I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

The Olor family was the maternal family of Consort Usia, the emperor’s concubine.
They were also the newest noble house in the entire empire, having been established most recently. Naturally, the one who granted them their title was the current emperor himself—
All in order to make her empress.

“One of Tabanus’s business partners is Viscount Olor’s family.”
A vein bulged on the back of Ferio’s hand as he held the black lion piece.
“The Imperial Family is involved.”

The yellow golden eagle piece moved.
It was the symbol of the Imperial Family.
At that moment, the Marquis of Pardus thought someone had opened the office window.

The air turned suddenly cold and heavy, making it hard to breathe. His wrinkled hand trembled faintly.
When he looked over, he saw Lupe had also gone pale, eyes shut tight.
“Hoo…”

Ferio let out a slow, deep breath—calmly and deliberately.
He was suppressing the overwhelming urge to overturn the chessboard that mirrored the entire imperial situation.
The Marquis of Pardus quietly wiped the cold sweat from his brow. But his heart was pounding.

He was genuinely awed by Ferio’s overwhelming aura—the way he froze the entire room without so much as baring his fangs.
The Marquis was thrilled.
That kind of strength, too powerful to even meet one’s gaze, stirred excitement in a man at the brink of old age.

Regaining composure, the Marquis moved a white bear piece.
“A report from an employee of the Urbespe merchant guild in the West. At a storage facility on the border between the North and the West, they spotted a mercenary with a very familiar face.”
“A familiar face, huh…”
“A knight of the Imperial Guard. They confirmed the identity as per the eyewitness account—it really was someone from the Imperial Guard.”

“How did they recognize him?”
“He used to frequent a supplier café whenever he visited the capital. Always had women around. Apparently, he was quite good-looking and had a distinctive mole near his eye—easy to identify.”
Ferio clicked his tongue, clearly disgusted as he thought of his own proud Gladiago knights.

“Knights are still a semi-noble class, after all.”
Reading Ferio’s thoughts, the Marquis nodded slightly.
“Still depends on the knight.”

Ferio stared at the board, then moved a black bear piece.
It was identical to the white bear the Marquis had moved earlier.
The Urbespe Guild of the West was founded by a cadet branch of the Count Urmariti family of the North.

In short, the Urbespe Guild was part of the Western region, but served under the Duke of Voreoti—represented by the bear.
Through the Urbespe Guild, who was the betrayer from the West that needed to be watched?
Sensing Ferio’s intent with precision, the Marquis moved the white goat piece again.

“Disguised as mercenaries, the knights are patrolling a specific section of the storage facility. Apparently, they’ve rented out the entire back corner, the most shadowed and secluded area. The one who approved it was Baron Hirqus.”
“I’ve heard that name.”
Ferio muttered, trying to place it.

“He serves the Marquis of Hesperi.”
At the Marquis’s explanation, Ferio nodded.
“Carnis mentioned him a few times.”

It was a name he’d heard during conversations with Count Carnis Rinne—his only friend.
Baron Hirqus, known for his irritable personality, often clashed with the employees of the guild Count Rinne operated.
“He doesn’t have any granted land, right?”

“He resides in a manor within the Hesperi Marquisate’s territory.”
Ferio snorted.
Someone had clearly slathered sweet poison in his ear, promising that if he succeeded in this task, he’d be granted a fine territory for his house to rule over.

“Viscount Olor, no doubt.”
“Baron Hirqus recently took a leave and went to the South.”
“Well, well.”

Ferio moved a white dog-shaped piece.
“We should invite Carnis.”
The dog captured the goat, and the displaced goat piece dropped into the box Lupe was holding.

Inside the box, all the chess pieces Ferio had captured so far were jumbled together.
Now the Marquis moved his red swan.
“Can you take this one?”

The black lion looked past the swan to the yellow golden eagle behind it.
“Out of respect for the late emperor, I’ve kept still until now. But if these idiots come crawling into my territory, practically begging to be killed, how can I just sit back and ignore them?”
“How generous of you.”

“Leo says guests must be treated properly.”
“Hahaha! The young lady has learned well!”
“That child is a born predator.”

Smiling in satisfaction, Ferio finally moved the black lion chess piece.
He leaned back lazily in his chair, crossing his long legs with ease.
Leonia had nagged him so often that the posture was bad for him that he’d recently tried to stop doing it—

Perhaps that’s why he felt a bit uncomfortable now.
He slowly uncrossed his legs and looked down at the chessboard.
The state of the board was absurd, following none of the actual rules of chess. The moves were chaotic.

Pieces and colors tangled everywhere—just like the current state of the empire.
The Bellius Empire.
A literal kingdom of beasts.

A vicious territorial war.
But to the black beast, it was all meaningless.
The petty territorial skirmishes and pathetic squabbles of lesser animals would all end the moment the black beast rose from its place and bared its fangs.

And then, they would collapse at his feet, trembling and pissing themselves in fear.
So the black beast stood.
“I’ve been too quiet lately.”

No wonder they were getting cocky.
“Do they think I’m their father or something?”
Disgusted by the very thought, Ferio covered his mouth with the back of his hand.

His black eyes, unguarded, crumpled in revulsion, and even the mouth he covered twitched as if suppressing nausea.
In this world, the only one who could behave foolishly in front of the black beast was the little beast who resembled him.
Only the baby beast had the privilege of climbing on his back and perching atop his head.

