I Became the guardian of the future villain

Bonus Chapter for my Sweet Readers Thank you so much for your comments.

“Have you returned?”

A few days after the departure of the Duke and Duchess of Winston from Byron, Derrick and Anna returned from their trip.

They were surprised to learn from Hestia that the Duke and Duchess had visited.

“Goodness, the Duke came here?”

“Oh no, we should have postponed our trip.”

As expected, the two were flustered and worried if they should send a letter to the Winston family immediately.

“Don’t worry too much. I took good care of them. The Duke understood that he hadn’t given advance notice,” Hestia reassured them.

“Phew, that’s a relief. I’m just glad you were there. We should have given them a small gift before they left…”

“I gave them gifts and flowers. I heard they made a brief stop in the eastern region before heading to the capital and then to here.”

“Was it because of Sir Luciard?”

“Yes, that’s right. How did you know?”

“I had received a letter before mentioning that Sir Luciard might be in the eastern region. From your expression, it seems they didn’t meet him.”
“Unfortunately, no. But it seems they are in regular contact.”
“That’s a relief. Lord Luciard… If only he’d show his face to the Duke, how nice that would be.”
Derrick began to grumble about how Luciard should consider the people waiting for him.

“Master, there’s a letter for you!”

A servant approached with a letter.

While Hestia was sorting through a large stack of letters, as usual, she noticed a familiar seal.

“Father, the Duke has sent a letter.”

“Oh, really? Let’s check it right away.”

Hestia followed Derrick to his office.

Derrick opened the letter from the Duke of Winston. As Hestia looked through the remaining letters, sorting them by sender, she heard a clatter.

The paper knife Derrick was holding fell to the floor.

At first, it seemed like an accident, but Derrick’s expression was strange.

Noticing the unusual atmosphere, Hestia quickly sensed something was wrong.

“…Dad?”

Derrick looked at Hestia with trembling eyes. His lips quivered as he spoke.

“Hestia… pack your things immediately. We need to go to the Duke’s estate right now.”

“What?”

“The Duke has passed away.”

After a brief silence, the letters Hestia had been holding scattered through the air.

***

“Ugh… Mom, I’m so frustrated.”

“Even if you’re frustrated, you have to bear with it. Don’t loosen your tie.”

“Ugh…”
Despite Eric’s whining, Anna firmly tied the black necktie around her youngest son’s neck.
The Frost family had rented a large hotel near the Duke’s estate to stay overnight.
From early morning, they were busy getting ready, all dressed in somber black attire.
Hestia, wearing a black dress, stared blankly out the window.

“Sister, what should I do with this?”

“Hmm? Just a moment…”

When Annie came up asking for help, Hestia gathered her sister’s hair into a single updo and secured it with pins.

“All done now.”

Seeing Hestia’s weak smile, Annie hugged her tightly.

The sudden warmth made Hestia’s eyes widen.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Annie patted her head.

It seemed Annie and Elvin, her younger siblings, immediately noticed Hestia’s lack of energy.

Since hearing of the Duke and Duchess’s passing the day before, Hestia had been in a state of shock.

She had always been the first to step in when her siblings caused trouble or made mistakes, but now she was slower to react and seemed distracted.

Annie and Elvin even whispered about their sister’s strange behavior.

“It’s not your fault that the Duke had an accident.”

Despite Annie’s consolation, Hestia couldn’t regain her composure, so Elvin stepped in.

Hestia realized her siblings were worried about her.

Seeing Elvin’s gruff yet concerned demeanor and Annie’s fidgeting to prevent her hair from getting messed up, Hestia patted their heads.

“Ah, you’ll mess up my hair!”

“Be gentle, Sister.”

“…Thank you, kids.”

Elvin, who had been grumbling, and Annie, who was anxiously trying to keep her hair in place, both paused.

“You must be quite shocked. I won’t be able to take care of you properly today, so don’t cause any trouble. Can you manage that?”

“Cheh. Do you think we’re children?”

“I can keep an eye on Eric.”

Watching her siblings, who were willingly helping her, gave her a bit of comfort.

It was surprising how much the kids had grown since their return.

“Let’s go now, everyone.”

“Yes~.”

At Derrick’s command, everyone climbed into the carriage.

With six people in the carriage, it quickly became noisy, but Hestia remained silent, gazing out the window in deep thought.

She was continuously remembering the moment when she met the Duke and Duchess a few days ago.

‘It shouldn’t have ended like that.’

Hestia clenched her fists.

‘I should not have ignored the ominous feeling I had.’

She didn’t know exactly how the Duke and Duchess had died; she only heard it was a carriage accident.

Originally, they were supposed to have died in a carriage accident three weeks ago.

However, due to her intervention, the accident had been avoided, allowing them to survive. But…

‘…Is death something I can’t avoid?’

She felt a knot in her stomach.

