‘…Why does he trust me so much?’
Hestia felt uneasy, seeing Leonhard’s eyes shining with such trust that it was almost overwhelming.
He resembled a puppy begging for praise.
Anyone else would have probably felt relieved and happy to be trusted without having to earn it. But not Hestia.
‘This is why he’s such an easy target.’
Hestia thought to herself.
He had only met her for a day, and yet he already trusted her so easily. It was obvious how Malrus would have manipulated him if Malrus had become his guardian instead of her.
“I already told you not to trust me too much,” she said.
Leonhard flinched and looked dejected.
Hestia felt bad as if she were bullying a child, but she had no choice.
“If Lord Luciard returns, I will step down as your guardian.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s just a guess, but I don’t think Lord Luciard would harm you. He’s not that kind of person.”
“Right! Uncle spoils me a lot. He always brings me tons of gifts. But, have you met him before?”
Leonhard tilted his head in curiosity. From her tone, it sounded like she had met him, which made him suspicious.
Hestia froze for a moment, but there was no need to tell him they had been in talks for an arranged marriage, so she glossed over it.
“I met him briefly with the Duke a long time ago.”
“I see.”
“But this is all under the condition that you aren’t harmed. If Lord Luciard were to threaten you or show any ambition toward the dukedom, I would not step down.”
“Okay, do that then.”
Hestia wrote this into the contract. She meticulously noted down everything, including the minor details that could easily be overlooked. This document would serve as both a warning to her, should she ever waver, and as evidence of her efforts when Leonhard grew older.
Once the contract was mostly complete, Albert entered the room.
“Butler, do you have the Duke’s seal on hand?”
Albert, who had been preparing refreshments, froze. He gave Leonhard a look that seemed to ask, ‘Why are you looking for that?’
“I wrote up a contract with her. She said we need to seal it,” Leonhard explained.
“I think it’s better if I sign it and the young lord stamps it with the Winston family’s seal,” Hestia added.
Taking the contract from Leonhard, Albert gave Hestia an odd look.
‘He probably didn’t expect me to go this far,’ she thought.
After all, what guardian would go to such lengths? Most would simply assert their authority without paying much attention to the ward’s opinion.
“If you don’t mind, could you make a copy of the contract? That way, the young lord and I will each have a copy,” Hestia requested.
“Understood. I’ll prepare it right away. Please wait a moment.”
Albert left the room briefly and returned with two newly drafted contracts and the Winston family seal. After thoroughly reviewing the contracts to ensure there were no mistakes, Hestia and Leonhard each signed their names, and Leonhard pressed the Winston seal next to his signature.
Leonhard looked at the seal with a tense expression. He remembered sitting on Icarus’s lap when he was younger, watching him work. Icarus would sometimes place the seal in Leonhard’s hand and let him stamp documents.
Back then, it had seemed like a toy. But now, the weight of responsibility felt immense.
Leonhard’s hands trembled slightly.
A delicate hand rested on top of his.
Looking up, he saw Hestia’s calm face. She gently guided his hand to stamp the second contract.
The action triggered memories of Icarus, stirring emotions in Leonhard.
“Congratulations, young lord. This is your first contract.”
“My first… contract…”
“From now on, you’ll handle many more matters with this seal. I will take care of most of the work, but for any important matters, I’ll make sure to get your approval. And during those times, you will use this seal.”
A guardian is usually a representative or substitute for their ward, meant to protect them. They are rarely seen as equals.
But Hestia’s words were essentially a declaration that she intended to serve Leonhard as her master.
Had it been Malrus or Derrick as his guardian, Leonhard would likely have had no say or influence over the dukedom.
Leonhard deeply appreciated Hestia’s respect for him.
Feeling reassured that he had made the right choice, Leonhard looked at Albert.
“Albert! Now that my guardian has been chosen, prepare a room for her.”
“Where should I prepare, young lord?”
“Where would be best?”
“The guest room would be fine. Just prepare an appropriate room,” Hestia suggested.
“In that case, I shall prepare the VIP suite—”
“No, prepare a room on the third floor.”
Albert hesitated.
“But that floor is reserved only for direct descendants of the family.”
Even though Hestia was now his guardian, it was inappropriate to assign her a room on a floor reserved for the immediate family.
Hestia also realized this was too much and declined the offer.
“It’s fine. The guest room is enough.”
“But the guest rooms are far from the main estate, and the third floor is currently empty.”
Leonhard’s firm tone left Hestia with a conflicted expression, and she looked at Albert for support.
Albert sighed heavily, knowing what was to come.
“Typically, the second floor is reserved for the Duke’s family, while the third floor is used by their children or siblings.”
