I Became the Guardian of the Future Villain Episode 1
“That person.”
A small finger pointed at someone.
When people followed the direction of the small finger, at the end of it was a young woman who had just debuted into the social world.
“…Me?”
Hastia pointed to herself in disbelief.
Even after asking several times and denying it, the child eventually chose her.
“Haha… I never thought the young master would point to Lady Frost.”
“Well, congratulations on becoming the young master’s guardian.”
“Congratulations, Lady Frost.”
Faint applause echoed around her. But along with their congratulations came bewilderment, envy, jealousy, and anger.
Becoming the guardian of the heir to the Winston Duchy was indeed a position anyone would covet. However, to Hastia, it seemed more like a gateway to hell.
“Hehehe!”
That child, Leonhard Winston, who knew nothing, laughed innocently.
Hastia had now been chosen as Leonhard’s guardian, who had lost his parents in an accident and had to manage the Winston Duchy on his own.
In other words:
‘I’m screwed.’
She had just become the guardian of the person who killed her in her past life.
Hastia Frost, 30 years old, single.
She was once a member of the once-great Winston duchy’s distant branch family, the Frost barony, but now she worked as a maid in a noble household.
Normally, even a poor baronial family wouldn’t fall to the level of doing maid work, but her family had long been deprived of everything by another branch family.
It had all begun 12 years ago, after the death of the Duke and Duchess of Winston. A quiet storm raged within the Winston branch families.
They were all eager to claim the Winston name for themselves, and if anyone got in their way, they would eliminate other branch families or seize their assets, ensuring there was no interference.
The Frost family was a victim of that struggle.
Despite having no intention of participating in the branch family’s battle, they were dragged into it.
As a result, Hastia lost her parents and had to take responsibility for her three younger siblings.
She had to make money to feed them.
Now, 12 years later:
She was working as a maid, barely managing to raise her youngest sibling to adulthood.
“Well, I missed my chance to get married, though.”
Now that she had managed to marry off her youngest sibling, the house felt a bit lonely, but she was proud of herself.
“Mom, Dad, please praise me for doing well.”
She whispered to the only remaining portrait of her parents.
She wanted to hear some praise from her deceased parents. She hoped someone would recognize the hardships she had endured.
The warm sunlight was poured over her head. It felt like the touch of her parents.
“Today, I’m going to treat myself.”
She decided to splurge today as a reward for herself.
She moved lightly, thinking about the cake she usually couldn’t afford to buy.
“My goodness, another person has died…”
“They say everyone, adults and children alike, were killed this time.”
“Tsk tsk, it seems an evil spirit is intent on wiping out the Winston family.”
At that moment, Hastia overheard people whispering.
“…Was this the third time?”
A strange string of murders has been occurring over the past few months.
It was unclear whether to dismiss them as simple murders or to call them the bloody power struggles of nobles.
The common reason was:
‘All the victims are from the Winston branch families.’
And it wasn’t just one or two people. Anyone associated with the family was killed, regardless of age or gender.
Recalling the events from 12 years ago, Hastia felt a shiver run down her spine.
“Well, it’s not like it has anything to do with me.”
She was sick of Winston.
The branch families had stolen all the Frost family’s wealth and likely excommunicated them, so surely, she wouldn’t become the target of some unknown villain.
She just wanted to live a peaceful life now.
With that thought, she relaxed her stiff body and headed home.
As soon as she arrived, she unpacked, washed up, and sat down at the table with reverence.
“Haha, look at this beautiful sight.”
A cake she had splurged on was neatly placed on the table.
“Ahh, it looks so delicious…!”
She swallowed the drool pooling in her mouth and finally picked up a fork.
The cake cut smoothly, and the clean slice made her shiver with excitement.
Who knows when she’ll get to indulge like this again, so she decided to savor every moment.
“Bon appétit.”
With that, Hastia put the cake she had longed for into her mouth with the fork.
“Mmm! So delicious…!”
“Sister! Something terrible has happened!”
Just as the sweet taste of the cake spread in her mouth, someone burst through the door without knocking.
Hastia blinked in disbelief, still holding the fork in her mouth.
“Elvin?”
“Pack your things right now! We have to run!”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“There’s no time to explain! Hurry!”
It was her youngest brother, Elvin Frost, who was five years younger than her.
Completely lost, Hastia hurriedly shoved the rest of the cake into her mouth.
She had wanted to savor it, but now she was shoving it down so fast that the flavors were all mixed up.
“This is no time to be eating cake! Is this all your stuff?”
“Well, yes, but… Agh, Elvin!”
“Sorry, sister. It’s really urgent.”
Her brother grabbed her arm roughly, forcing her to leave her house in a hurry.
Without understanding what was going on, she climbed into the carriage Elvin had prepared, where her other siblings and their family members were already huddled together.
Seeing the fear on her siblings’ faces, Hastia felt a shiver run down her spine and quickly found a seat.
Elvin sat in the driver’s seat with Annie’s husband, the second brother-in-law.
Hastia asked in confusion.
“What… what’s happening?”
