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

Turning his back on Vanessa, Jeremyon quickly left the room, his steps brisk and his expression troubled.

‘I acted impulsively. I ended up messing up the entire plan.’

The original goal was to keep going on dates so that Vanessa would inevitably turn her attention to Lilliana.

But now that he had told Vanessa that Lilliana still missed her, that plan was no longer viable.

‘My mother must have understood everything just from that one sentence.’

It was obvious she had figured out everything, including the reason he had been flaunting his dates with Lilliana.

‘…I’ve done something unnecessary.’

In truth, Jeremyon didn’t need to act like this. To be honest, he had been enjoying the time spent with Lilliana lately.

He even regretted not having felt this sense of enjoyment back when they were just pretending to be lovers. If possible, he wanted to keep this going for a long time.

So it would have been better if he hadn’t answered Vanessa’s question earlier and had just brushed it off. That way, he wouldn’t lose the pretext for continuing his dates with Lilliana.

It was a fact he was well aware of.

Even so, the reason Jeremyon had acted on his own was…

Yes, it was because of that expression.

“The weather is cooler than expected today,” Lilliana said, gazing out the window.

Jeremyon watched her face intently. Her slightly upturned lips formed a gentle smile, making her look happy at a glance.

But perhaps because he had come to know her so well, he could tell now. He could sense that Lilliana was still endlessly longing for someone.

She tried to smile brightly in front of him, but there were fleeting moments when her sadness slipped through.

‘Come to think of it… she’s still so thin. Does she not eat properly unless she’s with me?’

A deep hole was carved in Lilliana’s heart right now. No matter how much he tried, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to fill that void.

Only his mother, Vanessa, could likely fill that hole.

Even with all his efforts, the hole would only be temporarily filled before opening up again.

That’s why Lilliana needed Vanessa.

Admitting this made him feel urgent. He acted impulsively, desperate to somehow fill that hole.

“…”

Jeremyon sighed inwardly.

‘If I tell her what happened today, these meetings will probably end.’

But if those blue eyes could finally escape their sorrow… that would be enough for him.

“Lilliana. I need to tell you something.”

“What is it? You look worried.”

“I told my mother. That you’re waiting for her to reach out.”

“Jeremyon? That’s not what we originally planned. We agreed that—”

“I’m sorry. But don’t worry. She’ll reach out to you soon.”

Though she seemed doubtful of his words, Jeremyon was confident.

‘Lilliana is still waiting for my mother’s contact.’

He had seen Vanessa’s eyes waver the moment he relayed that message.

‘My mother has also always seemed concerned about Lilliana.’

And even if that wasn’t the case… he was certain she wouldn’t be able to completely ignore Lilliana’s sincerity.

Vanessa, despite her cold exterior, had a warm heart.

‘There must be a reason she’s pushing Lilliana away right now.’

She had even accepted her stubborn adopted son, who once framed her as a murderer. Someone like that couldn’t possibly ignore Liliana’s genuine feelings forever.

“So just wait a little longer. I’ll bring you good news.”

His voice was more serious than ever, as if he were sure of it.

“Jeremyon and Liliana… What on earth are they thinking?”

Alone in the hallway, I muttered softly while gazing at the spot where Jeremyon had just left.

“Lilliana is still waiting for me?”

I couldn’t understand it. I had already pushed her away harshly, multiple times. I had thrown her out as she cried, without so much as a glance.

So how could she not resent me?

‘What have I ever done for her to make her feel that way…?’

This was troubling. Lilliana needed to forget me and be free.

If I selfishly held onto her, the one who would suffer would be her. I didn’t want her to live under the same harsh scrutiny that I had endured.

‘That’s why I forced her away… but was that really the right thing for her?’

If she was still in agony over me, even after all this time…

Maybe my decision to push her away was wrong.

The thought made my heart grow heavy.

But now wasn’t the time to be lost in such thoughts. I had work to do.

I hurried to the office and focused on the reports being delivered by the servants.

“Ma’am, Cedric Henry’s recent activities have been suspicious, as you ordered us to investigate. Here’s the list of items he recently purchased in secret.”

I was reviewing the documents carefully when another servant interrupted.

“Ma’am, a letter has arrived.”

“I thought I told you not to interrupt during office hours unless it’s important.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but… it’s from Duke Locke.”

I had just managed to set aside thoughts of Lilliana and focus on work when I frowned at the mention of Locke.

The servant seemed nervous, thinking he had upset me.

“Stop hesitating and give me the letter.”

As soon as I received the envelope, I tore it open to reveal a letter filled with graceful handwriting.

A familiar script.

‘…His handwriting is as clean as ever, just like before.’

Though his face had matured significantly from when he was a boy, making him feel unfamiliar, it suddenly hit me that this was indeed the same Tristan from the past.

Pushing aside the meaningless sentiment, I skimmed the contents of the letter.

He spoke in a roundabout way, as nobles do, but the message was simple: he wanted to meet soon to discuss something.

‘This is inconvenient. I have too much to handle right now.’

If it were just a business matter, meeting him wouldn’t be a burden, but judging from our past interactions, that seemed unlikely.

I already had personal issues to deal with, and Lilliana was adding to my worries. If I added Tristan to the mix, my head might just explode.

‘It would be nice if we could settle this through correspondence.’

Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. I had already fallen into his scheme and agreed to a contract that required everything to be done face-to-face.

‘He has a sly side. He may have been bold as a child, but I thought he was innocent.’

After some thought, I began writing my response.

‘This wasn’t my original intention, but it seems like the best option.’

While I filled the letter with the usual formalities, my answer was simple.

I would meet him today, as soon as he received my letter.

I wasn’t sure if busy Tristan would agree to my sudden proposal, but fortunately, our meeting was promptly arranged.

Or was it really fortunate?

I had mentally prepared myself, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had willingly walked into a lion’s den.

“It’s been a while, Vanessa.”

In the Living Room of the Winder estate, Tristan greeted me with a slight smile as he sat across from me.

That subtle smile made me feel a little uneasy. Perhaps it was because of those blue eyes that hadn’t left me since the moment we met.

“As you said, it’s been a while, Your Grace. But… that title feels uncomfortable. I don’t think we’re that close.”

Not even referring to me as ‘Lady Winder,’ but casually calling me by my first name—it felt like he was flaunting our past relationship. I had no intention of indulging him, so I tried to cut it short.

“You still speak so coldly. But that’s fine. Seeing your face is enough to make me happy.”

“Hmph.”

I let out a hollow laugh, but Tristan, undeterred, added in an audacious tone,

“You’re as beautiful as ever today.”