I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

A Few Days Later

After recovering, Leonia got up and went to apologize to the estate servants who were still confined to their beds because of her.
No matter how unintentional it had been, fangs were still fangs. The five servants who had been on duty in the entrance hall that day were still on medical leave.
“I’m sorry.”

She handed them a short apology letter along with a bag of cookies.
“Does it still hurt a lot? Are you okay…?”
Her drooping brows and hesitant voice made it clear just how guilty she felt.

“We’re fine.”
“We’re more worried about you, young lady.”
“Are you feeling alright?”

But instead of blaming her, the servants were more concerned for Leonia.
They had heard what had happened—that the reason her fangs had gone out of control was because of Countess Tedros, the etiquette instructor.
“His Grace will punish that woman properly!”

Connie, who had been the closest to Leonia at the time, huffed indignantly, her cheeks flushed with color.
“Besides, we got to take a good rest after a long time.”
“But… is Sir Gaber alright?”

The moment Connie shyly fidgeted with her nails and asked, the other servants grinned mischievously.
“Young lady, the truth is, Connie has a little—”
“T-That’s not it! I just wanted to thank him for helping me…!”

“Ohhh, is that sooooo?”
Mia, who stood beside Connie, mimicked her tone in a teasing drawl.
“To be honest, we’re all just slacking off now.”
The servants giggled, pressing their fingers to their lips in a conspiratorial hush. They admitted that they had actually recovered days ago.

At that, Leonia finally relaxed, covering her own mouth with her fingers in a promise to keep their secret.
“Felica.”
After finishing her visit to the sick servants, Leonia quickly trotted over to the head maid.

Felica was in the middle of a quiet conversation with Ardea when she turned her head at the sound of Leonia’s voice. She immediately bent down slightly, checking the girl’s complexion.
“Oh, young lady. You shouldn’t be running yet.”
“How are you feeling?”

Ardea clicked his tongue, muttering that he had known that woman would cause trouble sooner or later.
Back in the capital, one of his former students—a young noblewoman from the provinces—had once suffered terribly at a social gathering, where she had been tormented by Kerena and her cronies.
“She cried so much.”

“My goodness.”
Madam Felica shuddered in disgust.
“I always knew that woman had a bad reputation, but I never imagined she would dare behave like that in the Voreoti estate. It’s a good thing our young lady is so clever and perceptive—otherwise, that wicked woman might have gotten away with it. She’s utterly foolish and vile.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Ardea agreed.
Then, he looked down at Leonia and said reassuringly, “So don’t trouble yourself over it.”
“—Ah!”

Leonia’s eyes widened.
“That old hag!”
The little beast had completely forgotten about Kerena.

It was only now, after Felica and Ardea mentioned her, that Leonia belatedly realized the woman might have suffered serious injuries because of her.
But that was as far as her concern went.
“She started it first.”

Leonia shrugged both shoulders and held out her hands in an exaggerated ‘What can you do?’ expression.
She was willing to kneel and beg for forgiveness if her fangs had harmed the estate servants—but Kerena?
She couldn’t care less.

“Our young lady is truly bold and brave. As expected of a northern beast!”
Felica beamed with pride.
Hearing the praise, Leonia puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her hips.

“It’s not exactly the healthiest approach to emotional development, though…”
Ardea tilted his head slightly, expressing a mild concern.
However, since he had no sympathy for Kerena’s disgrace, he quickly let it go and smiled wryly.

“…By the way.”
Leonia began tapping the toe of her red shoe against the floor, shifting her weight back and forth.
“…Where’s Mister?”

***
"Heaven is always close by."
That was what some famous saint had once said.

Lupe, however, internally scoffed at the quote.
Heaven? My ass.
Hell was right in front of him.

Lupe stood as an observer of the inferno.
At the center of it all sat Duke Ferio Voreoti.
Summoned by his call, the northern nobles had gathered in the mansion, but they looked more like criminals awaiting sentencing.

All of them had their heads bowed, shoulders hunched, barely daring to breathe.
Ferio had personally invited them.
Yet, not a single word had been exchanged so far.

Has it been ten minutes?
Lupe tried to gauge the time.
For the guests, it must have felt like an eternity.

Tea had been served to each of them.
The maids who had brewed it were no longer present, yet the tea remained untouched, cooling into lukewarmness.
No one dared to take a sip.

Only Ferio drank his, leisurely enjoying it as if there was nothing unusual.
Lady Grey.
That was the name of the tea in his cup.

