Chapter 1
A breeze tickled the tip of my nose, sending a few strands of hair fluttering lightly.
It was the kind of weather that felt just right, no matter what you said.
“I’ve fallen in love with someone.”
“Oh my—really? Go on, tell me.”
And, just as expected, the confession spilled out.
The man, who had been speaking in a polite, composed tone, flinched when I pretended to be slightly surprised.
He looked a little intimidated.
His chestnut-brown hair, tinged with warmth, was lightly tousled, and his blue eyes wavered uncertainly before he finally lowered his head.
‘How is someone like this supposed to be a villain?’
It was ridiculous.
Seeing him look so pitiful, I almost reached out and asked if he was all right—but I stopped myself.
Good. You’re doing well.
Let’s keep this posture going.
Right now, it was perfectly reasonable for this man to feel just a little intimidated.
“It’s… a bit difficult to say it here, at this moment.”
“Well, if the Marquess of Layton finds it difficult, that only makes me more curious about who it is.”
“Well, that is…”
Perhaps his throat was dry—he lifted his teacup and took a sip.
Even setting the cup back down took a long moment.
As waiting began to grow tedious, I examined him carefully.
Soft, finely drawn eyes, a masculine jawline, and a gentle smile.
At least in appearance, he was an excellent man.
No—truthfully, not just his looks. His character and reputation were equally impeccable.
Marquess Layton Zynes.
Even the fact that he had faithfully fulfilled the role of guardian my parents had entrusted to him before their deaths showed how responsible he was.
There was only a four-year age difference between us.
At an age that was hardly old enough to be called an adult, he had tried his best to protect both me and Ailee.
A man who had shielded two sisters who could have become a justification to threaten the current emperor’s throne.
That alone made him someone worthy of gratitude.
But if he was going to take my younger sister, that was a different story.
“I understand why it’s difficult for you to say this, Marquess. Confessing an adult’s love to someone younger than you can’t be easy.”
At those words, he hurriedly denied it, clearly startled.
“N-no, that’s not it.”
He waved both hands emphatically in denial, and I found myself dumbfounded.
You’ve been an adult for how long now—why are you denying it?
Sensing I had a rough idea of what he was thinking, I crossed my arms.
“You’re an adult, Marquess. A completely different kind of adult from Ailee, who has just come of age.”
“It’s not that different. I make mistakes just the same, I’m still clumsy… and I’m not that old.”
“…Excuse me?”
Good heavens.
It’s rather improper to say you’re ‘not that old’ out loud yourself.
I pictured my beloved younger sister, who had only just blossomed into adulthood.
Her dazzling golden hair and golden eyes.
A bright, lively, and kind girl who could easily spend plenty of time meeting men her own age.
Hearing such words from someone planning to swallow her whole left a bitter taste.
At my reaction, Layton covered his face with his large hand and let out a deep sigh, rubbing his face dryly.
He looked genuinely troubled.
Seeing him sigh so deeply it seemed the ground might cave in—and looking genuinely pained—I finally picked up the invitation lying beside me.
I had intended to tease him just a little, but watching him struggle made me feel bad.
“Well, fine. It does bother me a bit, but I plan to support you, so I’ll give you this.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by—”
“I’m planning to host a birthday celebration for Ailee. It would be perfect if you attended as her partner. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
Layton froze on the spot, as if the idea was simply too good.
“Hehe, take it! Take it!”
I could almost hear a devil whispering behind him.
His blue eyes never left the invitation in my hand.
‘Is he really that happy?’
Of course he was.
Ailee, newly recognized as an adult by the Empire, and Layton, who was slowly passing the prime age for marriage.
Naturally, Layton was the one in more of a hurry.
Seeing him stiffen with nervous anticipation at the thought of being with Ailee, my lingering displeasure melted away.
There was no reason to be upset.
Anyone who looked that happy just at the thought of being with Ailee couldn’t be bad.
Smiling contentedly, I placed the invitation into his hand. He asked in a calmer voice than before,
“Then… whom will you be attending with, Lady Selena?”
“Oh, I’m going with Young Duke Reinhardt. He kept insisting we go together.”
“That damn brat again…”
“Pardon? What did you say?”
“N-nothing.”
For a moment, it sounded like a curse had slipped from the mouth of the refined and noble Layton—but it had to be my imagination.
He was not the kind of man who would ever use such language.
After finally accepting the invitation he’d been holding out for so long, he slowly rose from his seat.
After offering me a courteous bow, he suddenly extended his hand.
“…Since I’ve unfortunately lost my turn, would you allow me to at least accompany you on a walk today?”
“Ailee is still sleeping—shall I wake her?”
“That won’t be necessary. Having you with me is enough, Lady Selena.”
“All right, then. Let’s take a walk.”
When I smiled and placed my hand atop his large one, I felt him grasp it carefully.
I thought he was simply offering his arm for escorting, but when his fingers interlaced with mine, my feelings grew strangely complicated.
I glanced up at Layton, but he wore the same gentle smile as ever.
Even when I tried to pull my hand free out of growing awkwardness, it felt as though he only tightened his grip.
“…Would you like me to let go?”
