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

Anriche’s eyes widened slightly.

It was Alexei.

His enigmatic blue eyes were staring directly at her.

Anriche felt a bit nervous.

“W-what brings you here, Your Grace?”

“I came to discuss the matter you’ve been worried about.”

As Alexei answered, he signaled to the butler.

The butler, bowing his head, quietly exited the room.

“……”

“……”

A silence settled between the two.

He came because of the issue I’m worried about?

Anriche looked at Alexei with a puzzled expression.

Meanwhile, Alexei was reflecting on the recent incident involving Liliana and Maeg.

He had inadvertently learned more about the situation…

“Your Grace, I’m so wronged!”

…because Maeg, the party involved in the incident, had rushed over to tell him all about it.

“My lady treated me like a mouse!”

In a fit of anger, Maeg had forgotten that she was in front of the noble she admired, raising her voice.

“No, even a mouse wouldn’t be treated as badly as I was! How could this happen…!”

Alexei narrowed his eyes.

In the past, he would have automatically thought it was Anriche’s fault.

Considering Anriche’s behavior until now and the fact that Maeg had been a diligent maid in Valua for a long time,

he would have taken her side without question.

“But I heard from the butler that Maeg had slandered Liliana.”

In reality, the butler didn’t particularly like Anriche.

There was no reason for him to fabricate a story to protect her.

Moreover, the butler had recently cautiously brought up Maeg’s connection to Londini.

“There’s evidence that cash of unknown origin has been deposited into Maeg’s account periodically.”

“…What?”

“Additionally, upon further investigation, it seems that Maeg and the Londini family are closely tied.”

At that moment, Alexei felt a strong sense of betrayal.

In contrast, Anriche had recently seemed to…

“Somehow, I think she’s changed a little.”

Unconsciously, Alexei recalled the expression Anriche had when she looked at the children.

In her soft, fluffy-looking eyes, there was nothing but affection for them.

“I’ve already heard everything from the butler about what happened.”

At his cold voice, Maeg, who had been crying loudly, suddenly lifted her head.

“Y-yes?”

‘You stole my wife’s belongings and tried to pin the blame on Liliana, didn’t you?’

My wife.

That word felt strange on his tongue.

As if trying to shake off the unfamiliarity, Alexei continued coldly.

‘If you truly received such mistreatment from my wife…’

‘Y-your Grace?’

‘Then it’s probably because you committed a grave wrongdoing.’

W-what did the Duke just say…?

Maeg doubted her ears.

Until now, she had been the “nanny who Elliot trusted the most” and the “head maid respected by the other maids.”

Moreover, she had been a childhood friend of Alexei, sharing his early years.

Because of that, Alexei had considered her opinions and respected her, taking that relationship into account.

But now, he seemed like an unreachable, icy fortress.

Stubborn and cold, making it impossible to speak to him carelessly.

‘Maeg. A person with sound judgment would reflect on their own actions, don’t you think?’

‘W-what do you mean by that…?’

‘Your coming here to bother me is, in itself, quite presumptuous and shameless.’

His sharp blue eyes glinted.

It was a cold gaze she had never seen before, as frigid as ice.

All color drained from Maeg’s face.

Alexei sank deeply into his chair, speaking deliberately.

‘My son said he would guarantee your salaries and severance pay this month.’

‘…Your Grace?’

‘But I have no intention of ensuring that.’

Maeg froze like a mouse before a predator.

It was no surprise; Alexei’s gaze was filled with a dangerous intensity.

‘The head maid always told me…’

‘Y-yes?’

‘That the living expenses Londini receives regularly are always used legally and reasonably.’

W-what did he just say?

Maeg’s heart sank.

But Alexei’s words were far from over.

‘Moreover, Liliana was said to be living happily and healthily under the protection of her relatives.’

‘W-what do you mean by that…?’

‘But according to my investigation, the head maid’s words were nothing but lies from start to finish.’

…How did he find out?

Maeg stared at Alexei with her mouth agape.

Alexei met her gaze with a stern expression.

‘To be honest, emotionally, I desperately want to subject the head maid to private sanctions from Valua.’

Private sanctions from Valua?!