Lady Grey was a tea meant for beginners—one of the first blends that noble children were introduced to when learning proper tea etiquette.
It was hardly Ferio’s usual preference.
He didn’t even like tea to begin with.

Yet, he was drinking Lady Grey in front of them.
The meaning behind it was heavy.
Because in House Voreoti, the only one who could be called ‘Lady’ was the mysterious illegitimate child Ferio had brought back from the orphanage two months ago.

The Duke had personally named her.
He had given her the title of ‘Beast’ and placed her in the family registry.
Black tea is often called ‘dark tea’ because of its deep color.

A lady of dark tea.
This translation is the intellectual property of .
The Duke’s Daughter, Wrapped in Black.

Lady Grey.
A name that all but spelled out Leonia Voreoti.
“…I see.”

Lupe, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ who had been predicting the grim fate awaiting the nobles in the room, lifted his head.
“How long has it been since I left the North?”
Ferio finally broke the silence.

As he rose from his seat, his movements resembled a beast stretching lazily after waking.
He seemed completely uninterested in the very meeting he had called.
The teacup he had been drinking from was now empty.

“Approximately three years. To be exact, three years and two months,” Lupe answered immediately.
“In terms of annual cycles, that makes it four.”
Ferio took slow, long strides, circling the gathered nobles like a predator inspecting its prey.

Every time his black eyes locked onto someone, the person shuddered or let out an involuntary, strangled sound.
A faint smirk played at the corner of Ferio’s lips.
Pathetic.

In the end, they would all crumble before him. Yet, they had the audacity to act recklessly in his absence.
“Lupe Rikos, Viscount.”
Ferio tilted his chin toward Lupe.

A silent order to leave.
Without hesitation, Lupe turned and exited the conference room. The moment the doors shut behind him, he exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding.
Finally… I’ve escaped hell.

Lupe had experienced the beast’s fangs up close more times than he cared to count.
And he never wanted to be in that position again.
Even after countless encounters, that fear never became easier to endure.

Relieved, he nearly sank to the floor—only for a small, persistent tug at his pant leg to stop him.
“Lupe, Mister.”
Tug, tug.

Forced to remain standing in an awkward position, Lupe glanced down.
There, with her jet-black hair tied into two small pigtails, stood Leonia.
***

The Black Beast Stalks its Prey.
The conference room had fallen into utter silence.
A beast on the hunt always moves without a sound.

The moment Lupe fled the room, Ferio erased all traces of his presence.
Because he knew exactly how much it would suffocate the fools before him.
“…While I was away.”

The dark amusement in his tone only made the suffocating pressure worse.
“You all ran amok, without an ounce of awareness.”
His black eyes carried a quiet, lethal glint.

“Like senseless vermin.”
Every pause he took in speaking made the nobles lower their heads further.
As if presenting their necks for execution.

Even without baring his fangs, the beast had them cornered.
“Are you begging me to kill you?”
His voice was laced with curiosity, as if he genuinely sought an answer.

But in truth, he couldn’t care less what they had to say.
Perhaps I should just kill them all.
Even now, the memory of Leonia’s tearful sobs and pained cries burned vividly in his mind.

She, of all people—the fearless, indomitable child—had been suffering alone in silence.
And he, no different from the worms before him, had failed her.
He had allowed them to speak unchecked.

He had misjudged Kerena, despite Leonia’s warnings.
He had brought that woman into his home, to stand beside his daughter.
There was no excuse for his mistake.

"A child is not a pet."
Kara’s rebuke surfaced in his mind like a heavy iron weight.
He had never thought of Leonia that way.

But could he deny that his actions had made it seem so?
Even Leonia had been baffled by his impulsive decision to adopt her.
If that was why she hadn’t relied on him… if that was why she had borne everything alone…

That was an unbearable thought.
She’s sharp, observant… but perhaps too much so.
What he once saw as a virtue—her ability to conceal her emotions—now felt…

Lonely.
It was a different kind of sorrow.
One only a parent could feel.

“Count Tedros.”
Burying his thoughts deep inside, Ferio shifted his focus.
His eyes landed on the man who looked the most sickly among them.

The moment his name was called, Count Tedros jolted so violently that his chair scraped against the floor.
“What do you think?”
“M-My lord, I…”

“Oh, and how is your wife doing?”
Count Tedros’ face turned deathly pale.
Ferio’s words were polite.

But in Tedros’ ears, it sounded like a threat.
If your wife is still doing well, then I will personally make sure she is not.