I Became The Guardian Of The Future Villain

Time has passed quickly.

Frost and Isaac’s soap workshop experienced an unexpected boom.

After the Duke of Winston’s wedding, they thought it would be great just to keep up with the flood of orders. However, as time went on, even more orders came pouring in.

They managed to pay back the investments the Duke of Winston made and returned more profits than they anticipated.

 

Derrick expanded the soap workshop even further.

 

The main product, soap, expanded in even more types, and under Jerome’s lead, they developed moisturizers and various scented oils to attract more customers.

 

Jerome had risen to a fairly high position as the head of the new product development team.

 

Thanks to Hestia, who gave advice based on products she had seen from the future, they were able to achieve results quickly.

 

By the time about a year had passed, the Frost family’s soap had become known nationwide, and they were even supplying their products to the royal family.

 

They had thought it would take at least three years to reach the top, but it took only a year.

 

Thanks to the scented soaps, the Barony of Byron had become even more prosperous.

 

The Frost family, who had been living in a small two-story house, built a larger mansion, raising their status.

 

However, as time passed, the technology was leaked, and other businesses began to imitating the scented soap, causing sales to dip briefly.

 

Thinking it was too risky to focus solely on scented soap, Hestia convinced her parents, using her knowledge of the future, to venture into various other handmade crafts businesses.

 

They recruited a glass artisan who had not yet made a name for himself and opened a glass workshop. They also brought in a sculptor who only became famous after his death and had him create luxury items for the nobility.

 

As they continued to bring in artisans one by one, Byron naturally became a town known for the arts.

 

As the town gained fame, more people began moving in, and before they knew it, the town had grown large enough to be called a small city.

 

All of this was due to Hestia’s ideas, but Derrick’s foresight to invest without hesitation for the future also played a role.

 

None of this would have been possible if he hadn’t recognized the value of the products Hestia had mentioned.

 

And so, two years had passed since the Duke of Winston’s marriage.

 

On a hot day in August, 10-year-old Hestia was pacing anxiously around her room, unable to hide her nervousness.

 

“Nuna, you’re making me dizzy.”

 

“You’re making me dizzy!”

 

“Ow!”

 

Elvin, who was in the same room, and then Annie, who had started mimicking people’s words, along with their youngest sibling, Eric, who was still babbling, all looked at their eldest sister.

 

Hestia, who had been biting her nails, suddenly looked up.

 

“Elvin.”

 

“What?”

 

Elvin, now five years old and full of mischief, tilted his head.

 

“If the baby was born yesterday, when do you think the letter will arrive?”

 

“A baby? Where was it born?”

 

“The duchy.”

 

“The duchy is far away, right?”

 

“So, it’ll take a while, huh? There’s nothing I can do just by sitting around like this, is there?”

 

With that, Hestia sat on the sofa, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes, but not even a minute passed before she jumped up again and began pacing around.

 

She’d been like this all morning.

 

“Oppa, oppa. Nuna is acting strange.”

 

“Nuna’s always been strange. Don’t copy her, okay, Gigi.”

 

When two-year-old Annie started trying to imitate Hestia’s pacing around the sofa, Elvin grabbed her.

 

Hestia paid no attention to her siblings whispering about her.

 

‘How can I sit still knowing that person is about to born yesterday…!’

 

Leonhard Winston.

 

The very person who killed her and caused her to regress, and the villain who would go on to kill many people in the future.

 

Of course, it was more accurate to say that his surroundings had made him into a villain, but just the fact that the person who had killed her was now born made Hestia too restless to stay still.

 

“Ugh! Maybe I should’ve just accepted the engagement!”

 

Two years ago, when Icarus had half-jokingly, half-seriously proposed an engagement with Luciard, Hestia had to endure receiving letters from Icarus every ten days, where he actively promoted Luciard as a potential fiancé.

 

It was like a battle between a spear and a shield.

 

Icarus kept trying to draw her into the Winston family, while Hestia consistently declined through letters, refusing to leave Byron.

 

After half a year, Icarus finally surrendered and stopped bringing up the engagement.

 

‘It may have taken half a year, but if you count the number of letters and gifts, it must have been over twenty times.’

 

She had thought that rejecting a high-nosed duke like him would only take a couple of refusals, but she had been wrong.

 

‘I know they’re good people, but knowing what happens in the future, how could I possibly agree to an engagement?’

 

In the two years since she had regressed, Hestia had realized that many parts of the future she knew had already changed.

 

The Frost family, who should have been burdened with growing debts, had become the third most powerful family in the South after the Winstons and the Humphreys, and Byron had transformed into a small city that led the South in the arts.

 

One way or another, she was determined to prevent her parents’ deaths.

 

To be honest, she had even considered whether she could stop the misfortune that was to prevent the death of the Duke and Duchess of Winston as well.

 

If she accepted Icarus’s proposal and naturally integrated herself into their family, maybe she could change the future.

 

But if things didn’t change and followed the course they were meant to, the people who had cornered Leonhard might target her instead.

 

She would be a likely target, as Leonhard’s guardian and the likely fiancée of Luciard.

 

If that happened, the dark forces might even reach out to the Frost family.

 

“High risk, high return.”

 

She had no desire to see her loved ones hurt while trying to help others.

 

No matter what anyone said, her family was her top priority.

 

‘…I’ve done my part by clearing up the misunderstanding with Luciard, haven’t I?’

 

“Yeah, this should be enough…”

 

Even as she tried to convince herself, Hestia couldn’t hide her unease, biting her nails nervously.

 

At that moment, Hestia’s head shot up.

 

She saw a maid walking down the hallway, leafing through some letters.

 

Hestia hurriedly approached her.

