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

I had decided to help Lilliana dress up perfectly, and today, we found ourselves at a jewelry store.

‘Everything else is nearly ready, but… we still haven’t chosen the accessories.’

I thought a pretty necklace would be enough, considering the design of the dress I had already purchased, but I hadn’t found the right one yet.

As we stepped inside the shop, an array of dazzling jewelry greeted us.

Recently, it had become popular among young noble ladies, and seeing the intricate and ornate craftsmanship, I understood why.

“Liliana, what do you think would be good?”

“Hmm… I think a blue gemstone that matches the dress would be nice.”

I smiled widely.

It struck me how much Lilliana had changed from before. She could now express her opinions like this.

I suddenly recalled the day I had accidentally encountered her at the boutique.

Back then, she had been unable to say a word even when she was being swindled. But now, she seemed to have regained much of her confidence.

‘How admirable.’

I nodded with satisfaction. It seemed like a good idea to buy a necklace with blue gemstones, just as she had suggested.

The shop attendant, having overheard us, started taking out and explaining several accessories from the display case.

“This is a necklace acquired at a large auction three months ago. As you can see, it features a central sapphire surrounded by eight symmetrically placed diamonds. It’s said to have been a favorite of a noblewoman.”

Hmm.

While standing beside Lilliana, who was listening with sparkling eyes, I surveyed the store.

‘It’s a bit underwhelming overall.’

There were many accessories, but none seemed to perfectly match the image I had in mind.

Then, suddenly—

“Madam, I have something to report.”

A servant who had followed us called out to me, as if he had something to say.

“Lilliana, continue browsing. If you find something suitable, set it aside. I have some business to attend to for a moment.”

“Oh, okay! Have a good time, Mother! I’ll keep looking!”

Leaving Lilliana alone in the jewelry store, I headed toward a secluded alley.

Once we were sure no one could overhear us, the servant whispered his report.

“The construction you ordered, along with the staff training, has all been completed.”

Oh…

Intrigued, I hummed softly.

Despite my focus on perfume development, I had also been managing various other tasks.

In business, creating a good product was just as important as preparing the perfect venue to sell it.

So, I had secretly purchased a nice building in the city center and converted it into a perfume boutique. I also hired staff to manage it in my stead, keeping my identity hidden.

‘I expected it to take longer…’

Surprised by the swift progress, I inwardly smiled and focused on the servant’s report.

Completely unaware of what was about to unfold with Lilliana.

***

Left alone in the jewelry store, Lilliana wandered around, grinning widely.

She hadn’t had the courage to visit places like this before, but now that she was here, it was more fun than she had expected.

‘I have a good feeling about today.’

The sun was shining brightly, and the temperature outside was just right.

It felt like today was going to be an unusually happy day.

Of course, that wasn’t because of the place, but entirely thanks to the person she came with.

Lilliana hummed softly to herself, overjoyed at being out with Vanessa for the first time in a while.

‘We usually spend our days together at the mansion.’

How could she not be excited when they went out like this?

Though today’s outing wasn’t just for fun—they had come to buy a necklace for her to wear at the upcoming banquet—Lilliana had already forgotten their original purpose in her excitement.

“Lady, how about this necklace? The unique blue hue of the sapphire is beautifully complemented by the platinum chain. It’s one of the works of the famous jeweler, Walter Griesman.”

Lilliana’s eyes sparkled as she listened to the attendant’s explanation.

‘Wow… It’s so luxurious! It would suit Mother so well! Should I get this?’

As she deliberated, a sudden realization hit her.

‘Wait, Mother told me to choose for myself… Focus, Lilliana! You need to do this right.’

Shaking her head, she asked the attendant to show her something else.

But…

‘Oh wow. This one is gorgeous too! It looks like it was made just for Mother!’

The same thing happened several more times.

Initially, she had tried to pick something for herself, but it wasn’t easy. Everything she saw made her think it would suit Vanessa perfectly.

‘I can’t help it. These really do suit her so well. Hmm, maybe I should just buy something for Mother as a gift.’

Thanks to Tristan, her family had regained stability. The days of scraping by with barely enough to get by were long gone.

For Vanessa, Lilliana felt she could do at least this much.

“Do you have anything more extravagant than this? Something that would suit Lady Winder…”

It was at that moment, while she was asking for a recommendation for a suitable gift, that—

“Hmm? Lilliana, is that you?”

A familiar voice called out to her.

A sense of foreboding passed through Lilliana. She quickly turned around, feeling tense.

‘No way… It can’t be. Please, no.’

In that moment, she desperately wished to the heavens, but unfortunately, her instinct was right.

Standing in the wide-open doorway was a woman.

It wasn’t hard to recognize her just by the green hair, reminiscent of leaves.

Seira Benden. And who was she?

The precious daughter of the Marquis Benden, known as the “flower of high society.”

But to Lilliana, she was much more than that.

Seira was… her former friend.

“Ah…”

Lilliana couldn’t hide her dismay, letting out a sigh instead of a greeting. Her face had frozen, clearly showing her unease.

Seira, as if expecting this reaction, smiled calmly.

“So it really is you, Lilliana. I didn’t expect to see you here. It’s been such a long time.”

“Yeah… it really has.”

It had to be a long time. For years, Lilliana had deliberately avoided meeting her.

“Why did you refuse my invitations? I was so disappointed.”

“I was just… busy.”

“Really? I invited you three times, and you turned me down every time. Do you know how upsetting that was?”

“…”

As soon as word spread about her breakup with Jeremyon, Seira had invited her to tea parties multiple times.

For someone who hadn’t contacted her in ages… her intentions were painfully obvious.

Seira must have been aware of how transparent her actions were, yet just like before, she smiled shamelessly.

Lilliana truly despised that smile.

It was always after flashing that smile that Seira would drag her down to the lowest point.

‘Mother might return soon. I need to leave before that happens.’

Of all people, she didn’t want Seira to know about Vanessa’s presence. She feared something similar to the past might repeat itself.

Lilliana forced a faint smile and tried to bid farewell to her former friend.

“Enjoy your shopping… I’ll head off now. I’ve got things to do.”

But Seira wasn’t about to let her go so easily.

“Wait. I have something to ask.”

Blocking the door, she spoke in a low voice.

“I’ve always been curious… Were you really in love with Count Winder?”

“…What?”

“You know what I mean. There used to be rumors going around. The ones that said it wasn’t real love, but just a contractual relationship. Now that you’ve broken up, you can tell me, right? Was that true?”

Lilliana felt as if the ground beneath her was crumbling.

***

After the servant had finished his report, I headed back to the jewelry store.

It was just as I reached the entrance.

Lilliana, who should have been inside choosing a necklace, came out with a dark expression.

“What’s with that look on your face?”

“Oh, Mother…”

Upon finally noticing me, she hurriedly forced a smile.

“It’s nothing. I just couldn’t find anything I really liked.”

At first glance, her expression seemed bright, but the corners of her mouth were trembling slightly. As if she were forcing herself to smile.

“I don’t think we need to look around here any longer.”

She linked arms with me and led me outside, as if there were something inside she didn’t want me to see.

I followed her without protest but glanced back inside.

‘That’s… Seira Benden?’

Hmm.

It seemed like something wasn’t right.