I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

The drawing room was silent.

Varia had laid all her cards on the table, and Ferio, deep in thought after hearing everything she’d presented, said nothing.
‘……’
Leonia was also busy, racking her brain to recall the original story.

‘The main framework hasn’t changed.’
Leonia once again found herself thinking that fate was a strange thing.
She herself was living proof that fate could be altered.

The fact that Ferio and Varia met much earlier than in the original was likely due to her disrupting the story’s flow.
On the other hand, Varia was a symbol of a predetermined fate.
Even with the massive variable that was Leonia, Varia still ended up meeting Ferio and offering a deal.

‘But still, this was a fate she changed through her own effort.’
Thinking of it that way, it felt wrong to simply call the current flow of events “destiny.” It would be unfair to Varia, who had worked so hard to get here.
‘Anyway, she's impressive.’

Putting aside everything else—
Leonia was genuinely impressed by Varia’s preparedness and deductive skill.
A full year before entering the Academy—so at the latest, when she was fourteen—Varia had started preparing all of this on her own.

Just imagining the pain she had endured all by herself made Leonia feel a mix of awe and sorrow.
“……Indeed.”
Ferio finally moved his lips.

“You are impressive.”
The evidence Varia had provided truly was remarkable.
That she had investigated and deduced all of this alone made him want to praise her.
But unfortunately—

Ferio looked at Varia.
The pink-haired young lady was clearly waiting for a positive answer to her proposal, and that made him feel just the tiniest bit sorry.
Because everything she had brought up was already known to Ferio.

Ever since learning that Remus Olor was Leonia’s biological father, he had been keeping a close eye on the Imperial Family, the Olors, and the entire South.
On his side, he had Pardus—someone favored by the Imperial Family—acting as an informant, and he had people planted within the capital’s administrative offices.
In short, there was no reason for Ferio to accept this deal.

He could throw Varia out of this place right now.
But he didn’t.
“There’s just one thing.”

One thing still bothered him.
“Let me ask you something.”
Ferio pointed to one of the pieces of evidence that had stood out.

It was the most worn-out document, and the moment he indicated it, Varia’s hand—resting on her knee—curled quickly into a fist.
Her clenched hand trembled slightly from the force in her fingers.
“Varia unni……”

Leonia looked on with a pained expression.
Ferio pretended not to see it.
“This piece of evidence also includes misconduct by your family, Miss Varia.”

The document Ferio pointed to concerned an artist-support organization formed by pro-Emperor nobles, including House Erbanu.
Under the guise of supporting unknown artists, they had collected small amounts of money—which all ended up as secret slush funds for the Emperor.
It was evidence of embezzlement and tax evasion.

“Will you be okay with that?”
Ferio asked.
If that truth came to light, the Imperial Family, the Olors, and everyone connected to them would never have a peaceful ending.

“I……!”
Varia tried to say something but froze.
She just barely managed to hold back the tears threatening to burst out.

“……If, I mean.”
Then she spoke again.
“If this deal is accepted, I have one request.”

“A request?”
“It won’t mean much to you, Duke.”
Varia gave a weak, awkward smile.

“Please give me permission to live in the North.”
It was a simple request.
But for Varia, it was everything.

“I want to leave the capital.”
Varia, who had been murdered at the age of fourteen, had returned to the past.
That return had been both a glimmer of hope to change her future—and a living hell that forced her to endure her family once again.

Her family, who had allowed her to die, even handed over the sword that would kill her.
Varia wanted to sever all ties with them.
Even after moving into a dormitory away from home, House Erbanu was still looming behind her.

And this recent disciplinary incident had reminded her all over again.
As long as she remained in the capital, she would never escape her family’s shadow.
“Dad.”

Leonia looked up at Ferio.
Varia’s desperation wasn’t something she could just watch and ignore.
What’s more, Leonia knew Varia’s circumstances well—thanks to the original story.

“……Are you really sure about this?”
Ferio asked again.
“No regrets?”

“If you mean regrets……”
“Anything at all.”
Abandoning her family, throwing away her hometown.

Ferio needed to be sure.
“If.”
Varia slowly opened her mouth.

“If I were to believe in my family one more time and give them another chance.”
The shimmering green in her eyes instantly dulled.
“Then I’d basically be tying the noose around my own neck.”

Ferio squinted one eye.
Something had definitely happened with her family, but he couldn't bring himself to ask.
He just looked at her in silence for a long moment.

“What will you do if I reject the deal?”
“I’ll run away to the North anyway.”
“You really like the North that much?”

Ferio asked with genuine curiosity.
Varia gave a tired smile.
“I think I do.”

In her first life, Varia had tried to flee to the North—but failed, and was killed.
Maybe that’s why, after coming back, she kept yearning for it.
More than the house she was born and raised in, the North—somewhere she’d never even been—felt precious to her.

“Well, if you like it that much.”
Ferio glanced at Leonia, the corner of his lips curling into a faint smile.
Leonia, who had been anxiously watching, slowly began to brighten.

“We were just about to need a tutor for Leo anyway.”
The assignments Ardea had left before going on his trip weren’t enough—Leonia’s studies were falling behind.
Varia had entered the Academy as valedictorian. She graduated as valedictorian, too.

