Hestia, who had been staring blankly at herself, snapped out of it and frantically waved her hands.
“Oh… haha, hahaha! My lord, surely you must be talking about my father, right?”
Leonhard shook his head while still pointing at Hestia.
At that moment, the smile vanished from Hestia’s face as she realized this wasn’t a joke.
“…You mean me?”
“Yes.”
“But, my lord…! It’s absurd for me to be your guardian!”
“Why?”
“Because…!”
“A guardian only needs to be a relative or an adult. You meet both requirements.”
Hestia wanted to argue, but no words came out. He was right; she did fulfill those conditions.
She had already turned 18, and thanks to Derrick having completed the adoption process a while back, she was legally his daughter.
So, legally, there was no problem. Legally!
As Hestia began to panic, Marlus, who had finally regained his composure, approached Leonhard with a twitch in his mouth.
“M-my lord? Lady Frost is too young. Though she is an adult, making her your guardian is…”
“Didn’t the count say he’d respect my decision?”
“That’s…”
Having already said those words himself, Count Humphrey couldn’t say anything more.
‘I thought all I had to worry about was Baron Frost, but now this…!’
Judging by the atmosphere, the young lady seemed clueless about what was happening.
It might be better for Baron Frost to be chosen.
“Baron Frost, surely you don’t think your daughter could truly be the young lord’s guardian?”
Marlus thought that if Derrick had any sense, he’d stop his daughter from being chosen.
Surely an 18-year-old girl couldn’t bear the weight of the Winston Duchy.
But no response came.
Derrick was looking at Hestia with a peculiar expression.
Seeing this, Marlus suddenly felt uneasy.
‘No way…’
A smile spread across Derrick’s face.
“She may still lack in some areas, but my daughter will do just fine.”
“Right?”
Leonhard’s face brightened at the confirmation, and Derrick didn’t strongly object to his daughter being chosen.
Watching this Marlus felt incredulous.
‘So, as long as it’s someone from the Frost family, he doesn’t care who it is?’
Then again, Derrick could easily control his daughter from behind the scenes.
Still, pushing his daughter to the front like this felt cowardly to Marlus.
There’s no way he could forgive being pushed aside like this.
“My lord, please reconsider. There has never been an 18-year-old girl appointed as someone’s guardian.”
Once again, Marlus opposed, and Leonhard pressed his lips together.
“A guardian doesn’t just take care of you, my lord; they must also manage the entire ducal household and oversee finances. I worry whether Lady Frost has those capabilities.”
“What the count says is correct. Please consider this once more, my lord.”
Without giving Leonhard a chance to respond, Albert sided with Marlus.
Leonhard didn’t like the direction this conversation was taking.
“Why are you two so against it when it’s my decision to choose my guardian? Are you upset because I didn’t pick the count?”
“Not at all. I’m only concerned that the young lady might ruin the ducal household…”
“Ruin it? My Tia would never do such a thing.”
“Baron Frost, no matter how much you love your child, blindly defending her in a situation like this is…”
“Tia has been assisting me in managing the Byron estate for the past three years. On top of that, she currently serves as a director of the Frost Foundation, overseeing its operations.”
Marlus, who hadn’t known this, scowled.
“Of course, she’s still young. She only just became an adult a few months ago. But to say she lacks the experience or ability to be a guardian is simply untrue.”
“Exactly.”
Leonhard, now more confident, gave Marlus a smug look.
“Even so, Lady Frost is unsuitable. I urge you to choose Baron Frost instead. As the head of the collateral branch, it would give me more peace of mind.”
“Count Humphrey!”
Leonhard’s voice rose in anger. Marlus realized he had upset the young lord but still refused to back down.
“This is all for your sake, my lord.”
“You’re completely disregarding everything I’ve said! I choose my own guardian, not you!”
“But if the person doesn’t accept, you won’t be able to appoint them.”
Leonhard flinched, having not considered that possibility. Marlus turned to look at Hestia, who was still frozen in shock.
“Lady Frost, do you truly believe you’re qualified to lead the ducal household as a guardian?”
Hestia’s shoulders trembled.
Seeing her eyes full of confusion, Marlus smirked inwardly.
‘Just as I thought. At least she knows her place.’
If she admitted she wasn’t confident, Marlus could use that opening to promote himself again…
“There’s no reason I can’t.”
“You heard her. Lady Frost said she can’t… Wait, what?”
