I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

After the Fang training.

Ferio, who had come to check on Leonia before bed, said,
“From now on, run one lap around the training grounds every day.”
It was a decision he’d reached after much thought that night, having witnessed Leonia’s stamina—which was practically nonexistent.

Before training her to better handle the Fangs, it was more important to build up her physical strength.
Naturally, Leonia grumbled.
“That’s annoying...”

She squirmed under the fluffy blanket. Her tiny feet were protesting.
“If it’s annoying, why do you even breathe?”
“You don’t know, but I’m very busy.”

“Your conscience dried up along with your childhood innocence, huh.”
Ferio was stunned.
In the entire Voreoti estate, the person who loafed around the most with nothing to do was Leonia.

“You wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, play for a bit, get tutored by Ardea, eat lunch, play again, eat a snack, nap, wake up, play, eat dinner, wash up, and go to bed.”
Ferio recited her daily schedule word-for-word without a single mistake.
Even the tutoring was only every other week.

“Phew, I didn’t know I was that busy.”
But Leonia played dumb with a cheeky grin. Of course, that had no effect on her beast of a father. He just snorted.
“Go run after lunch.”

“If I run right after eating, my stomach will hurt!”
“To my knowledge, you play for a whole two hours after lunch…”
Leonia’s entire schedule was in the palm of Ferio’s hand.
As she looked flustered, a smile—far too young for his age—played at the corner of Ferio’s lips.

Leonia buried her face in the pillow.
The baby beast had lost.
“You evil daddy…”

She poked her face out from the pillow, puffing up her cheeks.
Her tiny nostrils squished against her puffy cheeks, narrowing like almonds. One eye was half-shut from the squish.
“You’ve gotta exercise regularly if you want to get strong.”

Ferio said as he tucked the blanket around her.
“Then… if I do it all, can I play with the knight big sisters and big brothers?”
Leonia stuck out her pinky, promising to do her best if that condition was met.

“If you promise not to sexually harass them.”
“I don’t harass anyone!”
“Mono submitted a complaint.”

The young lady’s muscle inspections were distracting the knights from their training.
“Wow, I didn’t take that guy for the tattling type!”
He’s talking about me behind my back?! Leonia fumed, feeling betrayed.

She never thought that strict knight would stab her in the back like that.
“I was having fun with the knight big sisters and big brothers!”
“That’s the problem.”

Leonia was getting too chummy with the knights.
They were proud and grateful that the young lady recognized the muscles they had built through blood, sweat, and tears.
Leonia wasn’t just a muscle-freak brat.

She was a muscle-freak brat with knowledge and appreciation.
While admiring their muscles, she also offered various bits of consultation.
“Where on earth did she learn all that muscle knowledge…”

According to Mono’s report, Leonia’s understanding of muscle structure was at a professional level.
“I just know a lot about muscles!”
Leonia beamed proudly.

…Did the library have a muscle encyclopedia?
Ferio quickly searched his memory.
He vaguely recalled ordering several anatomy and medical books for the family physician.
But he’d had those moved to the doctor’s room, not the library.

“And I just have deep love for muscles.”
Leonia pounded her chest with a fist.
“Muscle love...”

Ferio had never imagined he would hear such bizarre words in his life.
Ever since meeting Leonia, he’d had all sorts of new experiences—none of them more unsettling than this “muscle love.”
“I like muscles regardless of gender.”

She went on to explain that men had men’s muscles, and women had women’s muscles—revealing her very specific preferences.
“Well, that’s…”
Ferio held his tongue.

A truly unnecessary and disturbingly equal opportunity pervert.
“For women, I think abs are the best. For men, waist muscles.”
Leonia boasted her personal tastes in detail.

“And Daddy has great pecs.”
“That’s… the first compliment I’ve gotten like that.”
“I’ve experienced your muscles firsthand, remember?”

When she first came to the North, the backlash of the Gate had made her dizzy, and she had been carried in Ferio’s arms.
She had glimpsed those pecs through the fabric then—and later even got a direct look with her own two eyes.
“Daddy, you’re the best!”

Her tiny thumbs-up glowed faintly in the moonlight beyond the window.
Glowed in the most ridiculously unnecessary way.
“……”

Ferio seriously debated whether or not that comment counted as sexual harassment.
***
Recently, the young lady of Viscount Rebous Kerata’s house, Flomus, had been in an excellent mood.

All because of the letter in front of her.
I have a friend to exchange letters with now!
The little noble girl, who used to watch her mean older brother and cousins receive letters with envy, now kicked her feet excitedly above her chair as she stared at the letter before her.

Beside it lay a letter opener, which a maid had handed her with care.
Flomus gently ran her fingertips over the pink envelope.
The mouth of the envelope, soft as silk, was sealed with black wax—bearing the image of a roaring beast.

The crest of none other than House Voreoti.
Even my brother hasn’t received one of these.
Flomus had become pen pals with Leonia after growing close during ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) a recent tea party.

At first, she had been very scared, but after exchanging letters and meeting a few more times, they’d become much friendlier.
Carefully, she sliced the envelope open with the letter opener and pulled out the letter inside.
A sweet scent greeted her first. Along with the letter was a strawberry milk candy.

