I Became The Guardian Of The Future Villain

“…A fire?”

“Yes, when we went down to the chest, there was already a large fire at Albert’s house.”

“Since Albert’s house was a tenement, the damage was significant, but luckily, the fire didn’t spread to any other buildings.”

“Was there any severe damage?”

“Thanks to everyone evacuating quickly, there is no significant severe damage. There are a few people with minor burns or smoke inhalation that need treatment, but… there’s one death.”
“Is the deceased Albert?”
“Yes, the body was so badly damaged that it was unrecognizable, but it was found in his house, and he was wearing a pocket watch he often used.”

“Also, the fire started in his house. There were signs that something had been burned in the fireplace. It seems the sparks might have jumped to start the fire elsewhere.”

“Hmm…”

How could things have turned out this way?

He was supposed to be captured, but instead, he died in a fire?

‘It’s too strange to call it a coincidence.’

Just before he moved, Albert had managed to slip out of the duke’s castle. He must have been unaware that Malrus and the others were counterattacked.

“They said there were traces of something burned in the fireplace. Do we know what it was?”

“We’re still investigating. It’s suspected he was trying to destroy evidence of the crimes he committed.”

“Right, that would make sense…”

Albert returned to his home and realized things had gone wrong. In an attempt to destroy evidence, he started burning things in the fireplace.

And then, in order to eliminate all evidence, he ended up setting his house on fire and dying himself…

‘Is this going too far?’

But it was true that a fire had occurred, and he had died without providing any information.

‘At least he did come back to the castle before this happened.’

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have suddenly decided to burn his belongings.

But if that were the case, why would he have felt the need to destroy evidence after he had already allied with Malrus to imprison himself?

If so, what evidence was he trying to eliminate?

“Even in death, he is a headache.”

As Hestia rubbed her tired face, Lloyd and the knights were left speechless.

“First of all, it’s true that a major fire has occurred, so we need to create temporary housing for the people who lost their homes. Also, let’s check if there are any injured from the fire and call doctors for treatment. The charges can be made to the duke’s castle. I’ll go down there myself to check it out today.”

“Yes, I will take care of that.”

The knights left to handle the situation. Only Lloyd remained standing, and Hestia looked at him with curiosity.

“Do you have something to say?”

Lloyd hesitated, then bowed deeply. He bent so low that his head almost touched the ground, and Hestia was momentarily taken aback.
“I apologize for my past rudeness.”
“Uh… what rudeness?”
“To be honest, when the lady said Hubert was a traitor, I couldn’t believe it. It’s more accurate to say I didn’t want to believe it.”
Lloyd was the perfect example of a loyal knight. He was dedicated, stoic, and maybe even a bit stubborn.
This stubbornness included a mindset that, even if his superior wasn’t a good person, he should still follow them.
Lloyd didn’t like the idea of questioning his superior.
If it wasn’t for Hestia being Leonhard’s guardian, Lloyd might’ve gotten angry and pretended he hadn’t heard anything.
But just as Hestia had said, events unfolded, and not only Hubert but also many of the colleagues and servants who had shared in their struggles had turned traitors.

Lloyd couldn’t bear to believe that so many of his colleagues had betrayed the grace of the duke’s family.

“My perspective was too narrow. Just because I pledged my loyalty to the duke’s family doesn’t mean everyone else will too.”

“Is that so…”

Hestia scratched her cheek awkwardly.

‘Well, I can’t really blame him. I only handled things so well because I knew what was going to happen, and everyone else was in the dark.’

But Lloyd seemed so shocked that he was practically confessing.

“No! As a knight of Winston! I should have detected the dangers occurring internally first!”

“Uh… yeah…”

“In the future, I, Lloyd, vow to believe, support, and follow Lady Frost as the young master’s guardian. Of course, my lord will always be Prince Leonhard… But if there’s ever danger, I will rush to your side anytime.”

Hestia awkwardly smiled. Lloyd’s bright, determined expression felt a bit burdensome.

“Um, I get it for now, so you can go. I’ll call you if I need anything later.”

“Of course! Please call me!”

As Hestia watched Lloyd exit with his posture intact, she let out a chuckle.

Now, in the office, Hildé and Hestia were left alone, and Hildé spoke up.

“Now there shouldn’t be anyone in the duke’s castle who doubts you.”

“While it would be good if they could follow me, it’s burdensome if they all act like that.”

“Still, compared to when they first doubted and distrusted you, things are much better, aren’t they?”

“That’s true. And Hildé, I’m grateful you came at the right moment. I couldn’t contact you since I was rushed in from the other side, but how did you arrive just in time?”

“Actually, I was on my way back from seeing former Chief Butler Leitner when I spotted Count Humphrey entering the chest. I had never heard of an appointment for the count to come, so I was curious.”

“Somehow, luck was on our side.”

“Yes. And I could never have imagined that Albert would poison the former Chief Butler.”

In fact, Hestia had been suspicious about Leitner suddenly resigning and Albert taking over. She had wondered if there was some collusion between them.

Upon investigating, it turned out they were also victims of Albert.

“What happened to the former chief butler?”

“For now, he has been brought to the chest. The environment where he was staying was poor for treatment. Jerome is currently taking care of him.”

“Jerome?”

