Became the Villainess’s Guardian

Family, family.

Freugne rolled that word around in her mouth.
It was something she had contemplated more than once – in fact, numerous times.

Freugne had lived a life of many deprivations.
Power, money, the ability to influence others, and so on. Perhaps it was because she had experienced such a life that she became more fixated on these elements.

They were all things she could easily acquire if she simply set her mind to it. But family was an exception.

Legally speaking, if she ordered any member of the organization to become her father, that would suffice, but even giving it the most positive interpretation, it would only amount to a nominal relationship.

The image of a harmonious family that Freugne envisioned was not that.
Looking past the dust clouds, as she walked towards the factory and glanced back at the distant bustling city, she did not sense such rigid relationships from the peers living there.

Three years may sound quite long, but there were vividly remembered scenes.

“Waaahh…!”

“Oh dear, I told you not to run so much.”

A woman carrying a child who had slipped in the mud passed by Freugne, who was resting just outside the factory.
When she was injured by the factory’s sharp machinery and bled, who worried about that? She was just told to return to work if she could endure it.

‘…Will I ever have someone like that by my side?’

At the time, she had dismissed it as a ludicrous thought. Wasn’t it like the egg demanding to hatch the chicken?

Yet she had certainly thought it would happen.

“So, how about becoming my adopted daughter?”

“…Eh.”

Well, this was happening.
She had contemplated it before, but she was at a loss for words, not expecting to be the one offered first.

Family, adopted daughter.
That would certainly make them legally family, yet distinctly different from a family formed by her own command.

If it could not be explained by law, then what exactly was a family?
Coincidentally, Freugne had pondered this question for quite some time – since she had resolved to cultivate her power, to be precise.

The family Freugne used to know was merely a means to live more comfortably in this Londinium.
Because when she looked around the orphanage, the one common factor among the children working from dawn to dusk was that they lacked families.

Some time later, when she attended public school, she regarded family as a source to turn to in times of need.
Whether she lacked allowance, had a major accident, or needed to discuss something important, family was the first to come to mind.

And now…

‘…I’m not sure.’

It had become something more precious and special than her previous notions, something abstract and difficult to clearly express in words.

While Edan did provide support, referring to it as ‘sponsorship,’ he had never actually demanded recompense, had he?
And Freugne knew what such ungrudging benevolence was called in society.

‘It must be familial love, after all!’

It was too generous to be called sponsorship, yet he was not merely providing charity while living under the same roof, was he?
Just picturing his face made her heart flutter inexplicably, and in any case, it felt different from how she treated others, so it seemed a plausible explanation.

Freugne finally concluded the nature of those long-pondered feelings. Perhaps.

In truth, even this was too general an explanation.
Freugne had never properly received parental affection herself, so she could only understand based on what she had seen and heard from others.

The image deeply etched in her mind was simply of being close to each other and looking out for one another through difficult times.
Coincidentally, wasn’t she doing the same for Edan? Providing reverse sponsorship, cooking meals, cleaning the house – in any case, wasn’t she looking after him in many ways? So it would be fair to consider them a prospective family.

Even if her understanding was somewhat flawed, the notion of becoming closer than a benefactor-beneficiary relationship was certainly accurate.

Thus, Freugne did not hesitate long before answering.

“…Yes, I’d like that!”

If there was one lingering question, it was:

“Alright, then try calling me this: ‘Father.'”

“Mr. Edan.”

“Try again: ‘Dad.'”

“Mr. Edan.”

For some reason, no matter which term, it did not easily roll off her tongue.

“Ahahah… It seems I’ve become too accustomed to it.”

“Well, you have been calling me that for over three years, so it makes sense.”

“I’ll work on correcting that gradually.”

Though such a moment did not seem likely to come anytime soon.

At the same time.
Freyja’s house.

In a world where it was still common for healthy students to simply electrocute or set fire to each other’s heads without much concern, Freyja would be considered a top-tier guardian.

Instead of resorting to harsh discipline under the pretext of insufficient discipline, Freyja tried to resolve the matter through words this time as well.

“Erine, what happened?”

