I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

Clatter!
“S-Sir, I sincerely apologize! I beg your forgiveness!”
Count Tedros finally collapsed onto the floor, groveling.

The chair he had been sitting on lay toppled behind him, abandoned as he pressed his forehead against the ground, wailing as if his life depended on it.
Not a single person in the room felt sympathy for him.
In fact, some even envied him.

Because, of all the nobles gathered here today, Count Tedros was the only one who had not actively schemed during Ferio’s absence.
Every other noble present had, in one way or another, been guilty of shamelessly overstepping for their own gain.
Lupe had spent the entire night after returning from the orphanage uncovering every last one of them.

And they all shared a common crime—
They had fueled the malicious rumors about Leonia.
It was those very rumors that had reached Kerena Tedros, filling her with arrogance and leading her to her downfall.

Now, it was said that Kerena, who had been struck by fangs, was barely lucid—half-mad and bedridden.
The Final Warning
“From this moment forward, within the walls of the Voreoti estate…”

Count Tedros flinched.
“There must be no trace of Kerena Mereocha. Neither seen nor heard.”
It was a mercy.

Tedros’ only crime had been choosing the wrong wife.
Perhaps one could call his lack of judgment a fault, but at the very least, his family had remained loyal and diligently managed their lands while Ferio was gone.
So long as he divorced Kerena, his house would suffer no consequences.
Ferio had deliberately referred to her by her maiden name.

Her punishment would come later—along with the punishment for the family that had raised her.
Conveniently, her father, Count Mereocha, was also present.
The golden-haired, blue-eyed noble squeezed his eyes shut, as if bracing for the inevitable.

“There—there is no question, my lord!”
Tear-streaked and still sniffling, Count Tedros bobbed his head repeatedly in a frantic bow.
Ferio flicked his hand, dismissing him.

Like a man escaping from the jaws of death, Tedros fled.
And in his absence, Ferio’s black irises shimmered with a deadly red gleam.
“—Ah…!”

A noble clutched his own throat with trembling hands.
As if infected, the other nobles followed—some shuddering violently, others gasping as if their lungs had turned to stone.
One even collapsed onto the table.

“There will not be a second chance.”
The beast had not even fully bared its fangs.
Yet, the mere glimpse of them sent its prey into death throes.

Ferio didn’t even bother to snarl.
“I let those absurd rumors spread unchecked because I did not consider you pathetic creatures worth my time.”
This—

This was still a warning.
A light one.
Though, to the nobles who were enduring it, they were already on the brink of death.

“I would rather spend that time rolling around in front of the fireplace with my daughter.”
And that was exactly what he had done during the snowstorm.
Leonia had sat comfortably on his lap, carefully sucking on a strawberry milk candy.

Every time their eyes met, she had smiled.
"Mister!"
Her bright, beaming face had filled his chest with warmth.

“This is your final warning.”
His large hand rested lightly on the table.
A red aura flickered from his fingertips, writhing like heat rising from embers.

As the beast revealed a fraction more of its fangs, the nobles flailed like fish out of water, writhing and gasping.
“Remember that I am choosing to let you live.”
The black beast crouched low, waiting in the icy snow, concealing its claws and fangs.

Next time, it would be death.
***
Leonia sat with Lupe, waiting for Ferio in a parlor far from the conference room.

She had wanted to wait somewhere closer.
But Lupe had firmly refused.
"His Grace is definitely going to bare his fangs in there."

“…Lupe, are you hurt?”

“I was in my office the entire time, young lady.”
While they waited, Leonia checked on him, making sure he hadn’t been injured because of her.

Thankfully, Lupe had been too absorbed in his work to even know what had happened until later.
“But I did notice something strange.”
His body had suddenly broken out in cold sweat.

His heart had pounded like mad.
“That’s how strong the beast’s fangs are.”
Leonia already knew that from the novel.

The Beast’s Fangs had been depicted as one of the strongest abilities in the world—an overpowering force that could not be defeated, even if aura or mana were combined against it.
It had been one of the writer’s favorite ways to highlight Ferio’s terrifying strength.
But—

"It wasn’t just something ‘cool.’”
Experiencing it firsthand had been completely different.
Her memories of losing control were hazy, but the one thing she clearly remembered—

Was how much she had truly wanted to kill Kerena.
The beast’s fangs sliced through human life as easily as tearing through a pillow.
“…It’s a terrifying power.”

Leonia’s legs dangled from the couch as she stared at them, her expression unusually solemn.
Lupe let out a quiet, bitter chuckle.
People usually became arrogant when they held power.

Just look at noble children, who acted entitled just because of their family names.
Or the nobles who were probably being torn apart by Ferio right now.
But Leonia was different.

She wasn’t reveling in her power.
She was contemplating it.
She was only a child.

Yet, she was already thinking about the weight of her abilities.
It was admirable—but at the same time, it pained him.
“You should allow yourself to live a little more thoughtlessly, young lady.”

