I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

Ferio and Varia were so close their noses nearly touched.
If either of them turned their head slightly, it wouldn’t have been strange if their lips brushed.

There was barely enough space for a single finger between them.
Startled, Varia instinctively tried to pull back, but Ferio swiftly grabbed her arm to stop her.
However, the grip on her arm was barely forceful. If Varia had tried to shake it off, she easily could have. But she didn’t notice that.

The woman was completely captivated by the man’s black eyes.
It felt like her entire body was being consumed by an abyss deeper than the farthest darkness.
A dull, warm feeling she had never experienced before began to spread from around her heart.

And it was the same for the man.
The murky pink strands of her hair began to twist like vines around his neck.
But it was a sweet kind of pain. A chilling sensation prickled up his spine.

‘…What if.’
Ferio slowly opened his mouth.
‘No.’

Then he suddenly let out a short laugh and corrected himself.
‘There is no such thing as “what if.”’
His voice, which had just moments ago been slow ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) and cautious, now carried strength.

But the black eyes that stared clearly at Varia were faintly trembling.
‘I definitely…’
Ferio spoke bluntly.

‘I am attracted to you, Miss Varia.’
At that moment, Varia parted her lips slightly. Ferio clearly felt her sharply draw in a breath.
He felt a bit like a pervert, but it wasn’t all that unpleasant.
When Varia realized that Ferio was smiling at her, her face flushed a deep red.

‘I apologize for such an unromantic confession.’
When Varia shook her head, their noses brushed.
‘I—I…!’

Varia quickly pulled her head back, stammering without meeting his gaze.
‘Please give me your answer later.’
But Ferio gently reassured the flustered Varia and rose from his seat. Varia stood as well.

However, her face, now dyed in embarrassment, felt so heavy that she couldn’t lift it.
‘I have no right to scold Leo either.’
In that moment, Varia’s burning heart felt as though cold water had been poured over it.

She remembered the rumor that Ferio had once truly loved a woman—Leonia’s birth mother.
***
“Thank you all for coming.”

Empress Tigria’s tea party was held near her favorite garden. All the colorful, beautiful flowers had been tended by the empress herself.
A gentle breeze carried the soft scent of blossoms.
Elegant awnings spread wide, and beneath them, three round tables had been arranged.

“Spring is already passing us by.”
The empress looked around at each of the noblewomen seated and smiled softly.
“I wanted to share that lingering feeling with all of you, so I arranged this gathering.”

The empress was the first to lift her teacup to her lips. Her slender, pale neck moved faintly as she swallowed.
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s gracious invitation.”
May the Bellius Empire be forever glorious—Leonia followed, taking a sip of tea.

The daughter of a duke, second only to the empress in rank, lifted her teacup with such flawless grace that even the adults around her were quietly impressed.
Leonia sat at the first table, the one reserved for the highest-ranking noblewomen, and her seat was to the immediate right of Empress Tigria.
The seat to the empress’s left, however, was empty.

Soon the other noblewomen followed in drinking their tea.
Empress Tigria watched with a pleased expression.
“Let us enjoy this time together.”

The tea party had begun.
The empress was the first to stand. The other noblewomen soon followed.
Although there were assigned seats, once the party officially began, the noblewomen naturally gathered with those they knew.

Leonia glanced lightly over the guests and quietly admired the balance.
The empress had invited women from a well-balanced spread of political alignments.
It wasn’t overly weighted toward imperial loyalists, nor did it favor the noble faction too heavily.

“Unnie, is it true?”
But at the moment, Leonia didn’t care about any of that.
“Did Dad really confess to you?”

She asked in the lowest voice possible to avoid being overheard, but her urgent tone gave her away.
“……”
But Varia remained silent.

“I’m really sorry.”
She even apologized.
“Why are you apologizing?”

Leonia asked, surprised.
“Well… it must be upsetting for you…”
Varia, suddenly crestfallen, couldn’t even look at Leonia and just stared down at her teacup.

“No, not at all.”
Leonia glanced around, then pulled Varia behind a tree a little ways off from the tea party.
The noblewomen were waiting for a chance to talk to them, so they needed somewhere more private.

“Unnie, do you hate my dad?”
“I don’t hate him.”
Of course, it felt too soon to say she liked him.

She was currently infatuated with Ferio’s muscles. So if someone asked whether she liked the man named Ferio, she wouldn’t be able to give a clear answer.
But when he confessed, her heart had pounded like crazy.
It had been so surreal, she’d briefly wondered if she’d been drugged.

“But the Duke has someone he’s kept in his heart, doesn’t he?”
The moment she remembered that, her mood dropped like a stone.
And she suddenly felt disgusted with herself for having let her heart race, and guilty toward Leonia, who knew nothing.

“You mean my dad?”
Leonia just looked confused.
Ever since Ferio had taken her in, he hadn’t had any such relationship with anyone.

