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

The original meeting time for Jeremyon and Lilliana wasn’t supposed to be this early.

However, the reason he left early was simply to catch Vanessa’s attention.

Recently, they had been having breakfast together every morning, so he figured that if she saw him leaving at this time, she would quickly notice.

Even though Lilliana never asked for this, he did it voluntarily.

With roughly two hours left until the actual meeting time, Jeremyon thought he would have to wait a while. But unexpectedly, Lilliana appeared quite soon.

“Lilliana, there are still two hours until our scheduled time…”

“What about you, Jeremyon? Actually, I woke up early today. I decided to come out for a walk, and we ended up meeting like this!”

She smiled brightly as if it were nothing. It was a beautiful smile, though somehow, she still looked a bit sad.

The two of them boarded a carriage and headed to the bakery that Jeremyon had reserved in advance.

He had gone out of his way to borrow the place specifically for Lilliana, who loved sweets.

‘…Come to think of it, I never did something like this, even when we were actually lovers.’

Though their relationship had been fake, formed out of a contract, they had gone on several dates. Of course, those were all for show, pretending to be in love to hide the fact that their marriage was one of convenience, not affection.

They went on dates about once a week, but those were always public affairs, intended to be seen by others. They never had a private meeting like this.

Back then, all they did was hold hands and walk in crowded places, repeatedly going through the motions.

It was strange to be spending this kind of time together now that their romantic relationship had ended.

Jeremyon watched Lilliana as she sat across from him.

She was nibbling on her dessert with a slightly sad expression.

‘I thought she liked sweets, but maybe I was mistaken.’

It suddenly hit him that, despite the long time they had spent together as contract lovers, he didn’t really know much about her.

“Lilliana, don’t make that face.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you…”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then…”

“I said I would help you, didn’t I? I’ll handle my mother, so you just focus on enjoying today.”

“Jeremyon…”

She nodded in understanding, but her face remained somber the rest of the day.

After that, they repeated similar dates about four more times.

With each date, Lilliana’s expression brightened, albeit little by little. Eventually, she seemed comfortable enough to initiate some things herself.

“Jeremyon, you should eat too.”

“I don’t like sweets.”

“I know. You’ve brought me to places like this before but never touched the food yourself. I’ve noticed.”

“Then why…”

Lilliana smiled slightly and poked her fork into the tart in front of her. She then stretched her hand towards Jeremyon’s mouth.

“It’s fine, just try it. This one is a bit bitter, so I think you’ll like it.”

“…”

“Come on. Are you really going to let me eat alone again? That’s a bit embarrassing.”

Her blue eyes, as clear as a lake, stared directly at him.

If it had been anyone else, he would have pushed their hand away. But for some reason, he didn’t want to do that to Lilliana.

Reluctantly, Jeremyon opened his mouth. The taste of the Earl Grey tart filled his palate.

“How is it? It’s a little bitter, right? You can handle that.”

Jeremyon sighed softly as Lilliana looked up at him with expectant eyes. Then he nodded slightly.

She smiled, as if satisfied, as though she had predicted his reaction.

Jeremyon mumbled quietly, barely loud enough for her to hear.

“…It’s sweet.”

It wasn’t to his taste at all. And yet, oddly enough, the sweetness lingering on his tongue didn’t bother him today.

Lately, something’s been really off, and not in a small way.

“What did Jeremyon say?”

“Yes, ma’am. He said he had an appointment again today.”

I sighed inwardly at the servant’s report.

This made it the seventh time.

Jeremyon and Lilliana had been going on repeated dates recently.

‘Why? Why is this happening? Why?’

As the same question echoed in my mind for the third time, I gathered my thoughts again.

As far as I knew, Jeremyon and Lilliana had definitely broken up. That much was certain.

Lilliana had received money from me and immediately broke up with Jeremyon. That was the end of their relationship. Or at least, it should have been…

‘Why are they suddenly going on dates like this?’

If it were just a superficial date arranged to look good on the outside, I wouldn’t have been this bothered. I would have simply thought that either Jeremyon or Lilliana was up to something again.

‘But there’s something about it that’s bothering me.’

Before I knew it, I had quietly slipped out of the bedroom and arrived near Jeremyon’s’s dressing room.

As I carefully tiptoed toward the door, no one inside noticed my presence.

I held my breath and focused on the sounds coming from his room. Finally, I overheard a conversation between Jeremion and his aide.

“Isn’t this color better?”

“No, Count. Didn’t you say the Lady of Locke reacted more positively when you wore purple last time? If I may offer my opinion, I believe the lady favors dark purple. You should go with this coat.”

“Hmm. You’re right.”

The conversation continued for a while, but it was the same topic. Jeremyon was meticulously coordinating his outfit.

‘As I thought… Today is no different.’

I sighed inwardly. What had been confusing me these past few days was none other than this very situation.

‘Jeremyon, of all people, taking this much care in choosing his clothes!’

In the seven years I had been his stepmother, I had never seen him behave this way. Yet in just the past few days, I had caught him like this three times.

‘If it were anyone else, it wouldn’t be a big deal. I’d just think they wanted to look good. But… that’s not how Jeremyon is.’

Jeremyon hated me, and he dressed differently from me. While I was known for my elaborate attire, he usually wore nothing but black—proof of how much he wanted to oppose me.

Of course, thanks to his handsome face, he looked good regardless of what he wore… But for Jeremyon, this scene was strange.

For him to voluntarily spend this much time picking out clothes…

‘He’s like a man going to meet the woman he loves!’

The situation was truly baffling.

I had been so desperate for them not to love each other that I had pushed them to break up. Yet here was Jeremyon, acting like a boy in love after their separation.

At this point, it was frustrating.

‘If he’s doing this to get my attention… well, it’s working.’

I had tried to remain indifferent and just observe, but I couldn’t anymore.

Just then, Jeremyon opened the door and stepped outside.

“Mother? What brings you here?”

Feigning composure as if I had been waiting for him all along, I replied calmly.

“Jeremyon, I have something to ask. It seems you’ve been spending more time with Lady Locke lately.”

“That’s correct.”

“What exactly are you thinking?”

Curious for an honest answer, I asked him bluntly. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the response I wanted.

“…I’m not sure either.”

Jeremyon uttered the words with difficulty, his expression somewhat confused.

“If you don’t know, who does?”

“If you’re curious, ask Lilliana yourself. She can surely give you an answer.”

“You’re speaking nonsense, Jeremyon.”

“I’m not sure what you think, Mother. But there is one thing I can tell you for certain.”

“…”

“Lilliana is still waiting to hear from you. More desperately than anyone else.”

With that, Jeremyon disappeared.