I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

Varia’s eyes sparkled.
Ferio continued speaking without missing the change. Even the Black Beast of the North was tense.
“And because of this, there may be times when you feel disappointed, Miss Varia. The feelings I hold for the two of you are certainly different, but both are too precious to be ranked.”

Still, Ferio had to rank them.
He was a father, and because of that, there were things he had to accept.
Until Leonia grew older and became someone who could stand on her own, Ferio had to protect and care for her entirely.

“Even so, I dare say that I have feelings for you, Miss Varia—that I want to love you.”
Ferio’s confession wasn’t selfish.
It was considerate, allowing Varia to reject it, disregard it, or even be repulsed by it, and walk away.

Because if this confession were accepted, the one who would suffer the most might be Varia.
“……”
Varia said nothing.

A somewhat awkward silence settled between the three of them.
Ferio waited quietly, and Leonia glanced nervously back and forth between the two.
Her small hand, unusually frightened, instinctively clutched Ferio’s coat hem.

“……Your Grace.”
It wasn’t long.
At last, Varia slowly opened her mouth to respond to the confession.

“I’ve thought this for a while now, but you truly are remarkable.”
At first, she was impressed by how someone so young could reign over the North, exuding a presence that not even the Emperor dared to challenge.
But having met Ferio in person, she found him remarkable in a completely different way.
He was a father who cherished his one and only daughter, a superior respected by his servants, and unexpectedly, a chronic worrier who nagged over the smallest things.

Even when he pretended not to care, he looked after his people with deep affection, and was a statesman who quietly considered the future of the Empire.
Only now did Varia realize—
That even the great Black Beast of the North was, in the end, a normal person.

“I’ve never seen anyone as wonderful as you.”
And she doubted she ever would.
“I haven’t received many confessions in my life, but I can say this with certainty.”

Ferio’s confession had shaken Varia’s heart more strongly than any she’d ever heard.
It was far more moving than the one she’d heard before.
“Thank you. Truly.”

Varia’s green eyes grew faintly moist as they curved gently.
“I feel the same as you do, Your Grace.”
“Varia unni!”

Leonia let out a delighted cheer.
“Dad, did you hear that? She accepted your confession!”
“……”

“Wow! Waaaah!”
The girl bounced up and down with excitement, while Ferio, despite hearing it with his own ears, stood frozen in disbelief.
“But.”

But Varia gently reined in the joyous moment with a regretful tone.
Leonia’s thrilled expression stiffened, and Ferio reflexively swallowed dryly.
“I’d like to ask for a little time.”

“Why?”
Ferio asked in a flustered voice.
They shared the same feelings—why would she need time? He couldn’t understand it right away. Neither could Leonia.

“If you like someone, you’re supposed to bump mouths and do all that stuff!”
“Do you want me to take away your sketchbook again.”
At Ferio’s stern warning, Leonia pouted in protest.

“I need time to prepare myself.”
“Prepare yourself for what?”
“To prepare myself to feel the same way.”

“Don’t you already like me?”
“Not that kind of feeling. I mean the feeling toward the young lady.”
At the unexpected answer, both father and daughter widened their eyes in sync.

Especially Leonia—her big black eyes trembled faintly.
“To share a heart with Your Grace means my relationship with the young lady will also change.”
Varia was truly moved by the sincerity in Ferio’s confession.

He hadn’t turned away from his daughter because of his own feelings. Varia was once again deeply touched by how dearly he valued Leonia.
That was why she had to respond with sincerity of her own.
“Though maybe not as much as Your Grace, I care very much for the young lady too.”

Leonia blushed and looked bashful at Varia’s affectionate smile.
“So I want to take some time to prepare for a new relationship with the young lady as well. Ah—of course, I don’t mean something weird like trying to take the place of her mother!”
She hurriedly added that she wasn’t having any presumptuous thoughts.

Leonia barely held herself back from saying it was okay.
Because Varia was looking only at her as she carefully asked,
“Would that be alright?”

Varia asked. Before anyone noticed, Ferio was also looking only at Leonia.
“……If unni says so, then, I guess.”
The girl mumbled shyly with her head lowered for a while before sneaking the words out.

“But I still want to call you Mom soon!”
Leonia spoke gruffly, trying to ignore the ticklish flutter in her chest.
Varia’s face turned shyly «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» red at the child’s blunt response.

But soon, she smiled brightly and wrapped both arms around Leonia’s back.
“I hope it won’t take too long.”
Ferio subtly joined in.

But even he was wearing a happier smile than ever before.
***
“You traitor.”

Carnis began with reproach instead of a greeting.
“How could you do this to me?”
“You really did marry well.”

Ferio looked exasperated.
The two had gathered at the Casus Palace in the Imperial Court for the year’s first noble council.
Before the meeting began, Ferio and Carnis were exchanging light conversation. Though, in truth, it was mostly Carnis chattering on his own.