As Ferio thought of his daughter, his lips relaxed unconsciously.
But because of the twisted mood stirred up by the territorial war playing out on the chessboard before him, the air around him remained anything but warm.
To scatter the chilling atmosphere, Ferio rose from his seat.

“Lupe, invite Count Rinne to the estate.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“And Marquis.”

The Marquis rose with ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Ferio and stood at attention to receive his order.
Something arced through the air and landed in front of the Marquis.
He caught it with his hand—it was a blue chess piece shaped like a snow leopard.

A spare queen Ferio had kept beside him.
“Send word to Marquis Ortio of the East.”
* * *

Leonia’s reflection shimmered in the large vanity mirror.
Her once rough and short black hair now fell past her shoulders.
“It’s really fun doing your hair these days, young lady.”

This translation is the intellectual property of .
Connie murmured in a wistful voice as she brushed Leonia’s sleek black hair.
Normally, she would have adorned it with colorful ribbons and cute hair ornaments, putting in all her effort despite her lack of skill. But today, that wasn’t an option.

She pulled the hair up high into a single ponytail like a horse’s tail and, with a touch of regret, tied it securely with a yellow ribbon.
It was Connie’s way of making sure it wouldn’t come loose during training.
“Thanks, Connie.”

Leonia stepped down from the vanity and offered her gratitude.
“Be careful during training. Don’t get hurt!”
“Okay! If I get hurt, I’ll make sure to hit Daddy the same way!”

“That’s even worse!”
Leaving behind the horrified Connie with a cheerful goodbye, Leonia headed to the indoor training hall with Meleis, who had been waiting outside.
Hop, hop—the child’s footsteps were light and springy.

“Are you excited?”
Meleis looked at Leonia, who couldn’t contain her excitement, with a gaze full of fondness.
Leonia had grown far more energetic lately and expressed her feelings honestly.

“We’re learning the Black Beast’s Fangs today.”
The strength of the Black Beast’s Fangs was fearsome, but learning to wield that incredible power for the first time made her heart pound with anticipation.
“Daddy’s going to teach me himself.”

Leonia’s legs bounced with joy—not just because of the training, but because she’d finally get to see Ferio again.
The last time she saw him was the day the Marquis of Pardus visited.
It had already been four days since then.

Even his usual teasing, which had once been so annoying, was starting to feel nostalgic.
Thankfully, he seemed to be less busy now, as he’d passed along the training date through Lupe.
“Meleis, have you seen Daddy?”

“I haven’t seen him in a while either. The vice-commander goes to report to him now and then.”
“Uncle Mono?”
So there was another man near her daddy besides Lupe.

Leonia added another name to the list of people she needed to keep an eye on.
Upon arriving at the training hall, Leonia spotted Ferio standing alone on the sparring platform.
He wore a white tunic and brown pants, and was gazing up at the ceiling.

With his damp, tousled hair, the white tunic, and those casual brown trousers, he looked younger and freer than usual.
The light glimmering in his black eyes as he stared upward gave him an air of untouchable intensity.
“Woooow.”

Leonia stopped in her tracks, awe-struck.
“My daddy is super handsome!”
She grabbed Meleis’s hand and pointed dramatically, squealing.

“Everyone knows that, young lady.”
Meleis giggled, agreeing. Among the Gladiago knights, there wasn’t a single one who hadn’t, at least once, been charmed by Ferio’s looks.
“Then do you like my daddy too?”

“I respect him.”
“Do you want to marry him?”
“No.”

Meleis answered firmly.
“One must cherish their life.”
No matter how handsome he was, Ferio was a predator cloaked in a terrifying pressure that could overwhelm his own good looks.

That’s why Meleis deeply admired Leonia for being able to approach Ferio without hesitation from the very beginning.
“Leo.”
At some point, Ferio lowered his gaze and beckoned her over with his hand.

“Daddy!”
Leonia ran over at full speed and threw herself into his arms with a big grin.
“It’s been forever! Were you really busy?”

“Yeah, I was.”
Ferio peeled Leonia off his leg and lifted her high into the air.
“Seems like you’ve had it easy.”

Tilting his head, Ferio examined his daughter, who felt heavier after just a few days.
His eyes studied her seriously.
When he held her, her eye level felt slightly higher than usual.

“Did you gain weight?”
“You could at least ask if I got taller.”
“Same difference.”

“You always pick the meanest things to say.”
Leonia pouted, though her eyes kept glancing at Ferio, noticing how tired he looked.
“And that’s how you speak to your father after he’s been busy?”

“Then maybe don’t come sneaking into my room while I’m asleep.”
He always claimed to be busy, yet never failed to visit while she was sleeping to leave her candy—how ridiculous.
His handsome face, now marked with fatigue, made her heart ache.

“Are you not busy anymore?”
Her chubby white hand gently touched the corner of Ferio’s eye.
“Did you sleep well?”

“……A little?”
“You have to sleep a lot.”
“I want to.”

“Wanna take a nap with me after training?”
No matter how grown-up she acted, Leonia’s body was still that of a child—she still needed her afternoon naps.
Her nap time usually came after her lessons and snack time in the afternoon.

“You toss and turn too much.”
Ferio teased, pretending he was afraid she’d kick him in her sleep.
“I sleep like an angel!”

Leonia blushed furiously and protested.
“Connie says I’m just like a baby animal!”
“……A baby animal?”

“Don’t switch the words around!”
Leonia screamed at the top of her lungs, flustered by the teasing joke she’d missed so dearly.