When I Quit Being A Wicked Mother-in-law, Everyone Became Obsessed With Me - Chapter 169

Anriche stared at Ibi for a moment.

‘How much thought did she put into saying that?’

This thought crossed her mind.

While Anriche herself had a somewhat liberal mindset regarding social class, the Empire still adhered to a strict class system.

In fact, no one would have criticized Ibi for not expressing her gratitude and simply ignoring it…

‘How commendable.’

A smile crept across Anriche’s lips.

“I’m grateful to you as well.”

“Pardon?”

At her response, Ibi tilted her head in confusion.

Anriche’s smile deepened.

“The reason Lillie can smile so happily like that is because she has friends like you.”

“Th-that’s…”

“So, please continue to be close friends with Lillie. Got it?”

The kind response that came back was filled with warmth, with no hint of prejudice whatsoever.

Ibi felt a lump form in her throat.

Deep down, she had thought that she and Lilliana lived in completely different worlds.

She believed that their close friendship was simply due to their young age and that they might not be able to maintain it in the future.

‘Surely, the Ballua family wouldn’t look favorably on someone like me, a commoner, being close to Lilliana.’

She never expected the Duchess of Ballua herself to say something like that…

“…Yes.”

With a choked voice, Ibi nodded.

Anriche gently patted Ibi’s shoulder.

***

Time passed, and as twilight settled in, Anriche, Lilliana, and Elliot exited the orphanage.

“I’ll come visit again!”

Lilliana waved cheerfully, her face glowing with happiness.

“Sure, I’ll be waiting!”

“You must come back!”

The orphans responded to Lilliana’s farewell with loud voices.

Among them, Ibi’s expression was the brightest.

“See you again!”

Elliot, who had earlier been sulking, was now waving his hands energetically at the orphans.

With that, the three climbed into the carriage.

***

On the way back to the Ballua townhouse, Anriche narrowed her eyes slightly.

Her heart felt oddly heavy.

‘…This is strange.’

Anriche took a deep breath, trying to relieve the discomfort she felt.

There was nothing particularly different from usual.

Yet, simply being in the carriage felt stifling.

At that moment, the carriage jolted!

It seemed they had hit a bump on the road.

At the same time, the color drained from Anriche’s face.

“Ugh.”

Unconsciously, she covered her mouth.

Nausea rose within her.

“Mother!”

Lilliana turned around in surprise, alarmed by Anriche’s reaction.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing…”

As Anriche tried to respond, she felt the urge to vomit again.

“Ugh!”

Elliot, nearly fainting with shock, clung to Anriche.

“Mom, your face is really pale!”

“I-I’m fine.”

Anriche waved her hand hurriedly.

“I think I’m just a bit carsick.”

“But Mom, you never get carsick!”

Elliot couldn’t hide his worried expression.

“You just got better after being so ill…”

“Exactly.”

Lilliana chimed in.

The children’s faces were now clouded, like a sky filled with dark clouds.

Anriche couldn’t hide her awkwardness.

“Oh no, I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“When we get back to the townhouse, you must see the doctor. Okay?”

Lilliana said earnestly.

Elliot quickly added to Lilliana’s words.

“Mom, you said if you’re sick, you need to see the doctor right away!”

Well, did it really have to be that serious…?

Anriche felt a bit embarrassed.

Since that time when she had suffered from Zenith’s attack and was barely clinging to life, her family had tended to treat her as if she were a fragile glass doll.

‘But then again…’

Anriche nodded readily.

If meeting with the doctor could ease the children’s worries, then it was no trouble at all.

“Alright, I’ll definitely see the doctor when we get back.”

“Okay!”

“You must do that!”

Only then did the two children show signs of relief.

Watching the two of them nod eagerly, Anriche felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

‘Here I am, causing my children to worry.’

She resolved to cooperate with the doctor’s examination earnestly.

***

As soon as Anriche stepped into the townhouse, she called for the doctor to come to her room.

“Mom, you need to get examined!”

“This is something that should be checked immediately!”

The children were insistent, their anxiety palpable.

Moreover, due to the commotion caused by the children, Delphina learned about Anriche’s nausea.

“What’s going on? You’re saying Riche is feeling nauseous?”

A startled Delphina rushed over to Anriche.

“I told you not to overdo it!”

“Um, Mother?”

“It’s only been a short time since you got better!”

Delphina seized Anriche’s hand tightly.

With that, Delphina’s face twisted in concern.

“Look at this, your hands are just bones!”

“……”

Anriche was left speechless.

While it was true that she was on the lean side, she was still within the normal weight range.

Delphina raised her voice in a heart-wrenching tone.

“You must be exhausted from going to the orphanage. I’m sure of it!”

No, that’s not it.

You know I’ve been in the townhouse this whole time, Mother.

Moreover, most of my tasks have been handled by the butler, so I’ve been practically lounging around…

Overwhelmed by her embarrassment, Anriche spoke up.

“You know I’ve been resting a lot.”

“Then why are you feeling nauseous?”

But Delphina wasn’t listening to Anriche’s protests at all.

“Do you have a fever?”

Instead, she pressed her hand against Anriche’s forehead to check her temperature,

“Is there anywhere that feels uncomfortable or painful?”

Her eyes were filled with concern as she scrutinized Anriche closely.

Furthermore,

“Should I send someone to the palace? If Riche is feeling unwell, we need to call Alexei…”

Anriche was taken aback and waved her hands in refusal.

“I’m fine!”

“But…”

“Alexei is busy, right? I can’t interrupt someone who is carrying out their duties!”

“No, what’s more important than your health? You matter more!”

Delphina was clearly upset.

As they continued to argue back and forth,

Anriche noticed the family doctor awkwardly standing at the door.

It seemed he hadn’t dared to announce his arrival due to the commotion.

“Oh, you came at just the right time.”

Anriche called the doctor in as if welcoming a savior.

“I think I might have an upset stomach.”

“Can you tell me exactly what you’re feeling?”

“Well, I keep feeling nauseous.”

“Understood. Let’s take a look first.”

The doctor began to examine Anriche.

A moment later,

Surprise flickered in the doctor’s eyes.

He raised his head abruptly.

“Um, My Lady.”

“What, what is it?”

Anriche stiffened, noticing the doctor’s serious expression.

He asked again, his tone grave.

“Have you felt anything other than nausea?”

“Anything uncomfortable? No, I haven’t…”

Just as Anriche was about to reflexively respond that there was nothing, she paused.

“Oh, now that you mention it, I have been feeling sleepy a lot lately.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Lately, I haven’t been dealing with household matters, so I have no idea why that is.”

Anriche shook her head in confusion.

“Other than that, sometimes I feel hot all over?”

“You said you felt hot?”

“There are times when it’s hard to fall asleep because I feel too warm. The weather hasn’t even cooled down that much yet, so I’m not sure why…”

As Anriche sighed deeply, she felt the doctor’s intense gaze on her.

“Why?”

The doctor, who had been looking at her with an enigmatic expression, finally spoke.

“This is just my opinion, and we should conduct a more thorough examination…”

The doctor continued cautiously.

“From what I can see… it seems you might be pregnant.”