I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

Lupe’s advice was earnest.

“Just like the last outburst, it’s honestly a miracle no one died.”
The Fangs of the Beast weren’t some harmless phenomenon—they could kill. And Leonia had already caused two incidents with them.
“If there really had been fatalities…”

The thought alone was terrifying.
Lupe, who had briefly raised his voice, trailed off in the end.
He, too, didn’t want the young lady to suffer more than she already had.

And it wasn’t just Lupe—most of those who served in House Voreoti shared that feeling.
The little beast cub who had brought warmth back to this harsh northern land was precious to all of them.
“…I apologize.”

Lupe bowed his head for having reacted so strongly.
“……”
Ferio said nothing and looked out the window.

He shared the same thoughts.
His expression reflected in the dark glass was deeply solemn. Seeing it, Lupe didn’t dare speak further.
“How is the young lady?”

“She’s sleeping.”
Leonia was in Ferio’s room. With the staff either injured or unconscious, he had brought her to his own room and tucked her in himself.
To ensure she wouldn’t wake in fear, he placed the jar of candy she’d been saving and the hat she’d received as a gift on the nightstand by the bed.

She was also clutching the lion plush tightly in her sleep.
“By the way, that power…”
Uncomfortable with the heavy mood, Lupe rubbed his face and changed the subject.
“Did you experience the same thing, Your Grace?”

“What do you mean.”
“I mean the Fangs of the Beast.”
From what they knew, this was the first time Leonia had fully manifested all four fangs.

She had never been able to summon even one before, but after an emotional explosion, she froze the entire front hall of the main estate.
Now, with all four fangs manifested, the damage had spread across the entire estate grounds—not just the annex.
“I don’t make mistakes.”

Ferio replied immediately.
“Never have.”
The only time he’d ever doubted himself, if it could even be called that, was wondering if his methods of raising Leonia were truly right.

“Ah, right…”
Caught off guard by Ferio’s stone-faced response, Lupe couldn’t think of anything to say.
The mood, thankfully, lightened a little.

After all, Ferio had never once made a mistake or failed at anything.
He had summoned his fangs for the first time at an even younger age than Leonia. And never, not once, had he lost control.
“Her power is weaker than mine.”

Ferio, hailed as the strongest Duke Voreoti in history, assessed coldly.
“Still, it’s powerful enough.”
In terms of raw strength, she surpassed Regina—and even Ferio’s father, the previous duke.

Even accounting for her young age, when fang strength was usually weaker, Leonia was undeniably powerful.
The issue was that she couldn’t control it.
Just as Lupe had said earlier, this was already her second major incident.

I’ll need to change her training methods.
Up until now, her training had focused on drawing out the fangs and building strength.
But from now on, the focus needed to shift to mastering that power—using it at will.

Ferio’s feelings were complicated.
He was proud that Leonia had completed her Fangs of the Beast.
But he hated that it had happened because of that woman—and that the child had resolved to kill someone with them.

She meant to kill.
He had seen it clearly then.
Leonia had intended to kill Saura with her fangs.

Strictly speaking, the damage done to the estate staff wasn’t because of the fangs themselves.
It was the killing intent overflowing from them.
The depth of the wound left by the betrayal of the one she trusted most—“Connie”—was that great.

Ferio was pained by the fact that someone so young could already have such resolve.
As Duke Voreoti, such strength is something to be proud of…
But as a father, it hurt.

Eventually, Leonia would need to accompany him on monster hunts. When that time came, whether she liked it or not, she’d have to kill a living monster with her own hands.
The duties that came with being Duke Voreoti included the need to take lives to protect others.
“Haa.”

His head throbbed.
Trying to push away the tangled thoughts, he leaned his forehead gently against the window.
“…It’s snowing.”

Snow-white flakes were falling in thick clusters.
“Late autumn,” Lupe said, following his gaze.
The first snow of the North always came in late autumn.

And now, there were only nine days left until Leonia’s birthday.
***
The next day.

The sun’s already up…
Leonia let out a massive yawn, wide enough to split her cheeks.
She rubbed her barely opened eyes and clumsily pushed herself upright, looking like a complete mess.

Her hair was a disheveled bird’s nest, her eyes were puffy and swollen, and she could barely keep them open.
Her body was drenched in sweat, thanks to a child’s naturally high body temperature.
…Dad’s not here.

Her tiny hand searched the empty spot beside her.
Ah, right.
Leonia blinked slowly.

This is Dad’s room.
After yesterday’s events, Ferio had brought her to his room to sleep.
He’d even made sure to bring her lion plush to snuggle with, the jar of strawberry milk candies, and the gifted hat—all placed neatly on the nightstand.

As her gaze lingered on those items, it slowly drifted around the room.
Ferio’s room was barren.
Aside from a large bed and a small table with a single chair by the window, there was nothing.

Being alone in such a space felt foreign to Leonia.
It was like watching the cold Duke of the North slurp down hot soup while yelping “Too hot! Huff, blow, sip!”—bizarre and awkward.
Pfft, that’s actually kind of funny.

Snorting to herself, Leonia quietly hugged the lion plush.
“……”
In the sudden silence, tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes.

“Don’t cry…!”
She rubbed her face furiously, annoyed.
She didn’t want to cry over something like this.

