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

The cooking lesson concluded, and now it was time to teach embroidery.

Since there was a dedicated room for embroidery in the Winder estate, I decided to head there with Liliana.

“Let’s go upstairs.”

“Yes, Mother!”

From the moment I mentioned the embroidery lesson, Liliana’s expression completely changed from what it was earlier in the morning.

Her eyes were blazing with determination, like an old general heading into battle.

‘Is Lilliana confident in her embroidery skills?’

Since there were no such descriptions in the original story, I wasn’t sure, but at the very least, her expression was full of confidence.

‘Is this going to end pointlessly like the tea lesson?’

Regretting that I’d even brought up the idea of bridal lessons, I sighed internally, but it was too late to do anything about it.

Following the original plan, I led Liliana upstairs.

Then, as we climbed the stairs—

“Lilliana? Why are you…?”

We accidentally ran into Jeremyon.

‘He’s usually not around at this time. What’s he doing here today?’

That thought briefly crossed my mind, but I quickly realized something far more important.

This was the first time Lilliana, Jeremyon, and I had encountered each other like this.

‘Ugh. This is bad. Jeremyon’s going to make a scene again, isn’t he?’

It hadn’t been long since he found out I had been pushing for their breakup. Given Jeremyon’s usual temper, it wouldn’t be surprising if he started yelling right here.

But surprisingly, his reaction was calm.

“Why are you here at my estate? We’ve already broken up—”

“Mother!”

Lilliana abruptly interrupted Jeremyon.

“What is it? Why are you calling me so loudly?”

“Mother, I’m really sorry, but I urgently need to speak with the Count. Is it alright if we end today’s lesson here?”

With an urgent expression, Lilliana pleaded.

Caught off guard by her desperation, I unintentionally agreed to her request.

“Fine, go ahead. I’ll see you on Monday.”

After saying that, I turned to leave.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lilliana quickly pulling Jeremyon away somewhere.

‘What’s going on? Something feels off.’

In the original story, the two of them weren’t on good terms at this point.

But now, they seemed awfully close.

‘For them to suddenly have something urgent to talk about after just making eye contact…’

It felt like something was changing from the original plot. Perhaps they were secretly in a passionate relationship?

‘Wait a minute. If they’re in love, is there even a need for me to force a breakup?’

Come to think of it, if that were true, it would explain Lilliana’s slippery behavior all this time.

I’d wondered why she always smiled and dodged my attempts to talk about their breakup. If it was because she was having a hot romance with Jeremyon, then everything made sense.

‘Could it be that all this time, I’ve been wasting my efforts?’

I had a growing suspicion that something was seriously out of place.

Lilliana dragged Jeremyon straight to his office.

After closing the door behind them, she finally let go of his arm.

“Whew.”

Without offering any explanation, Lilliana just sighed in relief.

This confused Jeremyon even more.

“What is this? You dragged me here without a word.”

He had been talking with Vanessa when she suddenly pulled him away, as if there was something urgent.

But after arriving at the office, Lilliana offered no explanation. Jeremyon couldn’t understand her actions.

“Didn’t she have something to say?”

The more Jeremyon tried to make sense of her behavior, the more confused he became.

They had already broken up, and there was no reason for Lilliana to get close to Vanessa.

Yet, just the other day, and now today, he had caught them together in the mansion.

Moreover, he overheard them talking about bridal lessons.

“Is she really taking bridal lessons from my mother after we broke up?”

The more he tried to piece things together, the less sense it made.

“Answer me, Lilliana. Why are you here? I want to know.”

He asked, but Lilliana didn’t give him the answer he wanted.

“I’m sorry for dragging you here. But, well, you’ve been rough with me a few times before, so consider us even.”

“Forget that. Just answer my question properly. Why are you with my mother?”

“That’s not something you need to know.”

Even when he asked again, Lilliana refused to answer. Jeremyon scoffed in disbelief.

