The wind tickled the tip of my nose, gently scattering my hair.
It was the kind of weather that made it easy to say just about anything.
“I’ve fallen for someone.”
“Oh my, really? Tell me, quickly!”
As expected, a confession burst out.
The man, who had been speaking politely, flinched, pretending to be slightly surprised.
He looked a little daunted.
His soft brown hair was slightly tousled, and his blue eyes trembled with nervousness.
Before long, he lowered his head deeply.
‘How could someone like him be called a villain?’
It didn’t make any sense.
He looked so pitiful that I almost reached out to ask if he was okay, but I managed to hold myself back.
Good, I’m doing well.
Let’s keep this attitude.
Right now, it was only fair that this man felt a little intimidated.
“It’s a bit difficult to say… right here and now.”
“Hmm, the more uncomfortable you look, the more curious I get about who it is, Marquis Rayton.”
“Well, the thing is…”
Perhaps his throat was dry, because he lifted his teacup and took a sip.
Even the way he carefully set the cup back down seemed to take a considerable amount of time.
I was starting to get a little bored with waiting, so I took a moment to observe him closely.
His gentle eyes, strong jawline, and warm smile.
At least in appearance, he was quite a fine man.
No, to be honest, it wasn’t just his looks—his personality and reputation were just as remarkable.
Marquis Rayton Zynes.
He had faithfully taken on the role of my guardian ever since my parents passed away.
There was only a four-year age difference between us.
Barely an adult himself at the time, he had worked hard to protect both me and Ailee.
He was the man who protected the two sisters who could potentially threaten the emperor’s position.
For that alone, I was grateful to him—but if he planned to take my little sister, that was another story.
“I understand that it’s hard for you to say, Marquis. It must be difficult to confess your love to someone younger than you.”
Perhaps surprised by my words, he quickly denied it.
“No, no! That’s not it!”
He waved both hands firmly, as if trying to reject the idea entirely, which left me speechless.
He’s been an adult for a while now, so why is he reacting like that?
Somehow, I felt like I was beginning to understand his true intentions, so I crossed my arms.
“You are an adult, Marquis. You’re on a completely different level from Ailee, who just became an adult.”
“It’s not that different. I still make mistakes, I’m still clumsy… and I’m not even that old.”
“Excuse me?”
Oh, come on.
It’s a problem when he himself says he’s not that old.
I thought of my lovely little sister, who had just recently stepped into adulthood.
Dazzling blonde hair and golden eyes.
She was always lively, kind, and charming. She had plenty of time to meet men her own age.
So for him to plan to swoop in and take her just like that—it felt a little outrageous.
Marquis Rayton covered his face with one large hand and let out a sigh, rubbing his face wearily.
He really seemed to be struggling to speak.
His heavy sigh felt like it could weigh down the ground, and with his expression genuinely pained, I finally picked up the invitation I had set aside earlier.
Sure, I did plan to tease him a little, but seeing how hard this was for him, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry.
“Well, all right. It bothers me a little, but I’ll support you. Here, take this.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean by that…”
“I’m planning to hold a birthday celebration for Ailee. You should attend as her partner. Wouldn’t that be perfect? Sounds great, right?”
Marquis Rayton froze in place, as if absolutely thrilled.
“Hehe, take it, take it!”
I could almost hear the devil whispering behind him.
His blue eyes never once left the invitation in my hand.
‘Does he really want it that badly?’
Of course he does.
Ailee had just reached adulthood as officially recognized by the empire, and Rayton was slowly approaching the perfect age for marriage.
Naturally, the more anxious one was Rayton.
Seeing him stiffen up at the thought of being with Ailee made my irritation melt away.
There was nothing to be displeased about.
If someone could be that overjoyed just at the thought of being with Ailee, then really, what was there to complain about?
I handed the invitation to him with a satisfied smile, and in a calmer voice than before, he asked,
“Then… Lady Selena, who will you be attending with?”
“Oh, I’m going with Young Master Rayhardt. He was so persistent about going together.”
“That damned brat…”
“Hmm? What was that?”
“Ah, nothing.”
For a moment, it really sounded like a curse slipped from the usually polite and elegant Rayton’s mouth—but it must’ve just been my imagination.
There’s no way he would ever say something like that.
Finally, after all this time, he took the invitation and slowly rose from his seat.
After giving me a polite bow, he suddenly extended his hand.
“…Since I’ve unfortunately missed my chance, may I at least take a walk with you today?”
“Ailee’s still sleeping. Should I go wake her up now?”
“That’s all right. It’s enough just having you here, Lady Selena.”
“Okay, then let’s go for a walk.”
Smiling, I placed my hand on top of his. I thought it was just a polite escort gesture, but I could feel him carefully wrapping his fingers around mine.
It was meant to be formal, yet somehow, the way our fingers interlaced made me feel a little awkward.
I glanced up at Rayton, but he simply continued smiling kindly.
For some reason, the growing awkwardness made me try to pull my hand back, but it felt like he was holding on even tighter—was that just my imagination?
“Do you… want to let go?”
“…No, I think it’s fine.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Yeah, those heated eyes must be my imagination, too.
Rayton Zynes was destined to be my sister’s husband, after all.
* * *
“How could the world do this to me…”
When I opened my eyes, I had reincarnated.
I always thought stories like that were just fiction—but somehow, I ended up experiencing that popular cliché myself.
‘I still can’t believe it.’
I was born into a prestigious Grand Duke family and lived without lacking anything, but six months ago, I lost my parents.