“Yes, since Jerome studied herbal medicine. He has figured out that the poison was used, but he doesn’t know the treatment method, so he is assisting.”

“Oh, right…”

Jerome had devoted himself to developing soap and cosmetics and had naturally become interested in herbs.
The effects and qualities of the products varied based on which herbs were used, so he’d been researching to make sure they worked for different purposes.
After nearly ten years of developing new products, Jerome had become something of an expert on herbs.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door. Hilde and Hestia exchanged glances, and Hestia cleared her throat.

“Come in.”

As the door opened, Gallian entered with Daisy and Nova.

“I apologize for not properly greeting you earlier. I am Gallian, your guardian.”

“Feel free to call me by my name. But why are Daisy and Nova here together?”

The three exchanged glances and bowed their heads in unison.

“We came to express our gratitude to the benefactor.”

‘…Somehow, this feels like déjà vu.’

Seeing the three in the same posture as Lloyd made Hestia chuckle.

“If it weren’t for you, an old raccoon would have surely harmed the young master.”

“I can’t imagine what would have happened if Count Humphrey had been the guardian.”

Nova and Daisy frowned at that.

The two were people who had come here following the late Duchess Flora.

Their affection for Flora ran so deep that Daisy and Nova also had profound feelings for Leonhard.

Initially, they had been wary of Hestia because they wanted to determine if she was a threat to Leonhard, the only blood relative of Flora.

So they had been quite tense when they first recruited Hestia, in a different sense.

“But trusting and following me was your choice. Thanks to your cooperation, we could easily catch Count Humphrey and his accomplices. I imagine it wasn’t an easy decision to trust me…”

Nova looked at Hestia, who was sitting in the chair where Icarus used to sit, and slowly blinked.

“After the funeral, I carefully watched everyone who approached the young master. Most were only offering formal condolences and trying to lure the young master with flattery.”

The young heir of the duke’s family who lost his protector.

Many people’s eyes lit up, thinking that if they treated him well even a little, they might gain favor later or interfere with him in various ways.

“But the young lady was different. She genuinely cared for the young master and treated him as a person, not just as a child needing protection.”

Sometimes, she treated him as a child needing protection, and at other times, as the heir who would lead the duke’s family, creating an environment where Leonhard could think for himself.

To be honest, Nova and Daisy used to think they were the only ones who could protect Leonhard. They were so focused on shielding him that they never considered how to help him move forward.

Seeing Hestia teach Leonhard little by little had been a bit of a shock to them.

“From the start, we never trusted that old fox. He went on about being a distant relative and a proper guardian, but it was obvious what he was really after.”

They hadn’t welcomed Count Humphrey at all. The greed in his eyes, when he looked at Leonhard, had been plain as day.

“Looking back, the young master had foresight. He picked such an excellent person to be his guardian.”

Hestia felt a bit flustered under all the compliments.

“I plan to fully support you from now on. I apologize for being so stubborn before.”

“It’s, uh, fine. There wasn’t really anything that hard…”

Nova, the head maid, had always been strictly professional with Hestia, keeping any personal feelings out of it. Now, she felt guilty, but it seemed like the sharp young lady hadn’t really cared much about it.

“I’ll be counting on you. We’ve got a lot of empty spots now that we’ve rounded up all the spies, so there’ll be plenty of work to go around. I’ve also got more things to handle myself, so I won’t be able to keep as close an eye on the young master as before. I’ll need you two to keep a close watch on both the house and him. I’m sure he’s been pretty shaken up by everything.”

Hestia’s warm smile made Nova and Daisy’s eyes widen.

With this, she could’ve easily expanded her power, but all she cared about was Leonhard and the safety of the dukedom.

‘She really does remind me of the late Duke and Duchess.’

They saw glimpses of Flora and Icarus, who had led the duchy with such grace, in her.

“You just give the orders, and I’ll do whatever you need,” Nova said, bowing deeply.

“You don’t have to go that far…”

Hestia, who had always maintained a strong front, was now showing a more relaxed side, which Nova found surprising. This might be Hestia’s true self, she thought.

“Gallian, I’ve heard about your father from Hilde. Jerome’s looking after him, right?”

“Yes, miss. I’ve heard he’s one of your people.”

“That’s right. He’s the only person I brought back from Byron. He’s an expert on herbs and well-off, so I’m sure your father will recover. If need be, I’ll pay for the treatment myself.”

“Miss, weren’t you against me getting financial help?”

“Huh? Was I?”

Gallian recalled the things Albert had said to provoke him. Albert had told him that Hestia had cut off his financial support.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t even know you were getting support.”

Gallian felt a weight lift off his chest.

Though he knew Albert had been lying, there had been a nagging worry in the back of his mind that, just maybe, Hestia really had cut him off. But now, he was relieved to know it was all a misunderstanding.

“You’ve done so much for me. You saved my father and me by finding out he was poisoned and even arranging treatment. I’ll repay this debt with my life if I have to.”

“That’s not necessary…”

Hestia found everyone’s overwhelming gratitude a bit exhausting.

“If there’s ever anything I can do to help, just say the word. Anything within my power, I’ll do.”

Hearing this, Hestia’s eyes lit up.

“In that case, how about coming back to work?”

“…What?”

Gallian, ready to do anything for her, was caught off guard by this unexpected job offer.