BGFV Chapter 80

“Sniff…”

Leonhard, who had finally stopped crying, took a deep breath.

It had taken him a full 15 minutes to stop.

Still sniffling from the aftermath of his tears, Leonhard glanced nervously at Luciard and Hestia, who were sitting quietly across from him.

“Are you done crying?”

“…Yeah.”

“Do you know why I’m scolding you?”

“…I yelled at Hestia.”

“And?”

“…And I said mean things to Hestia.”

“And?”

“And…?”
Leonhard, unable to think of anything more he did wrong, started to panic and rack his brain.
Hestia also wondered if there was anything else he did wrong.
“You kept trying to ignore Hestia, didn’t you?”

‘Ah, so that’s it.’

In the playroom, it seemed accidental, but after hearing Elvin’s words and thinking back to how Leonhard had acted in the dining room, it was clear he’d deliberately tried to brush off whatever Hestia was saying.

“No matter the reason, when you act like that, it hurts Hestia’s feelings.”
“Huh? H-Hestia… were you hurt?”
His voice trembling.
He asked with teary eyes, and Hestia quickly waved her hands.
“No, I’m fine…”
Hestia tried to say she was okay, but Luciard gave her a sharp look.
‘What are you doing, saying you’re fine?’
‘Then…what should I say?’

Unable to bear it any longer, Luciard stepped in.

“Hestia said she was hurt. She was really sad because you kept ignoring her.”

Leonhard looked utterly shocked as if he’d just been struck by lightning.

“Think about it, Leon. If you wanted to say something to Hestia, but she kept pretending not to hear and brushed it off, how would that make you feel?”

With this simple example, Leonhard’s face grew even more serious. His eyes, already red, welled up again.

“Sniff… I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry, Hestia.”

Luciard gave a signal that it was okay, so Hestia stood up hesitantly and wrapped her arms around Leonhard.

“Since you apologized, I’m not mad anymore. But you won’t do it again, right?”

“Yeah, I won’t do it again. You don’t hate me, right, Hestia?”

“Of course not! I like you a lot.”

Leonhard’s face finally broke into a smile, even though his eyes were still wet from crying. Seeing him smile like that, Hestia realized how cute he looked. She hugged him tightly, comforting him so he wouldn’t feel anxious.

“Leon, we have something important to talk to you about.”

Once Leonhard had calmed down a bit, Luciard began speaking.

Leonhard tensed up again, looking anxious, but as he felt Hestia holding him and saw the gentle look in Luciard’s eyes, he relaxed a little.

“…Is it about the guardian thing?”

Both of their eyes widened.

“…How did you know?”

“Elvin said so. That since Uncle’s here, Hestia would be going back home with him.”

“Ah…”

‘So that’s what Elvin told him.’

“Is Uncle going to be my guardian? And Hestia’s leaving…?”

Leonhard’s eyes filled with fresh tears before the previous ones had even dried.

But this time, it was different from the stubborn crying he’d done earlier.

“But…but I don’t want Hestia to leave… You said I could have what I want, so why do you and Uncle get to decide everything?”

Tears of sadness and frustration began to pour down his face.

This time, Luciard couldn’t scold him, because he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“I don’t want her to leave… I don’t want Hestia to go…”

Leonhard clung tightly to the hem of Hestia’s clothes as if he was already trying to stop her from leaving.

“…Is that why you didn’t want to listen to me earlier…?”

“You were going to tell me you’re leaving with your family.”

Hestia suddenly remembered what Leonhard had said a little while ago.

‘Still, I don’t care! Tell me later! You can wait until after Eric leaves!’

Eric leaving meant the Frost family would return home. And if they talked after that, Hestia would still be here.
In his own way, Leonhard had been trying to delay her departure.
“…You really like Hestia, don’t you?”

At Luciard’s careful question, Leonhard, his face a mess of tears and snot, nodded his head.

“Yeah, I want to live with Hestia.”

“Did you think about what you want to do from now on, after we talked last time?”

“Well…”

Whether he hadn’t thought about it or simply couldn’t come up with a good answer, Leonhard hesitated.

“Leon, Hestia can’t stay here forever.”

Leonhard pouted, his eyes filled with tears again.

“Even if she stays on as your guardian, it’ll only be for another ten years, max. By then, you’ll be an adult. It’s not good for a young lady of marriageable age to be tied down here for so long.”

“…But.”

“Uncle’s saying you’ll have to get ready to say goodbye to Hestia, sooner or later.”

Leonhard sniffled but didn’t reply.

“Luciard and I talked seriously about this. We’ve made a decision, and we want you to hear it, okay?”

Leonhard looked back and forth between Luciard and Hestia, then slowly nodded, reassured by their warm gazes.

“For now, Hestia has agreed to transfer the role of guardian over to me.”

