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

***

With Alexei’s approval, Anriche dove headfirst into preparing for the engagement ceremony.

“Hmm, it’d be best to make this as grand as possible, right?”

Lost in deep thought, she soon started moving her pen busily across the paper.

At first, everything went smoothly.

The budget for the engagement ceremony, deciding between using the grand or small banquet hall, arranging the furniture.

How many flowers to order and how much food to prepare.

Up to that point, it was all fine.

But then…

“Seriously, I’m going to lose my mind…”

Anriche, buried in paperwork, clutched her head and groaned.

She’d run into an obstacle she hadn’t anticipated.

And that was…

“Who on earth am I supposed to invite?!”

Unable to hold back her frustration, she raised her voice.

Normally, in these situations, one would first invite families they were acquainted with.

The problem was…

“The original Anriche didn’t build any connections with anyone!”

Who was the original Anriche?

She was the epitome of arrogance, believing herself the most precious person of all.

A woman like that wouldn’t have befriended any of the ordinary noblewomen.

And now, the consequences of those past actions were returning to haunt her.

“Haa…”

Sighing heavily, Anriche narrowed her eyes.

“Well, let’s just invite them anyway.”

After all, she was the Duchess of Valois.

Even if she wasn’t close with them, would they really ignore an invitation sent directly to them?

At the very least, they’d probably consider it, even just once.

With a resolute expression, she picked up her pen again.

***

Late that night.

After wrapping up his work and returning home late, Alexei suddenly looked up with a curious expression.

‘Hmm?’

It was currently 2:20 AM.

A time when everyone should be sound asleep.

Yet, there was still one room with its lights on.

‘That room…?’

Alexei furrowed his brows.

The third floor of the townhouse, the third room from the left.

It was the Duchess’s study.

“I know my wife’s been incredibly busy with the engagement preparations, but…”

Staying up until this hour seemed like she was pushing herself too hard.

Alexei unconsciously quickened his pace.

Upon reaching the third floor, he was about to call out to Anriche but hesitated.

‘…What if she thinks I’m being too fussy?’

After all, Anriche was the mistress of the ducal house.

When she chose to sleep or wake up, how she managed her work—that was her decision.

Besides, they had spent a long time being distant with each other.

Although they had become closer recently…

‘If I act too friendly, what if she feels uncomfortable?’

Despite his tangled thoughts, his hand was more honest than his mind.

He knocked on the door before he knew it.

Knock, knock.

“…”

Silence.

Normally, as soon as he knocked, he’d hear her cheerful “Come in!” right away.

Alexei cleared his throat a couple of times and called out to Anriche.

“Um, my lady?”

“…”

“My lady.”

“…”

Even though he called her several times, there was no answer.

Alexei’s face went pale.

‘…Could something have happened to her?’

He knew logically that this was one of the safest places in the city.

And if anything had happened to Anriche, he would’ve been alerted immediately.

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But he couldn’t help but feel tense at the mere thought of the word “Anriche.”

“Pardon me, my lady.”

Alexei gripped the doorknob tightly.

‘If it’s locked…’

He was prepared to break down the door and explain later if necessary.

But, contrary to his resolve, the door opened easily.

Click.

Beyond the door, none of the dangerous or terrible scenarios he had imagined awaited him.

Instead…

“…She’s sleeping.”

Alexei felt his tension drain away.

The first thing he noticed was the desk, cluttered with papers and pens scattered everywhere.

Anriche was asleep, slumped over the desk with her head resting on her arms.

He walked over to her, careful not to make any noise.

As he drew closer, he could hear her soft, even breathing.

‘It seems like she was really tired.’

The fact that she hadn’t noticed him entering the room only confirmed it.

Feeling a sudden wave of pity, Alexei looked down at her with a gentle gaze.

And then…

‘Hmm?’

He noticed a stack of papers under her arm.

Alexei picked them up carefully.

“…A guest list?”

More specifically, it seemed to be a rough draft of the guest list for the engagement ceremony.

It was clearly still in its early stages.

That much was obvious…

– Will Lady Tornian and her children really come, I wonder?

– Should I look into inviting some of the academy kids as well?

All sorts of scribbles and notes were scattered across the paper.

It looked like she’d been brainstorming and jotting down thoughts about who to invite.

But the most striking of all…

– Honestly, it pays to be a good person. What a mess this is.

It was a note lamenting her own past behavior.

Barely managing to suppress a chuckle, Alexei looked over the scrawled notes.

‘I didn’t expect my lady to care about her own reputation.’

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It seemed she was worried that no one would attend the engagement ceremony due to her reputation as a villainess.

Even though, as the Duchess of Valois, she could pressure people to attend if she wanted to.

The fact that she didn’t do so…

‘…She really has changed a lot compared to before.’

Anriche wasn’t worrying about her reputation for her own sake.

‘I’m already known as a villainess, so why would a bit more gossip bother me?’

During her confrontation with the Marchioness of Saxony, Anriche hadn’t even flinched as she said that.

It was likely her true feelings.

But unlike back then, she had Lilianna and Elliot’s engagement ceremony to think about now.

‘So, if she’s worrying about her reputation…’

For some reason, seeing his wife in such a state made Alexei feel fond of her.

A smile never left his face.

‘Well then, maybe I should help her a bit.’

After scanning through the papers, Alexei set them back down and gently patted Anriche’s shoulder.

“My lady.”

After all, he couldn’t just leave her to sleep here.

Yet, Anriche showed no signs of waking up.

“You shouldn’t sleep here; it’d be better to sleep in your bedroom…”

“Mmm…”

Instead of waking up, she furrowed her brows and turned away, dodging his hand.

‘Should I move her to the bedroom myself?’

Thinking that, Alexei reached out to her.

He figured it would be better to carry her to the bedroom rather than wake her.

However…

As he was about to pick her up, he suddenly hesitated.

‘…Is this too much?’

To be honest, his relationship with her was somewhat distant from that of a typical married couple.

They maintained polite manners toward each other, but that was about it.

Although he had begun to feel closer to her recently, he couldn’t be sure if she felt the same way.

In other words, Anriche might still feel a sense of distance from him.

If that were the case…

‘My actions might come off as burdensome to her.’

Alexei bit his lip gently, looking down at her.

Whether she was aware of his inner turmoil or not, Anriche was now snoring lightly, her nose twitching.

‘Still, I can’t just leave her like this.’

After a moment of contemplation, he walked out with determined steps.

***

Chirp, chirp, chirp.

Awoken by the lively chirping of birds, Anriche rubbed her eyes open.

“Ugh…”

Letting out a groan, she raised her head.

Looking around, the familiar sight of her study came into view.

‘Oh no, did I fall asleep while making the guest list yesterday?’

She felt achy all over, likely because she had fallen asleep on the desk.

Stretching her arms wide like a cat, Anriche let out a long yawn.

“Ahhh.”

But just then.

With a soft plop, something warm and plush fell off her shoulder.

‘Huh?’

Anriche’s eyes widened in surprise.

What came into view was a soft wool blanket.

‘I don’t remember bringing this blanket in…’

Reaching out, Anriche picked up the blanket.

She examined it carefully, but it was still an unfamiliar item to her.