“…No, I think it’s fine.”
“I’m glad.”
Yes—surely that heat-filled gaze was just my imagination.
Layton Zynes was destined to become my sister’s husband, after all.
* * *
“How could the world do this to me?”
I opened my eyes—and realized I had reincarnated.
I thought phrases like that were all lies, but apparently, I’d gone and experienced it myself.
‘I still can’t believe it.’
Born into a prestigious grand ducal family, I had lived a life wanting for nothing—until six months ago, when I lost my parents.
I didn’t even have time to grieve.
An emperor with no children, and the emperor’s only sibling—the Grand Duke.
That Grand Duke had died.
And so, naturally, the person who became the most powerful candidate for the imperial throne.
The one every noble now desperately sought to curry favor with.
That person was me—Selena Bennett.
Every day, people swarmed around me, desperate to please me.
Between dealing with them and caring for my young sister, I was exhausted.
Then one night, after collapsing into sleep late in the evening—
I awakened to memories of my past life that were far too vivid to be a dream.
My former self, trudging home, worn down by a miserable reality much like this one.
That former me collapsed from overwork, blood pouring from my nose, and struck my head on the stairs.
And died.
And the reality I was now living in was—
“Is this really Beware of the Guardian?”
The world inside a novel.
Ailee Bennett, the pitiful daughter of the Grand Duke.
The heroine left all alone after her parents died—and even her burdened older sister ran away.
And a story where she falls in love with the guardian who looks after her.
An age-gap romance—not to everyone’s taste.
Still, the chemistry between the gentle, mature male lead and the bright, innocent heroine had made it wildly popular.
“Oh, my goodness.”
The shocking realization left me confused for a long time.
So much so that I dumped every letter—whether comfort or thinly veiled desire—onto my desk without reading them.
As I stared at the pile, a letter I’d received a few days ago suddenly came to mind.
A ridiculous letter claiming its sender had become our guardian and would visit the ducal residence the next day.
The credibility had seemed even worse because it bore the name of the Zynes marquessate—said to be a demonic family.
I hurriedly pulled one letter from the mountain beside the desk.
The contents were the same, no matter how many times I read it.
A declaration that he would visit as our guardian.
I’d thought some audacious noble was impersonating the demon family—
But that marquess visiting tomorrow was actually the male lead?
Staring at the neat, flowing handwriting, I clamped a hand over my mouth.
“I replied telling him to get lost?!”
Exhausted from the noble vultures swarming me at the time, I remembered sending a profanity-filled reply to a letter that didn’t even bear an official seal.
The words I’d scribbled flashed before my eyes.
‘Do you have time to joke around, you bastard?’
“I’m going crazy, seriously!”
I had sent foul language to the man who would become my sister’s husband—and our guardian.
What a perfect first impression.
* * *
“Sister!”
Ailee came running toward me with a bright voice and threw herself into my arms.
Now twelve years old, she was an adorable child, brimming with youthful innocence.
“Ailee, are you dressed properly? We have an important guest today.”
“Mm-hmm! I wore what you told me to.”
“Really? Shall we check if you followed my instructions from yesterday?”
“Oh—wait! I forgot the ribbon!”
Startled, Ailee hurriedly adjusted her clothes, then drooped her head with a gloomy expression.
Finding her both cute and pitiful, I patted her head.
“It’s okay. You’re pretty even without it.”
“Really? Then will the Marquess like me too?”
“Of course he will. The Marquess is someone you can trust.”
The most reassuring thing about realizing this was a novel world—
There was an adult who would protect us.
‘Selena, if anything ever happens to us, seek out Marquess Layton Zynes. He promised he would protect you.’
I had thought those words were just jokes.
Even if they were serious, I never believed the Marquess of Zynes would be kind to us.
The Zynes family.
To describe them simply—
A demonic house.
They were cursed.
Long ago, in the Empire’s final battle, the Zynes family had defeated enemy black magicians—and were struck by their curse.
A lifelong scar, passed down through generations.
A curse that drove them into madness every full moon.
After suffering for so long, their personalities grew sharp and withdrawn, and they came to be known as a cold-blooded demonic family.
Once a house that shared in the Empire’s glory, they gradually faded from sight.
As time passed, those ignorant of the curse whispered that the Zynes family was plotting evil deeds.
‘But that wasn’t the truth.’
They weren’t villains at all—just a family of painfully gentle people.
‘They hid themselves to avoid hurting others during their bouts of madness.’
Layton Zynes, the male lead who was misunderstood as a villain, was one of them.
A kind-hearted man who couldn’t abandon the lonely Ailee, cared for her, and fell in love.
Handsome, gentle, and utterly devoted.
The man Ailee would fall in love with.
‘I sent the wrong letter, but I fixed it… so it should be fine, right?’
Recalling my past blunder, my mouth went dry with guilt.
I’d done something completely off-script.
How would the male lead react?
Please—let the original story not derail.
Just then, as I stroked Ailee’s hair, lost in thought, the butler’s voice called out.
“Lady, the Marquess has arrived.”
It was the first meeting with the male protagonist of this world—
The villainous guardian who would protect us.