“…I don’t know.”

And Erine, aware that she had shown an unsightly side of herself, clamped her mouth shut.

How could she tell the truth?
That she had started with rude remarks out of jealousy towards Freugne’s guardian? She’d sooner bite her tongue off in embarrassment.

However, Freyja could not simply let this one go.
It was something she had experienced a few times before, and the fact that it involved her most important employee’s ward made it especially difficult to overlook.

In any case, she had already received a rough account through the school.
But no matter how much she urged Erine to share if she was having a hard time or if anything was bothering her, Erine stubbornly remained silent.

For Erine in this state, time was the best medicine.
Freyja, half in resignation yet unwilling to give up, moved on to the next question.

“Perhaps… you’re embarrassed by your aunt…?”

“That’s not it.”

And Erine, who had remained tight-lipped until then, suddenly opened her mouth as if lashing out.

“Then what is it?”

“I’m proud of her.”

Now it was Freyja’s turn to fall silent.
Jealousy and pride towards another – two seemingly unrelated sentiments had become intertwined.

“I know I was in the wrong. But I didn’t want to be the only one aware of that, and part of me was also envious, so that’s why!”

“I see, so while I understand your heart, it seems you couldn’t help but act that way.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Without letting Freyja stop her, Erine slammed the door shut and rushed back to her room.

After Erine fled like that, the lone Freyja fell deep in thought, biting her lip for a moment. Although her tone seemed angry, as her aunt, she could not fail to grasp what Erine was truly trying to convey.

Until now, Freyja had relinquished much. She had given investors a choice, entrusted Edan with Martop’s direction.
She had tried not to show it, but she was afraid of failure. So she had only sought help from Professor Magni as a last resort when it became too difficult to turn back.

Yet there was no more pathetic sight than fearing responsibility in a position that demanded it.

“…Perhaps I should relinquish the name of Head of Martop as well.”

She could have pretended not to hear anything and returned to her previous way of life, but after hearing Erine’s heartfelt plea, a part of her conscience kept niggling at her to speak up.

So.
Freyja decided to muster her courage and give it a try, with eyes tightly shut.

Starting small, step by step.

“You’ve returned early today, Head of Martop.”

“Edan, I have something to say.”

The following day, after taking a deep breath upon arriving at Martop, Freyja spoke.

“For the next performance report… I’d like to take charge.”

She was well aware that people disliked relinquishing their authority.
So she was slightly tense, but Edan’s response was refreshing.

“Of course.”

“Eh.”

It had been a time when her severely battered self-esteem and increased social avoidance, stemming from the verbal lynching she had endured from investors during her early days as Head of Martop, made her wish someone would simply step up and resolve everything on her behalf.

“It wouldn’t be a bad thing to directly present yourself, would it?”

“How about taking my place in interviews as well, while you’re at it?”

It was the moment Freyja realized that reality was not so daunting after all.

‘Did I speak too harshly to her yesterday?’

On her way to school, Erine felt a slight pang of regret.
There was a possibility her aunt’s feelings had been hurt. Even if not, Erine herself had spoken quite emotionally the previous day.

And her concerns about what to say to her aunt that evening were momentarily set aside when she encountered Freugne in the classroom.

“……”

“……”

Neither of them were thick-skinned enough to casually exchange greetings after yesterday’s fight.
However, they could not simply treat each other as non-existent for years to come. As long as Edan worked at Keres Martop, they would inevitably continue to intersect in some way.

And looking back, hadn’t she been the one to initiate the confrontation?
She should apologize. Then she would have something to say when she returned home to face her aunt.

However, it was Freugne who broke the momentary silence first.

“…It’s not the case anymore.”

“What isn’t?”

“I have a father now.”

“Huh?”

So she had been dwelling on that remark, after all.
No, more than that, was Freugne implying she had acquired a father overnight, all because of a single comment about lacking one?

Upon closer inspection, the corners of Freugne’s mouth seemed to be twitching restlessly, as if she could barely contain her joy.
Was she perhaps feeling a sense of superiority?

Erine gave her an odd, scrutinizing look.