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

“Truly, Mother is admirable… She possesses beauty, wisdom, business acumen, and character… there’s nothing she lacks.”

“Lily, that’s the most accurate and correct thing you’ve said since you were born.”

Lilliana, who had been showering Vanessa with compliments, suddenly stopped, feeling a strange sense of unease.

‘Wait a minute… something feels off.’

Until now, she had been too absorbed in Vanessa to notice, but why was Tristan saying such things?

Of course, there was no falsehood in his words. How could anyone deny how amazing my mother was?

But…

‘Why does it feel like my brother has a special fondness for Mother? Is that just my imagination?’

Suspicious thoughts crept in, and Lilliana squinted her eyes, looking intently at her brother.

If it wasn’t just her imagination, Tristan’s gaze toward Vanessa seemed somewhat peculiar.

How could she describe it… it was similar to the way Jeremyon looked at her.

‘No, that can’t be right. Jeremyon doesn’t have any romantic interest in me…’

Still, one thing was certain: there was something deeper in Tristan’s emotions that went beyond simply looking at someone who had helped their family.

She kept observing her brother.

He appeared calm and composed, but there was a subtle, anxious undercurrent that only Lilliana, his sister, could notice.

Ah, it was obvious. Undeniably so! There was no denying it!

‘My brother… likes Mother…!’

Having realized this shocking truth, Lilliana could no longer keep her composure.

She babbled nonsense for the rest of the meal, and even after Vanessa had left, she remained in a half-dazed state.

Even when she returned to her room, during dinner, and now, as she was about to fall asleep, her mind was completely distracted.

Over and over, she repeated the same sentence in her head.

‘My brother… likes Mother!’

It was a happy realization. She had wanted to bring the two together, after all.

But to think he had already fallen in love without her doing anything! It was delightful yet bewildering news.

Lying in bed, Lilliana opened her eyes in frustration.

It had been over an hour since she lay down, yet she was more wide awake than ever. It seemed there would be no sleep for her tonight.

‘But when did my brother start feeling this way?’

Thinking back, from the moment she had suggested introducing Vanessa, he had seemed quite pleased. This was the same man who had rejected her offers, claiming he couldn’t forget his first love.

‘Wait, does that mean… my brother’s first love was…?’

First love, his time studying abroad, the Kingdom of Onze, a married woman.

The scattered clues suddenly clicked together like pieces of a puzzle.

‘Could it be…?’

Was it… Mother?

Of course, with just these clues, she couldn’t definitively say that Vanessa was his first love. After all, there were many married women from the Kingdom of Onze.

But…

A memory of something Tristan once said came to mind.

‘Lily, there’s no one in this world more beautiful than the one I hold dear in my heart. It’s pointless, so just give up.’

Gasp!

Lilliana, who had been lying down, suddenly sat up in shock.

It was certain. Her brother’s first love was Vanessa.

After all, there was no one more beautiful than her!

In the past, she had thought it was just the rose-tinted view of first love clouding his judgment, but now it seemed Tristan’s perspective was quite objective.

‘Hmm, if my brother really does like Mother…’

Once the thought had taken root, it continued to grow.

‘That makes sense! If it’s true, then it explains why my brother opened a wine shop!’

Tristan normally never even touched alcohol. So when he suddenly announced he was going to run a wine shop, she had been baffled by what had gotten into him.

Why would someone who didn’t even drink start collecting expensive wines, and why would someone as busy as him invest time and energy into such a place? She couldn’t understand it.

‘Yes, it has to be because of Mother!’

Vanessa’s love for wine was famous throughout society.

Perhaps the entire reason Tristan opened the wine shop was to create a connection with her.

Realizing the truth, Lilliana couldn’t help but let out a small, disbelieving laugh.

Looking back, there had been so many suspicious signs, yet how had she not noticed something so simple until now?

‘This is great… It’ll make my plans so much easier.’

Now that she was certain of Tristan’s feelings, there was no need to force the two together.

All she had to do was create opportunities for them to spend time alone, and he would take care of the rest!

‘Good, very good. It’s a great thing. But…’

Lilliana let out a deep sigh and muttered softly to herself.

“…Now that I think about it, my brother’s been rather sly, hasn’t he?”

Feeling a sudden wave of disappointment, she pouted her lips like a duck. And who could blame her for being a little upset?

After Tristan left for his studies, Lilliana had to endure the loneliness of the mansion by herself.

Yet, her brother had already become acquainted with Vanessa back then? And even had her as his first love?!

‘Jealous! Envious! Upset! I thought of my brother the moment I got closer to Mother…’

Yet, despite spending all that time with her, Tristan had never properly introduced them or even talked about her.

‘Of course, my brother must have had his reasons… but still… still!’

These tangled emotions drove Lilliana to Tristan’s office.

Bang!

She flung open the door much more dramatically than usual.

Tristan, who had been working late into the night, looked startled by the sudden commotion.

“Lily? What on earth are you doing here at this hour…?”

Normally, Lilliana would have explained herself, but today, she didn’t feel like it.

Instead, she blurted out, “Brother, I’m disappointed in you!”

“Huh? Speak clearly, Lily.”

Tristan’s expression was one of confusion, but Lilliana simply snorted in irritation.

“Hmph!”

Then she spun around and slammed the door behind her.

“Lil…ly?”

Tristan called after her in a bewildered voice, but she was already halfway down the hall and had no intention of answering.

Ever since returning from the Locke estate, I had been holed up in my studio.

‘Hmm… is it this late already?’

I checked the clock—it was already late in the evening. I had been so absorbed in designing a new perfume that I hadn’t noticed the time pass.

But it wasn’t surprising.

After visiting the estate today, inspiration had been flowing nonstop.

What I was currently working on was a perfume inspired by Lilliana, my muse.

The process involved carefully blending the pre-prepared fragrances in precise amounts to create a scent that suited her.

The impression a perfume gives can change drastically depending on which ingredients are used and in what proportions.

It’s a meticulous task, but after learning more about Lilliana today, it had become much easier.

‘She really is a diligent girl.’

Of course, I already knew a fair bit about her from the original story.

Even without the story, I had heard about her a few times back when I was in the Kingdom of Onze with Tristan.

But today was the first time I had heard about her past directly from her.

And my thoughts after hearing it were…

‘As expected, Lilliana is just as remarkable as I thought.’

She brushed it off as nothing, but I have a vague sense of how much she had been oppressed by her father when she was younger.

Yet, she had grown up to be so strong and resilient, and I couldn’t help but adore her, especially her determination to do well.

If there’s one flaw, it’s that she still lacks a bit of confidence overall, even though she tries to hide it in front of me…

‘That’s something I’ll gradually help her build.’

After finishing up my work for the day, I left the studio.

But the mansion was quieter than I had expected. Had Jeremyon gone out?

As I continued walking, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

‘Come to think of it, Jeremyon is attending a banquet tonight. No wonder it’s quiet.’

It was his first time attending an official social event since his parting with Lilliana.

Hmm. I hummed quietly to myself.

…It seemed that while the mansion was peaceful, a storm was likely brewing in the social scene tonight.