I Became the Mother-in-law of the Regretful Female Lead

Lilliana decided to stay a few more days at Count Winder’s estate to rest. Although she had several injuries, they weren’t severe enough to prevent her from performing daily activities, so she initially planned to leave. However, at Lilliana’s request, she remained.

‘Tristan agreed as well…’

Thus, between handling my daily tasks, I would occasionally visit the guest room to chat with her.

‘Now that I think about it… it seems like Lilliana might stay here more often. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to just give her a room?’

After all, this mansion had plenty of unused rooms. I had so many that I even used ten of them to store my jewelry. That says it all.

I paused my pen, halting the paperwork, and ran a mental simulation. It didn’t take long for me to reach a decision.

‘Why didn’t I think of this sooner?’

Chiding myself for my own foolishness, I stood up abruptly and headed toward Lilliana’s location.

The guest room represented the face of a noble household. How we treat those staying at our estate reflects our character. Although the furniture was of the highest quality, it might not suit everyone’s taste.

‘I should first ask Lilliana what kind of furniture she prefers, then refurnish the room to her style. I’ll make sure every detail is perfect.’

She was my favorite, after all. I wanted everything to be flawless for her. Nothing could be done carelessly.

With these thoughts, I made my way toward the guest room. But then, I noticed an unexpected scene.

‘An early visitor, it seems.’

For some reason, Jeremyon was quietly conversing with one of the maids. Instinctively, I carefully hid behind the corridor wall and held my breath, listening to their conversation.

“Is Lilliana inside?”

“Excuse me, Count, but Lady Locke has just fallen asleep.”

“This early? Is she feeling unwell?”

“No, she just seems tired. Shall I wake her if it’s something important?”

“No, that’s not necessary. There’s no need to wake someone who’s exhausted. Instead…”

Jeremyon handed the maid a small box.

“Don’t tell her it’s from me, but give this to her as dessert after her meal.”

“Yes, Count.”

The maid accepted the box carefully.

“And make sure not to say it’s from me.”

“I understand, sir.”

Jeremyon repeated his order one more time before disappearing down the hallway.

What an amusing scene to witness. My curiosity about what was inside the box almost led me to approach the maid, but I stopped when another maid spoke up first.

“What’s inside? Hurry and check so we can pick a matching tea.”

“Wait a minute. Oh my, isn’t this…?”

The maids’ eyes widened in surprise, and I shared the same reaction from afar.

It was a limited-edition tart from a bakery that had recently become highly popular among noble ladies. Its demand was sky-high, but the bakery only made a few each day, meaning one had to line up early in the morning to buy one.

‘Jeremyon, that rascal… I wondered why I hadn’t seen him since morning.’

It was clear now that he had stood in line from the early hours. He must’ve wanted to do something to cheer up the injured Lilliana.

‘That guy…’

Not only did he not send a servant, but he went himself. Turns out, he’s more of a romantic than he seems.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at this surprising side of my son.

‘Everyone in that line was probably young ladies or maids…:

Imagining my tall, dark-clothed son standing among a group of elegant ladies in the early morning was too funny to stop laughing.

It took me a few minutes to calm down.

‘At least things seem to be going differently from the original story.’

I had pushed Lilliana to break up with Jeremyon purely because of his attitude in the original storyline. No matter how much she pleaded, he never saw her as a person—merely as a stepping stone to climb higher.

‘But now it seems that’s no longer the case.’

Whether Jeremyon realized it or not, he clearly cherished Lilliana. Quite a lot, in fact.

‘I’m not sure if Lilliana feels the same, but still, it’s a good thing.’

Smiling warmly, I quietly returned to my office. However, my calm demeanor quickly changed when a servant rushed in.

“Madam, there’s a problem!”

“Don’t make a fuss. Just tell me the issue.”

“The thing is… the guards lost Cedric Henry.”

“What?”

“It appears he has escaped from prison.”

The news was too shocking to accept.

A few hours earlier.

“This is wrong… no, no, this can’t be happening!”

Cedric grabbed his head, screaming in frustration.

“Hey, shut up!”

“Why are you making so much noise?”

“Just ignore him. They say he’s going to be executed soon.”

“What did he do?”

“They say he tried to kill Lady Locke. Quite a bold move, don’t you think?”

Cedric was currently in prison, and those mocking him were fellow inmates in the neighboring cell.

The insults stung Cedric, and he yelled back, furious.

“Don’t be ridiculous! What did I do to deserve execution?”

It couldn’t be true. This was utterly nonsensical.

In truth, he had done nothing wrong. He hadn’t even touched Vanessa Winder, his original target. As for Lady Locke, he had only managed to wound her slightly, and it wasn’t even a fatal injury.

So what had he done to warrant execution?

“Father…”

Cedric silently called out for his father, Viscount Henry, who had likely already been executed.

The thought of his father, now nothing but dust on the execution block, filled Cedric with overwhelming despair.

“Ah… this is unfair! I couldn’t even exact my revenge on Vanessa Winder! If only… if only I hadn’t followed that person’s orders!”

Thinking back, everything had gone wrong because of “that person.”

Originally, Cedric had intended to kill Vanessa Winder. But thanks to that person sending their subordinate to suggest killing Lilliana Locke, everything had spiraled out of control.

“Yeah, I’ve done nothing wrong. I was just trying to follow His Highness’ orders!”

In the future, that person would rule this country and become the law itself. Cedric had simply been trying to carry out his command, so it was only natural that he should be released.

‘His Highness will surely set me free. He’s a noble person, after all!’

Indeed, even in this dire situation, there was still hope. Cedric pleaded desperately with the guard.

“Please, let me meet him! Hurry! His Highness will surely order my release!”

“Stop spouting nonsense and keep your mouth shut. His Highness doesn’t even know someone like you exists.”

“That’s not true! His Highness would definitely…!”

Cedric shouted desperately from inside his cell, but no one believed him.

No matter how many times he repeated himself, nothing changed.

Eventually, Cedric was isolated in a dark solitary cell with no one around.

Despair overtook him. Could it be that he was just a disposable pawn all along? Fear began to consume him.

Exhausted, he collapsed onto the dust-covered floor.

Creak. The sound of an old door opening echoed, and someone appeared.

Finally.

His savior had arrived.