The small hand clutching Hestia’s dress tightened.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m leaving right away.”

At Hestia’s words, Leonhard’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Is it that…handover thing?”

“You mean the transition? Yes, that’s right. Since Luciard doesn’t know everything yet, he’ll be learning from me for a while.”

“I’m not sure how long it will take, but at least a year.”

Leonhard, who had been confused, gradually understood the meaning and quickly turned to look at Hestia.

“A year…!”

“Yes, I’ll be by your side as your guardian for at least a year.”

“Wow! Ah… but that means you’ll still leave after a year, right?”

His excited cheers gradually diminished, and Leonhard looked puzzled.

“I’m aiming for at least a year, but it could take longer. There’s still a lot I need to learn.”

“I’m also getting used to being close to you, so it’d be sad if I leave too soon.”

“So, what Uncle and Hestia mean is that Uncle will take over as my guardian after Hestia teaches him everything?”

“That’s right. Our Leon is so smart.”

Leonhard was left in a peculiar state, unsure whether to be happy or sad.

He was glad that Hestia wouldn’t be leaving immediately, but the fact remained that she would leave someday — it just wasn’t going to be tomorrow.

“We’ll have to part ways eventually, but let’s make lots of memories while we’re together.”

“Lots of…?”

“Yes, I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had the chance to play with you properly. We can play hide-and-seek, go on outings, attend festivals, and throw a birthday party. Your birthday is in two months, right? I’ll make sure to throw a grand celebration for you.”

Leonhard’s eyes started to sparkle with excitement.

“I want to invite Eric, Annie, and Elvin!”

“Of course! We’ll invite my family, too, and plenty of other guests to make it a lot of fun.”

“Great! That sounds amazing!”

“And don’t be too sad when I leave. Even though I won’t be living with you, I’ll visit often. Or you could come visit me in Byron.”

“Really? I can?”

“Of course, you can.”

“Actually, I’ve never been outside of Chest before.”

“What?”

Hestia looked at him in surprise and then turned toward Luciard, who furrowed his brow as if trying to remember.

“Now that you mention it… I don’t think you have. Though we do go into town sometimes, right?”

“But haven’t you visited your mother’s side of the family?”

“Well, the Lawrence family is a bit…”

Luciard trailed off, hinting that he had something to explain later without Leonhard noticing.

Sensing that there was more to the story, Hestia didn’t press the matter further.

‘That’s odd. Wouldn’t the entire family go to the capital for royal events?’

As far as she knew, Icarus and Flora occasionally went to the capital to attend royal events.

‘Ah, but our parents didn’t always take us with them.’

Having many young children played a part. There were times when only Derrick and Hestia would travel to the capital.

‘I should plan an opportunity to take Leonhard to Byron later.’

It seemed a pity for the rightful heir of the Winston family to live like a bird trapped in a cage.

‘The more he sees and experiences, the better it will nourish his growth.’

“Hehe, I hope my birthday comes soon. And I want to go to Byron, too. Eric said he has lots of friends there!”

“Eric is great at making friends with the local kids. If you’re okay with it, you should meet them too. They’re all commoners, but they’re really nice.”

“Okay! I’d like that.”

“So… do you accept our proposal?”

Hestia asked cautiously. Leonhard paused for a moment but then smiled.

“Yeah! Let’s do it. When Hestia is ready, you can hand the guardian role over to Uncle.”

Hestia and Luciard’s faces brightened. They smiled at each other, then awkwardly cleared their throats and blushed.

“But, Uncle.”

“Hm?”

“Learn as slooooowly as possible! Very slowly!”

The sudden comment made the two blink in surprise.

“That way, Hestia won’t leave too soon! Learn slowly, okay?!”

Hmph!
Leonhard let out a determined breath, his strong desire clearly evident. He was already clinging to Hestia like glue.
Hestia burst into laughter.
“Hahaha, I’ll stay as long as I can. Don’t worry, young master.”

“Even if you can’t stay long, let’s at least be together for another year or two. I really, really like you, Hestia.”

“I really, really like you too, my young master.”

Hestia’s embrace finally made Leonhard smile again.

“Oh, by the way, Hestia!”

“Yes?”

“When are Eric and your family leaving?”

“Well… I’m not sure.”

She knew they had come because they were worried about her, but…

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t asked when they’re leaving.’

“I hope Eric stays a little longer. I want to play with him more.”

“They’ll probably leave within three days. My father has work to attend to, and it would be difficult for him to be away for too long.”

Leonhard’s face immediately fell into a pout.

“Before they leave, let’s all go on an outing together.”

“Okay!”

Hestia suggested an idea to cheer up the disappointed Leonhard. The thought of his first outing with so many people filled him with excitement.

‘How long can it really last?’

Hestia had no idea what the future held for her beyond that moment.