“Ugh… it’s so hot.”
Hestia squinted against the sunlight streaming through the window as she slowly woke up.
Still sleepy, she stretched her arms and legs, rolling over in bed.
Thud—
“Huh?”
Something solid brushed against her arms and legs. There shouldn’t be anything but blankets or pillows around, so what was it…?
When she opened her blurry eyes, she froze.
There was a guy right in front of her.
With a prominent nose, a sharp jawline, and even with his eyes closed, he looked incredibly handsome.
The solid thing that had touched her fingers was none other than the guy’s body.
Finding herself in a position that felt like she was hugging him, Hestia was completely paralyzed with shock.
Just when she was too stunned to speak, he muttered, “…What’s going on?”
With a low voice, the man frowned as he sat up.
Their eyes met.
His eyes were a clear blue, just like the sky outside.
Then, a look of confusion flashed across his face as he opened his mouth.
“AHHHHH!”
Hestia screamed and kicked at him with all her might.
Thud—!
“Ugh! Why are you kicking me—!”
“AHHHH! C-call the knights! Call the knights!”
Before the guy could say anything, Hestia was already in a panic, screaming like crazy.
Naturally, her scream echoed throughout the entire residence, and before long…
“Hestia!”
“Lady! What’s going on?”
Leonhard, Gallian, Lloyd, and a bunch of others rushed in.
Hestia, wrapped in her blanket, pointed to the other side of the bed.
“There’s a guy who broke into my room! He was even lying in my bed!”
Seeing Hestia in her pajamas, they quickly grasped the severity of the situation.
Lloyd drew his sword, ready for action.
“Come out quietly while I’m being nice!”
The man, whose hood was barely visible behind the bed, sighed deeply and stood up.
Hestia, Lloyd, Gallian, and even Leonhard held their breath, watching how the guy would react for a moment…
“…Why am I being accused of being a pervert when I was just sleeping in my own room?”
Seeing the man rub his neck with a disgruntled look, everyone froze.
Hestia was puzzled by the fact that Lloyd and the other knights were doing nothing.
“Wh-what are you guys doing? Why aren’t you capturing him…?”
“…Hestia.”
“Yeah?”
Leonhard’s voice made Hestia lower her head. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the man and spoke again.
“Did… did that guy do anything to you?”
“Not really, but when I woke up, I found him lying next to me…”
Thinking about it, he hadn’t actually done anything.
It seemed like he had no idea she was there and had just been sleeping.
The man looked around with a disgruntled expression.
“This is my room, right? I’d rather ask why a mysterious girl is sleeping in my bed.”
Wait, what did he just say?
‘My room, could it be…?’
“…Uncle?”
Her voice was uncertain, but Leonhard’s eyes shifted.
The man finally noticed Leonhard, who was hidden behind Lloyd and the knights.
“Leon!”
He rushed towards Leonhard, calling his name, and hugged him tightly.
“No way… Sir Luciard?!”
Realizing the man’s identity at last, Hestia gasped.
The guy she had been lying next to was none other than Luciard Winston.
Icarus Winston’s half-brother and Leonhard’s only remaining blood relative.
Just last night, she had been wondering where he was. She never expected him to show up right in front of her when she woke up.
Ignoring Hestia and the others, Luciard breathed out shakily as he checked Leonhard over.
“Are you hurt anywhere? I was worried you might have gotten caught in the carriage accident too.”
Still in shock, Leonhard slowly raised his trembling hand to touch Luciard’s cheek.
When he pulled off the hood, a strikingly similar red hair to Leonhard’s was revealed.
“Is it really… you, Uncle?”
“You’ve grown a lot over the past two years, Leon.”
Two years ago, Luciard had suddenly gone missing.
The last time Leonhard saw him was when he was six years old.
Luciard’s face was much more angular and sharp than Leonhard’s faded memories, but his gaze remained gentle.
And in his features, Leonhard could see the resemblance to his father, Icarus.
“Ugh, Uncle…”
Tears welled up in Leonhard’s big eyes. Choked up, he struggled to speak.
Luciard, frowning in pain, hugged his nephew tightly.
Hestia, unable to comprehend the scene unfolding before her, turned to Lloyd.
“…It really is Sir Luciard, right?”
Lloyd put away his sword and nodded.
“Yes, it’s the young master for sure. There were times he showed up at the estate without a word before. When we asked how he got in, he always said he just climbed through the window at night…”
She gave him a look that said, ‘Why not just use the front door?’ and Lloyd shrugged.
“…I haven’t seen Sir Luciard in five years, but he hasn’t changed that much.”
Gallian also seemed hesitant but agreed that it looked like Luciard.
‘His old face.’
