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

Balua.

Right now, nothing was more precious to Liliana than that name.

And to say it was precious also meant that it was Liliana’s most vulnerable point.

Jenit plunged into that vulnerability without hesitation.

“Even though the Londini family is quite humble compared to Balua, we can still spread a rumor or two.”

“W-wait…”

“And sometimes, those ‘rumors’ in high society can wield tremendous power.”

Jenit chuckled, lightly tapping Liliana on the shoulder.

“Well, I’ll take my leave now, so think it over carefully.”

“…”

“Of course, what happened today is a secret between us, right?”

With those words, Jenit turned abruptly.

As she watched Jenit walk away, Liliana lowered her head.

‘If… if bad rumors arise about Balua because of me…’

…What will I do then?

Her vision blurred.

***

That evening.

Elliot and Liliana returned to the townhouse.

Anriche personally came to the entrance to greet the children.

“Welcome back, kids.”

“Mom!”

Elliot dashed into Anriche’s arms.

Following him, Liliana walked in slowly and greeted her mother in a sullen voice.

“I’m back, Mother.”

‘Hmm?’

Something felt off.

Normally, Liliana would cling to Anriche and chatter about her day, but…

Anriche subtly probed her with a question.

“How was your day, Liliana? Did you have fun?”

“…Well…”

Liliana fiddled with her sleeve for a moment before speaking in a small voice.

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

“Hmm?”

“It was the dress you picked for me, but I got it dirty.”

“Oh dear, you don’t have to worry about that at all.”

Anriche looked at Liliana with a sympathetic gaze.

“Is that why you’re feeling down?”

“…No, it’s not that.”

Liliana, who had been looking at Anriche with complicated eyes, shook her head.

“Thank you for sending the tea and snacks earlier.”

“I’m glad to hear you liked them.”

“Yes, I really enjoyed them. But I might have eaten too many snacks, so I’m a bit full.”

Liliana offered a half-hearted smile.

“I don’t really want to have dinner tonight, if that’s okay?”

“Sure, do as you feel comfortable.”

Anriche nodded slightly.

Bowing her head, Liliana returned to her room.

Meanwhile, Anriche turned to Elliot with a subtle expression.

“Did something happen with Liliana today?”

“I’m not sure. But after tea time ended, she seemed to be in a bad mood.”

Elliot furrowed his brow as he responded.

“She wouldn’t tell me the reason, so I’m feeling a bit frustrated too.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

Anriche patted Elliot on the shoulder and turned to look in the direction Liliana had gone.

Her violet eyes narrowed slightly.

***

Knock, knock.

At the sound of a brief knock, Liliana raised her head from where she had been lying on her bed.

“Liliana, it’s Anriche. May I come in?”

“Yes, please come in.”

As she hurriedly sat up in bed, Anriche entered the room, carrying a tray with soup on it.

“I thought skipping a meal wouldn’t be good, so I brought you this. Do you think you can eat a little?”

“Yes…”

Liliana quietly grasped the spoon, but she seemed to lack appetite, only staring blankly at the soup bowl.

Anriche cautiously asked,

“Did something happen today?”

“…”

“Did I upset you by sending over the snacks and tea without asking you?”

“Oh, no!”

Startled, Liliana jumped up from her seat.

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? I was really happy about it!”

“If that’s the case, then you should be smiling.”

Anriche gently brushed Liliana’s cheek.

“Why does it look like our Liliana’s expression is very dark?”

“…”

Liliana fell silent for a moment.

Anriche patiently waited until the child was ready to speak.

After a few minutes, Liliana hesitated and finally spoke.

“Um, Mother.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“How about making a donation to the Londini Orphanage?”

“…A donation?”

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a suggestion about a donation?

Anriche looked down at Liliana with a puzzled expression.

Liliana hurriedly continued speaking.

“W-well, it’s because of me that the Londini family is undergoing a tax investigation!”