“This is happening in my estate, and it’s not my business to know?”

Lilliana, showing a boldness he hadn’t seen before, responded confidently.

“You’re not the only one who owns this estate. I have nothing more to say about my relationship with Lady Winder.”

“What on earth are you—”

“I’ve said what I needed to, so I’ll be going now. I hope we don’t run into each other again.”

With a firm response, Lilliana opened the office door and disappeared.

Left alone, Jeremyon ruffled his hair roughly.

The woman, who had once been so obedient, suddenly changed like that. She no longer had anything to do with him, yet for some reason, it irritated him.

Meanwhile, Lilliana, having left Jeremyon’s office, immediately boarded the carriage heading back to her mansion.

Her expression as she gazed out the window was filled with dissatisfaction.

“What is this…?”

She muttered gloomily.

She had spent two whole days practicing embroidery, staying up all night in preparation for today.

It was all for the sole purpose of showcasing her embroidery skills to Lady Winder.

However, she didn’t even get to attend the embroidery lesson today.

It was because of her sudden encounter with Jeremyon.

‘I was really shocked earlier. He was about to talk about breaking up in front of my mother.’

To Vanessa, Lilliana was currently seen as her future daughter-in-law.

But in reality, what was the truth?

Lilliana had informed Jeremyon of their breakup right after receiving money from Vanessa. In other words, she was neither a future daughter-in-law nor anything close.

It was a lie that would eventually be exposed.

Nevertheless, Lilliana took the risk because she genuinely wanted to get closer to Vanessa.

‘Lady Winder is someone you can’t meet unless you have a special connection…’

And today proved that.

Normally, it was almost impossible to run into her, but now, as a supposed future daughter-in-law, Vanessa herself had suggested they meet three times a week for bridal lessons.

‘This opportunity… I can’t believe I got it.’

Lilliana had been so happy lately.

She had grown closer to Vanessa in ways she could never have imagined just a short while ago.

But today, she realized something.

The happiness she felt was nothing more than a castle built on sand.

‘If she find out I broke up with Jeremyon… all the bridal lessons and everything will be over.’

It meant she would no longer have any excuse to meet Vanessa.

Of course, Lilliana never intended to deceive Vanessa forever. She knew that one day she would have to confess everything.

But… she wanted to enjoy this happiness for as long as she could.

‘It’s frustrating… If only Lady Winder were my real sister.’

If she were a real sister, not someone in a vague relationship as a future daughter-in-law, there would be no need for excuses to meet her.

And she wouldn’t have to worry about her ex, Jeremyon, even though their relationship had been nothing more than a contractual romance.

‘Ha… I can’t make her my sister. This is so unfair, so unfair.’

It was then, in the midst of her lament, that Lilliana suddenly realized something.

‘Wait, I can’t make her my sister, but… I can make her my sister-in-law, can’t I?’

Lilliana had a brother, Tristan.

And the woman Tristan marries would legally become her sister-in-law.

‘If my brother marries Lady Winder…’

Lilliana’s face lit up with newfound hope.

“Lady Winder would be my sister-in-law!”

She had found it. A way to easily get closer to Lady Winder.

‘All I need to do is bring the two of them together…!’

But there was one thing that concerned her.

That was Tristan’s heart.

Tristan had an old first love that he had harbored for a long time. It seemed he still hadn’t forgotten her.

‘Will he hate it if I introduce him to Lady Winder? No, that can’t be!’

She didn’t know who his first love was, but Lilliana was confident.

‘There’s no one in the world as wise and beautiful as Lady Winder. My brother will definitely forget his first love and fall for her.’

Lilliana made up her mind. She would bring the two together.

While it was for her own benefit, it was also for Tristan, and beyond that, for the family as well.

If someone as intelligent as Vanessa became the heart of the family, they would surely be able to revive their declining household!

‘Hmm, how can I naturally bring the two together…?’

Deep in thought, Lilliana returned to her mansion.