I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

“...That soon?”
Leonia froze, her spoonful of mashed potatoes mixed with finely diced bacon and vegetables hovering in midair. She had known that they would leave once the blizzard ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ stopped, but she hadn’t expected it to be this fast.
And apparently, Ferio even considered it a late departure. Originally, they were supposed to leave today.

“I’ll wait until your tutors arrive before I go.”
“My tutors?”
Ah. Leonia suddenly remembered. Ferio had often mentioned that she had a lot to learn from private tutors. Even she admitted that, having grown up in an orphanage, she lacked the knowledge and etiquette expected of a noble.

“They’ll arrive this afternoon, just for introductions. Lessons will start tomorrow.”
“You should have told me earlier so I could prepare.”
“They’re bringing everything they need with them.”

“This is some real noble privilege…”
Leonia’s spoon finally moved again, and she took a bite. The mashed potatoes were salty and delicious.
After breakfast, the father and daughter took a stroll through the garden, continuing their conversation about the tutors. The towering piles of snow, which had reached the height of an adult, had already been neatly cleared by the servants. The crisp crunch of their footsteps echoed in the cold air as Leonia walked.

“What am I supposed to learn?” she asked.
“Etiquette and history.”
Ferio walked at his own pace, following the small footprints Leonia left in the snow. She had to hurry to keep up with him, her little feet moving quickly to match his long strides. Side by side, large and small footprints trailed behind them.

“Only two subjects?”
A puff of white breath escaped from her lips as she spoke.
“You already know how to read.”

At the orphanage, Teacher Connie had secretly gathered the children to teach them how to read and write. She had insisted that knowing how to read was essential for their future survival.
“Don’t start whining later about how hard it is.”
“Hmph. Maybe I should just cause chaos.”
“Just act as you normally do.”

Ferio nonchalantly buttoned up Leonia’s cardigan. The second button had been fastened incorrectly, leaving it slightly crooked. Leonia watched his hands move with casual care.
“When did you even hire a tutor?” she asked.
Lately, Ferio had been spending all his time lounging around, claiming he couldn’t work because of the snow. But before that, when he had been busy preparing for the monster hunt, Leonia barely saw him outside of meals.

“The day after you arrived.”
Leonia’s eyes widened in shock.
“That early?”

“I recruited them along with the artisans when I was decorating your room and ordering your clothes.”
“…Uncle.”
From the very beginning, Ferio had been doing his best for her.

A strange, tight feeling gripped her chest again. Every time she realized how much effort Ferio put into taking care of her, this unfamiliar, shameful ache spread through her heart. She still hesitated to call him "Dad"—it felt awkward, unnatural.
Oblivious to her inner turmoil, Ferio placed his hand on her head.
“So, study hard while I’m away.”

He threw in a teasing remark.
“And don’t cry because you miss me.”
“……”

He fully expected her to protest immediately.
What? Are you an idiot, Uncle? As if I’d cry for you!
That was the kind of fiery response he had been bracing for. But instead of an outburst, Leonia remained silent.

Ferio turned to her in surprise. The usually chatty child was suddenly quiet, and for some reason, it unsettled him.
“…I’ll study hard,” Leonia mumbled softly.
“…Are you sick?”

Ferio wasn’t used to such a well-behaved response. He asked cautiously.
“I’m not sick!”
Fortunately, she barked back right away. That was all he needed to hear. Relieved, Ferio reached out to pull her into his arms as usual—but this time, Leonia shook her head.

Instead, she stretched out her hand.
Ferio stared at it for a long moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a candy.
“Not that.”

Before he could react, Leonia grabbed his hand instead.
Her tiny, warm fingers wrapped around three of his calloused ones, holding on tightly.
Ferio’s sharp gaze widened.

“Hold my hand.”
“……”
“Do you not want to?”

“…No.”
He had only been startled—but somehow, he couldn’t even say that aloud.
Leonia, satisfied, started walking again. But because Ferio’s strides were so long, she ended up practically being dragged along.

It was almost comical—who was leading whom here?
Her steps were so small, her pace frustratingly slow. Even though she had grown healthier, she was still small for her age. She simply couldn’t match an adult’s pace. That was why Ferio so often carried her instead.
Now that he thought about it, this was their first time actually walking side by side, holding hands.

This translation is the intellectual property of .
“……”
Unconsciously, Ferio slowed his pace.

