I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

“Oh my, the Duke’s young lady!”
“We’ve been waiting for you.”

“You must be tired from the trip.”
“What a truly lovely dress you’re wearing.”
In the North, there was a regular tea gathering attended exclusively by noblewomen.

Unlike the capital’s social circles—renowned as the Empire’s second seat of power—this was a casual event meant to foster friendships.
Still, considering that most of the participants—save for the Marchioness of Pardus and a few migrant nobles—were hardcore northern aristocrats, calling it “casual” was somewhat misleading.
“Did I accidentally turn back time?”

But to Leonia, such details didn’t matter in the slightest.
“All the noble ladies look so much younger today.”
The seven-year-old’s prim and playful comment made the women burst into delighted laughter.

After all, there wasn’t a soul alive who disliked compliments—especially ones about looking younger.
“My, what a clever young lady you are.”
“It still feels nice to hear, doesn’t it!”

“Where did you learn such a charming phrase?”
“Ugh, I wish my husband would learn to talk like that…”
With the help of a maid, Leonia took her seat at the head of the table.

No one objected to this. In fact, it felt entirely natural.
Regardless of age, Voreoti was still Voreoti.
Five soft cushions were always laid at the head seat.

Leonia loved these tea gatherings with the noblewomen.
Her body may have been that of a child, but her mind certainly wasn’t.
Playing with kids was always uncomfortable for her.
She could enjoy spending time with Flomus alone, but not all the time.

One day, by pure chance, Leonia had accompanied Countess Bosgruni—her etiquette tutor—to one of these gatherings… and discovered a whole new world.
The conversations made sense to her.
Their mental ages were aligned.

Even better, unlike the imperial socialites Ferio and Countess Bosgruni had described, the noblewomen here didn’t speak in riddles or layered subtext.
The purpose of the gathering was truly just friendly conversation between noble ladies.
‘This place is amazing!’

Leonia had finally found her cozy cabin in the snowy wilderness.
The main topic of conversation was always behind-the-back gossip.
“You see, my son…”

This time, the topic was Countess Bosgruni’s son.
The Countess vented her frustration, saying her eldest son was pulling the same nonsense as her ex-husband—abandoning his wife and children to head off to the capital alone.
“Can you believe he even said he’d come back and reclaim ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) the title later?”

The Countess looked like she was ready to crack his head open with a teacup if he appeared in front of her right then.
“Oh dear, what is wrong with him?”
Leonia handed the Countess a handkerchief, offering comfort.

“This is why raising kids is pointless. They never appreciate what you’ve done for them.”
The other ladies all nodded in strong agreement.
“And he dares speak like that after everything you’ve done to preserve the family and its title?”

“If it were me, I’d have stitched his lips shut.”
“You let him say that? Strike him from the family register!”
The countess’s expression noticeably lightened.

At this point, even if her son showed up right now, she’d only hit him with a teaspoon instead of a teacup.
“Um, excuse me…”
Just then, a shy young noblewoman timidly raised her hand. All eyes turned to her.

The moment the attention hit her, she fidgeted nervously.
‘Ah, that’s her.’
Leonia remembered at once.

She was the new wife of Count Tedros, who had previously been married to the Mereoqa heiress.
With her timid and delicate demeanor, it was hard not to worry whether she could truly adapt to the North.
‘I think she’s from the East, right?’

Her blue-purple hair had a distinctly exotic hue.
“S-So, um…”
Lady Tedros gathered her courage to speak.

“There’s a method I learned from my mother—back in my hometown, I mean…”
She carefully picked up the butter knife she’d used to spread butter on her scone, holding it with both hands.
“She said, if you use this just right, you can slit someone’s throat without all the squawking. And if you add a bit of magic, you can even do it without causing any bleeding…”

Blushing, Lady Tedros mimed the motion of slicing a throat.
The Northern noblewomen around the table beamed with approval.
“Lady Tedros.”

Leonia smiled as well. This gentle young lady was a natural-born Northerner.
“Welcome to the North.”
It was, truly, the most delightful and laughter-filled tea gathering she had ever attended.

***
As always, the best gatherings ended too soon.
“Let’s meet again soon…”

Leonia waved enthusiastically out the carriage window, trying to suppress her disappointment.
Her small, sweet figure waving like that was a far cry from the sharp-witted, articulate presence she had been at the tea table.
The noblewomen also waved in return, all with faces that mirrored the same regretful parting.

