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

At that moment, Elliot, looking puzzled, asked a question.

“What’s going on, Mom?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Anriche shook her head and gently brushed away the breadcrumbs from Elliot’s cheek.

Then, in a teasing voice, she joked with him.

“If you keep walking around with crumbs on your face, Liliana might not like it.”

“M-Mom! Be quiet!”

Elliot’s face turned bright red.

Alexei carefully watched the tender exchange between the mother and son.

Now, Elliot no longer avoided Anriche’s touch.

On the contrary, he naturally offered his cheek to her, even bickering playfully with her.

Alexei found the sight very heartwarming.

Before he knew it, a faint smile had appeared on his lips.

***

About an hour later.

Anriche stepped into the drawing room.

In the distance, the Marchioness of Sachsen, sitting with an irritated expression, came into view.

“You’ve come, Marchioness of Sachsen?”

At the sound of her voice, the Marchioness of Sachsen sharply lifted her head.

She abruptly jumped out of her seat, pointing accusingly at Anriche.

“Anriche!”

“It seems more appropriate to address me as ‘the Duchess of Valois’ in this setting.”

At the graceful reply, the Marchioness’s face twisted in anger.

Anriche continued in a gentle tone.

“After all, I’m here as the Duchess of Valois.”

With that, Anriche gracefully walked over and sat down in front of the Marchioness.

A sharp outburst erupted.

“Before being the Duchess, you’re still my daughter!”

The Marchioness glared fiercely at her daughter.

“Yes! You were only able to stand in that position thanks to this mother’s support!”

“…”

“…”

A heavy silence fell.

The Marchioness of Sachsen felt a strange sense of discomfort.

‘What… what is this?’

If it had been the old Anriche, she would have been flustered just by being scolded and would have anxiously watched her mother’s reactions.

But now, she simply faced her mother with a curious expression.

She neither avoided eye contact nor flinched.

“Well, the Marchioness of Sachsen always seems…”

After a brief pause, Anriche tilted her head slightly and looked her mother straight in the eyes.

Her violet eyes had not a trace of warmth left.

“…to only treat me as the daughter of the Marchioness of Sachsen.”

“What?!”

“When will you start respecting me as the Duchess of Valois?”

At those calm words, the Marchioness flinched.

‘Anriche’ and ‘Duchess of Valois.’

The weight of those two names was vastly different.

“Even when it’s not a formal visit between noble houses, I’m already the mistress of a household.”

Anriche spoke in a soft but firm tone.

“I could be spending intimate time with my family or attending to other matters.”

“But, but still…”

“And in such a situation, to barge into the townhouse repeatedly without any notice…”

Anriche looked her mother straight in the eye, emphasizing every word as she finished her sentence.

“It seems to me like a complete lack of respect, not just for me but for the entire Valois family.”

At that, the Marchioness of Sachsen’s eyes widened in fury.

But there was no flaw in Anriche’s logic for her to refute.

Anriche had cleverly escalated the issue.

It was no longer just a matter between mother and daughter, but a question of respect for the Valois family.

‘This girl…!’

The Marchioness of Sachsen gritted her teeth in frustration.

But Anriche wasn’t finished yet.

“And about the support you mentioned, that the Sachsen family provided for me…”

“Yes, we raised you with such care…!”

“Was that support truly for my sake?”

At Anriche’s calm question, the Marchioness felt as if her words had caught in her throat.

Anriche continued, smiling faintly.

“Wasn’t it more to secure a good marriage for me so that it could benefit my brother’s social standing?”

“What on earth are you talking about!”

The Marchioness of Sachsen jumped up as if she had been gravely accused.

Watching her mother, Anriche couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste in her mouth.

Well, she didn’t expect her mother to admit it so easily.

But still…

“I appreciate that you raised me, of course, but I believe I’ve repaid that debt through the private funds I’ve sent to you.”

“Anriche!”

“As you well know, Marchioness, it was quite a substantial amount, wasn’t it?”

Anriche shrugged lightly.

The Marchioness clenched her fists.

Her mind went blank with rising fury, but deep down, she knew the truth.

