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

That night, Anriche had a dream.

It was a dream from her past life, before she became Anriche.

In truth, it wasn’t a particularly happy memory.

From the moment she was born, she had to face the question of “why were you even born?”

“An utterly useless girl…”

Her grandmother had muttered those words with a weary expression, looking down at her newborn granddaughter, who had just cried for the first time.

Her mother had been scolded by her grandmother for giving birth to a daughter as her first child.

Even her father’s disappointment had been evident on his face.

Anriche grew up thinking that the coldness around her was only natural.

But that was a misconception.

When her younger brother, the precious third-generation heir, was born, the entire family celebrated as if it were a festival.

Her brother was the precious son they had been waiting for.

The family couldn’t give him enough gifts, showering him with the best of everything.

Even her mother openly adored him.

After all, the difference in how they treated the “woman who gave birth to a useless girl” versus the “woman who gave birth to the valuable third-generation heir” was clear.

Anriche smiled bitterly.

“…That’s why I got so absorbed in novels.”

The protagonists of those novels had happy futures awaiting them.

Unlike her, who had been subtly isolated by her family.

But now…

“Mommy…”

“Oh dear, did you wake up?”

Anriche expertly soothed Eliot, who was mumbling in her arms.

Liliana, still half-asleep, wriggled closer into Anriche’s arms as well.

“Mother…”

“Go back to sleep.”

After gently patting the children a few more times, they soon fell back into a peaceful slumber.

Watching them, Anriche felt a deep, almost overwhelming sense of happiness.

‘My family.’

Now, she had a family too.

A family where they could smile at each other, share kind words, and simply feel at ease just being together…

A family like that.

***

The next day.

Viscountess Ivan visited the Sachsen townhouse early in the morning.

‘Since the Marchioness of Sachsen herself stepped in, surely there’ll be good news, right?’

She had been smiling brightly, but that didn’t last long.

After hearing the Marchioness’s words, her face turned pale, as if she might faint at any moment.

“There’s nothing more I can do to help.”

“…What?”

“Did you not hear me? I can’t help you anymore.”

The Marchioness’s tone was sharp and irritated.

Dumbfounded, Viscountess Ivan stammered, barely able to speak.

“B-but, you clearly said you would take care of this matter…”

“Even the Duke of Valois himself got involved. What more do you expect me to do?”

Unlike when she had reassured Viscountess Ivan before, her voice now was as cold as ice.

“If this turns into a full-blown conflict between Valois and Sachsen, I’ll be in trouble too.”

“No matter what, this is just too much…!”

“Why did you hit the child in the first place? You should have been more restrained.”

The Marchioness of Sachsen shook her head in exasperation.

“In any case, I can’t do anything more for you, so handle it yourself.”

“Marchioness of Sachsen!”

“Who do you think you’re raising your voice at?!”

The Marchioness snapped, her voice rising.

Viscountess Ivan looked as though she was about to burst into tears.

But the Marchioness of Sachsen just clicked her tongue in annoyance, sinking back into the plush sofa.

“I already have a headache trying to figure out how to deal with Anriche…”

With that, the Marchioness gestured toward the door.

It was a clear order for Viscountess Ivan to leave.

Viscountess Ivan felt the world around her growing dark.

***

The drastic measures taken by the Valois Duke’s household quickly became the talk of the town.

“Did you hear? The Duchess of Valois made Viscountess Ivan kneel for three hours!”

“And they’ve even withdrawn all the investments they made in Ivan’s business.”

“Apparently, the withdrawal was done with the Duke’s full approval too.”

With Valois pulling out their investments, the Ivan family suffered an irreparable blow.

The business they had been running had to be shut down entirely.

They were no longer in an economic position to live in society, so they had to retreat to the countryside.

People were on edge.

“I heard the Marchioness of Sachsen tried to mediate the situation, but it was no use.”

“That’s right. Apparently, the Duchess of Valois even said she doesn’t want to have any contact with Sachsen for the time being.”

