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

Alexei, standing in front of her, looked just like Saint Philip manifest on earth.

And Anriche, admiring her husband, thought to herself…

‘The eye candy is top-notch!’

She struggled to keep her lips from breaking into a smile.

‘The black monk’s robe and the contrasting pure white wings, plus a half mask!’

The reason for wearing the half mask was that his beauty was so striking it attracted too many temptations from demons!

Clearly, the saints in this world were far more knowledgeable than Santa Claus.

‘In many ways, this setting fits my husband perfectly!’

Anriche couldn’t hide her delighted expression as she took in her husband’s good looks from every angle.

‘If I had missed the chance to appreciate this beauty, it would have been a lifetime regret!’

Nodding in satisfaction, she urged Alexei.

“Let’s hurry inside. At this rate, we’ll be standing out here until dawn.”

“Maybe we should skip this and just put gifts in the stockings while the kids are sleeping…”

“No way! It would be a waste to go back after going through all this trouble!”

…Somehow, it seemed like his wife was more excited than he was.

Watching Anriche’s eyes sparkle, Alexei stifled a sigh.

“You really do look just like Saint Philip.”

“Y-yes, but…”

“Trust me, the kids will completely fall for it!”

However, when Anriche clenched her fists and insisted, Alexei found it hard to refuse any longer.

‘Right, the kids have spent a long time outside today.’

They might very well be asleep from exhaustion.

Yes, that’s right.

Trying to think positively, Alexei opened the door.

And then.

“…Huh?”

A toy wooden block fell from Elliot’s hands as he spotted Alexei.

“Uh-oh?!”

Liliana’s eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Alexei.

‘Oh no, this is bad.’

Alexei squeezed his eyes shut.

Now, there would be cries of “Dad can’t be Saint Philip!” echoing in the room…

“Um, Saint Philip?”

…Huh?

Surprised by their unexpected reaction, Alexei slowly opened his eyelids.

At the same time, he tensed up, realizing that both kids had gathered right in front of him.

“Are you really Saint Philip?”

“How did you get here?”

The children began bombarding him with a barrage of eager questions.

Alexei’s pupils trembled behind the half mask, as if there was an earthquake.

‘Wait, they really believe this?’

However, the biggest concern was:

‘…I might slip up and reveal my voice!’

Just when Alexei was at a loss for what to do,

Anriche quickly interjected.

“Saint Philip can’t speak today.”

“Mom, when did you arrive?”

Liliana’s eyes went wide.

“Where’s Dad?”

Elliot asked, looking puzzled.

“Um… Dad had to step out for a moment because of an urgent matter.”

Anriche replied, sweating nervously.

The two kids looked at each other.

“Well, Dad is always busy.”

“It would be nice if Father could meet Saint Philip too.”

…Well, it seemed like they had managed to navigate the awkward situation somehow.

Just as Anriche breathed a sigh of relief inwardly,

Elliot asked,

“So, why can’t Saint Philip speak?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Anriche rolled her eyes in thought and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

“He went to bless the children from the less fortunate families first and ended up losing his voice!”

Then she quickly changed the subject.

“But he has also blessed the gifts for our Elliot and Liliana!”

Gifts!

The children’s eyes sparkled.

Anriche elbowed Alexei in the ribs.

‘Hurry up and give them the gifts!’

At her whisper, Alexei hurriedly handed the gifts he was holding to the kids.

The two children eagerly tore open their presents and shouted with glee.

“It’s a new paint set!”

“I got a scabbard decoration!”

The overly excited children couldn’t put their gifts down.

And why would they? These were exactly the items they had been singing about wanting for ages.

A moment later,

Liliana spoke in a voice full of admiration.

“Saint Philip, you’re truly amazing! How do you know exactly what we wanted?”

Well, it’s because I’m your parent…

Alexei couldn’t bring himself to answer that, instead offering an ambiguous smile when suddenly,

“Saint Philip!”

Elliot interjected eagerly.