Marlus, realizing what Hestia had just said, turned around in shock, only to see her now composed.
“Though I’m young and lack the experience of the count or my father, I’ve spent the last three years assisting my father and learning a great deal. There’s still much I need to improve, but I will serve the young lord with utmost sincerity.”
Hestia gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt. Marlus face was turned red in rage.
*Clap, clap, clap, clap*
The sound of clapping filled the room. It was Derrick.
“Congratulations on becoming the guardian, daughter.”
Elvin joined in with the clapping, and others around them followed suit, offering their congratulations.
“Haha… I never imagined the young lord would choose Lady Frost.”
“Well then, congratulations on becoming the guardian, my lady.”
“Congratulations, Lady Frost.”
The room was filled with applause.
But their congratulations were mixed with bewilderment, jealousy, and anger.
The only ones expressing pure negativity were Count Humphrey and his wife.
Everyone else offered hollow compliments, while the two of them glared as if they wanted to devour her.
“Heh, hehe!”
In the midst of it all, an odd laugh echoed.
Leonhard, having shed his forced adult demeanor, finally laughed with the innocent joy of a child his age.
“I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
Hestia cautiously took Leonhard’s hand and knelt on one knee.
It was a kind of vow, pledging her loyalty to him.
The applause grew louder, but contrary to the ceremony, her bowed face was filled with confusion.
With wide eyes and a gulp, Hestia thought to herself:
“I’m screwed.”
However, as soon as Hestia lifted her head, she managed her expression and gave a bright smile. No one noticed the slight tremble at the corners of her lips.
━━━━━ ∙ʚ(✧)ɞ∙ ━━━━━
“What did you just say?”
“You’re telling me sis is the guardian?”
“Guardian? Is that something you eat?”
After the announcement of the guardian was made, Derrick and Elvin returned to their family and shared what had just happened. Naturally, the reactions were mostly ones of bewilderment.
“Wait… Tia as the guardian? Is that even possible?”
“Legally, there’s no issue.”
“That’s not what I mean. Being a guardian involves a lot of responsibilities. Can Tia really handle all that on her own?”
“There’s no need to worry about that. I’ve been watching her work by my side for the past three years, haven’t I? Tia will manage just fine.”
In fact, Derrick thought this might be for the best.
If he had been chosen as the guardian, he would not only have had to manage Byron but also the duchy, which would have massively increased his workload. He was already struggling to keep up with his current duties and barely getting enough sleep.
On top of that, becoming a guardian would expose him to constant scrutiny and opposition. But with Hestia, things could be different. he would be somewhat free from that pressure.
Given her young age and lack of established power, people would likely try to win her over rather than oppose her.
“Of course, she’ll have to deal with a lot of attention, but Tia will handle it just fine.”
She had been learning from him for three years and, since she grew up surrounded by merchants and adults, she was sharper and more aware of the world than most people her age. She also had the right instincts to manage a territory effectively.
Besides, Hestia wasn’t someone who let people get too close. She had her own principles and wouldn’t be easily swayed by sweet words from adults.
“In fact, sometimes she’s even stricter than I am in certain matters.”
There were moments when Derrick learned things from Hestia, who was both wise and mature beyond her age. That’s why, when Leonhard had named her as his guardian, Derrick hadn’t been overly concerned and was ready to support her.
“Where is Tia now?”
“She’s speaking with the young lord at the moment.”
At that moment, Elvin, who had been silent with a serious expression, turned to Derrick.
“Father, what happens to sis now?”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“Now that she’s the guardian, where will she live?”
“Well…”
“If Dad became the guardian, he’d have to live here for a while, just like Sis said. But since Sis is the guardian now, doesn’t that mean she has to live here?”
“Not necessarily. She can handle the duchy’s affairs from Byron as well…”
“Oh dear, what are you saying? Of course, she should be here. You may have to stay in Byron because of your duties, but Tia isn’t in the same situation.”
“Exactly! She’ll probably be here for the next 10 years.”
Derrick blinked in surprise, realizing he hadn’t thought that far ahead.
“Honestly! Do you want her to be stuck here for 10 years, unable to get married? What if her chances of marriage are ruined? Will you take responsibility for that?”
Anna lightly slapped Derrick’s back in frustration. He wore a dazed expression as he turned to Elvin.
“Should I go and offer to take the role myself?”
“…Father, the carriage has already left.”
Elvin shook his head in disbelief as he watched Derrick’s legs go weak with a stunned expression.
