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

I left Jeremion alone in the room and stepped outside.

My steps were heavy as I made my way to meet Liliana.

It was because of the guilt I felt toward Jeremion.

‘Maybe I was too greedy.’

Earlier, overwhelmed with emotions, I poured out all sorts of things to Jeremyon, but now that I had calmed down a bit, I thought I might have gone too far.

‘After all, the way he grew up is partly my fault.’

I regretted not trusting Jeremyon at least once and confiding in him, but I shook my head.

‘It’s no use regretting it now. All I have to do is guide him properly from now on.’

That was the responsibility I had to bear as his “stepmother.”

‘Still… I’m glad I at least have a chance to talk sincerely with Jeremyon now.’

Before I completed my divorce from my husband and left this mansion, I wanted to clear up the long-standing misunderstandings and emotions with Jeremyon.

And today was the first step toward that goal.

Feeling conflicted but also somewhat relieved, I continued to walk.

Before long, I arrived at the door to the room where Lilliana was waiting.

I tried to open the door after composing myself, but someone opened it first and appeared before me.

It seemed Lilliana had heard my footsteps.

“O-oh, Mother…!”

Her face was filled with worry, as if she were tense about whether something bad had happened between Jeremyon and me.

‘I told her it wasn’t her fault earlier…’

But she still seemed to think she was the cause of what had just happened.

‘She really is soft-hearted.’

Of course, I couldn’t say it wasn’t Lilliana’s fault at all.

In a way, she had deceived both Jeremyon and me.

“…”

I hadn’t realized it until now, but when I overheard the two of them arguing, I discovered the truth.

I realized that the main characters of this story had already broken up.

‘She broke up with Jeremyon but pretended otherwise in front of me.’

I didn’t feel upset or displeased about Lilliana deceiving me in that way. After all, I was the one who had told her to end things.

But Jeremyon’s perspective was different from mine. His ex, who had broken off their contractual relationship, kept visiting the house, so it was natural for him to feel upset.

‘Of course, just because he had reasons doesn’t justify his extreme behavior.’

After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I responded to Lilliana.

“Nothing much happened. We just talked for a bit. You don’t need to worry about it. But…”

I paused and looked at her.

As expected, she bit her lip nervously, clearly having something she wanted to say.

But I had to say what needed to be said.

“Lilliana.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“You deceived me.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Lilliana hung her head low. Her trembling voice clearly showed how nervous she was.

“Mother… I-I mean, Lady Winder. I sincerely apologize for deceiving and misleading you all this time.”

“Hmm.”

“I know I have no right to make excuses. But I… I wanted to be closer to Lady Winder…”

“So, you know what an excuse is.”

The coldness in my voice, unlike anything she had heard from me before, seemed to shock Lilliana. Her lovely blue eyes quivered.

“M-Mother…”

Her pitiful appearance, as she looked up at me, pricked at my heart, but I didn’t let it show. I kept my cold demeanor.

“I understand you must have had your reasons and circumstances, Lilliana.”

“…Yes.”

“But those reasons don’t matter, Lilliana.”

“…”

“What matters is that you deceived me.”

“J-just a moment, Mother. Please wait. Let me explain…”

She reached out to hold me, trying to say something.

But when our eyes met, she immediately closed her mouth. It seemed she could sense the clear difference in my gaze compared to before.

She bit her lip tightly.

Although I didn’t hear her out, it wasn’t hard to guess why she had acted that way.

‘She must’ve liked me.’

Normally, someone wouldn’t go so far as to lie just to get closer to their former prospective mother-in-law, but…

Lilliana, both in the original story and now, had an attachment issue. Once she set her mind on someone, she couldn’t stay detached and would do whatever she could to get closer to that person.

In the original story, that person was Jeremyon, but this time, it turned out to be me.

‘And of course, it’s because of my actions.’

Under the guise of making her break up with Jeremyon, I had shown her too much kindness.

Even when I wanted to act cold, her pretty face made it difficult.

Even though she kept clinging to me despite my harsh words, I found her adorable.

I knew I had to be stern with her, but I failed every time.

I only pretended to dislike her with my words, while unknowingly pouring my affection onto her.

So, Lilliana must have realized by now that I didn’t truly dislike her but rather liked her.

‘It’s not strange for her to crave affection from me.’

Knowing all this, I had been too complacent.

Maybe, deep down, my desire to grow closer to my favorite character had manifested unconsciously.

‘It’s my fault that things have come to this…’

If I were just an ordinary person, this might not have been such a big issue.

After all, to think that my favorite character liked me this much — if I looked at it simply, I should be grateful.

‘But… I’m not just anyone. I’m Vanessa Winder.’

The empire’s most notorious villainess.

I wouldn’t have earned such a nickname if I had merely caused a few troubles.

Over the years, I had eliminated my enemies in various ways. As a result, there were many who hated me.

Assassination attempts became a common occurrence. Many, aside from Zitmin, had aimed for my life.

There was even a time when I consumed poison and fell into a comatose state for several days.

‘Thankfully, the amount I ingested wasn’t enough to kill me…’

Since then, I developed a habit of throwing wine bottles — to make it harder for assassins to predict which wine I would drink.

I also avoided wearing the same clothes frequently. If someone thought I favored a particular outfit, who knows what they might do to it.

‘If Lilliana stays by my side, she may end up facing similar dangers.’

For now, it’s fine because we haven’t gone out much together, but if we continue to grow closer, my enemies will soon catch on.

They’ll realize that they can use Lilliana to threaten me.

I didn’t want that.

Moreover…

‘I don’t want Lilliana to be subjected to the harsh stares of others like I am.’

If she stays close to me, Lilliana might also face the same prejudices I do.

The stares filled with hatred and envy hurt more than one would think… I didn’t want Lilliana to experience that.

So, I had no choice but to push her away.

“M-Mother…”

Lilliana muttered helplessly, but I simply said what I needed to say.

If I continued this conversation any longer, I felt I wouldn’t be able to push her away.

“Your wrist seems to be better now. A servant will escort you back to the mansion.”

With a slight gesture, the servant, understanding my cue, approached and guided Lilliana out the door.

As I watched her leave, I said what would likely be my final words to her.

“Take care. And…”

“…”

“I hope we never see each other again.”

I hammered in the final nail on our relationship.

“P-Please… Mother… Please don’t say such things…”

Lilliana, now collapsed on the ground, began to shed thick tears.

Unable to bear the sight of her despair, I turned away.

It hurt, but I had no choice. This was the best decision I could make for her.