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

Renald prodded with a soft tone, “Can you promise me?”

“Yes…”

“Good. Then have a comfortable night.”

Renald nodded, turning his back as if he had finished his business.

He strode away, disappearing down the corridor.

What on earth was that?

Left behind, Liliana could not hide her bewilderment.

***

Late at night.

Anriche entered the children’s bedroom.

She wanted to check if they were sleeping well.

Elliot was fast asleep, but Liliana…

“Lily, what are you doing still awake?”

Anriche’s eyes widened.

Liliana was curled up with her knees drawn to her chest, sitting in a little ball on the bed.

“Oh, Mother.”

The child lifted her head with sparkling eyes.

Then she broke into a shy smile.

“I just can’t seem to fall asleep.”

“Really? Why do you think our Lily can’t sleep?”

Anriche sat down beside Liliana.

Liliana immediately crawled into Anriche’s embrace.

“I can’t sleep because I miss you, Mother.”

Only after tightly hugging Anriche did Liliana respond.

Anriche smiled gently.

“Why is our Lily being so clingy today?”

Even as she said that, her hand softly stroked the child’s back.

Feeling the warmth of that touch, Liliana suddenly spoke up.

“Well, um…”

“What is it?”

“Do you happen to know…?”

Liliana hesitated for a moment before carefully asking, “How my parents passed away?”

Huh?

Anriche blinked in surprise.

“It was a carriage accident…”

“…That’s right?”

Liliana nodded, burying her face deep into Anriche’s embrace.

Anriche looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Why are you asking about that?”

“It’s nothing. I just got curious all of a sudden.”

“Hmm…”

Anriche furrowed her brow, sensing something was off.

It seems too sudden to say she just got curious about that.

Just then, Liliana wriggled out of Anriche’s arms.

She quickly pulled the blanket over her head and said, “I’m so sleepy now. I’m going to bed.”

“Lily?”

“Good night, Mother.”

Anriche watched as Liliana shrank back beneath the covers, her heart racing.

A moment later.

“Sweet dreams.”

A warm night greeting was heard.

Liliana peeked out from the blanket.

She saw the door closing silently.

“…Phew.”

Only then did Liliana let out a long sigh.

“Can you keep it a secret that I asked about this?”

“It’s just that the Duke of Valois was a close friend of Count Aberrit.”

“I’m just afraid of upsetting the Duke’s feelings.”

The words of the First Prince, Renald, still lingered in her ears.

Yes, let’s not disturb the Duke’s feelings over something trivial.

Liliana steeled her resolve.

She tightly closed her eyes.

To forget this unsettling feeling, the best thing to do was to fall asleep as soon as possible.

Anriche entered the couple’s bedroom.

Alexei, dressed in his nightclothes, welcomed her.

“You’re here?”

Having just washed up, Alexei still had droplets of water in his dark hair.

Seeing him, Anriche narrowed her eyes.

“Oh dear, are you really going to sleep without drying your hair?”

Anriche stepped closer, grabbed a towel, and placed it on top of her husband’s head.

Alexei’s expression turned bewildered.

“Riche?”

“Honestly, you’ll catch a cold like that. You’re not a child…”

Hearing her affectionate scolding, Alexei couldn’t help but smile.

Anriche immediately shot him a stern look.

“Why are you laughing like that?”

“Just because.”

There was a time when he thought there was no hope left in their marriage, but now they were spending this warm, intimate time together. That realization filled him with joy.

“Honestly, you’re ridiculous.”

With a pout, Anriche ruffled her husband’s hair.

Even the playful gesture made Alexei smile wider, and he didn’t even notice it.

After enjoying Anriche’s touch for a while, he asked, “Have the kids fallen asleep?”

“Yes, Elliot is asleep, and Liliana…”

At that moment, Anriche’s hands, which had been moving briskly, slowed down.

Alexei glanced back. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, Liliana asked a strange question earlier.”

“A strange question?”

Anriche shrugged her shoulders with a somewhat peculiar expression.

“She asked how her parents… Count Aberrit and his wife passed away.”

“That was obviously in a carriage accident…”

As Alexei spoke absentmindedly, he suddenly hesitated.

While it was true that Count Aberrit and his wife had died in a carriage accident…

“The exact cause was said to be due to the wheels of the carriage.”

They had improperly secured the bolts that held the wheels in place, causing them to be loose. As a result, a wheel came off while they were traveling…

“Could it be that Liliana has doubts about her parents’ death?”

“…That’s…”

“I’m not saying this because he was my friend, but Count Aberrit and his wife were truly impeccable people.”

Alexei spoke in a calm voice.

“They were not only honest but also had good relationships with those around them.”

Anriche had a vague understanding of that, having heard it multiple times in the original story.

“They were described as a couple like angels.”

It was said that Liliana inherited her angelic nature from her parents.

“When an investigation was actually conducted, there were no signs of any grudges.”

“…I see.”

“In conclusion, it turned out that the repairman who worked on the carriage made a mistake.”

Alexei let out a brief sigh.

“I didn’t know that Liliana was worried about that. It’s my oversight.”

“Alexei.”

“I should have been more careful to ensure the child’s feelings weren’t hurt.”

Anriche removed the towel from Alexei’s head and sat next to him, gently patting his hand.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

Even in the original story, there wasn’t much detail about the circumstances of Count Aberrit and his wife’s death. It was simply mentioned that “they died in a carriage accident.”

“I’ll explain it to her properly later.”

“Please do.”

Alexei nodded and carefully wrapped his arms around his wife’s waist.

Anriche softly stroked his back.

The next morning.

In the dining room, the aroma of freshly baked bread filled the air.

However, no one from the Valois family was able to enjoy the peaceful breakfast time.

The reason was simple…

“Really, when on earth is the First Prince going to arrive?”

Despite the breakfast being ready, Renald had yet to make an appearance.

Delfina suppressed her irritation and asked a maid, “Did you properly inform the First Prince of meal times?”

“Yes, my lady.”

The maid bowed her head.

“Then why hasn’t he come yet? It’s already been 15 minutes…”

Delfina clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Just then…

A maid hurried into the dining room, bowing her head slightly before speaking in a cautious voice.

“Um, the First Prince says he will be a little late.”

“…What?”

“Well, he said he’s feeling tired from the long journey, so he overslept…”

At that response, Delfina’s expression hardened.

“Excuse me? You can’t just disregard Valois like that!”

No matter how exhausted he was, this was an excessively rude act.

To announce that he would be late because he “overslept” while the meal was prepared and waiting was basically telling them to wait until he arrived.

“That’s it! I must speak to His Highness the First Prince at least once!”

Just as Delfina could no longer hold back and stood up abruptly, Alexei shook his head.

“There’s no need for that, Mother.”

“…What do you mean?”

Delfina looked at Alexei, her eyes wide in surprise.

However, Alexei merely continued calmly.

“Come on, everyone, let’s eat.”

“…”

“…”

Anriche silently stared at Alexei.

Normally, she would have said something like, “Even so, he’s royalty; let’s wait a bit longer.”

But this time…

“The one who didn’t show courtesy first is him.”

And not just once, but multiple times.

In that situation, there was no reason for them to go out of their way to show courtesy.

Anriche turned to the children with a smiling face.

“Alright, kids. It’s time to eat!”

“Yes, Mother!”

“Mom, I want a croissant!”

Unaware of the tension, Liliana and Elliot were the only ones with bright, cheerful expressions.

***

About an hour later.

Renald strolled leisurely into the dining room.

“Ah, I’m a little late—”

He started to say, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A bewildered voice escaped his lips.

“…What is this?”

The dining room was empty.