The faces of the Duke and Duchess, who had treated her well until the end, haunted her, and she was overwhelmed with distress.

‘How selfish of you.’

In the past, she hadn’t cared if they lived or died as long as her family was safe.

Only when the situation stabilized and she had the time to reflect did she realize she should have cared for them.
Even though she knew what kind of misfortune awaited them, she had turned a blind eye, sending only a few letters, convincing herself she had done enough.
Considering all they had done for her, her actions were truly shameful.
She had thought her family was everything, but facing reality, she realized it wasn’t true.

The weight of the lives she had neglected felt so heavy it was suffocating.

“Gasp, gasp…”

Hestia’s breathing grew ragged. As she clutched her throat, Elvin flinched.

He was startled by her pale complexion, fearing she might collapse.

“Dad! Sister is…”

“Hestia! Breathe! Hestia…”
The carriage was thrown into chaos. They quickly stopped the carriage and helped Hestia out.
She unbuttoned the collar that was constricting her throat and took deep breaths.
“Huuu…”
But soon, she began to sob.

She had always been the one to smile and bring energy to those around her.

Seeing her cry left everyone unsure of what to do.

Anna held Hestia tightly and patted her back.

“It’s okay, Hestia. It’s okay…”

“It’s my fault… I shouldn’t have let it happen…”

“Why would it be our Hestia’s fault? It was an unfortunate accident. Don’t hold it against yourself too much.”

“Don’t cry, Sister…”

Derrick, Eric, and the other siblings comforted Hestia’s back.

This was the warmth of family that Hestia had protected for ten years.

Was the desperation of the former Leonhard similar to this, not wanting to lose this warmth?

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Recalling the kind faces of Icarus and Flora, Hestia repeatedly apologized in her heart.

But the people she wished to apologize to no longer existed in this world.

***

Due to Hestia’s outburst of tears, they arrived at the Duke’s estate slightly later than planned.

Fortunately, the funeral had not yet begun.

Hestia pressed a handkerchief to her reddened eyes as she entered the Duke’s estate.

The estate was filled with many nobles.

It must have been difficult to find time due to the sudden news of the death, but given who it was for, everyone had quickly made their way here.

Even the branch families had all gathered.

“You all stay here. I’ll go and see the young master for a moment.”

Derrick straightened his clothes and headed somewhere.

Contrary to his words, he approached a member of the branch family.

“Where is the young master?”

When Annie whispered, Anna pointed to the cluster of branch family adults gathered together.

“Do you see a child around Eric’s age in that group?”

“Oh… the red-haired boy?”

“Yes, that’s Leonhard, the young master.”

“He looks just like the duke.”

Since they had seen Icarus a few days ago, the siblings recognized Leonhard’s face.

Hestia gazed at the eight-year-old boy surrounded by adults with a somewhat complicated expression.

“My deepest condolences.”

“At times like this, the young master must hold himself together.”

“How could they leave the young master all alone… Sigh.”

Listening closely, the branch family adults were taking turns speaking to Leonhard.

It was a scene she had seen before, but there were differences from before her regression: the weather was hotter, and she could now see things she hadn’t noticed previously.

For instance, she realized the adults were offering their condolences with empty words.

‘Bastards.’

Are they really that eager to get their hands on a child who just lost his parents at eight years old?

To Hestia, the branch family adults looked like wolves in sheep’s clothing.

“Young master, do you remember me?”

At that moment, Derrick approached Leonhard.

Leonhard, with his reddened eyes, looked up at Derrick and then nodded.

“My deepest sympathies. How are you holding up?”

Instead of answering, Leonhard lowered his head.

Derrick let out a soft sigh and patted his shoulder.

“Once the funeral is over, make sure to take some rest. This is too much for you right now.”

“Baron Frost, what are you saying? To the young master who will now lead Winston…”

“Isn’t there no one left in Winston except the young master now? It will be tough, but at times like this, the young master must take charge.”

“Ahem. Given how young he is, someone will need to take the reins of Winston in his stead for a while, of course…”

Seeing Harbor’s eyes glinting covertly, Derrick could not contain his outrage.

“What…! Is that something you should be saying in front of the young master?”

Derrick belatedly covered Leonhard’s ears and scolded Harbor.

The other branch family adults, who had been eyeing Leonhard darkly like Harbor, awkwardly cleared their throats and avoided Derrick’s gaze.

Humphrey, watching the situation, cautiously placed a hand on Leonhard’s shoulder.

“Everyone, calm down. It’s the Duke’s funeral. Both Baron Harbor and Baron Frost are right. But this is a discussion we can have after the funeral. For now, let’s focus on helping the young master properly say goodbye to the Duke.”

Everyone awkwardly looked away, and Humphrey, with a gloomy expression, led Leonhard toward the funeral hall.

[Translator Note: Hi readers, Are you liking my project? If yes, Can you please drop some comments to motivate me? Thank you]