Maeg involuntarily widened her eyes.

Private sanctions from Valua refer to punishing someone using Valua’s military and financial power instead of legal means.

Valua was the most powerful family in the empire, and the kind of retribution they could dish out was unimaginably brutal.

Of course, Alexei was a reasonable person, and since he became a duke, such sanctions had never been carried out.

But that meant Alexei was incredibly angry.

‘However, considering that the head maid’s family has served Valua for generations…’

Alexei continued in a chilling tone.

‘And that the head maid has taken care of Elliot for a long time, I plan to end this at the level of legal punishment.’

He gestured toward the firmly closed door.

‘Of course, if you don’t disappear from my sight right now…’

With that, Alexei curled his lips into a smirk.

‘You won’t even be able to receive the last mercy I offer.’

‘Y-your Grace…’

Maeg called out to Alexei with a trembling voice.

But Alexei simply returned her gaze with a blank expression.

‘Will you leave of your own accord, or will the knights of the duke’s household drag you out?’

‘I-I can’t let you do this to me!’

At that moment, Maeg burst out, almost screaming.

‘You abandoned me because of my status!’

‘…What?’

‘But despite experiencing such betrayal, I remained loyal to you!’

Alexei frowned, unable to hide his disbelief.

Maeg gasped for breath.

‘You know it’s true, don’t you? That I… I…!’

Maeg’s eyes sparkled with an odd light.

‘That I am fervently devoted to you, Your Grace…!’

Alexei was momentarily at a loss for words.

Who is infatuated with whom?

Maeg seemed to be overflowing with words, as if a dam had burst.

‘Honestly, you never completely disregarded my feelings, did you?!’

‘Wait, wait a minute. What do you mean by that…?’

‘That’s why you brought me to the estate! And gave me the title of head maid!’

At her fervent voice, Alexei stared at Maeg in astonishment.

The reason he had brought Maeg in as the head maid was because the head maid at his family estate had earnestly requested him to take care of her daughter.

She had pleaded that it would be better for Maeg to marry within the estate rather than seeking a match in the Valua ducal house to find a good husband.

That was why he had granted her the status of head maid.

With a position like that overseeing the townhouse, she would have a respectable background in the marriage market.

However, since he had never considered marriage, he had left her alone, thinking she wasn’t interested in finding a partner…

‘So you mean to say… that I shared romantic feelings with the head maid?’

‘Are you going to deny it?!’

Maeg glared at Alexei with tears welling in her eyes.

Alexei couldn’t conceal his incredulous expression.

And as that feeling passed…

“Head maid. At this point, your delusions seem like a mental illness.”

Cold fury filled Alexei’s body.

At his blunt words, Maeg flinched and stiffened her shoulders.

‘W-what do you mean…?’

“I have acted without shame as the head of Valua until now.”

Alexei spoke coldly.

“That means I have also been faithful to Anri-che, the lady of Valua, who is bound to me by sacred marriage.”

“I know that well enough! But…!”

“I don’t know when you started suffering from such delusions, head maid.”

His blade-like gaze was so fierce it seemed like it could tear Maeg apart at any moment.

“Just what you just said is sufficient grounds to retract the mercy I was going to grant you.”

“…What?”

“Do you truly wish to face Valua’s private sanctions?”

At those words, which felt like a death sentence, Maeg’s face turned pale.

“The only reason I’m tolerating your nonsensical words right now…”

Alexei gritted his teeth as he continued.

“Is that I don’t want to tarnish the happy memories we shared when we were young.”

“Y-young master…”

“So, while I still have my senses about me…”

As he observed Maeg, who was trembling all over, Alexei subtly curled the corners of his lips.

“It would be best for you to disappear from my sight immediately and never show your face again.”

“Ugh, h-huh…?”

“If I were to see the head maid again, I wouldn’t know how I would act then…”

Looking directly into Maeg’s eyes, Alexei coldly concluded,

“…because I can’t predict that myself.”

It was a warning filled with malice.

Maeg, as if rebounding off the ground, jumped up from her seat and rushed out of the door in a panic.

That was the last image of Maeg that Alexei saw.

“…Um, Your Grace?”

At that call, Alexei snapped back to reality.