I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

"They’ve been focusing on the noble families you warned us about to observe recent movements in the North."
Ferio glanced over the documents he’d been handed as he listened to Lupe’s report.

“There hasn’t been any major activity so far. It seems they’re still holding back out of fear after Your Grace’s warning. That’s why we’ve shifted focus to the movements of the servants hired by these families.”
“Hm. A few worthwhile findings here.”
Ferio’s eyes caught several important details.

Lupe nodded and elaborated on them.
“Servants have been sent to a certain estate from two houses—the Mereoqa Count family and the Gliss Baron family. The Count’s house always sends the same person, while the Baron’s house sends someone different each time. But the number of dispatches and the time of day they occur are almost identical.”
It was suspicious enough to warrant concern.

“…Let’s write off those two families for now.”
Ferio casually decided the future of both houses on the spot.
“By the way, the Mereoqa family…”

The name alone made his brows crease deeply.
A faint tension filled the previously calm office.
Lupe fidgeted with his collar, trying to relieve the tightness in his throat.

“Yes, that family.”
It was the household of Kerena Mereoqa, the former etiquette instructor who had dared to pick a fight with the Duke’s cherished daughter without knowing her place—and had lost her mind before being exiled to the western villa.
On top of that, the family had even maliciously spread exaggerated rumors about Leonia.

“What a remarkable bunch.”
Just how far did their influence stretch? There seemed to be no place they hadn’t dipped their toes into.
“Truly the kind of family that would raise a ‘flower of high society.’”

His words dripped with sarcasm, mocking their overly involved social activities, which instantly dampened the mood in the office.
Lupe gulped nervously and twitched the hands he held politely behind his back. Then he continued the report.
“So, which family did they meet with?”
“The Tabanus Count family.”

At that, a line formed on Ferio’s previously calm brow.
“Tabanus…”
His long, broad fingers tapped the desk rhythmically.

He even slouched slightly, adopting the very posture he always scolded Leonia about, saying it would ruin her back.
“A pesky little fly has shown up.”
Ferio let out a rare long sigh. Lupe didn’t look too pleased either.

A mouse or a small pest scurrying nearby could be caught and crushed immediately, but a buzzing fly was harder to swat and endlessly irritating.
“A fly reigning over the snowfields in the absence of a beast, is that it?”
“During the three years Your Grace was in the capital, he acted like he ruled the North.”

“Utterly laughable.”
“Well, he’s got some reliable backing.”
“Ah, now that is funny.”

Despite the words, Ferio’s mouth had long since lost any trace of a smile.
“Still, it’s the Imperial family, after all.”
At that, Ferio finally let out a dry, sardonic chuckle.

“This might be the first time I’ve ever thought Leo’s sexual harassment is preferable.”
At least our daughter stays just barely within the line while ogling muscles.
Ferio nodded slightly to himself, as if reassured by his daughter’s oddly commendable sense of restraint.

“Of course, the Imperial family can be fly-like at times.”
“The late Emperor was still alright.”
The previous Emperor, now passed, was someone Ferio had been able to bow to with genuine respect.

He was a golden eagle, capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the Black Beast.
“The Imperial family, the capital…”
Ferio, who had spent the last three years in that place, now wanted to distance himself from both.

The crowded, backstabbing, glittering trash heap had dared to meddle with his North—and the thought of it boiled his insides.
“Does that dumb little hatchling even realize what it’s doing?”
“The Emperor likely has no idea.”

“Well, I suppose he wouldn’t even know a fly’s latched onto his back.”
Ferio ground his teeth softly, recalling the culprits who’d made it impossible for him to leave the capital for those three years.
“…No, that’s not it.”

He quickly changed his mind and let out a quiet laugh. The grin that crept onto his lips was so vicious and cruel that Lupe had to bite down on a scream rising in his throat.
Ferio was now entertaining the possibility that the Imperial family had gotten involved.
Their inferiority complex toward the North was beyond comprehension.

“Let them get entangled.”
That way, he could torment them legally, after all. The malicious intent in his tone was clear.
“…You’re starting to resemble the young miss.”

Lupe was reminded of the little master bouncing between the orphanage staff, carrying out mental torture like it was child’s play.
The Duke’s smile resembled Leonia’s pure and innocent grin from that day a little too much.
“Well, she is my daughter.”

“Ah… yes, of course.”
Lupe nodded calmly. The shared trait of gleeful cruelty between father and daughter was well known.
The two of them discussed the report briefly and exchanged thoughts on what to do next.

Ferio issued a few simple orders and told him to continue monitoring them closely.
“And the Viscount Kerata.”
“Viscount Kerata?”

Lupe tilted his head slightly. The man was simply a landowner who faithfully managed his territory.
“His second daughter is the same age as Leo.”
“…Ah, yes. You mentioned meeting her at the plaza.”

