I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

Ufikla’s public statement that Leonia should treat her well because she was going to be her new stepmother had already spread so thoroughly through the mansion that there wasn’t a single person who didn’t know.
The saying “bad news travels fast” rang true no matter where you were.
That’s how massive the uproar had been.

And that night—
“She got scolded hard.”
Leonia said to Connie, who was helping her into her pajamas.

“I was there too, you know.”
Connie replied with a wry smile as she fastened the buttons.
Standing just behind Leonia and Ferio at the time, Connie gave a faint shiver at the memory of that overwhelming moment.

Abipher’s voice—sharp enough to make someone flinch—still echoed in her ears.
‘Do you even know where you are, saying something like that!’
No matter how young Ufikla was—only six years old—it was a major offense to speak so informally and rudely to the Duke’s daughter.

Abipher had scolded her daughter severely on the spot.
The once-kind lady growled like a hunting dog, while Ufikla whimpered like a puppy with its tail tucked between its legs.
‘You’re embarrassed too, so stop crying already!’

And poor Carnis caught some of the heat as well.
Abipher, claiming she could never show her face to the Duke and his daughter again, finally unleashed all the fury she had been bottling up.
When Ufikla inevitably burst into tears, Pinu, who had just stopped crying, joined in again, and Carnis launched back into sobbing—forming a tearful trio.

‘…So the West is like this too?’
Is it as crazy as the North?
Leonia whispered slyly to Ferio.
‘…….’

Ferio simply stared at the ceiling.
“…It wasn’t a welcoming ceremony.”
Leonia corrected herself.

“It was a wailing ceremony.”
A complete and utter circus.
For the first time, Leonia actually felt sorry for her father.

“If it weren’t for Count Rinne, I never would’ve met Dad.”
Carnis had been an incredible benefactor.
If not for his constant bragging about his kids, Ferio never would’ve impulsively decided to adopt a child.

And if that hadn’t happened, Leonia would still be in that orphanage—suffering horrendous abuse at the hands of those adults who ran it like a dungeon.
‘He was amazing in the original too.’
He’d been portrayed as a loving family man and a great supporter of Ferio.

And yet here he was—bursting into tears the second he saw his friend’s face.
The disappointment was as big as her expectations had been.
“…Maybe he likes Dad?”

Leonia gasped, struck by her own brilliant deduction.
Lupe, Mono, and now Carnis too?
“I knew it!”

Leonia sprang to her feet.
“My lady, please don’t go down that path again.”
Connie immediately sat her back down.

“But look at the situation!”
“It’s not that at all.”
“Dad’s too handsome! He attracts men!”

“It’s not that!”
Connie dared to speak firmly for once.
***

“…You.”
Ferio murmured, rubbing his forehead and the corners of his eyes with the hand resting on the arm of the sofa.
“You should be grateful you married her.”

Hoo… A heavy sigh fell over the carpet of the office like a crushing weight.
“……”
Sitting across from him, Abipher silently agreed.

Strangely united, the two adults stared at Carnis—who was still sniffling, his eyes red and swollen.
Ferio felt a brief, powerful urge to just kick Carnis out right then and there.
Still, they were friends… sort of.

“How are your children doing?”
While his friend was off sulking, Ferio turned to ask Abipher.
Now that he himself was a father, he couldn’t get Ufikla out of his mind—how completely deflated she’d looked after being thoroughly scolded by her mother.

She looked like a soaked puppy, utterly defeated.
Abipher sincerely apologized.
“This is all our fault. We clearly didn’t teach her properly. For her to say such a thing to the young lady…”

“She’s still just a child.”
Though he wouldn’t say it to Leonia, Ferio actually found Ufikla’s unexpected blow rather… refreshing.
“She’s been really into fairy tales about stepmothers lately…”

According to Abipher, the story was about a girl mistreated by her stepmother.
So Ufikla thought all stepmothers were cruel to their stepdaughters, and she had meant to reassure Leonia that she wouldn’t be like that.
Ferio nodded slowly.

“She’s clever.”
For a six-year-old to not only understand the concept of a stepmother but also make the connection that marrying a duke would make her Leonia’s stepmother… it was honestly impressive.
‘For her age, anyway.’

Still, she didn’t quite measure up to Leonia. Ferio smiled fondly as he immediately began comparing the two.
When reading, Leonia would pick apart any irrational or poorly explained passages, then launch into chatter about the legal implications and related societal issues.
“……”

Abipher quietly swallowed her surprise.
‘My goodness…’
The Duke, who always kept his expression blank, now wore a very noticeable, curved smile at the corners of his lips.

His eyes—usually dark and unreadable—now held a warmth, as if he were thinking fondly of someone.
Like a full moon softly glowing in a dark night sky.
Abipher, who had always felt more fear than admiration when looking at Ferio’s face, now forgot that fear entirely for the first time.

Instead, her heart skipped a beat, and her face flushed with heat.
“Abi…”
Fortunately, her husband’s soft sniffling beside her brought her back to her senses before she could fall any further.

“All done crying?”
Still under Ferio’s spell, Abipher gently dabbed her husband’s tear-streaked eyes with a handkerchief.
Carnis gave a small nod, sniffling with a downcast expression.