“What do you mean? I’m not a kid.”
“…You are a kid, though.”
Did she even realize how young she was?

Lupe gave a helpless chuckle at her old-soul attitude.
Ferio Returns
“Leonia.”

At some point, Ferio entered the drawing room.
Draped over his arm was some sort of fabric.
“Mis—”

Leonia started to run to him—
But then, suddenly stopped.
Both Ferio and Lupe blinked.

Normally, she would have already thrown herself into his arms, chattering away.
Instead, she hesitated, fidgeting.
“If you need to use the restroom, don’t hold it in. That’s bad for you.”

Ferio, attempting to be considerate, offered his advice.
Leonia screamed.
Lupe, standing behind her, shook his head in exasperation.

“I’M JUST BEING SHY! Why are you so dense?!”
“For someone being ‘shy,’ you sure are yelling a lot. My ears are ringing.”
This translation is the intellectual property of .

"You really don’t know anything about women! You’re supposed to say something like ‘going to pick flowers’ instead!"
"What did flowers ever do to deserve that?"
Ferio muttered dryly, as if lamenting the fate of all flowers in the world. Then, with an impatient wave, he motioned Leonia closer.

Still hesitant, Leonia rolled her eyes around the room before finally giving up and trudging toward him.
"Lupe."
Ferio called out as he carefully dressed Leonia in the garment he had brought.

It was the same cloak she usually wore when walking around the estate or the garden.
"The guests are getting ready to leave."
"I’ll go check on them."

Lupe gave a short nod of understanding.
Before stepping out, he turned back to Leonia with a playful glint in his eye, as if promising they’d meet again soon.
Leonia grinned and waved.

Ferio, watching this exchange with mild irritation, let out a silent sigh before scooping Leonia up into his arms.

"How do you feel?"
"I’m fine."

"Fever?"
"No fever."
To prove her point, Leonia pushed back her bangs, revealing her forehead.

A moment later, a large palm covered it.
Ferio’s hand was so big it nearly engulfed her entire face, which made Leonia giggle.
"You’re finally smiling."

Ferio murmured, almost to himself.
Leonia stiffened.
Ferio tilted his head slightly.

"Why’d you stop?"
"Uhh…"
The two stared at each other in silence.

Leonia wasn’t sure how to act around him.
It was the first time they had seen each other since that night—when she had sobbed like a child in his arms.
The memory made her feel awkward.

"Did I say something weird?"
She had been overwhelmed. Her long-buried feelings had burst out before she could stop them.
And it wasn’t pretty.

Thinking back on it now made her cringe.
Her body may have been that of a seven-year-old, but she wasn’t really a child.
Luckily, Ferio didn’t seem interested in bringing it up.

His gaze, as it swept over her, carried neither useless pity nor unnecessary emotion.
As always, Ferio Voreoti wore his usual languid expression, exuding an effortless yet oppressive sense of authority.
"But isn’t seeing off noble guests supposed to be Granny Kara’s job?"

Leonia, having nothing better to say, latched onto the odd conversation she had overheard between Ferio and Lupe earlier.
Now that she thought about it, it was strange.
Why was Lupe, the Duke’s secretary, the one checking on the departing guests?

"Ah, that."
Ferio took a step forward, speaking casually as if it were nothing.
"It’s a form of surveillance."

"Surveillance?"
"Some rats have been scurrying around."
The lazy smirk on his lips was both a mockery and a farewell—dedicated to those who had dared to make their move in his absence.

And at the same time, it was a vow.
It was time to clean house.
Three years away had left a bigger mess than he had expected.

The unusually noisy breeding season for monsters… Yet no young ones spotted during hunts.
The sudden aggression of normally docile creatures.
The pattern was clear.

Illegal monster trade.
Some aristocrats, drunk on fantasies of taming beasts, whispered about the beauty of monsters—how marvelous it would be to raise one.
And some idiots actually acted on those fantasies.

Of course, adult monsters were impossible to capture.
But newborns?
Drugged or enchanted, young monsters could be taken.

There were even historical records of such foolishness repeating itself over the centuries.
But in the end, a monster is still a monster.
Their infancy was short.

By the time they matured, their true nature emerged—feral, violent, and uncontrollable.
And when that happened?
It always fell to House Voreoti to clean up the mess.

"How should I deal with them?"
Ferio pondered, briefly debating whether to rip the culprits apart horizontally or vertically.
Then, a small voice broke his thoughts.

"…Oh, so you actually work."
Leonia’s tone carried a hint of genuine awe.
She hadn’t expected that.

It was never shown in the novel.
Ferio was mentioned as being /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ busy.
The book had described him as the Duke and the Lord of the North.

But in practice?
Like every other male lead, he spent his days going on romantic walks with the heroine, eating fancy meals, accidentally falling onto the bed, and then rolling around for a workout—or two.
Ferio’s brow furrowed.

"Thank you for the insult disguised as a compliment."
At least now he knew what his disobedient daughter really thought of him.