Hadn’t Hestia seen Luciard ten years ago? Plus, she had seen the sketch that Icarus had distributed.
He certainly bore a strong resemblance to the scrawny boy from back then, just grown into a man.
‘If this is really Luciard Winston, that’s a relief, but…’
At that moment, Hestia locked eyes with Luciard, who was comforting Leonhard. When he threw her an irritated glance, Hestia felt a bit unsettled.
Was he mad about the earlier fuss?
‘Who wouldn’t be shocked to wake up next to a random guy?!’
Feeling a bit wronged, Hestia locked eyes with him, and a little spark ignited between them.
━━━━━ ∙ʚ(✧)ɞ∙ ━━━━━
“Cough! I thought you’d completely forgotten about me since you didn’t come to the funeral.”
“I’m sorry, Leon. I found out too late. I was abroad all this time. If I’d known, I would have come sooner.”
After some time had passed and Leonhard had cried his heart out, he was still catching his breath in Luciard’s embrace.
Luciard gently wiped away his tears.
“Don’t leave again. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”
“Yeah, I’ll stay by your side, Leon. I’m so sorry for being late.”
Feeling the familiar warmth of a father’s touch in Luciard’s gentle pats on his back, Leonhart teared up again and buried his face in Luciard’s embrace.
His clothes were already damp with Leonhardt’s tears and snot.
As Luciard patted the little back, he recalled the earlier situation.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a splash of teal.
‘It was that woman’s eyes.’
She had screamed and kicked at him with all her might.
Of course, he understood she might be startled given the circumstances, but it was unfair for him to be treated like that.
He had just been sleeping in his room, and now he was being accused of being a pervert.
‘If she’s a guest, she should be staying in the guest room.’
“Leon.”
“Yeah?”
“Who was that woman just now?”
“Who? Oh, you mean Hestia?”
“Hestia?”
The name sounded familiar, making Luciard frown.
“Hestia is my guardian!”
“…Guardian?”
His eyebrows furrowed even more at his next words.
“A guardian? How long has it been since my brother and sister-in-law passed away that you already have a guardian…?”
Knock knock—
Before Luciard could continue, a knock was heard. When Leonhard told her to come in, Hestia entered.
When Leonhard started to burst into tears, everyone left, leaving just the two of them in Luciard’s room.
“I brought some sandwiches so we can have a simple breakfast. Is that okay?”
“Oh! I was just getting hungry! Thanks, Hestia!”
Seeing Leonhard suddenly slip away from his arms and rush over to Hestia, being all friendly, Luciard felt a strange emotion.
He locked eyes with Hestia again.
A peculiar silence hung between them for a second, but Hestia broke it with a smile.
“Would you like a sandwich too, Lord Luciard?”
“…Sure.”
Leonhard was already settled in, munching on a sandwich with his cheeks stuffed. Luciard took a seat next to him while giving Hestia a suspicious glare.
“Uncle! This sandwich is super delicious!”
“Really? Eat up.”
“Hestia! You should eat too! You didn’t have breakfast, right?”
“Yes, I actually brought my own too.”
Hestia, responding kindly to Leonhard, carefully took a bite of her sandwich. Luciard still hadn’t taken his eyes off her as he picked up a sandwich.
“I’m sorry about what happened earlier.”
Hestia spoke up first.
“I was temporarily staying in Lord Luciard’s room. But when I woke up and saw a strange man, I was so startled.”
“…Leon said you were a guardian.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How old are you?”
“Eighteen.”
“Eighteen? So you just became an adult this year?”
It was already strange for someone to have a guardian at such a young age, but the fact that the guardian was a newly adult girl was suspicious as hell.
Avoiding Luciard’s intense gaze, Hestia finished her sandwich and licked the sauce off her fingers before lifting her gaze.
There was something vaguely familiar about her green eyes that reminded him of something.
‘…I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere…’
“I haven’t even introduced myself yet. It’s been a while, Lord Luciard.”
“It has…?”
“I’m Hestia Frost. Do you remember my name?”
When he heard Hestia’s name from Leonhard, a hazy memory clicked into place as he recognized the last name.
As Luciard’s eyes widened slowly, he shot up from his seat.
Leonhard, who had been drinking juice, jumped in surprise and started choking.
“Cough, cough! U-Uncle?”
“No way! You! At my brother’s wedding…!”
Hestia’s lips curled up into a smile. Her expression reminded him of the girl who had pulled him out of hell.
“How have you been all this time?”
“Ugh…”
Overwhelmed by shock, Luciard sank back into his seat.
Without being able to say anything, he just chuckled, while Hestia looked at him with a meaningful smile.
Though they were clearly meeting for the first time today, there was a vibe between them that felt oddly familiar, making Leonhard tilt his head in confusion as he observed the situation.