Leonia narrowed her eyes.
That might’ve been a thing in the past, but now Lupe was married to Inseréa and had children. A full-fledged family man.

The muscle-obsessed pervert had standards. Leonia avoided men who were already taken.
“Your mother.”
Varia’s voice was weak, as though she might collapse.

“Huh?”
At the sudden mention of an unexpected person, Leonia nearly buckled where she stood.
“I don’t have a mom.”

Because her birth mother was now resting eternally in the Urmariti territory.
“Please don’t say that!”
Varia cried out, devastated.

“She loved you!”
“How do you know that?”
Even I don’t remember.

Leonia had no memories from before she turned five. She remained skeptical about whether Regina had ever truly loved her.
Even if she hadn’t, she could understand. The man she had loved and who had betrayed her was barely even worth being called trash.
Loving a child who shared that man's blood could be seen as a form of torture. Leonia, the person in question, accepted it with calm indifference.

‘…Ah.’
Leonia’s eyes suddenly widened, just as she was seriously wondering if Varia had lost her mind.
‘This unnie!’

Leonia finally realized what kind of misunderstanding Varia had fallen into.
‘No wonder it was so frustrating!’
She had been wondering why watching Ferio and Varia was so frustrating—like eating raw sweet potatoes without water.

Varia had fallen into that classic dumb misunderstanding that female leads in romance novels always have.
It was the fake rumor Ferio had spread for Leonia’s sake.
‘Ferio Voreoti once truly loved a commoner woman.’

A duke who had loved a commoner with all his heart.
A woman who died, leaving behind a young daughter.
But in truth, that woman had never existed in the first place.

“You silly unnie!”
At last, Leonia released her pent-up frustration and gave Varia a firm smack on the butt.
“Eek!”

It was the first time in her life that Varia had ever been spanked, and her eyes went wide.
Even then, it wasn’t enough for Leonia, who smacked her butt two more times.
“That’s a lie!”

Worried that Varia would spiral into another ridiculous misunderstanding, Leonia rushed to explain the truth.
“That person is actually…!”
Just as she was about to reveal the truth, Leonia clamped her mouth shut.

“Oh my.”
A pure, innocent voice rang out sweetly.
“What are you two whispering about so sweetly back here?”

“…We’re very sorry.”
Leonia, who just a moment ago had been openly expressing her emotions, turned around with a polite smile.
“We must’ve been noisy.”

She narrowed her round eyes.
“Oh no, thanks to that, I was able to find Lady Voreoti and Miss Varia.”
A smile as refreshing as an evergreen forest was directed at Leonia and Varia.

Leonia glanced at Varia’s hand, which had gently moved behind her back as if to shield her.
“It’s been a while.”
Varia spoke first.

“Your Highness, the Consort.”
Consort Usia let out a soft, playful chuckle through her nose.
“It has been a while, Miss Varia!”

***
The previously empty seat to the left of Empress Tigria had belonged to none other than Consort Usia.
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”

Consort Usia wiggled her fingers as she stood before the empress.
“I tried to come early, but His Majesty the Emperor wouldn’t let me leave.”
With her eyes cast down, she made excuses like a scolded child.

Combined with her naturally youthful appearance, her nearly forty years of age felt like a lie.
“There’s nothing to apologize for.”
Empress Tigria forgave the bowing Consort Usia.

There was no need for forgiveness in the first place. The empress had no affection for the emperor. In fact, she was grateful to the consort for keeping his attention away from her.
“It’s important to attend to His Majesty as well.”
“Next time I’ll beg His Majesty to let me go early!”

“In any case, I’m glad you’re here.”
Leonia watched the conversation between the empress and the consort closely, a strange look in her eyes.
Even knowing the full context, it was an absurd conversation.

Empress Tigria was the emperor’s legal wife. Consort Usia had become his concubine solely through favor.
A classic case of the rivalry between wife and concubine—but the atmosphere between them was far more peaceful than expected.
‘How odd.’

She’d expected them to rip each other’s hair out at the slightest eye contact.
‘Maybe they’re just putting on a show in front of the other noblewomen?’
Leonia thought that might be the case.

“Lady Voreoti!”
Having finished her conversation with the empress, Consort Usia briskly walked over to Leonia.
“Your Highness.”

Leonia responded with proper etiquette.
But she didn’t want to hold a long conversation.
“……”

As soon as the consort got near, Varia’s complexion visibly worsened.
Even when Leonia looked at her in concern, Varia simply offered a strained smile and insisted she was fine.
“I’ve been hoping to speak with Lady Voreoti for quite some time!”

Oblivious to the tension, Consort Usia smiled brightly.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady.”
“The pleasure is mine as well, Your Highness.”

“Oh my, how lovely!”
Chuckling through her nose again, Consort Usia turned and greeted Varia once more.