I didn’t even have time to grieve.
The emperor had no children, and his only sibling was the Grand Duke.
And now, that Grand Duke was dead.
Because of that, I naturally became the most powerful contender for the imperial throne.
The person all the nobles were desperate to impress.
That was me, Selena Bennet.
Every day, endless people crowded around me, all trying to curry favor.
I had to deal with them while also taking care of my younger sister.
One night, completely exhausted, I collapsed into bed.
That’s when it happened—in a dream far too vivid to ignore, memories of my previous life came rushing back.
My past self, worn down by a harsh and exhausting reality, had dragged herself home after yet another long day.
She collapsed from a nosebleed brought on by overwork and, unfortunately, hit her head on the stairs… and died.
And now, the world I lived in was—
“This is really 〈Beware of the Guardian〉, huh?”
It was the world of a novel.
The pitiful young lady of a Grand Duke family, Ailee Bennet.
After her parents died, her only sister—overwhelmed by responsibility—ran away, leaving her all alone.
The story followed a guardian who cared for her and eventually fell in love with her.
The novel was a popular one, and although some readers debated the age-gap romance, the chemistry between the mature, kind male lead and the lively, innocent female lead was undeniably captivating.
“Oh, my god.”
The shock of suddenly realizing the truth left me dazed for quite a while.
Day and night, I was flooded with letters—some filled with comforting words, others thinly veiled with ulterior motives. I tossed them all onto the table, ignoring them.
I even neglected the ones I should have read, simply staring at them blankly.
Then, I suddenly remembered a letter I had received a few days ago.
It was ridiculous—someone declaring themselves my new guardian and stating they would be visiting the Grand Duke’s residence tomorrow.
The sender’s name: The Marquis of Zynes, the so-called devil’s family.
I remembered thinking it was even less believable because of that.
I quickly picked up one of the letters from the towering pile beside the table.
Even upon re-reading it, the contents were unchanged.
It was a letter stating that he would be visiting the Grand Duke’s residence as my guardian.
At the time, I’d assumed some reckless noble had dared to forge the name of the devil’s family.
But now… the Marquis who said he would visit tomorrow—isn’t he the male lead?
As I stared at the cool, flowing handwriting, realization struck, and I quickly covered my mouth.
“I… I told him to screw off in my reply!”
Suddenly, I remembered—completely exhausted from constantly dealing with those noble jackals who pounced at every opportunity—I had written a crude response to a secretive letter that didn’t even bear a seal.
‘Do you seriously have time to screw around, you useless piece of crap?’
The messy sentence I had scrawled flashed before my eyes.
“This is insane, seriously!”
To think I had sent a curse-laden letter to the man who would become my sister’s husband and guardian—the male lead.
What a perfect first impression.
* * *
“Big Sis!”
Ailee came running toward me with a bright voice and threw herself into my arms.
Ailee, who had just turned twelve, was a child full of youthful innocence and undeniable charm.
“Ailee, did you dress properly? You know, we’re expecting an important guest today.”
“Yup, yup! I dressed exactly like you told me to.”
“Really? Should I check to see if you really wore it just as I asked yesterday?”
“Ah! Wait! I forgot the ribbon!”
Startled, Ailee quickly adjusted her clothes but soon lowered her head with a crestfallen expression.
That sight was both adorable and pitiful, so I gently patted her head.
“It’s okay. You’re pretty even without that.”
“Really? Do you think the Marquis will find me pretty too?”
“Of course, he’ll adore you. He’s someone you can trust.”
The thing that reassured me the most after realizing I was in the world of a novel was this:
There was an adult who would protect us.
‘Selena, if anything ever happens to us, seek out Marquis Rayton Zynes. He promised he would protect you.’
Our parents had said this from time to time, and while I always thought they were joking—even if they weren’t, I never believed someone from the Zynes family would be kind to us.
The Marquis of Zynes.
They were simple to describe.
The devil’s family.
They were cursed.
Long ago, during the empire’s final battle, the Zynes family led the charge against enemy black mages and emerged victorious—but in doing so, they were cursed.
The curse left permanent scars and was passed down through generations.
On nights when the full moon rose, it would awaken a maddening frenzy.
Tormented for so long, the family gradually grew more irritable, and in time, they were labeled as cold-blooded devils—creatures with neither blood nor tears.
Once a family that had shared in the empire’s glory, they slowly withdrew from the public eye as the years passed.
And eventually, as people forgot the truth of the curse, rumors began to spread that the Zynes family was secretly plotting evil deeds.
‘But that wasn’t the reality.’
The Zynes family wasn’t villains at all; in fact, they were deeply sensitive people.
‘They withdrew even further from the world because they were afraid their madness would hurt others.’
Rayton Zynes, the male lead who was misunderstood as a villain in the story, was just like that.
Unable to ignore the lonely Ailee, he took care of her and eventually fell in love with her, a kind and gentle man in both appearance and heart who loved deeply.
He was meant to be the one Ailee would fall in love with.
‘I might’ve messed up by sending the wrong letter, but I managed to fix it, so it should be fine… right?’
As I recalled my past blunder, my throat went dry with guilt.
I had done something completely outside the original story—how would the male lead react?
I just hoped the plot wouldn’t completely derail.
While I was lost in thought, gently stroking Ailee’s hair, the butler’s voice pulled me back to reality.
“Lady Selena, the Marquis has arrived.”
This was the first meeting with the male lead of this world—our supposedly villainous guardian who would protect us.