Eventually, Ferio couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up.
“How does Lady Abipher still live with you?”
If it were him, he’d have filed for divorce long ago, he muttered as he lowered his gaze back to the documents on the table.

An administrator had just handed them out to each seat a moment ago.
“At least you didn’t cry this time.”
Ferio openly mocked him.

Carnis only furrowed his brow slightly. Ferio’s sarcasm and ridicule didn’t faze him in the slightest.
Of course they didn’t—there had been no malice in Ferio’s words just now.
“Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

Carnis asked with genuine disappointment.
“What was I supposed to say?”
Ferio played dumb.

“Lady Baria Erbanu.”
“What about her.”
“Aren’t you two seeing each other?”

“Do I have to tell you everything about my personal life?”
“But you could at least tell me!”
They were supposed to be best friends. Whenever Ferio kept something from him like this, it always stung more than he cared to admit.

If something happened to either him or Baria, Carnis would be the first to step in and help however he could.
“……So it was all an act?”
Carnis asked.

“It was partly an act.”
Ferio quietly smiled as he recalled the Baria he had seen at the banquet.
Carnis was stunned. It was the first time since Leonia that anyone had made his closest friend smile like that.

He opened his mouth to say something but ended up staying silent.
‘Still, we’re friends!’
He had always shared everything—his romance, his marriage—with Ferio first.

He knew it was a childish reason. But still, he wished Ferio had at least given him a heads-up.
But soon he let go of that childish jealousy.
In the end, what mattered most to Carnis was Ferio’s happiness.

If his friend was happy, that was good enough for him too.
“Introduce her to me sometime.”
By then, noble council members had begun trickling into the chamber and taking their seats.

Before heading to his own, Carnis casually said to Ferio,
“Later.”
Ferio replied vaguely. Since it wasn’t a refusal, Carnis understood it as a yes. A smile appeared on his face at last.

But once he sat down, his expression dried into a blank mask as if nothing had happened.
“……Looks like blood will spill today.”
He murmured under his breath, and a western noble sitting nearby nodded in agreement.

“What could their goal possibly be?”
They looked down at the distributed meeting documents with doubtful eyes.
“There’s definitely something fishy going on……”

Carnis couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling either.
“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”
Just then, an attendant announced the arrival of Emperor Subiteo.

The seated nobles all rose from their seats.
Carnis caught sight of Ferio at that moment. Thanks to his innate looks and superior physique, he stood out effortlessly.
‘He really is handsome.’

My proud friend. Carnis’s heart felt a little lighter.
“Everyone is here.”
But the moment he saw Emperor Subiteo enter, his expression vanished completely.

Once the Emperor took his seat, the nobles followed suit.
The doors to the council chamber closed at the same time.
***

The Noble Council was considered the highest authority in the Empire—so powerful that even the Emperor could not disregard its voice.
The council debated proposed policies and laws that would cause significant social impact.
This important meeting took place at the Casus Palace.

It was said the name came from the way the nobles at the meeting resembled wild beasts, savagely biting and tearing at each other in debate.
‘Seventeen present.’
As the meeting began, Ferio quickly scanned the gathered nobles.

There were twenty-five seats in total. Four nobles each from the East, West, South, North, and Capital. The Emperor was not counted.
But the seats weren’t always filled. In fact, they were often vacant. It had been the same even eight years ago, during the previous Emperor’s funeral.
Still, the total was always kept at an odd number. This was because decisions were made by majority vote.

‘Two from the East, three from the West…’
Adding three from the North, that made eight.
Meanwhile, there were four from the Capital, and five from the South—nine in total. Among those five southern nobles, neither Aust nor Meridio was present.

But both Olor and Erbanu were.
‘Unbelievable.’
The majority nine were all nobles from the South and the Capital. And blatantly loyal to the Emperor at that.

It was all too clear why the Emperor had included those two on the list.
‘Pardus is as useless as ever.’
Ferio glanced at the young heir of the Marquis of Pardus, seated among the capital nobles.

While the Marquis used his age as an excuse to stay in the North and play with his infant grandchild, his son had taken his place as a proxy.
Though the Marquis held lands in the North, he was considered part of the Capital noble faction.
He had to play double agent—so of course he danced to the Emperor’s tune.

“……Thus, it is clear that improving transportation is a critical issue.”
At that moment, the speaker briefly paused. He had introduced himself as Baron Onokenta before beginning.
“Following His Majesty the Emperor’s great command, the Empire must manage the roads throughout the realm as a national project.”

As he continued, the leaders of the East, West, and North all visibly grimaced.
“To that end, each region must submit road maps and land surveys…”
In order to verify the accuracy of the maps, inspectors would be sent to examine the regions in person.

Baron Onokenta’s face gleamed with satisfaction as he concluded.
In contrast, the expressions of the aristocratic leaders visibly darkened.