No matter how angry she was, she couldn’t afford to touch the ‘Valois’ name.

If the issue escalated into a conflict between houses, Sachsen would undoubtedly be the one to lose in the end.

Thus, the Marchioness changed her strategy.

“Anriche, I understand you’ve felt hurt in many ways up until now…”

She softened her tone, trying to soothe her daughter.

“But everything I’ve done was for your own good.”

The Marchioness spoke with the most sorrowful voice she could muster.

“Honestly, even though you’re my daughter, you haven’t exactly been the most diligent when it comes to family life, have you?”

“…”

“I introduced you to Viscountess Aiban because I was worried you might find the wrong kind of mentor.”

Oh, look at that.

Noticing how her mother was cleverly bringing up past behavior, Anriche narrowed her eyes.

“The Viscountess may have been a bit strict, but you shouldn’t raise a child by coddling them too much.”

The Marchioness continued with a forced sympathetic tone.

“If a child shows a lack of discipline, it’s the tutor’s job to correct them, isn’t it?”

“Well, I don’t think that’s something you should be saying, Marchioness.”

At that moment, Anriche responded indifferently.

“The current Marquis of Sachsen has never once been disciplined properly, has he?”

“…”

The Marchioness of Sachsen was left speechless and glared at Anriche with a dark look.

‘Ah, I shouldn’t be doing this.’

Hastily composing herself, the Marchioness straightened her posture and spoke with a disappointed expression.

“Really, Anriche. I didn’t raise you to be like this.”

Her voice was so full of sorrow it felt like it could tear at one’s heart.

“How did you end up becoming such an unruly person?”

“Unruly person?”

“Yes. Just look at how you treated Viscountess Aiban.”

The Marchioness shook her head as if she were truly exasperated.

“Not only did you dismiss her, but you even sent a formal complaint to her family!”

Hmph.

Anriche narrowed her eyes.

Of course, the world’s most precious son must be beyond reproach.

Ignoring any criticism of her son was simply pitiful.

“Hem, hem.”

Clearing her throat a couple of times, the Marchioness straightened her back and faced Anriche.

She looked as if she were addressing the most despicable criminal on Earth.

“Besides, where did you learn such a vicious tactic, threatening to cut off funds?”

Her trembling voice reproached Anriche.

On top of that, she suddenly grabbed Anriche’s hand.

“Anriche, you know, don’t you? I devoted myself to raising you as a refined lady.”

A refined lady, indeed.

Anriche felt disgusted.

Raising her as a lady was never for her own sake—it was all for Sachsen.

It was to marry her off to a prestigious family, so she could somehow benefit the house of Sachsen.

“The thought of my daughter being ridiculed by others… it tears my heart just imagining it.”

The Marchioness spoke with heartbreaking sincerity.

As if she were truly a mother who cherished her daughter.

“If you keep behaving this way, you’ll tarnish the very name of the person who raised you.”

The Marchioness gazed at her daughter with a feigned look of concern and posed a question.

“Do you even know how bad the rumors about you are in society right now?”

“Oh, Mother.”

But Anriche cut off her mother’s emotional speech with a faint sneer.

“Do you really think I wouldn’t know?”

“W-what are you talking about?”

“I’m saying that I couldn’t care less about those rumors.”

At her nonchalant words, the Marchioness glared at Anriche.

Anriche gently pulled her hand away from her mother’s grip and flashed a playful smile.

“After all, I’m already a villainess. Adding one more scandal to the list… why would I care?”

“H-how could you say such a thing! As a lady, you must always care about your reputation and dignity…”

“Mother-in-law.”

At that moment, a calm voice called out to the Marchioness of Sachsen.

Startled, she turned around.

“…The Duke of Valois?”

It was Alexei.

Why had the Duke of Valois come out here?

She had heard that her daughter and the Duke were not on good terms…

The Marchioness couldn’t hide her confused expression.

Alexei, speaking in a tone that seemed gentle at first, said:

“Apologies for interrupting your conversation. However, I feel there’s a misunderstanding that I need to correct.”

“W-what is that?”

“My wife is not a villainess.”