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

It seemed that Kate shared similar thoughts with Delfina.

“Oh my, oh my.”

Kate, having parried Liliana’s attack, looked down at her with a face full of delight.

“Indeed, our Liliana is truly impressive. The Duke must see potential in her as a disciple.”

“Haah, haah, you flatter me.”

Breathing heavily, Liliana still beamed brightly like the sunlight pouring down from above.

“Flattery? If it weren’t for the Duke, I would have taken her under my wing myself.”

“Oh, I would be truly delighted if you did.”

“No way. If that happened, what kind of scolding would I receive from the Duke?”

Playfully shrugging her shoulders, Kate suddenly noticed Delfina standing in the distance.

Kate inwardly panicked.

‘Oh no.’

The Duchess was fundamentally a kind person, but she did have somewhat traditional views.

She even believed that there were different subjects for men and women to learn.

Perhaps that’s why the Duchess viewed Kate’s choice to pursue knighthood as somewhat unusual…

‘She certainly wouldn’t approve of me sparring with Lady Liliana.’

Kate clicked her tongue in frustration and offered a polite greeting towards Delfina.

“Kate Müller, it’s a pleasure to see you, Duchess of Balua.”

“It’s been a while, Lady Müller.”

Delfina graciously returned the greeting, glancing over at Liliana.

At Delfina’s gaze, Liliana stiffened her shoulders.

Her cheeks flushed bright from the exertion, her forehead glistening with sweat, she breathed heavily.

Still, Liliana looked exceptionally happy.

“I just witnessed Lady Müller and Liliana sparring.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Kate replied, her expression a bit tense.

“It was truly impressive.”

“W-Well, Lady Liliana is diligently learning the subjects she needs as a mistress…”

In a fluster, Kate was suddenly taken aback, her eyes widening.

‘What did the Duchess just say?’

But Kate’s ears were still working just fine.

The proof of that was Delfina’s somewhat awkward expression as she continued speaking.

“Please take good care of Liliana in the future.”

“Ah, yes…”

“May I take the child with me? If the sparring hasn’t finished yet, I can wait.”

“No, please do as you please.”

Kate slightly bowed her head and took a step back.

Delfina approached Elliot and Liliana.

“Kids, how about having a snack with your grandmother?”

“…”

“…”

The children exchanged glances before nodding their heads enthusiastically.

“Yes, that sounds great.”

“Then, can I wash up a bit first? I’m all sweaty.”

“Sure, shall we meet in an hour?”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

Liliana smiled brightly.

After returning from the training ground with the two children,

Delfina watched Liliana’s back as she hurried off to wash up.

‘If Liliana is truly receiving proper education to become the Duchess…’

Then what would be the issue with her learning swordsmanship?

More importantly,

‘Elliot with his drawings, and Liliana with her swordsmanship.’

The children were clearly recognizing their talents and receiving support in those areas.

It was a well-considered educational approach that Anriche wouldn’t have thought of if she truly hadn’t cared about their education.

Delfina couldn’t hide her complicated expression.

***

About an hour later.

Having washed up and changed her clothes, Liliana was now sitting side by side with Elliot in the tea room.

This tea room was a space attached to the greenhouse that Delfina had carefully tended.

And as Delfina looked at the two children in front of her…

‘How adorable. They’re far cuter than the flowers I’ve nurtured.’

She was inwardly swooning.

Elliot looked just like the handsome Alexei, one of the most admired young men in the empire.

Liliana, with her light blonde curls cascading over her shoulders, looked absolutely charming, not overshadowed by Elliot at all.

‘Like a high-quality porcelain doll.’

After their training, she was munching on snacks with her tiny mouth, and it was utterly delightful to behold.

“Liliana, would you like to try this madeleine?”

“Oh, thank you.”

Liliana did not refuse Delfina’s kind offer.

Taking a bite of the madeleine, Liliana elegantly sipped her tea in a manner beyond her years.

‘Perfect.’

Delfina couldn’t help but admire her inwardly.

Who was Delfina von Balua?

In her youth, she was a lady who dominated high society, and after marriage, she had lived as the mistress of the Balua Duchy.

If even she found nothing lacking in Liliana’s demeanor…

‘…Well, it’s clear that Liliana has received an excellent education.’

Still, just to be sure, Delfina casually asked a few questions.

