I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

‘He was the youngest, wasn’t he?’

Lupe, the youngest child with much older siblings, had gone straight into working at House Voreoti after graduating from the Academy. He became one of Ferio’s closest aides.
It was because he knew there was no way he could stand out in the marquisate of his birth.
Lupe was ambitious.

He had a fierce desire to rise, and to him, his own success mattered more than his family.
In that regard, House Voreoti was the only place that could fulfill all his desires.
The strongest boss in the world, an enviable salary, and the unique prestige of being the Duke of Voreoti’s personal secretary.

He often grumbled about how hard his job was, but in the end, Lupe always carried out his duties flawlessly—living proof of the Pardus bloodline’s loyalty to strength.
‘Lupe really isn’t ordinary either.’
To think that easygoing face hid such ambition—Leonia clicked her tongue and fed the reindeer alongside the other children.

She placed an apple slice, cut to bite size, on her palm, and the reindeer gently took it from her with soft lips, revealing its teeth for just a moment.
Still, Leonia didn’t dislike Lupe.
In fact, her opinion of him had improved. If someone wanted to stay by the Duke of Voreoti’s side, that level of ambition was essential.

Compared to people who dream big but do nothing, Lupe was far cooler.
And it wasn’t like he neglected his family either.
Though work kept him from visiting home often, Lupe would ask the marquis to pass along letters to his mother, and he doted on his nieces and nephews when he saw them.

Only now did Leonia start to notice the resemblance between Lupe and Marquis Pardus—their nose and mouth were strikingly similar.
Lupe’s eyes, however, were more like those of the nephew who was now excitedly feeding a carrot to the reindeer.
“Lady Voreoti?”

Flomus called out to Leonia, who had been deep in thought.
“Are you alright?”
She looked genuinely worried, wondering if something was wrong.
This kid matured early, Leonia thought briefly as she offered a soft smile.

“I’m fine.”
Only then did Flomus visibly relax.
“Now it’s time to ride the reindeer.”

Viscount Kerata and the workers from the reindeer farm fitted a saddle onto Tutu’s back.
Half the children would ride the reindeer, while the others would return to the mansion under the care of different adults.
“If you’re okay with it, would you like to try?”

“Sure, I’d like to.”
“Then this way, please.”
“Miss, be careful…”

Paavo, ever since learning the “truth” about reindeer noses, had been acting skittish.
He was even glaring suspiciously at poor, innocent Tutu’s moist nose.
Tutu, for her part, simply blinked her deep blue eyes slowly, showing no hint of unease.

“If it gets infected with parasites, it hurts a lot!”
“Paavo…”
Leonia gave him a pitying look.

“They said these reindeer don’t have parasites. Right, Flo?”
“Y-Yes!”
“See? Even Flo says so.”

“Flo…”
Flomus repeated the nickname Leonia had just used, her voice quiet with surprise.
Her cheeks turned red at being addressed so affectionately.

She liked it when Leonia called her by a nickname. It really felt like they were friends.
“You only say that because you don’t understand parasites yet!”
Paavo, a Southerner, had been raised with stories of just how terrifying parasites could be.

“Let’s stop with that talk, please.”
She was starting to worry it would show up in her dreams. Leonia left Paavo behind and walked over to mount the reindeer.
Riding the reindeer turned out to be surprisingly simple.

Viscount Kerata lifted the children onto the saddle one by one, and the workers led the reindeer around the fenced area in a slow circle.
“It was so tall!”
“The reindeer moved!”

“And its fur was super thick!”
The children who had finished riding eagerly chattered about their experiences.
“Lady Voreoti, you’ll be the last.”

Leonia, who had lined up at the very end, was finally lifted onto the reindeer. The higher view made her flinch slightly.
When the viscount told her to hold the reins, she gripped them tightly with both hands without hesitation.
Soon, the reindeer began to move.

“Oooh…”
Leonia marveled at the powerful muscles under her legs.
With each step, she could feel the springy motion of the reindeer’s muscles rippling beneath her.

Its fur was full of vibrant warmth, and the large antlers on its head were stately, like a carved wooden sculpture.
It felt like riding a living carousel.
The loop around the fence ended quicker than expected.

Leonia safely dismounted into Viscount Kerata’s arms.
Tutu lowered her head and sniffed at Leonia’s face.
“Tutu really likes you, my lady.”

“She’s sweet and adorable.”
The viscount smiled fondly as he watched Leonia pet the reindeer. The child was so pure and gentle, the malicious rumors seemed absurd.
Her sparkling eyes as she looked at the reindeer reminded him of a night sky dotted with stars.

She held a crystal-clear innocence like a glass marble.
“…Can you eat this thing?”
She asked, eyeing Tutu’s muscles.

Looks like the meat might be tough.
“Ahh…”
The viscount’s smile, so recently touched by childlike purity, collapsed in an instant.

***
“Dad!”
When the reindeer visit ended, Ferio was already waiting. He was still in conversation with Marquis Pardus.

“Leonia.”
At the sound of her voice, Ferio turned his head.
His daughter rushed toward him, completely unfazed by the cold. He easily lifted her into his arms—and then briefly scrunched his nose.