Lupe finally understood why the Duke had brought up the Viscount and nodded knowingly.
“The Viscount and his wife are known for their love of children. I’ve heard the Viscount especially dotes on his second daughter and hardly ever lets her out of his arms. I see, so she’s the same age as the young miss.”
Ferio had heard the same.

“It might be good if she and Leo became friends.”
He remembered the frightened expression on the girl’s face when she’d seen the Black Beast for the first time, how she’d hidden behind her father, peeking out with only her eyes, and how she spoke in such a small, delicate voice.
Ferio was still concerned about the barren state of Leonia’s childhood.

And just now, he felt as though he might’ve found a way to help her.
Or at least, felt like it.
‘She better not rub off on my kid.’

He couldn’t forget the stunned face of Flomus when Leonia, younger and smaller, had called her a baby.
***
A few days later.

Kara approached Ferio with a tray, atop which sat a single invitation.
It was a clean envelope, sealed with a green wax stamp depicting the large antlers of a reindeer.
Ferio used a letter opener to slice the top and pulled out the contents. It was an invitation to a tea party being held in a few days.

“It’s from the Viscountess Kerata.”
“I’ve heard the Viscountess occasionally invites noble families with children to tea gatherings. Now that you’re the parent of a child, my lord, it’s not strange for you to receive such an invitation.”
“Yes, it’s not strange at all.”

It seemed the Viscount he met in the plaza had conveyed Ferio’s intent well to his wife.
Ferio slid the letter back into the envelope and rose from his seat.
“Where’s Leonia?”

“She’s in the drawing room, sir.”
Kara answered, following closely behind him.
This translation is the intellectual property of .

“And also,”
As they made their way to the drawing room, Kara spoke to Ferio.
“Sir Ardea said he’d like to discuss something regarding academics with you later.”

Ferio recalled that the day for Leonia’s tutoring progress report was coming up.
“Tell him I’ll come by in the afternoon.”
Then he turned immediately and headed for the drawing room. His steps were just slightly quicker than usual when walking toward where Leonia was.

Upon reaching the room, Ferio immediately turned his gaze to the pile of toys.
And there—
“……”

Leonia sat atop a toy rocking horse with a blank expression, letting her body sway with its movement.
This was due to Ferio’s absurd command from some time ago: that she must play with toys in the drawing room after her lessons.
It was all for the sake of nurturing her childhood.

And so, Leonia played with the toys—even when no one was watching.
Out of obligation.
With eyes as dry as the desert.

“……”
Ferio looked at his daughter with a heart far too complicated to describe.
The rocking horse, moving smoothly back and forth with her slight motions, was clearly a high-end item at a glance.

Its black eyes were studded with precious jewels, and the child-sized blue saddle was made from fabric so luxurious it was more suited to a gown.
Its rounded legs, which moved only the bare minimum, were masterfully carved from solid wood and polished to rock gently and silently.
Even atop such a perfect rocking horse, Leonia stared straight ahead with eyes as empty as a starless night sky.

It was a scene straight out of her favorite book, “Life Is Utterly Pointless.”
It was almost unsettling.
Unable to watch anymore, Ferio called out to her.

“Leo.”
“Daddy!”
Leonia, who had been slumped over the rocking horse in a daze, leapt up and ran to him with rapid little steps.

“Daddy, did you see? I was on the rocking horse! I played with the toys!”
“Yes, I saw.”
He’d watched with a very conflicted heart.

Despite the never-ending pile of matters demanding his attention, Leonia’s emotional well-being remained Ferio’s top priority.
Still, he wished his one and only daughter wouldn’t play with her toys with such obligation and lifelessness.
Leonia nestled herself between his legs as he sat at a spot not too close to the fireplace.

“This is basically my designated seat now, right?”
“Yeah, it’s mine!”
She beamed as she bumped her head lightly against Ferio’s chest.

“Here. Take this.”
Ferio handed her the invitation he’d brought.
“Is it yours?”

Leonia tilted her head.
The envelope was still sealed with wax, but the top had already been cut open with a letter opener.
“It’s for both of us.”

Her round black eyes widened.
“Do you remember Viscount Kerata?”
“The guy from the plaza? With the little girl?”

Leonia nodded, saying she remembered. She pulled the invitation out of the envelope and looked up at Ferio as if to ask if she could read it. Ferio gave her a slight nod.
“She was really pretty, wasn’t she?”
“Don’t talk like some old man.”

“Well, she was pretty.”
Leonia gave a ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) half-hearted reply and began to read the invitation carefully.
“…Huh?”

After reading it, she tilted her head, still not quite understanding. She flipped it over and looked at it again.
Her brow furrowed as her forehead nearly bumped into his chest.
“…What is this?”

“A tea party invitation.”
“What’s the angle here?”
“We’re going to a tea party—for nobles with children.”

A shadow of dread passed over Leonia’s face.
“I was worried about you after our last outing.”
“Don’t be.”

Leonia, anticipating what he was about to say, began to slide off his lap and tried to escape.
But escaping from a dad with arms as long as his height was impossible.