“What have you been learning lately?”

“Piano, social dance, poetry… Oh, and I’ve also started learning statistics.”

“Statistics?”

“Yes. I was told I need to understand a bit of statistics to review the estate’s budget.”

Once again, Delfina confirmed that Liliana was receiving proper training to become the next mistress of Balua.

“Of course, statistics are still a bit challenging for me…”

Liliana, with a sullen expression, drooped her shoulders.

‘How is it that even when she’s sulking, she looks so cute?’

Delfina sincerely thought to herself.

Instead of poking those chubby cheeks, Delfina fiddled with the innocent teacup in her hands and spoke again.

“Then, is your swordsmanship training not too difficult?”

“No, not at all!”

The moment the topic of swordsmanship came up, Liliana’s eyes sparkled like stars.

“It’s really fun! After moving around a lot, my whole body feels so refreshed!”

“But dear, it is quite a vigorous exercise, isn’t it? You sweat a lot and it’s hard on your body…”

At that moment, Elliot, who had been deeply engrossed in his snack, chimed in with a dull expression.

“Grandma, I’ve already told her that.”

“Hmm?”

“Liliana says she loves the sweating and how tiring it is.”

Elliot shook his head in disbelief, as if he couldn’t understand Liliana at all.

“Besides, she’s able to defeat upperclassmen from the Imperial Academy.”

“……Liliana defeated an upperclassman from the Imperial Academy?”

Delfina’s eyes widened in surprise.

Even though she was currently staying in the Balua Duchy, she was well aware of the prestige of the Imperial Academy.

After all,

‘Students from the Imperial Academy’s swordsmanship department are often called prospective imperial knights.’

Delfina stared at Liliana with a newfound gaze.

Elliot puffed out his chest, as if he had just scored a victory.

“Liliana, you’re really amazing, right?”

“W-Well, it’s nothing special. Come on, Elliot, why would you say that…”

Liliana’s face turned bright red as she scolded Elliot.

“Honestly, if you keep saying that, Torniant Yongsik will be so angry he won’t be able to sleep at night!”

“Elliot!”

“Oh, did I say something wrong?”

Elliot’s teasing reply made Liliana glare at him.

“Really impressive, Liliana.”

“Th-Thank you.”

At Delfina’s heartfelt praise, Liliana smiled bashfully.

In that moment, a sudden thought struck Delfina, and she tilted her head in curiosity.

“By the way, how did you get into the Academy?”

“Oh, my mother took me there for a tour.”

“……Anriche?”

To take such a tedious approach as a tour for the sake of the children’s education…

‘This is definitely not the Anriche I knew.’

Just then, Elliot, with a fork in his mouth, chimed in.

“Speaking of which, I feel like I haven’t seen Mom much lately.”

“Oh, she seems to be quite busy these days.”

Recently, Anriche had been holed up in the Duchess’s office,

going over budget materials she had obtained from the steward.

Elliot grimaced.

“Ugh, is Mom working again? She’s always working.”

“……Does Anriche usually work a lot?”

“Of course. She says, ‘A family’s mistress must bear that much responsibility,’ and spends all her time in the office.”

Elliot mimicked Anriche’s voice with an exaggerated sigh.

“When she comes down to the duchy, I thought I’d see her face more often.”

As Elliot said this, he glanced at Delfina, gauging her reaction.

“I think Mom needs a break, don’t you, Grandma?”

“……Hmm.”

“You don’t see her very often either, do you?”

Elliot began to pressure Delfina.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to have tea together this time? Right?”

Liliana also seemed to be secretly in favor of Elliot’s suggestion.

Although she didn’t voice it, she looked at Delfina with eager eyes.

If it had been the Delfina of old, she surely would have been horrified by such a suggestion…

“……Should we?”

For some reason, she felt inclined to consider it now.

At that, Elliot jumped up in excitement.

“Yay! I’ll go get Mom!”

“Hey, Elliot! Wait for me!”

Liliana hurriedly followed Elliot out the door.

After the two children rushed outside, Delfina was left behind, looking perplexed.

‘Wait, am I interrupting Anriche while she’s busy working?’

That could be a bit problematic.

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, Delfina hurriedly rose to her feet.

“Hey, kids! Wait just a moment!”

And so, Delfina hurriedly ran after the children outside.