She would later learn that the strawberry milk candy Leonia had handed out at the tea party was a dessert made by a famous pâtissier in the Empire.
Apparently, one candy cost as much as an entire luxury cake.
And this particular candy was currently monopolized by House Voreoti.

Ferio had bought exclusive rights to it for his one and only daughter.
Unbeknownst to Leonia, the very candy she popped into her mouth when bored had made her a celebrity throughout the Empire.
Of course, Flomus didn’t know all that. She simply placed the precious candy in her mouth with great care.

The rich strawberry milk flavor melted into her saliva and gently embraced her entire body.
Lost in bliss for a moment, Flomus belatedly unfolded the letter.
She put the rest of the candy into the treasure box in her drawer—to keep it safe from her brother.

Knock knock.
“Flo.”
This translation is the intellectual property of .

At that moment, Viscount Kerata knocked on the door.
“Father!”
Flomus hopped down from her chair and greeted him with a bright smile.

“I was wondering what my daughter was up to, so I came to see.”
“I got a letter!”
“From the young lady of House Voreoti?”

“Yes!”
Flomus beamed with pride, saying she was just about to read it.
Viscount Kerata smiled warmly.

Because Flomus was so timid, the Viscount and his wife had always worried about whether she could get along well with children her age.
But ever since that tea party with Leonia, those worries had faded.
She was simply a little slower than others—she was socializing in her own way.

And oh, how enthusiastically she had explained all about reindeer to the other children.
Remembering that, the Viscount felt deeply pleased. Flomus gave her father an innocent smile.
“If it’s okay, could you tell me what the letter says?”

When he asked, Flomus nodded eagerly, like a puppy about to go for a walk.
Viscount Kerata chuckled, his large belly jiggling to match his broad frame.
Flomus brought over the letter.

“To the world’s cutest Flo, held in the dearest two hands—”
“The young lady of Voreoti truly is clever.”
To think she recognized that our Flo is the cutest in the world. Viscount Kerata’s comment made Flomus blush with a shy smile.

“Hi Flo! How are you doing?”
Flo began reading the letter again.
“Lately, I’ve been…”

As the cheerful letter went on, Viscount Kerata’s face grew increasingly somber.
Meanwhile, Flomus’ face grew even brighter.
“…and so, I learned how to subdue someone with a teacup from Countess Bosgruni.”

The innocent letter reading continued on and on.
***
The next day, Viscount Kerata made his way to the Voreoti estate at a brisker pace than ever before.

It’s not really because of the letter…
He wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.
There was an instruction from the Duke he needed to follow up on, and he also had to report on the shipment for the merchant guild.

So, technically, his visit to the mansion served multiple purposes—he convinced himself it wasn’t just urgency over a certain letter.
The handkerchief in his pocket was already drenched.
Upon arriving at the mansion, Viscount Kerata went straight to the office.

“Viscount Kerata.”
Ferio, who was buried in paperwork, stood up and offered him a seat on the sofa.
The warm reception caught Viscount Kerata off guard.

It was extremely rare for the high-and-mighty Duke to personally receive anyone.
Ah… It’s because of the young lady of Voreoti.
He understood. It was thanks to Leonia’s friendship with Flomus.

“This is the revised schedule and quantity report for the goods to be delivered to the Tabanus Guild.”
But the Viscount quickly gathered himself and got to the real purpose of his visit.
Ferio reviewed the documents on the spot. After carefully confirming the details, he gave a small nod.

“Push back the Tabanus Guild’s delivery date for now. No need to rush it.”
“Understood.”
“You’re not going to ask why I’m giving such a ridiculous instruction?”

Ferio looked at him with a testing gaze.
“…It’s true that I don’t fully understand.”
When he first received the order, Viscount Kerata was convinced that Count Tabanus must have seriously provoked the Black Beast’s wrath somehow.

But for that, Ferio’s response was oddly quiet.
He wasn’t halting shipments—just delaying the schedule until a specific date.
“There must be a reason behind it.”

Viscount Kerata’s house was one of the most loyal noble families in the North.
They knew better than anyone the extent of the Black Beast’s power—and that he would never act oddly without reason.
That’s why the Viscount had no complaints when receiving his instructions.

The Black Beast, after all, was a generous lord—as long as you didn’t provoke him.
“You speak of me with high praise, Viscount.”
Ferio paused just as he was about to cross his legs.

“…Perhaps it’s because the child nags me so much about bad posture that it’s become a habit.”
Ferio gave an unsolicited excuse, even though no one had asked.
“Daughters are always clever and full of concern, aren’t they?”

And just like that, the two fathers found common ground and dove into lively conversation.
For the first time, Viscount Kerata felt Ferio Voreoti close.
Before, he had only held reverence for the ruler of the North—but now, he felt like a neighbor with children of similar age.

“Come to think of it, yesterday my daughter sent a letter to the young lady of Voreoti…”
The Viscount, who had been chuckling heartily, suddenly froze mid-sentence.