“You smell like reindeer.”
“Tutu kept sniffing my face.”
“Tutu?”

“The reindeer. She’s a girl.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
Ferio reached up # Nоvеlight # to fix her disheveled hair, mussed from running over so excitedly.

“Her muscles were amazing.”
“Not the muscle thing again…”
This translation is the intellectual property of .

“It jiggled.”
“Can’t you view things from a normal perspective for once?”
“Oh, and asking if reindeer meat is tasty counts as normal?”

Leonia teased him outright. Ferio opened his mouth to say something, then decided it wasn’t worth it and shut it again.
Though he didn’t say it aloud, his expression clearly said, Enough already.
“When we get home, you’re reading two picture books and writing a report.”

“Ugh, why!”
Leonia protested, but Ferio ignored her with a short sigh.
A few soft punches flew at him, but he dodged them with ease. He’d brought her here to nurture her childlike wonder, but it clearly wasn’t working.

“You two seem to get along better than I heard,”
Marquis Pardus chuckled, observing the beastly father and daughter from the side.
He’d once heard from Lupe that Ferio, surprisingly, was good at taking care of the child—and the girl was just as attached to him.

‘They’re like real blood family.’
The idea of Duke Voreoti having a daughter had once made the marquis scoff in disbelief.
But now that he saw them with his own eyes, the beastly pair were unmistakably a father and daughter.

They behaved more naturally and openly than many real families, meeting each other’s eyes without pretense.
“I hate picture books! I’d rather write about one of my favorite adult reads!”
“I’m doing this for your own good.”

“Then you do it! You’ve got way less childlike wonder than me!”
“I’m an adult.”
Leonia made a defeated face at that cheap excuse. Sure, she had the body of a child, but her mental age was comparable.

“I’ve got an adult’s mind too!”
“You’re just a little old soul.”
Ferio, as if scolding her for her age, took out a strawberry milk candy and popped it in her mouth.

Taken off guard, Leonia begrudgingly sucked on the candy, throwing him a sideways glare that wasn’t exactly filled with hate.
The marquis, having enjoyed this rare and lively display up close, felt his spirits lift.
The almighty Duke Voreoti, raising a child.

People often said life was over once you got old—but clearly, staying alive let you witness truly entertaining things.
Amusingly, the marquis wasn’t even sixty yet—barely into middle age.
“Oh, right! I made a friend today.”

After all that rebellion, Leonia suddenly remembered and reported the fact proudly.
“Who?”
Ferio asked right away.

“Flo. Flomus Kerata.”
“The daughter of Viscount Kerata?”
So it was her after all. Ferio nodded slightly, quietly admiring his own foresight.

“She’s very proper and well-behaved.”
“Please don’t use words like that.”
“Hmm, fair point. She’s not exactly well-behaved.”

That kid went completely wild every time reindeer were mentioned. But other than that, she was perfectly fine.
In fact, Leonia found her eccentric streak rather charming.
“The viscount’s daughter is a fine choice.”

“Wow, Dad, that’s rare.”
Leonia blinked in surprise. Ferio didn’t hand out compliments lightly.
“She’s kind.”

“She really seems that way.”
“She’s clever too.”
“That’s true.”

Leonia nodded vigorously. Talking with Flomus, who was bright and sharp for her age, had been refreshingly easy.
“And she’s gentle.”
“Huh?”

“She’ll be a good friend to you.”
When Leonia was with Flomus, she looked like a child of her age.
“…What does being gentle have to do with it?”

Leonia scrunched her face, not seeing the connection between gentle and a good friend.
Ferio shielded himself with a hand to block her suspicious glare. Leonia swatted his hand away.
“Then what about my grandson?”

Marquis Pardus, stifling his laughter, cut in.
Leonia looked at the boy clinging to the marquis’s leg and gave him a once-over.
“He’s kind and nice.”

“Haha! You sound like a proper old lady, my lady.”
“My heart’s a little worn out.”
Ferio sighed. His head ached from having such an old-souled daughter.

“Not that that’s something to be proud of…”
“Puhahahaha!”
The marquis burst into hearty laughter at Leonia’s deadpan tone.

Ferio looked at her disapprovingly.
What? Leonia lifted her chin proudly and acted unbothered.
“But Dad, are you close with that old man?”

“No.”
“Yes, we are.”
Ferio and the marquis answered at the same time—Ferio looking dead serious.

“Why ask something pointless?”
“It’s not pointless.”
Leonia pouted slightly in protest. To her, it was an important question.

‘The Marquis of Pardus always appears when something big happens.’
In the original story, he was the one who provided crucial information when events unfolded. The Voreoti family’s information broker in every sense.
And now, that marquis had shown up next to Ferio.

“So… Dad, how old are you?”
Leonia was never a character in the novel.
And yet, she had suddenly appeared as the male lead’s daughter.

Time continued to flow smoothly, unaffected by the changes she had made to the original plot. Only now was Leonia growing curious—
What point in the original timeline was she standing in?