Leonia’s rushed steps evened out as she found her own rhythm again.
“I’ll study hard, so come back home quickly.”
She spoke while looking straight ahead.

Her ears were red—not entirely because of the cold.
…This isn’t so bad.
At first, he had thought it was inefficient. It was easier to just carry her.

But now that they were walking together, it didn’t feel that way at all.
The warmth of her tiny hand against his own, the softness of her touch—it stirred something unfamiliar in him.
“When the hunt is over, we’ll visit the orphanage,” he said.

“Okay.”
“And don’t cry because you miss me.”
“I won’t cry.”

Her voice was quieter than usual.
Ferio secretly smiled.
“…But you’ll miss me?”

“…Maybe a little.”
“You’re not very good at being honest.”
“Look who’s talking.”

Their footprints trailed behind them, large and small, until their conversation faded into the crisp winter air.
***
That afternoon, two carriages arrived at the Voreoti estate.

“I am Kerena Tedros, your etiquette instructor.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Ardea, your history tutor.”
The two tutors stood before the duke and his daughter.

One was a strikingly beautiful noblewoman, the other an elderly man who exuded wisdom and experience.
Pretty one and sleeping pill, Leonia thought.
Kerena Tedros, the etiquette instructor, was much younger than she had expected. Leonia had assumed someone elderly would come, but instead, she was met with a dazzling young noblewoman whose dress practically sparkled.

Ardea, on the other hand, looked exactly like an old scholar—deep wrinkles, tattered robes. The fact that he had dared to meet the Duke of Voreoti in such an unkempt state was impressive in itself.
“Leonia.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Leonia Voreoti.”
Leonia belatedly gave her greeting, meeting the instructors’ eyes. Kerena smiled warmly, while Ardea studied her with curiosity.
“The Countess will visit once a week. Ardea will be staying at the estate.”

After a brief introduction, the tutors left.
Leonia watched their carriages disappear through the window before scampering over to Ferio and grabbing his hand.
“Uncle.”

Ferio lowered himself to her level.
“Is there anything I should be careful about?”
“Why would you need to be careful?”

If anything, those two should be the ones careful around you. Ferio frowned.
“There’s no one in the North you ever need to be cautious around.”
“Even if I… killed someone?”

“That’s a bit extreme—but yes, even then.”
Just like what happened with those “guests” at the orphanage.
Leonia giggled.

“I guess being born into power really is everything.”
“You should be grateful to me.”
“You should be grateful to me for putting up with your personality.”

Still, she was a little nervous about the new tutors.
She admitted as much.
“Ardea is a brilliant scholar.”

“How brilliant?”
“He was a member of the Imperial Academy and a professor.”
Leonia’s black eyes widened.

The Imperial Academy was a prestigious institution, home to the greatest minds in the empire. It was often called the empire’s third most powerful entity.
But what caught her attention was that Ardea had been a professor—in the past tense.
“…So why is someone that great in the North?”

Ferio hesitated for a moment before looking at her.
“…And what about the Countess?”
Leonia decided not to press further.

Ferio ruffled her hair and handed her a strawberry milk candy.
“She used to chase after me.”
“UNCLE!”

Leonia scowled deeply.
“Why would you hire her?!”
Right now, the entire empire believed that she was Ferio’s illegitimate daughter. The truth—that she was actually Regina’s child—was a carefully guarded secret, known only to a select few: Ferio, Leonia, Kara, Lupe, Mono, and Meleis.

Mono and Meleis had only learned the truth on the day Ferio took Leonia to the training grounds. When they found out, they had both spewed their drinks so violently that they practically created a rainbow of beer.
“Now that I think about it, that woman’s pretty strange too.”
She was willing to personally teach the supposed love child of the man she once pursued?

Leonia quickly mapped out the relationships in her head:
The woman liked the man.
The man had a hidden daughter.
And now, the woman had become that daughter’s private tutor.
What a complete mess.
“This is suspicious…”

Her gaze turned sharper and colder than the snowstorm outside.
Ferio, watching her, found the intensity of her glare both impressive and amusing. Only his daughter could dare to look at him—the Black Beast of the North—like this.
But for some reason, that icy glare stung a little.

“She’s the most well-versed in noble etiquette in the North,” he explained. “Even in the capital’s social circles, she’s highly regarded. She’s neither stupid nor oblivious.”
Without realizing it, Ferio kept rattling on, as if he were trying to justify himself.