 

“Laura! Where is that from?”

 

“It’s from the Winston duchy, young lady.”

 

‘…It’s here!’

 

Realizing that what she had been expecting had arrived, Hestia followed closely behind Laura.

 

There was no doubt the destination was Derrick’s study.

 

“Hm? Tia, what brings you here today?”

 

Derrick greeted her warmly, used to Hestia visiting his study as if it were a daily occurrence.

 

“A letter came from the Winston duchy! I was curious about what it says, so I came by!”

 

“Oh, really? Well then, let’s take a look, shall we?”

 

Derrick opened the letter that Laura handed him.

 

As he read the letter first, Hestia glanced over from beside him.

 

Derrick’s face brightened, while Hestia’s turned pale in contrast.

 

“Ahahaha! This is such great news! What a joyous occasion! They’ve had a son! The Duchess must have had quite a hard time.”

 

Derrick was overjoyed at the news of Icarus’s son, as a distant relative and loyal subject to the Winston family.

 

“The Duke has had a son. We should send our congratulations. Tia, if you write some congratulatory words, I’m sure the Duke would be delighted. What do you think… Tia?”

 

Noticing Hestia’s pale face, Derrick tilted his head in confusion.

 

She looked like someone who had eaten something bad, her face completely drained of color.

 

“Tia, are you all right? Your hands are cold.”

 

“I-I must’ve been too surprised. I’ll write the congratulatory letter! But I’m not feeling too well right now, so can I go rest in my room?”

 

“Of course. Do you need to see a doctor?”

 

“I’ll be fine.”

 

After regaining her composure, Hestia smiled brightly and left Derrick’s study.

 

But as soon as she returned to her room, she let out a deep sigh and collapsed onto her bed.

 

“Ugh! I’m doomed!”

 

While part of her wanted to be happy that the Duke and Duchess had a healthy child, the fact that the person who would kill her in the future was born sent a chill down her spine.

 

A mixture of joy and sorrow, congratulations and resentment, hope and fear—conflicting emotions swirled in her mind.

 

It would take her a while to accept reality and find peace.

 

* * *

 

As soon as class was over, a boy with red hair hurried down the hallway.

 

Upon reaching his destination, he finally stopped to catch his breath, wiping away the sweat that had trickled down.

 

He checked to see if any dirt had gotten on his clothes, carefully dusting himself off.

 

After making sure everything was in order, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

 

Knock knock—

 

“It’s Luciard, sister-in-law.”

 

The door opened, and a maid signaled him to be quiet by pressing a finger to her lips.

Luciard immediately closed his mouth and carefully entered the room.

Flora was sitting on the sofa, working on some embroidery, and beside her was a small cradle.

“He’s napping now,” Flora whispered softly. Luciard nodded, his expression tense, as if speaking would disturb the peace.

Flora smiled softly at the sight of Luciard’s nervousness.

Luciard’s expression relaxed as he gazed intently at the cradle.

The baby, who was just a month old, was sleeping peacefully, making soft, colorful sounds as he breathed.

Luciard watched without blinking.

“When did he fall asleep?”

After about five minutes, Luciard finally spoke.

“He fell asleep two hours ago. It’s about time for him to wake up soon.”

“Can I play with him when he wakes up?”

“Of course. I’m sure Leonhard will enjoy it.”

Luciard, who had been smiling brightly, wiggled his feet and propped his chin on the cradle again, observing the baby.

 

His nephew, born a month ago, had initially looked unattractive with his red face, but as time went by, he grew cuter every day.

 

With his pale cheeks, sweet baby scent, and tiny hands and feet that fit perfectly in Luciard’s hands, there was nothing about him that wasn’t adorable.

 

Luciard used to dislike his own red hair, but now he was simply happy to have the same hair color as his nephew.

 

Luciard gazed at Leonhard’s chubby cheeks.

 

He knew just how soft those cheeks were, and he couldn’t help but feel restless.

 

When Luciard carefully reached into the cradle, a maid waiting nearby tried to stop him.

 

But Flora stopped the maid and allowed Luciard to gently touch the baby’s cheek.

 

At that moment, the baby’s eyes suddenly opened wide.

 

Seeing the red eyes that reminded him of his older brother, Luciard was momentarily startled.

 

Fearing that the baby might start crying, he was relieved when the baby simply wiggled and let out a big yawn.

 

Soon, the baby blinked and stared intently at Luciard.

 

The baby didn’t cry and was just staring at him, which made Luciard feel strange.

 

“Sister-in-law! The baby is awake!”

 

“Oh, really? He’s awake and not crying, such a good boy.”

 

Flora picked up Leonhard.

 

As Luciard stood right next to her, staring at the baby, Flora smiled softly.

 

“Do you think he’s in a good mood?”

 

“It seems so. Normally, he would cry when he woke up. It must be because his uncle is here. Right, Leonhard?”

 

The baby gave a little response by twitching his lips. Seeing this, Luciard couldn’t help but smile broadly.

 

“Would you like to hold him?”

 

“M-Me?”

 

“Yes. Support his neck like this and…”

 

Before Luciard could refuse, Flora had already placed Leonhard into his arms.

 

Luciard held the tiny, light baby awkwardly, unsure of how to handle him.

 

Naturally, the baby squirmed a bit, but as Luciard followed Flora’s advice and relaxed his grip, the baby quickly settled down.

 

This was Luciard’s first time holding a baby.

 

“So… small. It feels like he might fly away if the wind blows.”

 

“You were once like this too, Luciard.”

At the sound of the familiar voice and the large hand patting his head, Luciard looked up.

Icarus was standing there, kissing Flora’s cheek.