Come to think of it, the room she once visited with Luciard was also on the third floor.
“There’s an empty room next to mine. You can use that one.”
“I really don’t think that’s necessary—”
“I… I don’t want to be alone.”
Hestia paused, surprised by the sudden drop in his voice.
Leonhard’s face had become sorrowful.
“My parents aren’t here anymore… I don’t want to sleep alone in this huge castle.”
Servants were always with him, but their presence didn’t alleviate his loneliness.
Seeing him like that reminded Hestia of the nights she secretly cried herself to sleep after losing her parents.
She knew she should refuse, but her resolve had already softened.
“Well… if that’s the case, I suppose there’s no helping it.”
As soon as Hestia agreed, Leonhard’s face brightened up.
“That room next to mine used to be my uncle’s, but he only stays there during breaks, so it’s empty now! Albert, you keep it clean, right?”
“Of course. But it still seems inappropriate for Miss Hestia—”
“Then we could use my mother’s old room—”
“I decline!”
“That’s not possible!”
Albert and Hestia both shouted at the same time.
So Leonhard couldn’t push his suggestion any further.
But they did agree on one thing: if Hestia was to function as his guardian, she would need a proper room in the main estate.
After some discussion, they reached a compromise.
“You’ll take the Duke’s room, and I’ll use your room.”
“…I still like the room next to mine better.”
“This is how it should be. Besides, we should keep your uncle’s room vacant for when he returns.”
“But redoing the interiors will take time.”
“We can’t avoid that. In the meantime, I’ll temporarily use Lord Luciard’s room. Will that be acceptable?”
Leonhard pouted in dissatisfaction, but Hestia couldn’t back down on this.
“Young lord, the second floor is for you alone. You must not give it to anyone else.”
“…I don’t want to be alone.”
“I’ll be just upstairs. If you don’t want to sleep by yourself, you can come up to my room anytime. Or I can stay with you until you fall asleep.”
“Really? You’ll do that for me?”
“Since I was young, I’ve always read bedtime stories to my siblings before they fell asleep.”
Leonhard’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and Hestia was relieved to see his mood improve.
“Ahem, well… I guess there’s no choice. But you have to read me a story before bed, okay?”
“Yes, I’ll read to you every day.”
His pale cheeks puffed up as he started smiling broadly. Leonhard, who hadn’t had a bedtime story read to him in a long time, chattered away like a lark.
“When will you be here?”
“I think I’ll have to go back to Byron first. I need to pack my things and wrap up my work.”
“Will it take long?”
“Probably about a week.”
“A whole week…”
“A week will pass by in the blink of an eye. I’ll prepare quickly and return.”
“Alright, I’ll do my best to ensure you’re comfortable here.”
“Please, feel free to just call me Hestia.”
“Huh?”
“Calling me ‘young lady’ all the time feels too formal. You can call me Hestia. But if you’re uncomfortable, ‘young lady’ is fine too.”
“Oh, no! I’ll call you Hestia!”
“Yes, young master.”
“Hestia, you can… call me Leon too.”
The way he shyly fidgeted with his legs was incredibly cute.
Seeing him like that made her smile, but Hestia firmly declined.
“No, I’ll call you ‘young master.'”
When Leonhard froze, looking shocked, she hurried to add an explanation.
“It might seem like I’m being disrespectful if I call you by your name. There are a lot of eyes watching, so please understand.”
“…Fine. But once we get closer, call me by my name then.”
“Yes, I’ll definitely do that.”
Hestia stood up, took one of the documents, and tucked it into her coat. She handed the other to Albert.
“Please keep this safe, head butler.”
“Yes, I’ll store it in the office.”
“And is there anything urgent that needs to be taken care of before I leave?”
“Nothing urgent at the moment. Although there is a backlog of work, it might be better to wait until you are settled here.”
“That’s true.”
Derrick had always had a lot of work to handle, and he was constantly short of hands…
She couldn’t even imagine. How much work would there be for a duke?
“Is it going to be all-nighters every day?”
Suddenly, the exhaustion washed over her.
Even when she returned to Byron, she’d have to hire someone to take over her tasks and handle the handover process, which was already giving her a headache.
Hestia staggered slightly as she left the room.
Leonhard trailed after her like a little chick, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her.
When she turned to see why he was following her, Leonhard was staring at her with shining eyes.
It was as if he had imprinted on the first person he’d seen after hatching from an egg.
That was when the full weight of the responsibility of taking care of this child hit her.
[Translator note: Hope you guys like it, if you guys like this chapter, please feedback this novel on “Novelupdates”.]