In an instant, Anriche’s expression turned cold.

How did she find out about that?

Anriche had intentionally kept it from Liliana, thinking it might burden her.

“Wait a moment, Liliana.”

“Yes?”

“You said the tax investigation was because of you? Where did you hear that?”

At that question, Liliana stiffened her shoulders.

“Could it be that the Londini baroness told you that?”

Anriche was aware that Jenit had attended the club meeting that day.

After all, she had personally sent over tea and snacks; it was strange not to know of her presence.

However, since it was a gathering with many people, Anriche had thought Jenit would know to keep quiet.

“…Ah, well…”

Seeing Liliana struggle to respond, Anriche let out a small sigh.

“If it’s because I upset your relatives without telling you, I’m truly sorry about that. But…”

“No, it’s not that I’m upset!”

Without realizing it, Liliana raised her voice, her shoulders drooping.

‘If you don’t accept my proposal, you might find yourself in trouble too.’

Jenit’s mocking voice echoed in her ears.

‘You don’t appreciate the kindness shown to you, and just because you’ve made us undergo a tax investigation, you seem quite ungrateful.’

‘And if rumors spread about you refusing a donation, it could severely tarnish the reputation of the Balua family.’

It felt like someone was stabbing her heart with a dagger, so Liliana pressed her hand against her chest.

“…I don’t think you’ve taken your frustration out on the Londini family for no reason, Mother.”

“Huh?”

“I believe there was definitely a reason why the Londini family was subjected to a tax investigation…”

Anriche, who had been listening seriously to Liliana, unintentionally dropped her jaw.

“Wait, wait a minute.”

Waving her hands, Anriche questioned Liliana again.

“What do you mean by ‘taking out frustration’?”

“W-well, it means…”

After hesitating for a long time, Liliana finally began to recount what had happened earlier.

She shared how Jenit had claimed that the Londini family was being investigated because of Anriche’s frustrations.

She mentioned the request for a donation to the orphanage.

And how they had threatened that if they didn’t receive the donation, they would spread malicious rumors about the Balua family.

“…I was worried that the Londini family would really spread such rumors.”

After finishing her explanation, Liliana bit her lip anxiously.

Anriche gazed down at Liliana with a complex expression and slowly opened her lips.

“First, I need to explain why the Londini family is undergoing a tax investigation.”

“The reason for the tax investigation?”

“Yes.”

Anriche nodded.

“In fact, while you were staying with the Londini family, there was absolutely no reason for you to be treated like a servant.”

At her unexpected words, Liliana blinked in surprise.

“Because you had the assets of the Everitt Count left in your name.”

“…But they said it cost an enormous amount of money to raise me in Londini.”

Liliana couldn’t hide her skeptical expression.

“They even said that to repay the living expenses they’ve incurred because of me, I would have to work myself to death until I became an adult…”

“That’s obviously a lie.”

Anriche stated firmly.

“Every month, your living expenses were deposited into the Londini baron’s account without fail.”

“…Really?”

“In addition to that, they received a considerable amount more.”

Oh my.

Liliana’s eyes widened in shock.

Anriche calmly concluded,

“And the Londini baron stole all those living expenses.”

“W-how could that happen…?”

“They only received the rightful punishment for their actions, so you don’t need to worry about it, Liliana.”

Liliana bit her lip until it bled.

After all, the sense of betrayal must be overwhelming.

The debt Liliana had felt towards the Londini family was something she never needed to have in the first place.

‘By the way, it seems the Londini family still hasn’t come to their senses.’

Anriche had let the Londini family be subjected to a tax investigation for this reason.

It was because they were Liliana’s only relatives, and Anriche thought it might be better to have them around when Liliana eventually sought her blood relatives.

However, if they kept crossing the line like this…

‘It might be better to remove such relatives early on for Liliana’s sake.’

Moreover, through this incident, Anriche realized clearly that intentionally hiding the truth from a child was not always the best course of action.