Even now, with age, he looked so adorably pitiful that Abipher couldn’t help but pat his back.
“I was just… really disappointed…”
His green eyes, still wet with tears, gazed at Ferio with a mixture of hurt and sorrow.

“There’s nothing to be disappointed about.”
Ferio, of course, remained completely indifferent.
“Who on earth did you meet? When did this happen?!”

“No idea.”
Ferio scratched the back of his neck.
He briefly considered whether he should tell Carnis the truth about Leonia’s origins.

As ridiculous as he acted, Carnis was still tight-lipped and trustworthy—so maybe it would be okay.
But first, he had to ask Leonia.
This translation is the intellectual property of .

He couldn’t speak about it freely without getting permission from the person directly involved.
Especially not when the child in question was someone as thoughtful and intelligent as Leonia. She would think it through and respond properly—Ferio had decided he would follow her lead.
"I never thought you’d be so reckless and irresponsible!"

"I didn’t think so either…"
And just like that, he willingly accepted his descent into the role of a scumbag who’d irresponsibly left behind a child.
"I should’ve looked for her sooner."

That much, at least, was the absolute truth in Ferio’s heart.
Every time he saw Leonia’s back, it came flooding back—a guilt he could never shake.
If only he’d cared a little more about Regina… If he’d made the effort, he could’ve found her easily. She had been family.

A cousin who could’ve been rescued from hell far earlier. If he had, that child wouldn’t have had to go through such a horrific life.
"…I should have."
At the sound of Ferio’s guilt-laden voice, Carnis and Abipher couldn’t say a word.

"The young lady really takes after Your Grace."
Abipher finally spoke, gently.
"The two of you were whispering so closely to each other earlier—it was such a warm, beautiful sight. Especially when she rested comfortably in your arms."

They were the very image of a loving father and daughter.
That one sincere remark from Abipher visibly softened Ferio’s expression.
"If something like that happened… hic… you should’ve told me."

"Are you done crying?"
"I’m just glad everything turned out okay."
Carnis wiped his tears as he spoke.

Truth be told, what made him cry the moment he saw the two of them wasn’t shock or betrayal.
It was the look on Ferio’s face—the unmistakable expression of a father who cherished his child more than anything.
Carnis had been genuinely worried that Ferio, with his usual temperament, would treat the child coldly.

But Ferio truly treasured her, and the girl clearly adored her father in return.
There was not even a shadow of darkness between the two of them. It had hit Carnis so hard, he’d cried before he even realized it.
Of course, now that the emotions had passed, he was embarrassed about it.

Still, the sincerity behind his tears was real.
Ferio looked genuinely happy. Happier than anyone had ever seen him.
"That’s a relief."

Carnis said honestly, his neck flushed all the way down to his collar.
"…So, why did you call us here?"
His green eyes—no longer teary but now sharp—glinted as he wiped away the last traces of his breakdown.

Just moments ago, he’d looked like a sobbing mess, but now he straightened up and stared at Ferio with complete seriousness.
Instead of answering, Ferio glanced at the desk behind him.
"The chessboard…"

Abipher also turned her gaze toward it.
"…What a disaster."
Reading the partially visible board, she covered her mouth in dismay.

"The West’s been infected with parasites."
Abipher’s blue eyes narrowed as she muttered, a lethal sharpness in her gaze.
There was only one thing in her heart now—an intense desire to destroy the parasite that had infested the West.

"……"
Carnis said nothing.
But inwardly, he too was burning with rage, understanding now why Ferio had summoned them.

"That explains it."
Carnis nodded as if something had clicked into place.
"Baron Hirqus’s been clashing with our guild more than usual lately."

"At the warehouse near the border of the North and West?"
Ferio asked, recalling what the Marquis of Pardus had told him.
"Right. There was a lot of talk recently about how the warehouse was being managed."

"What kind of talk?"
"They rented out the entire far end of the complex to someone. And what’s more—mercenaries who aren’t even part of the warehouse staff are aggressively monitoring both the rented area and the surrounding sections."
Sometimes guilds did hire mercenaries to protect their stored goods—it wasn’t unusual, as long as the proper procedures were followed.

"But the baron…"
Carnis bit his lip, then looked at Abipher.
"…went too far."

Abipher nodded grimly and continued.
"The warehouse is clearly under the jurisdiction of Marquis Hesperi, the lord of the Western region. If he found out about this, he’d immediately launch an investigation."
"So Baron Hirqus manipulated the reports going up the chain?"

Ferio smirked, and Abipher flinched reflexively at the sight.
"That’s possible."
Still, Ferio was skeptical.

"I doubt the baron has that much authority."
"Then someone else must be involved?"
"Abi, calm down…"

"Or—"
Tap. The soft sound of Ferio’s finger tapping ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) the sofa arm drew their attention.
"Someone higher up knows—and is letting it happen."

At that speculation, the Count and Countess of Rinne both froze.
"Unfortunately."
With a voice that was anything but regretful, Ferio summed up the current state of the imperial court.

"The tiger’s cornered."
As long as the emperor kept the empress close, Marquis Hesperi couldn’t do a thing.