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

“Hmm…”

Sitting at my desk, I sighed with a frown.

Today was Monday.

In other words, it was the day scheduled for the second bridal lesson with Lilliana.

Normally, I would wait in the drawing room when I had an appointment, but today, I was spending time in my workshop instead.

‘Lilliana was supposed to come here anyway.’

Although I called it a workshop, what I mainly did in this space was embroidery, one of the hobbies I’d had since childhood.

But what was in front of me now wasn’t thread and needles.

“Ugh…”

I sighed in frustration.

The reason I was so troubled was because of my business plan.

Since the day the false accusation that I had killed my husband was cleared, I had been brainstorming ideas for a fashion-related business whenever I had free time.

It had been a dream of mine since I was young, and it was also to grow the funds I had.

‘I should at least start my own business before leaving Winder.’

That was how it began, but things weren’t going as smoothly as I had hoped.

‘The business idea is fine. But the problem is that it’s hard to get the necessary materials.’

To be precise, what I had in mind wasn’t a fashion item, but perfume.

I wanted to try making fragrances and needed to procure various ingredients, but so many were difficult to find in the empire.

In fact, in the empire, they only occasionally used scented oils, and the concept of perfume didn’t really exist. So, it wasn’t completely unreasonable, but it was still frustrating.

Even in such a situation, I kept putting in the effort.

I had done extensive research and managed to gather various ingredients that could be found nearby, and I had even processed them into fragrance materials.

‘Honestly, with just this, I could probably make dozens of perfumes.’

However, I was still hung up on the rare ingredients that could only be found in the East.

I tried contacting families involved in imports to see if they could acquire them, but it was difficult.

I couldn’t import them myself either. The Winder family had no knowledge of trade.

Moreover, the current war between the Kingdom of Chelais and the Kingdom of Meliden, which lay between the empire and the East, made the situation even worse.

‘Right now, there’s no concept of synthesizing fragrances, so without the original materials, there’s no way to replicate the scents…’

I was doodling aimlessly on some paper, lost in thought, when someone knocked on the door.

I had forgotten, but when I checked the time, it was already time for my appointment with Lilliana.

‘Liliana’s already here!’

I stood up, forgetting to put away the papers.

And, as usual, I put on a stern expression.

“Alright, come in.”

The one who entered was, as expected, Lilliana.

“Mother! Did you have a good weekend?”

Her cheerful greeting was met with a face that looked less tired than a few days ago, though there were still faint dark circles under her eyes.

‘Did she not sleep well again?’

At this point, I was beginning to worry about her health. I called to the servant outside.

“Bring us some refreshments and lemon tea.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll bring them right away.”

After a brief wait, we had a short tea time together.

Fortunately, after drinking the lemon tea, Lilliana’s expression looked much brighter.

With a radiant smile, she spoke to me.

“I’m so sorry for causing you worry. But thanks to your care, all my fatigue is gone! As expected, you’re the best, Mother!”

“Hmph, don’t be mistaken. I just wanted some tea myself. Anyway, enough of that. Let’s begin the lesson.”

“Yes, Mother!”

With an energetic reply, Lilliana clenched her hands.

So, just like she did during the tea ceremony, she planned to excel in today’s lesson.

No, it didn’t stop there. To be honest, she had even entertained some rather presumptuous fantasies.

‘If I embroider something pretty on this handkerchief… perhaps Mother might actually use it?’

Vanessa walking around with a handkerchief embroidered by her own hands.

Just the thought of it made Lilliana’s heart swell with excitement, and she eagerly set to work on her embroidery.

‘If it’s something that would suit Mother, it has to be a grand butterfly and some flowers. Yes, I’ll embroider two flowers and a butterfly!’

She carefully selected a deep purple thread and started stitching the flowers. She even added some details in red.

‘Perfect! The flowers are done. Now I just need to finish the butterfly!’