“I don’t need you to give me gifts next year!”

He looked up at Alexei with expectant eyes.

“Instead, can you grant me just one wish?”

A wish? Where did that come from?

Alexei gazed down at his son.

At the same time, Elliot exclaimed with a bright, innocent face,

“I want a little brother!”

The Balua couple froze in place.

‘…A sibling?’

‘In other words, for Elliot to have a sibling…’

The moment that thought crossed Alexei’s mind, his face flushed with heat.

“……”

“……”

After a brief moment of silence,

Anriche was the first to regain her composure.

‘Oh no, if I panic here…!’

If Elliot and Liliana started to suspect them, it would be a disaster.

Thinking that, Anriche hurriedly spoke up.

“Um… Saint Philip will pass on that wish to Dad!”

“What about Mom?”

“Uh?”

Me?

Anriche blinked in confusion.

Elliot stared at her with a look that seemed to say, ‘Isn’t that obvious?’

“I read in a storybook that…”

“What, what did you read?”

“To have a little brother, Mom and Dad have to sleep in the same bed.”

Elliot clenched his fists.

“That’s how the stork brings the baby!”

“…Is that so?”

The stork, huh.

Is our kid precocious or just innocent…

As Anriche was lost in thought,

Liliana nodded, supporting Elliot’s claim.

“That’s right! Mr. Müller said that married couples sleep together.”

“Ri, Lil?”

“And I also…”

Liliana shyly cupped her cheeks with her hands.

By now, her cheeks had turned a rosy hue.

“I think it would be nice to have a little sister who looks just like you, Mom…”

“…So, not a little sister who looks like Elliot?”

“Yes! I want her to look like Mom, not Elliot.”

Liliana nodded emphatically.

At her unwavering assertion, Elliot pouted.

“Lily, you know I’m your fiancé, right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Then why do you want a little sister who looks like Mom instead of me?”

When Elliot pressed her, Liliana answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Because I’m going to have a baby who looks like Elliot.”

“……”

“……”

Wow, wow.

The children’s precociousness these days…

Anriche gaped in shock.

Meanwhile, swept up in a wave of emotion, Elliot tightly grasped Liliana’s hand.

“Lily…!”

“Am I going to keep saying I feel neglected when you’re thinking of me this much?”

“Of course not! I was wrong!”

…Hmm, it feels like I can already see a future where Elliot is tightly bound to Liliana.

‘Anyway.’

It would be best to escape this confusing situation while I can.

“Hey, kids!”

Waiting for their gazes to turn towards her, Anriche smiled brightly.

“Saint Philip has to leave to give gifts to the other children now, so let’s all say goodbye.”

“Goodbye!”

“Thank you for the gifts!”

Elliot and Liliana bowed in unison.

“Make sure you don’t stay up too late, okay?”

After giving the kids a final warning, Anriche left the room with Alexei.

***

Click.

The door closed.

At the same time, the two of them drooped their shoulders like salted leafy greens.

“Wow… this is really overwhelming.”

“Tell me about it.”

Alexei shook his head as he immediately removed the half mask.

Perhaps it was because he had been so stressed inside earlier, but beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.

“Oh dear, Duke.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re sweating.”

Absently pulling out a handkerchief, Anriche stood on her tiptoes to wipe his forehead.

In that moment, Alexei’s breathing became slightly irregular.

‘…Are we too close?’

As that thought crossed his mind, Anriche also became aware of the situation they were in.

Grabbing her handkerchief, she took a deliberate step back and tried to act nonchalant as she spoke.

“You really did a great job today.”

“Not at all. You worked harder, my dear.”

Fortunately, Alexei responded gently to her.

‘Phew, that’s a relief.’

She let out a sigh of relief inwardly and continued speaking without much thought.

“No, Elliot, too. Suddenly asking for a wish like that…”

At the same time, Anriche froze.

‘Oh no.’

She bit her soft skin in panic.

Elliot’s wish was…

‘That he wanted a sibling!’