I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

Despite everything that had happened, the Rinne family were still honored guests of the Duke of Voreoti.
They were treated with utmost care and hospitality.
The Voreoti servants, too, did their best for the rare visitors.

Leonia was no exception.
"Did you sleep well?"
She greeted the Rinne family every morning.

It was traditionally the duchess’s role to inquire after guests in the morning, but with the Duke still unmarried, Leonia was the one fulfilling that duty.
Abipher was impressed by the girl’s flawless demeanor.
"My, you have such refined posture."

"Countess Bosgruni is my etiquette tutor."
"She’s quite famous in society. There are rumors that she’s so terrifying with a teacup alone that young noblemen faint on the spot. Her reputation even reaches the capital."
Leonia offered a pleasant smile. But behind that innocent grin was a flash of cold sweat and trembling fear.

‘…She probably really did kill someone with a teacup. How is it that everyone knows about it?!’
Leonia thought back to the argument between Count Bosgruni and her husband.
The countess must’ve conquered the capital back in her youth—with a teacup.

"I imagine you’re quite like her too, madam."
To Leonia, Abipher resembled Countess Bosgruni as well.
The way she scolded her daughter and husband—she could rival an undefeated fighting dog.

Luckily, Abipher interpreted Leonia’s fear-tinged words as praise.
Though her first impression had been, well, intense, Abipher Rinne was fundamentally gentle and kind.
Watching her now, Leonia was reminded of Connie, the teacher at the orphanage who had cared for her.
And just like that, she wasn’t scared anymore.

As they chatted, Ufikla and Pinu shuffled in with sleepy faces.
"Morning."
Leonia greeted them first.

Pinu, still shy, crab-walked his way to Abipher and buried himself in her embrace.
Only after being snuggled in did he timidly raise a chubby hand and wave.
"Hello…"

Ufikla, on the other hand, mumbled her greeting in a timid voice.
Ever since being scolded harshly for her "stepmother" comment, she had been visibly deflated every time she saw Leonia.
Leonia couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her.

"Hey."
The petite seven-year-old patted the taller six-year-old on the shoulder.
‘Even though I thought she was a little...’

Leonia, who had initially compared Ufikla’s first impression to a dog’s, revised her judgment.
After all, she was just a little six-year-old girl.
Leonia’s mental age was far beyond hers, and even setting that aside, she was older. As the elder, it wasn’t hard to look after her dad’s friend’s daughter.

So she decided to offer a lesson.
"I have something to apologize for too."
Like a proper older sister, Leonia reached out her hand first.

"I almost called you crazy."
Abipher, who had been watching the heartwarming scene between the two little ladies, gaped in shock.
Connie, catching the expression on the countess’s face, felt as if she’d said the bad word herself and began fidgeting in guilt.

"Crazy? Crazy?"
Pinu poked at his mother’s chin and parroted the word like a little bird.
"T-That’s a bad word!"

Smart Ufikla recognized it instantly. She was so shocked, she even dropped her formal tone.
"But I apologized, didn’t I?"
Leonia, who had said the bad word, felt much better now that she’d gotten it off her chest.

"You poor thing. Let me just tell you—becoming a stepmom isn’t that easy, you know?"
"I-If I marry the Duke, I’ll be her stepmom!"
"You think that’s all it takes, huh?"

With a short, pity-filled click of her tongue, Leonia let out a sigh.
"Here’s the thing about life."
With a mind blackened by realism and a mental age pushing thirty, Leonia began schooling a wide-eyed six-year-old who still didn’t know the ways of the world.

"Nothing in life is easy. Reality’s harsh."
"Harsh?"
"There’s over a twenty-year age gap between you and my dad. Do you get what that means?"

Ufikla shook her head.
"That means if you say you love my dad, you’re making him a total pervert. Twenty years?! That’s scandalous!"
Connie didn’t know much else, but she was sure of one thing: the Countess of Rinne’s lungs were absolutely flipping over right now.

She felt so embarrassed she couldn’t even look Abipher in the face anymore.
"B-But…"
Ufikla stammered in a trembling voice, unwilling to give up on her first love.

"I heard love can overcome all…"
"Who said that?"
"A f-fairy tale…"

Leonia sincerely wished Ferio were here to hear this.
If the man who once tried so hard to restore her childhood innocence had heard that, he might finally toss out all those sentimental fairy tale books still haunting her bookshelf.
Fairy tales were more dangerous than banned books.

Leonia suddenly remembered her birth mother, who’d fallen blindly in love, run away from home, and ended up getting pregnant.
She reached up to rub her neck, which had started to ache just thinking about it.
There only needed to be one Regina lost in a delusional fantasy world.

"Come here, you."
The way she beckoned with her fingers looked more like some street punk luring in a poor passerby than a warm invitation.
Frightened, Ufikla cast a quick glance at Abipher.

But even Abipher couldn’t stop it.
Leonia meant well, but to everyone else, the pressure she exuded made it impossible to refuse.
That was how much Leonia had begun to embody the Voreoti name.

"I’ll teach you something good, okay?"
Ufikla was the precious daughter of Carnis Rinne—Ferio’s only friend.
And heir to House Rinne, one of the wealthiest noble houses after the two ducal lines and the four marquisates.

She needed proper guidance.
Leonia offered her charity—generously.
"Listen closely."

Here’s the thing about life—
Leonia’s lecture began.
This translation is the intellectual property of .