“That shows just how furious the Valois family is, doesn’t it?”

“All of this happened because of one young lady from the Count of Everett’s family, how shocking…”

Opinions in society were divided.

Some thought Anriche’s actions were excessive, while others felt the Ivan Viscount family had crossed the line.

People argued back and forth.

But no matter what people said, the Valois household remained at peace.

As proof, Anriche and Liliana were sitting side by side in a sunlit training ground.

They were there to watch Elliot’s sword training.

The two chatted softly with each other.

“Liliana, how are your lessons going these days?”

“Oh, they’re so much fun!”

Liliana replied with a bright smile.

Seeing her like that made Anriche feel content as well.

After cutting ties with Viscountess Ivan, Anriche had personally selected Liliana’s new teachers.

And it seemed to have paid off, as Liliana now appeared to enjoy her studies.

At that moment, Liliana spoke to Anriche with a serious expression.

“Mother.”

“Yes?”

“Why is painting considered part of a lady’s required education?”

“…”

Anriche was momentarily at a loss for words in response to such a serious question.

Liliana looked down at her sketchbook, where she had been scribbling with a pencil.

The drawing was barely recognizable as a flower.

“I don’t think I have any talent for drawing.”

“Well, if you keep practicing, you’ll definitely get better than you are now!”

Anriche forced an awkward smile.

Liliana looked up at Anriche with a hopeful expression.

“Do you really think so?”

“Well, I believe so…”

…Honestly, it seemed true that Liliana wasn’t particularly gifted in drawing.

Just as Anriche was breaking out into a cold sweat over how to respond…

“Wow, Mother!”

“Uh, yes?”

“Look, Elliot is about to spar!”

Luckily, Liliana was distracted by Elliot’s training, showing interest.

Anriche breathed a sigh of relief.

“You’re right. Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’m seeing Elliot spar.”

“Really? You too, Mother?”

Liliana’s innocent question made Anriche feel a twinge of guilt.

To be precise, it was the “original Anriche” who had been indifferent to her son…

‘But now I am Anriche.’

Determined, Anriche resolved to pay more attention to Elliot in the future.

Meanwhile, the sparring match between Elliot and the knight was intensifying.

Clang! Clack!

The wooden swords clashed fiercely.

Anriche glanced at Liliana out of the corner of her eye.

Come to think of it, wasn’t this the first time Liliana had seen sword training?

‘What if the intense movements scare her?’

As Anriche worried, Liliana let out a sigh, her small fists clenched tightly.

“Oh, I don’t think he should block like that…”

…Huh?

Anriche was suddenly confused.

“Liliana, what do you mean by that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Liliana, snapping back to her senses, broke out in a cold sweat internally.

What should she do? She had just been muttering to herself.

What if she seemed rude?

Meanwhile, hearing Liliana’s usual “it’s nothing” response, Anriche narrowed her eyes.

“Did you know, Liliana?”

“Yes?”

“The most frustrating thing for people is when someone stops talking halfway through.”

“…”

Liliana, carefully watching Anriche’s reaction, finally spoke cautiously.

“Well, it’s just… Elliot…”

“Elliot? What about him?”

“I’m just thinking… but it seems like he’s focusing too much on blocking with his wooden sword.”

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Anriche widened her eyes and stared at Liliana.

Feeling burdened by the gaze, Liliana slowly turned her head back toward the training ground.

“Uh, isn’t the knight physically stronger than Elliot anyway?”

“That’s true.”

“But blocking a sword takes strength.”

Liliana squinted her eyes, analyzing the movements of both the knight and Elliot.

And Anriche was taken aback.

‘What’s going on?’

The hesitant, nervous Liliana from a moment ago had disappeared.

She was now watching the sparring match as if completely entranced, leaning forward as though she might topple over at any moment.

“Elliot is bound to lose in a battle of strength.”

“Well, there’s a physical difference between adults and children…”

“In that case, instead of trying to block every attack, wouldn’t it be better to deflect them?”

…Unbelievable.