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

I carefully followed Seira from behind. The place she headed to was the imperial garden.

It was already late, and the sun had disappeared beyond the horizon.

Unlike the lively banquet hall, the nighttime garden was filled only with the sounds of insects, with hardly a soul in sight.

‘Why did she suddenly come to the garden?’

Just a while ago, she seemed to have some kind of scheme in mind, but I couldn’t figure out what it had to do with this place.

‘Or was it just my imagination?’

Thinking back on the situation now… it seemed more plausible to think she had just escaped here rather than harboring some hidden plot.

After all, the spiteful remarks and piercing glances directed at her must have made her uncomfortable.

Still, I couldn’t let my guard down, as Seira hadn’t been just an ordinary villain in the original story.

She was quite the troublesome character.

Thanks to her quick wit and keen intellect, she was the only one who figured out the connection between Jeremyon and Lilliana without any clear evidence.

If only she had used that brilliant mind for something good… but, knowing her nature, it was unlikely.

Seira used the information she uncovered to threaten and shake Lilliana.

I recalled a scene from the original story.

—

“Right. I thought it was strange. A man like Count Winder couldn’t genuinely love you, could he?”

“No, Seira. It’s not like that…!”

“It’s too late to make excuses now, Lilliana. The truth is already out.”

Lilliana was shaken and fearful at the realization her secret had been exposed.

Jeremyon had specifically told her not to reveal to anyone that they were in a contractual relationship…

‘What should I do? If Jeremion finds out… he might break up with me.’

She was already deeply in love with him.

She had tried so hard not to do anything that would upset him all this time.

Tears welled up in Lilliana’s blue eyes.

“From your expression, it seems you don’t want this getting out? Hmm, what should I do? Should I spread the rumor? It sounds fun.”

“N-no one will believe it!”

Lilliana tried to refute Seira’s words in one last desperate attempt, but it was useless. Seira merely maintained a calm demeanor and wore an angelic smile.

“My dear friend Lilliana, everyone in society knows of our close friendship. So if I say I heard this secret from you… who wouldn’t believe me?”

“Th-this can’t be…”

“So, if you don’t want rumors to spread, you should be a bit more accommodating to my requests in the future. It’s not too much to ask a friend, right?”

—

Recalling this scene from the original story, I sneered inwardly. Even upon reflection, Seira’s nature was truly petty.

The truth was, Seira never intended to spread the rumors in that scene. Spreading secrets she heard from a friend would only damage her own reputation. She wouldn’t do something that would cost her.

But she used it as leverage to manipulate the naive Lilliana. Unaware of the full situation, Jeremyon only grew increasingly critical of the withdrawn Liliana.

In the original story, Seira was one of the major obstacles in their love.

‘At least the situation is different now.’

From what I confirmed, it seemed that, unlike in the original, Seira’s target for blackmail this time was Jeremyon.

Even though I didn’t know the exact details, it was obvious.

She must have demanded something, using their contractual marriage as leverage, just as she had in the original.

Considering the proposal she had previously sent, she likely asked Jeremyon for a definitive answer regarding marriage.

‘But Seira… you picked the wrong opponent.’

No matter what schemes she had, my son wasn’t one to be easily manipulated.

Indeed, Seira had appeared quite frustrated today, as if something had gone awry with her plans.

‘…But it’s still too early to relax.’

Now that events are unfolding differently from the original story, there’s no telling what might happen next.

It would be ideal if Seira simply backed down here… but even in the original, she clung to Lilliana relentlessly.

This was a reminder not to underestimate her tenacity.

That’s why I couldn’t let my guard down around Seira.

I narrowed my eyes, watching her intently.

While I’d been lost in thought, she had walked some distance away. Her steps, once tense with anger, now seemed a bit calmer, as if she had regained some composure.

‘Now that I look closely, it doesn’t seem like she’s just out for a stroll. It feels more like… she’s searching for someone?’

Seira was glancing around, as if she’d arranged to meet someone here.

I moved quietly, muffling my footsteps. The silent garden was filled only with the sounds of insects.

Keeping a safe distance, I hid behind a pillar so as not to be seen.

Normally, this path would be crowded, making it difficult to follow her unnoticed, but… thankfully, everyone’s attention was occupied by the banquet, and the garden was practically empty.

I observed her silently.

‘Just who is she planning to meet?’

She wandered through the maze-like garden for a long while before finally stopping. It seemed she’d found the person she was looking for.

“Ah, so you were here…”

Ugh.

I could hear a faint conversation in the distance, but the sound was soon drowned out by the insects.

It was now clear she had met someone, though I couldn’t tell who it was.

I strained to make out any clues about the person, but unfortunately, it was late at night.

‘Ugh, I can’t see a thing.’

The faint moonlight wasn’t enough to reveal the face hidden in shadows.

‘Judging by their presence here, it’s likely someone from the victory banquet.’

From the silhouette, it appeared to be a man, but that’s all I could determine.

The only clue was Seira’s slightly respectful demeanor, suggesting he held a high status. Though, of course, it was only a guess.

‘Hmm, who could it be?’

Instead of celebrating victory at the banquet, this person had snuck into the imperial garden alone.

A unique individual, that’s for sure. Everyone else was caught up in the festivities, yet he seemed disappointed by the victory, distancing himself from the hall.

Oh, come to think of it…

One person came to mind.

A man who knew Seira, ranked above her, and might not be pleased by the outcome of this war.

‘The Marchioness of Benden is said to be the current emperor’s sister. That means Seira would be acquainted with most members of the imperial family.’

An uneasy intuition struck me.

The person I was thinking of was the main villain in the original story.

Not only did he torment Lilliana and Jeremyon continuously, but he was a wretch who carried out all kinds of tyrannies.

“Could it be… the crown pr—”

Just as I was silently mouthing to myself so no one could hear, I sensed someone approaching and quickly looked up.

“Oh, it seems we have an unexpected guest. Would you be… Lady Winder, by any chance?”

Seeing the person who had appeared, I froze in shock.

Golden hair that gleamed like honey, and green eyes that mirrored the fresh grass of early summer.

His face was finely structured, yet marred by a scar running horizontally across his cheek.

It was our first time meeting face-to-face, but his distinctive appearance left no room for doubt as to who he was.

‘Of all times, I had to meet this man now.’

Deis Ignarium.

The veiled prince, and a man fated to die soon at the hands of the main villain.