Her youngest brother, Eric, who had married just a few months ago, trembled as he held his wife’s hand and spoke up.
“…You’ve heard about the recent murders of the Winston branch families, right?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah… I read about it in the newspaper. But what does that have to do with us?”
“The person killing them… is Leonhard.”
“…What? Who?”
“Leonhard Winston.”
Hastia’s mouth dropped open. That name belonged to the sole heir of the Winston Duchy…
“But the young master died 10 years ago…!”
He was someone who had died in an accident 10 years ago.
“They say it wasn’t just an accident—it was murder. Count Humphrey killed the young master to take over Winston.”
“Then… Are you saying the young master didn’t die and has been living in secret all this time, now seeking revenge?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“I understand, but… why are we running away? We’re not part of the Winston branch anymore! They took all our wealth and expelled us! We should have been removed from the family registry!”
“No, sister. The Frost family was never officially removed.”
“They used our family name to evade taxes after kicking us out. That’s why… we’re also one of the young master’s targets.”
Hearing her siblings’ explanations, Hestia felt all the strength drain from her body.
The newspaper had mentioned that everyone, regardless of age, had been murdered.
That meant even her precious siblings and their spouses and children could be…
Neigh-!
Clatter! Clatter!
At that moment, the horse whinnied, and the carriage shook violently.
“Damn it!”
“Everyone, hold on tight! We’re being chased!”
The situation turned tense. With a sinking feeling, Hastia peeked through the back of the carriage.
She could see uniformed knights on horseback charging after them at full speed.
“Waaah! Mommy, I’m scared!”
“It’s okay, it’ll be okay.”
“God, please watch over us.”
Overwhelmed by fear, everyone panicked, turning to a god they didn’t even believe in. But the god wasn’t on their side.
Bang! Crunch-!
Neighhhhh-!
The carriage shook even more violently. When the horses were finally attacked, the carriage overturned, causing everyone inside to roll over.
“Ahhh!”
“Is everyone okay?!”
Despite the dull pain coursing through her body, Hestia quickly pulled herself together and checked on her family.
“Get out of there immediately!”
But before she could catch her breath, a terrifying voice, like that of the Grim Reaper, rang out.
The rough hands of the knights dragged them out of the carriage.
As Hestia was thrown to the ground, she noticed Elvin and her brother-in-law were already captured by the knights.
“Elvin!”
“Who said you could open your mouth?”
She barely managed to approach Elvin when the cold blade of a sword pressed against her neck.
The sharp pain as blood trickled down the blade sent a shiver through her.
“Are these the ones?”
A low voice asked. The knights saluted as a figure approached on horseback.
His blood-red hair and eyes reminded her of someone she had seen from afar in her childhood.
The moment she saw him, Hestia recognized him.
“…Young Master Leonhardt.”
The emotionless figure with cold, murderous eyes was none other than the legitimate heir of Winston.
“Which of you is Derrick Frost? Who is Anna Frost?”
Those were the names of her deceased parents.
Realizing that only she could resolve the situation, Hestia spoke up.
“Those were my late parents, my lord.”
“Hmm, so you’re Hestia Frost?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Do you know why you are in this situation?”
“…No, my lord, I do not.”
“Of course, you always claim ignorance. After all, you took everything from me—my parents, the family, and the legacy they left behind, and you always denied it, even killing my uncle…!”
“That’s not true, my lord! There must be some misunderstanding!”
“No, there is no misunderstanding. It’s a fact that you wretched branch families conspired to kill me.”
“Please, my lord, listen to me! While other branch families might have done so, we did not!”
“…Lord, shall we deal with them now?”
As Hestia pleaded, a knight quietly suggested. There was no hesitation in his demeanor when it came to killing someone.
Facing Leonhardt’s cold, merciless gaze, Hestia’s desperate eyes met his.
“Let’s hear your excuse, then.”
“We are indeed the Frost family! But we lost everything to the other branch families 12 years ago, including our parents. I’ve been raising my younger siblings by myself ever since. We never took part in any plot to kill you, my lord!”
Leonhardt’s eyebrow twitched. Feeling that her words might have reached him, Hestia hurriedly continued.
“If you still doubt us, please investigate the Harbor family. They took everything from us. And since we were thrown out penniless, I thought we had been long erased from the Winston family records!”
“…You must feel wronged.”
“Yes, exactly! If you could just believe me…!”
“Then let me ask you one thing.”
“…Yes?”
“You said you were expelled 12 years ago. When exactly was that?”
“…It was early winter.”
Leonhardt’s eyes turned cold. He signaled the surrounding knights with a hand gesture, and they unsheathed their swords.
Sensing that something had gone wrong, Hestia shouted.
“Why, why are you doing this? We’re victims too! Please, spare our lives! At least spare the children…!”
“…Twelve years ago in the spring, after my parents died, the branch families made their move against me. Even if you’re innocent now, your parents were already in league with them back then. You want me to spare the children? How could your parents treat an 8-year-old so cruelly?”
“No! There must be some kind of mistake! My lord…!”
Hestia could say no more.
The knight’s merciless sword cut her down, ending her first life then and there.