Getting fooled—that, she could handle. But being dragged along helplessly by the betrayal? That she refused.
Still…
She had no idea how to deal with the hollow ache in her chest.

Saura—no, “Connie”—had been the first person she’d ever depended on in this world.
Leonia, who’d been living an ordinary life before suddenly falling into hell, had been terrified and miserable.
She had even thought about ending her life, unable to reconcile her inner self with what she had become.

To put it bluntly, she’d nearly lost her mind. Gone completely mad.
What helped her hold on in that hell was Connie’s kindness.
But all of it—every bit—had been a lie.

She’d murdered Leonia’s birth mother. And if that wasn’t enough, she had deceived her too.
She had even fed and raised the other children using money earned from ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) human trafficking.
Just thinking about it made her stomach turn again.

Knock, knock.
Leonia, about to be swallowed by sorrow, was snapped back to herself by a knock at the door.
“Leo.”

This translation is the intellectual property of .
At the sound, Leonia weakly turned her head.
“You’re awake?”

Leaning against the half-open door, Ferio tapped the wall lightly with his fist.
“Daaad…”
Leonia mumbled.

“You must be tired.”
Ferio held out his arm, beckoning her. Leonia hesitated for a moment, then shuffled over with clumsy steps.
“Are you hurt?”

Watching her uncertain approach, Ferio asked seriously.
“No…”
“Then maybe a fever.”

His large hand came to rest on her forehead.
He could feel a slight warmth, but it was hard to tell—Leonia was always warmer than him, and she had just woken up from sleep.
“Tell me if anything hurts.”

Ferio said as he draped an indoor cloak around her shoulders.
“Wanna eat?”
“I don’t feel like it.”

“Just eat a little anyway.”
“Mhm.”
Ferio, holding the child now in his arms, glanced at her with an unreadable gaze and began to walk.

But they didn’t head to the usual dining room.
“The kitchen?”
Seated in a chair, Leonia looked around the kitchen curiously.

The chair was the child’s special dining seat, brought from the dining room. Ferio had prepared it ahead of time.
The kitchen, usually bustling with cooks, was now quiet, with no one in sight.
“The staff are taking the day off.”

Ferio said, back turned, hands busy preparing something.
“Ah…”
Leonia groaned softly, guilt creeping in.

All the staff were on sick leave because of her Fangs of the Beast.
“Connie and Mia too?”
She asked, fiddling with her lion plush.

“Yes.”
“What about the knights?”
“They’re fine.”

The Gladiago Knights had built up some resistance to the Fangs of the Beast after going on many monster hunts with Ferio.
Plus, their stamina far surpassed that of ordinary people, so no one had suffered major injuries.
The trainee knights and squires had been out training elsewhere and were unaffected.

Soon, Ferio held out a bowl of watery soup.
“Can’t promise it tastes good.”
“You made this?”

Leonia’s eyes widened in surprise at the soup in front of her.
Ferio sat down beside her after setting aside a portion for himself.
The kitchen chairs were quite small for a man his size, but he showed no sign of discomfort.

“I cook sometimes while camping during monster hunts.”
He said casually, as if it were no big deal, explaining how he’d occasionally prepare meals for the knights.
Leonia glanced between Ferio and the soup, then placed her plush on the table and carefully took a spoonful.

“…It’s warm.”
Honestly, it didn’t taste good.
It was under-seasoned. She glanced at Ferio, who also seemed displeased, his brow furrowed.

He had likely added too much water to tone down the flavor for her.
But that only meant he had made it with Leonia in mind.
Even the ingredients were finely chopped—clearly done by hand, to make it easier for her to eat.

“It’s delicious…”
Leonia sniffled.
“It’s so good…!”

She praised the soup loudly and began eating voraciously.
Just imagining Ferio prepping the ingredients and cooking in the kitchen before waking her up made her feel deeply grateful—and guilty.
“Eat slowly.”

“Mhm.”
“Have some of this too.”
Ferio tore a round loaf of bread he’d tossed in a basket and dipped it into the soup for her.

Leonia ate every bit.
With her belly warmed, she felt noticeably more energetic.
With all the maids on leave, Ferio himself soaked a cloth to wipe her face and brushed her hair.

“You’re really good at this…”
Leonia admired her reflection in the mirror.
Her hair, brushed and tied neatly by Ferio, looked tidy enough to go out in.

“I’m good at everything.”
“Except humility.”
“You always have to get the last word.”

Ferio smirked.
And Leonia smiled back at him in the mirror.
“Dad, are you not working today?”

Leonia asked as she came out from behind the screen after changing clothes.
She wore a newly tailored brown dress and thick black stockings.
“Today’s a holiday.”

With everyone except the Voreoti father and daughter on sick leave, they were the only two functional people in the entire estate.
So naturally, Ferio had taken the day off too.
“Ah…”

Leonia quickly lowered her gaze again, remembering the reason everyone was ill.
“I was planning to spend the whole day with you anyway.”
Realizing his slip, Ferio awkwardly patted her shoulder.

The child, looking completely downcast, slowly lifted her head.
“You want to know more, don’t you?”
Ferio said, handing her the lion plush.

“…You’ll tell me?”
Leonia asked, taking the plush.
“Yes.”

Ferio replied with a bitter smile.
“Because you’re the one it concerns.”