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

What should I do? I feel so awkward I could die!

I couldn’t bear to stay in front of Alexei any longer.

And at times like this…

‘Running away is the best option!’

With that thought in mind, Anriche tried to make a hasty exit.

“Um, good night, Duke!”

…Or at least that was the plan.

“Madam.”

As he called her, Alexei gently wrapped his fingers around her wrist.

‘Huh?’

Anriche turned to him with a dazed expression.

Strangely enough, Alexei looked oddly dissatisfied.

…Is that just my imagination?

At the same time, Alexei spoke up again.

“How long will you continue to call me ‘Duke’?”

“Pardon?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Anriche froze.

However, Alexei continued, his voice tinged with frustration.

“Aren’t we married?”

“Well, that’s true…”

“Then, starting now…”

Alexei bit his lip tightly, then slightly averted his gaze before continuing.

“…You can call me by my name.”

Huh, what did he just say?

Anriche’s eyes widened in surprise.

But Alexei’s bombshell wasn’t over yet.

“If you allow it… I’d like to call you…”

Since Alexei was slightly looking away, Anriche could clearly see the curve of his ear and the nape of his neck.

‘It’s red.’

His profile was so flushed it looked like he might bleed if touched.

He gathered his strength and finished his sentence.

“I want to call you ‘Anriche.’”

Anriche.

And the moment his lips formed her name,

Anriche felt her mouth go dry.

‘This is strange.’

It was just a plain name she’d heard a hundred or a thousand times before.

But as soon as his lips uttered her name, it transformed into the most special thing in the world.

“…Okay.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said it’s fine.”

Her face grew hotter, making it hard to look Alexei in the eye.

In a voice as small as a mosquito’s, she murmured,

“Calling me ‘Anriche’…”

“…Are you serious?”

“Of course.”

It seemed Alexei had not anticipated that Anriche would grant him permission to call her by her name.

The way his eyes widened in surprise made her feel a little guilty.

Anriche tried to act nonchalant as she lifted her chin.

“Um, my family used to call me ‘Riche’ as a nickname sometimes…”

As she spoke, her expression grew slightly gloomy.

‘Riche.’

The words that always followed that nickname were the same.

‘Your younger brother is really struggling. Please help him.’

‘You are his sister, right?’

‘Who do you think helped you become the Duchess? You have to help your family…!’

…I shouldn’t have brought it up.

While she was bitterly recalling those memories,

“Riche.”

The unexpected call made Anriche freeze again.

‘W-What already?’

But

“Riche. I see, Riche…”

Seeing Alexei repeatedly say her nickname as if it were a dream made her feel strange.

“Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For allowing me to use your nickname.”

Seeing him grateful just for being allowed to call her by her name made her think,

‘…What’s so special about that?’

His radiant smile, brighter than the sunlight, stirred her heart.

The heavy emotions that clung to the name ‘Riche’ seemed to vanish in an instant.

It felt like something tickled deep inside her chest…

“Alexei.”

Without realizing it, she reached out.

As she grasped his fingers, his azure eyes widened slightly.

“…Riche?”

“Um…”

To overcome her embarrassment, Anriche tightened her grip on their clasped hands.

“Elliot’s wish is for a sibling, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Plus, today… you are Saint Philip.”

Alexei looked down at her with a puzzled expression,

‘What on earth are you trying to say?’

His eyes clearly showed his confusion.

“So, you have to grant the children’s wishes.”

Oh dear, forget it.

She squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out her question.

“Shall we… sleep together?”

“……”

Silence filled the air.

‘What’s going on? Why is there no response?’

Anriche slowly lifted her eyelids.

The enigmatic blue eyes continued to gaze at her intently.

‘What do I do now?’

She became incredibly anxious.

‘Did I get too familiar too quickly?’

In the end, she made an awkward move…

“If it’s too much, we can just hold hands while we sleep!”

…As soon as the words left her mouth, Anriche fell into a deep sense of self-loathing.

‘If we’re just going to hold hands while sleeping, then why even bother sleeping together?’

But Anriche’s lips were already beyond her control.

To overcome her awkwardness, she had blurted out words recklessly.

“I swear! I won’t even touch a fingertip…!”

“…So you want to hold hands while we sleep?”

In an instant, Alexei’s gaze grew deep and serious.

Anriche felt a rush of joy at his reaction and fervently nodded.

“Yes! Of course, if you don’t trust me, you can refuse…”

“No.”

Shaking his head, Alexei lifted his wife into his arms.

And then he began to stride forward.

“Duke?!”

Startled, Anriche clung to his neck.

“That’s not right.”

Alexei corrected her firmly.

“Call me Alexei.”

“Um, okay?”

“You just called me by my name a moment ago, right?”

…Is that really so important right now?

Anriche blinked, feeling dazed, and posed another question.

“S-So where are we going?”

“To the bedroom, of course.”

The bedroom!

In that moment, Anriche’s face turned crimson.

She was an adult; she knew what might happen in the bedroom and the process of having a sibling for Elliot.

‘…I said that knowing full well.’

But now that it had come to this, she felt like she might die from nervousness!

Anriche didn’t know what to do.

But just then,

“And I really…”

A voice laced with a faint laugh reached her ear.

“I don’t want to just hold hands while we sleep.”

“……”

At the oddly cheerful tone, she inadvertently lifted her head.

Before she knew it, Alexei was looking down at her.

‘This is strange.’

His azure eyes resembled a winter sky, and his beautifully shaped red lips were just like the Alexei she knew.

Yet somehow…

He seemed like a predator staring at its prey.

‘…Did I just commit a terrible mistake?’

Anriche found herself swallowing hard without realizing it.

***

She had no idea what state of mind she was in when they finally reached the bedroom.

Once inside, Alexei gently seated Anriche on the bed.

‘…So, what do we do now?’

Anriche stole a glance at Alexei.

His expression was unreadable, but it didn’t seem to show any uncertainty like hers did.

‘But… we’ve been sleeping in separate rooms for almost ten years.’

It had been ages since they spent a night together; diving straight into intimacy like this felt a bit too sudden, didn’t it?

She was certainly a little embarrassed…

With those thoughts swirling in her mind, Anriche hurriedly opened her mouth.

“Um, let me wash up first!”

It was meant to buy some time, and fortunately, Alexei nodded obediently.

“Of course. Would you like to wash up first?”

“Yes!”

Nodding eagerly, Anriche dashed into the bathroom.

It was only after standing in front of the mirror that she realized how she looked right now.

“I think washing up was a great idea.”

Maybe it was because she had been outside all day.

Her dress and shoes were covered in dust.

‘Oh dear, I can’t live like this.’

Anriche groaned and flung her clothes aside.

‘…Speaking of which, even in this state.’

Alexei had carried her to the bedroom.

Alexei.

Just thinking of his name made her feel a rush of heat throughout her body.

‘Am I really going to do… that with Alexei?’

Ahh, this is crazy, crazy!

Unable to contain her embarrassment, Anriche poured hot water over her head.

‘Shall we sleep together?’

…Even if I was swept up in emotion back then, how could I say that!

She shivered as she lathered up with soap.

As she scrubbed her arms, her gaze flickered toward the closed bathroom door.

‘What surprised me is that Alexei didn’t refuse my suggestion.’

Honestly, she had thought he might turn her down.

‘…It feels oddly like we really are a couple right now.’

As that thought crossed her mind, she shook her head vigorously.

‘What am I thinking!?’

Anriche, flustered, refocused on washing herself.