***
The Bellius Empire was divided into five regions.
At its center was the imperial palace and capital. To the east lay a region full of exotic flair. The west boasted beautiful blue forests and lakes, while the south glittered with endless seas. And then, to the north—the land eternally blanketed in snow, even in spring.

Among these, the West was known as the sanctuary of warriors.
Children in the West grew up with toy swords in hand. Just like learning letters, every neighborhood had at least one fencing instructor to teach swordsmanship.
Noble families would often go so far as to hire active knights as private tutors, paying them handsomely.

“…And,”
Ferio rolled up his sleeves to his elbows and looked at the three children clustered before him.
Leonia, with her jet-black hair tied tightly up; Ufikla, with soft brown hair twisted neatly into round buns on both sides; and Pinu, whose sandy-colored hair had been gathered just enough to form a stubby ponytail that looked like a little apple.

Ferio tilted his head slightly.
“Getting along now?”
It had already been over a week since the Rinne family began their stay at the Voreoti estate.

Given how things had started, Ferio had thought it would be difficult for the children to warm up to each other—but surprisingly, they had bonded well.
Ufikla and Pinu were now constantly trailing after Leonia like ducklings.
“We became sworn siblings.”

Leonia gave a proud thumbs-up.
The gesture looked more like that of a drunken old man than a refined young ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) lady, but Ferio had long since reached the point where such dissonance didn’t faze him.
He’d learned from countless experiences that it was impossible to treat his daughter like any ordinary child.

As a result, they’d developed a rather unique father-daughter relationship—and Ferio liked it that way.
It was a family dynamic no one else could replicate. It was distinctly Voreoti.
“How’d that happen?”

Ferio asked, curious about how she managed to win them over.
“I taught them what life is.”
“Countess… I sincerely apologize.”

Ferio turned to Abipher, who was standing nearby, and offered an apology.
“Why are you apologizing?!”
A tiny, round fist thumped Ferio’s thigh repeatedly.

“…It’s fine.”
Dressed in comfortable training gear, Abipher let out a sheepish smile.
She’d been present during Leonia’s so-called “life lesson” and was more than a little shaken by what she’d heard.

“Leona said… first love is supposed to hurt.”
Ufikla, who now called Leonia ‘big sister’ with genuine respect, had a solemn look in her eyes.
But the moment she looked up at Ferio, an oddly wistful expression washed over her young face.

“She said pain makes you grow up.”
Only those who’ve had their hearts broken in first love can become mature adults. And those who truly understand love must also have the courage to let go.
From her sister’s words, Ufikla had taken a profound lesson to heart.

“So I’ve decided to give up on marrying the Duke.”
It’s for everyone’s sake.
Her solemn voice delivered a composed farewell.

The knights nearby fought desperately to contain their laughter. If not for the deadly look in Ferio’s eyes telling them to keep their mouths shut, they likely would’ve burst out loud.
“Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
Ferio accepted the young lady’s farewell with dignity.

At that moment, Carnis arrived at the training grounds in his own practice gear.
“…Glad she was dumped before he got here.”
Leonia whispered to Ferio, watching Carnis walk in, still smiling like he had no idea what just happened.

Ferio gave a quiet pat to his daughter’s head in agreement.
“Today, the Countess will be leading sword training.”
“Then what about you, Dad?”

“Would you mind lending the Duke to me for a while?”
Carnis slung an arm over Ferio’s shoulder and pulled him toward his side.
“…Why?”

Leonia eyed him suspiciously.
“Just go train.”
Ferio lightly tapped his daughter’s back in Abipher’s direction, warning her not to jump to any stupid conclusions and to just go train.

Pushed toward Abipher, Leonia stared after the two adult men making their way up the training platform.
“Suspicious…”
“What is?”

Abipher chuckled as she handed Leonia a wooden sword.
“There’s always a man around my dad.”
“Ahh…”

So it really is that kind of situation, Abipher thought, twirling the wooden sword in her hand like a pencil, trying not to laugh.
“I… did have some doubts when we were dating.”
“I knew it!”

Following Lupe and Mono, Carnis was now officially added to Leonia’s mental list of “suspicious men around Dad.”
“Shall we focus now?”
Abipher, now quite used to Leonia’s unique personality, gently guided her toward the other children and placed the wooden sword in her hands.

Abipher’s sword instruction was clean and efficient. She demonstrated each movement clearly, explained briefly, and allowed for plenty of repetition—within reasonable limits.
Leonia practiced diligently, careful not to overexert herself.
Meanwhile, Ufikla swung her sword with impressive skill, even trying some advanced motions.

And Pinu—despite being only two years old—gripped his sword with surprising dexterity.
“Are you a knight, ma’am?”
Leonia asked, astonished at Abipher’s ability.

“Most people from the West learn the sword.”
“My grandpa is a super strong knight!”
“Knight!”

Ufikla and Pinu chimed in proudly.
“He was in the prestigious Reboeo Order!”
If the capital had the Imperial Order, and the North had the Gladiago Knights, the West had the Reboeo Order.

In terms of history alone, it was far older and more venerable than either the central or northern orders.
“Wooooow!!”
Suddenly, a loud cheer erupted from the platform, followed by a rush of fierce energy like a storm sweeping through the arena.

Abipher stepped protectively in front of the children and looked up.
“They must be sparring.”
“Who is?”

Leonia was dumbfounded. She had never seen the knights get this excited before.
“The Duke… and my husband.”