

***

Finally, the dance ended.

The men each kissed the back of their partners’ hands.

It was a gesture of gratitude for the pleasant time spent together.

‘So, the Duke must not have had any special intentions.’

Just at the moment when Alexei gently placed his lips on Anriche’s hand,

‘…Ah, I see.’

Anriche instinctively realized.

The sparkling lights, the colorful festival decorations, and the lively music.

And amid all that scenery, Alexei smiled warmly at her.

‘I will probably never forget this sight.’

It was the first time she thought she would remember someone forever.

For a lifetime, she would cherish the memories with him deep in her heart like a treasure.

…That moment was a premonition.

And in common understanding,

That premonition is called ‘love.’

***

That night.

The Balua couple returned to the duke’s residence and stood in front of the children’s playroom, bickering.

“Do we really have to do this?”

Alexei couldn’t hide his troubled expression as he asked Anriche,

“Of course!”

Anriche nodded vigorously.

“You said you wanted to create memories for the children, right?”

“Well, yes, but…”

Alexei looked down at his attire, unsure of what to do.

It all started when, before returning to the duke’s residence, Alexei had casually spoken.

“It would be nice to create some memorable experiences for the children today.”

The moment those words left his mouth,

A store caught Anriche’s eye.

It was a shop selling costumes for the festival of Saint Philip!

‘This is it!’

‘This… what do you mean?’

‘It’s a way to create memories for the children!’

With that exclamation, Anriche pulled on Alexei’s sleeve and charged into the store without hesitation.

‘It’s Saint Philip’s festival! So we have to dress up as Saint Philip!’

“Indeed, Lady, you are absolutely right!”

Anriche and the shopkeeper were in perfect sync.

Alexei, unable to resist the duo’s spirited chatter…

As a result,

“This… this is a bit embarrassing…”

Anriche’s lifelong masterpiece was born.