Thanks to her full concentration, the embroidery, though still in its early stages, looked fairly decent.

Lilliana smiled proudly and glanced at Vanessa beside her.

But she soon regretted it.

‘…This can’t be real. What is that?’

On the handkerchief in front of Vanessa was an unbelievably beautiful lily of the valley.

The details were so intricate and the texture so lifelike that for a moment, Lilliana almost mistook it for a real flower rather than embroidery.

‘Of course, Mother… is skilled at this as well!’

Well, it was only natural.

After all, who was she? None other than Vanessa Winder herself.

Lilliana’s admiration overflowed for a moment, but mere seconds later, she felt utterly dejected.

Her own work looked so pitiful in comparison.

‘…How foolish of me. As if something like this would ever meet Mother’s standards.’

Embarrassed by her earlier pride, Lilliana hung her head low.

‘Still, maybe if I finish it, it won’t be too bad?’

Holding onto a shred of hope, she resumed her work and embroidered the butterfly as planned, adding some additional decorations here and there. However, no matter how she looked at it, the embroidery still seemed pitiful in her eyes.

‘I want to start over from the beginning. But even if I do, will it make any difference…?’

It seemed that no matter how hard she tried, her skills weren’t enough to create something Vanessa would be satisfied with.

Just as she sighed in frustration, Vanessa rose from her seat and approached her.

Lilliana hurriedly tried to cover her embroidery with her hands.

“I-I’m sorry! I’ll throw it away and start over…”

“Tsk! What’s this nonsense about throwing it away? Move your hands.”

Vanessa gently brushed aside Lilliana’s delicate hands, revealing the pitiful embroidery in full view.

Lilliana, feeling even more discouraged, tightly shut her eyes.

‘I’m sorry, Brother. You went through all the trouble to find me a teacher… and I ended up disgracing our family!’

Remembering Tristan’s encouraging words to uphold the family’s honor, Lilliana felt like bursting into tears.

And then, at that moment…

“What on earth is this? It’s a mess, just an utter mess.”

Vanessa’s sharp critique reached her ears.

‘…I knew it. I expected this.’

Biting her lip in disappointment, Lilliana braced herself for more harsh words.

“This is so embarrassing, I can’t let anyone else see it. It seems I have no choice. I’ll have to take this handkerchief myself.”

Wait, what?

Lilliana heard something she didn’t expect at all.

“M-Mother…?”

She opened her eyes in confusion, and there she saw Vanessa gently folding the handkerchief and placing it inside a box.

“What, do you have a problem with me taking it?”

Vanessa pressed her, almost aggressively.

It was only then that Lilliana began to understand the situation.

‘Could it be… did Mother actually like my embroidery?’

Filled with cautious hope, Lilliana’s blue eyes regained a bit of confidence.

That’s when it hit her. The Vanessa translation filter in her mind, which had temporarily shut down due to her nerves, kicked back into gear.

‘She said it was a mess earlier, didn’t she?’

The filter translated the words properly this time.

‘Could that have meant… she was telling me she liked it and that I should have more confidence?’

Realizing Vanessa’s true intentions, Lilliana felt a wave of relief.

“No, Mother! Of course, I don’t mind. I’m truly, truly grateful. I’ll keep improving so I can make something that will please you even more!”

“Hmph, still saying strange things. Well, anyway, let’s continue with the lesson.”

“Yes! Absolutely!”

Lilliana knew her skills were lacking.

But instead of scolding her, Vanessa had offered encouragement.

‘I was so worried about showing her my clumsy work… but Lady Winder even accepts my shortcomings.’

The truth was, while Lilliana admired Vanessa, she also feared her.

She had been afraid that if she kept showing her inadequacies, like she had done at the boutique, Vanessa might eventually be disappointed in her.

But today, Lilliana realized she no longer needed to harbor such fears.

At least now she was certain that the person she admired so much-Vanessa Winder-would never abandon her for such a reason.