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

Anriche was deep in thought when she suddenly heard a short knock.

Knock, knock.

She lifted her head sluggishly.
“…Come in.”
She answered in a weary voice.

The door opened, and the person who entered the office was…

“Madam.”

…Alexei.

What brings Alexei here? Anriche’s eyes widened slightly.

Alexei walked over to her side with a composed stride.

“Are you alright?”

“Oh, Duke. That is…”

“You seem a bit downcast.”

Anriche’s lips moved, but she couldn’t find the words to speak.

Just thinking about explaining what had happened today to Alexei made her heart constrict.

‘Because of my naive judgment… I ended up hurting Liliana deeply.’

When she brought Liliana from the orphanage, she had resolved to take good care of her.

She had promised to make her smile every day.

How had she been so shortsighted…

Just then, as Anriche slipped back into self-loathing,

“Here, please take this.”

Alexei placed candies and chocolates on her desk.

Anriche looked down at them in surprise.

“What is this…?”

They were familiar treats.

In fact, it made sense.

Those candies and chocolates were the snacks that Anriche had shared with Liliana and Elliott.

Alexei smiled faintly.

“They say sweets can lift your spirits.”

“…What?”

“So, Liliana and Elliott asked me to bring them to you.”

His calm voice reached Anriche’s ears.

“They told me to say they hope you feel better.”

“Ah…”

Alexei recalled the time he had encountered the two children.

As he stepped into the townhouse, he suddenly stopped.

He had seen Liliana and Elliott sitting together in a corner of the garden, whispering to each other.

At that moment, the two children looked up with bright expressions, as if they had been waiting for him.

“Daddy!”

Holding onto Liliana’s hand, Elliott rushed over to Alexei.

And with a determined voice, he said,

“Daddy, we have a favor to ask you.”

Even Liliana, who usually showed signs of nervousness when meeting Alexei, was now eagerly

looking at him, swallowing hard.

The two children handed over the precious snacks they had been holding tightly.

Alexei took them in surprise.

“Um, Duke.”

At the same time, Liliana carefully opened her mouth.

“I think Mother is a bit down because of me.”

“Mother is feeling down? And it’s related to you? What does that mean?”

Alexei asked, bewildered, looking at Liliana.

Elliott quickly jumped into the conversation.

“So, Daddy, what happened was…”

The two children explained everything that had happened so far in unison.

A deep frown creased Alexei’s forehead.

“…So that’s what happened.”

Nodding cautiously, Liliana added,

“So, we hope you can deliver these treats to Mother.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Eating something sweet should make her feel better.”

Upon hearing that, Alexei suddenly recalled the day Anriche had come to his office.

He remembered how sweet the cookies she had left behind had been.

He shrugged lightly.

“Well, you could just bring the snacks to her yourself, right?”

“Well, of course, that would be okay, but…”

Liliana seemed to hesitate for a moment before shaking her head.

“But I think it would lift Mother’s spirits more if you comforted her directly, Duke.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Um… because you and Mother are husband and wife…?”

Liliana tilted her head thoughtfully and then smiled brightly.

“If someone you love cares for you, wouldn’t that make Mother’s heart feel more at ease?”

Someone you love.

Hearing that word made Alexei feel a tickling sensation in his chest, as if a feather were brushing against it.

Of course, Anriche and Alexei were legally married, and people generally assumed that a married couple would love each other, but…

‘…Love.’

It felt a bit odd to consider, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.

Alexei examined the treats in his hand.

The chocolates wrapped in gold foil were Elliott’s favorite snacks.

The pink candies were something Liliana always carried with her.

“But kids, these are your favorite snacks, aren’t they?”

“It was given to us by Mom, after all. I can share one with her.”

Elliott answered nonchalantly.

Liliana nodded fervently in agreement with Elliott’s words.

Alexei chuckled and carefully tucked the snacks into his coat.

He then patted the children’s heads.

“Sure, I won’t forget to deliver them.”

As he thought of the children’s starry-eyed expressions, Alexei concluded,

“…That’s what happened.”

After hearing the situation, Anriche silently gazed at the snacks.

So that’s how it was.

Despite my casual attitude, the children were worried about me.

A deep ache filled her heart.

Staring blankly at the treats, Anriche finally smiled faintly.

“Thank you.”

“Are you feeling a bit better now?”

“Of course. With the children caring so much for me, I can’t just stay down.”

Anriche replied, lifting her head high.

Her violet eyes sparkled with renewed vitality.

“I want to hold the Ivan Count family directly accountable.”

“Are you saying you want to send a letter of protest?”

“Yes. They dared to lay a hand on Liliana, so they must take appropriate responsibility.”

Anriche declared with enthusiasm, clenching her fists.

Alexei tilted his head slightly, meeting her gaze.

Huh? What’s this?

Just then, as Anriche widened her eyes in surprise,

“Madam.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Isn’t a mere letter of protest a bit weak?”

Alexei’s lips curved into a sly smile.

Anriche felt a little dazed.

Alexei always had a neat demeanor, so this side of him felt strangely unfamiliar.

‘Could Alexei really smile so wickedly?’

But that crooked smile suited him surprisingly well.

Is he trying to cover all the types of handsome men: the charming hero, the cold beauty, and now the wicked beauty?

…No, that can’t be right!

Anriche composed herself with effort.

Alexei continued in a calm voice.

“As you know, the Duke of Valois invests in various businesses.”

“Oh, right.”

Anriche nodded absentmindedly.

In that instant, Alexei’s smile deepened a little.

“And among those businesses, there are ones operated by the Ivan Count family.”

“Oh!”

Anriche’s eyes widened.

“I think it’s time to recover those funds… What do you think, Madam?”

“Of course, I agree.”

Anriche returned Alexei’s smirk with a grin of her own.

The couple’s smiles mirrored each other perfectly.

***

The next morning,

Count Ivan, looking utterly flustered, handed a letter to his wife.

“My dear, what on earth is going on?!”

“Yes?”

Countess Ivan took the letter with a bewildered expression.

And then, her face went pale.

The sender of the letter was none other than Anriche von Valois.

“Why is the Duchess sending me…?”

Countess Ivan’s hands trembled as she held the letter.

‘Is she not only cutting ties with me, but now planning to lodge a complaint on a family level?’

An ominous feeling arose.

Countess Ivan hurriedly read the letter.

A moment later, her eyes widened in shock.

“W-What is this?!”

Countess Ivan lifted her head, her face as white as a sheet.

The elegantly penned sentences were akin to a death sentence for Ivan’s business.

“The Valois family expresses great regret over this incident and plans to withdraw funding from any businesses operated by Ivan.”

“Furthermore, we intend to recover all funds invested within a week. Therefore, we kindly request the Ivan Count family to cooperate in retrieving the funds without any issues.”

“We hope to proceed as amicably as possible, but if our opinions clash…”

“…we are also considering coercive measures.”

Countess Ivan read the closing line of the letter with a voice that felt like it could faint at any moment.

Her trembling fingertips clutched the letter tightly.

Throwing the crumpled letter to the floor, Countess Ivan stood up abruptly.

“This is unacceptable!”

“What have you done?!”

Count Ivan grabbed his wife’s shoulders tightly.

“Why is Valois suddenly withdrawing funds?!”

“W-Well.”

“If we lose the funding, we’re finished! The business will have to shut down completely!”

Count Ivan glared at his wife with frantic eyes.