And to top it off, she’d landed a job at the notoriously competitive Finance Department.
“The condition is that you quit the Finance Department and come work as our daughter’s tutor.”
“…….”

“I assure you, the salary here will be higher—so don’t worry.”
“……Excuse me?”
Varia asked in a dazed voice. Her head spun from how abruptly her situation had changed.

“Unni!”
Just then, Leonia popped up in front of her.
The girl clasped Varia’s hand tightly.

“It’s all set now!”
“A-All set…?”
“My dad agreed to your deal!”

At those words, Varia shot to her feet. But the tension she’d been holding onto all this time instantly crumbled, and her legs gave out beneath her.
Leonia, right next to her, rushed to catch her, and Ferio instinctively reached out as well.
“……”

From behind the tousled strands of pink hair, a quiet sob escaped.
The beastly father and daughter both flinched.
“Thank you……!”

Varia choked out.
“Thank you so, so much……!”
Her voice shook with effort, and then she burst into tears.

“Dad.”
Leonia gestured toward the sniffling Varia with her chin.
Ferio’s brow twitched. His face said, “And what exactly do you want me to do about it?”

He was completely thrown off by the grown woman crying her heart out right in front of him.
Comfort her.
Leonia mouthed silently.

Ferio squinted one eye.
It wasn’t like she was crying because of something he did—was it really necessary?
Hurry up, will you?

Leonia growled.
Just as Ferio, now mildly irritated, was about to let go of Varia’s hand—
“Duke……”

Varia lifted her head and looked straight at Ferio. Their eyes met, and Ferio flinched at the unexpected gaze.
A grown adult sobbing with snot and tears running down her face—it was awkward, to say the least.
But he still didn’t take out his handkerchief.

The handkerchief in Ferio’s pocket was strictly reserved for cleaning up after Leonia.
“Thank you. Really.”
Varia gave him a shaky, sheepish smile through her blotchy face.

“……Stop crying.”
It’s ugly.
Ferio said curtly.

For some reason, the leg where he kept the handkerchief started to sting.
Even so, Ferio didn’t take it out, and Varia eventually wiped her tears with the one Leonia handed her.
Ferio had a very bad feeling.

He was sure—one day, he was going to regret this moment with every bone in his body.
***
The next morning.

I must be out of my mind, seriously!
Varia had been clutching the doorknob for thirty minutes now.
Just remembering yesterday’s humiliation made her face burn. Her vision swam, like she was catching a fever.

Right after the deal was sealed, she had cried her eyes out, letting out all the pain she’d endured alone for so long.
How am I supposed to face them now?
Of all places, she had bawled like a baby in front of none other than the Voreoti duke and his daughter.

If they treated her like a weirdo from now on, she wouldn’t even be able to protest.
Especially the Duke…
Varia recalled the look Ferio had given her yesterday.

Like he was thinking, “What kind of lunatic is this?”
She wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
Honestly, showing the Marquess of Pardus’s son how she snuck through a dog hole in the palace would’ve been less humiliating.

Get it together.
Huff, puff.
Only after several deep breaths was Varia finally able to step out of her room.

The sun hadn’t even risen yet. In the silent halls, where even the servants weren’t moving yet, Varia strolled around under the pretense of a morning walk.
“So this is Voreoti……”
She lightly brushed the wall with her fingertips.

It felt like a dream.
Even though the texture of the stone reminded her she really was within the Voreoti estate, it still didn’t feel real.
She took off her shoes and socks and stepped barefoot onto the hallway carpet.

The soft fibers tickled her feet like the fur of a newborn puppy.
Varia gently shook her legs. The fluffy fabric teased her soles.
She shivered.

“This is really Voreoti…!”
Only then did it fully hit her. She began bouncing in place, stomping her feet in noisy little hops.
When the deal had been accepted yesterday, relief had slammed into her like a tidal wave. She’d cried before she even had a chance to feel happy.

But now, the relief was like a quiet, gentle tide.
Like the carpet brushing against her feet—it filled her completely.
“I love this so much!”

She pumped both fists and waved them wildly in the air.
“……Hey, Dad.”
Leonia, who had woken up for her usual dawn training, lowered her voice.

“Shouldn’t we stop her?”
“Let her be.”
She’s just happy.

Ferio stopped Leonia before she could interfere.
So that was the weird noise they’d heard at daybreak—Varia was in the hallway yelling “Voreoti” at full volume, doing some strange celebratory dance.
“Sigh. Kids these days……”

Leonia gave her a pitying look. The twelve-year-old couldn’t help but feel sympathetic.
“You finally understand how your old man feels.”
Ferio chuckled, watching Varia continue to hop around in bliss, still unaware they were watching her.

“That one’s like a colt galloping through the snow.”
“You always pick the weirdest expressions.”
“What’s wrong with colts?”

“If you’re going to use an animal, go with puppy.”
“You got something against colts?”
But he soon gave in and changed the “colt” to a “puppy,” just as the kid wanted.

“……A little bitch?”
“Dad. What did I tell you?”
Don’t rearrange the words.

“So it was on purpose.”
Leonia cast a sideways glance at her over-thirty father, who still hadn’t grown up, with mild, forgiving exasperation.