“…Did you enjoy yourself?”
Paavo, who had accompanied her as an escort, asked with a puzzled expression.
He clearly didn’t understand the appeal.

“Wouldn’t it be more fun to play with friends your age…?”
“They are my friends.”
Leonia answered immediately. Her fellow orphans were enough for handling brat duty.

Just then, the carriage exited the plaza and began ascending the gentle hill.
It was the road that led solely to the Voreoti estate. The green leaves swayed gently, as if welcoming Leonia home.
“Haaah…”

Leonia, gazing out the window, rested her short arms on the sill and let out a deep sigh.
Paavo watched her with concern.
‘Does she… miss her mother?’

This translation is the intellectual property of .
On the surface, Leonia might seem as brazen as someone who had lived through three lifetimes—but she was still just a seven-year-old child.
No matter how devoted Ferio was, he could never quite replace a living mother.

Paavo suspected that might be part of the reason she enjoyed attending the noblewomen’s gatherings.
He felt both sympathy and admiration for Leonia, who never showed a hint of such vulnerability and carried on with her head held high.
While Paavo was quietly lost in thought—

‘I could really go for karaoke right now…’
Leonia, in contrast, was completely immersed in imagining herself partying it up in a karaoke room with the tea ladies.
In her head, she was currently dominating the room with dazzling dual-tambourine moves.

Meanwhile, the carriage had arrived at the mansion.
And there, she spotted an unexpected figure.
“Teacher Connie!”

Connie, the only adult who had ever truly cared for her and the other children back at the orphanage, was just stepping out of the estate.
Connie’s face lit up with a surprised smile when she saw her.
“Nia!”

Leonia immediately scowled as she ran up to her.
“I told you I’m not Nia anymore.”
No matter how many times she explained it, Connie always called her by her old name.

“Sorry, it’s just a habit…”
“Break it.”
“I’m trying, but it’s hard to fix…”

Leonia pouted for a moment, but soon her face softened into a bright smile as she grabbed Connie’s hand.
“Teacher, what are you doing here?”
“The Duke said he would increase his support for the orphanage.”

She explained that she had just finished speaking with Ferio and was on her way back.
Leonia’s shoulders soared high with pride. Her heart overflowed with gratitude toward Ferio.
She nearly wanted to run over and plant a kiss on his cheek.

Connie returned to the orphanage in a carriage that Ferio had arranged for her.
He had even assigned a knight to escort her for protection.
“My dad is so cool, right?”

Leonia, still excited, asked Paavo.
The answer was obvious—he just needed to say it.
“There’s no one greater than the Master of the North.”

Paavo, too, was deeply moved by Ferio’s generosity.
But even more than that, he found Leonia impressive.
Because now, every one of Ferio’s decisions began with Leonia.

The truth was, the real power in the North… was Leonia.
“I’m back!”
The little beast cub returned home and began wrapping up her day.

She would eat dinner with Ferio and bicker with him, roll around the living room together and argue over silly things,
Get bored while doing homework in her room, wander over to Ferio’s study, and pick another fight just because.
‘Aren’t they tired yet…’

Lupe, who was heading back to his room after a wash, glanced over at the two beasts still bickering and clinging to each other, and gave them a weary look.
Just listening to them made his ears ache.
Thankfully, it was finally time for Leonia to go to bed.

Yawning and nodding sleepily, Leonia was scooped up by Ferio and carried to her room.
“Drink this before bed.”
Ferio handed her a small glass bottle.

“What is it? Poison?”
Leonia, who drank it down in one go, smacked her lips and asked.
It had a slightly bitter taste, with a sweet finish—like a medicinal tea with honey.

“I already brushed my teeth earlier…”
“Then brush again.”
“You’re so annoying, Dad…”

Grumbling, Leonia grabbed the rinse water Connie had left and brushed again.
“So what was that stuff?”
She rubbed her damp lips against her sleeve, suspicious. Surely it wasn’t actual poison.

“It’s good for your health.”
When he explained it was a nutritional supplement, Leonia gave a slow nod of acceptance.
“Haaam…”

A huge yawn overtook her—it had been a long, tiring day.
“Time to sleep.”
“Mmm…”

Leonia crawled sluggishly into bed, and Ferio gently tucked the blanket around her small body.
He patted her forehead a few times with his large, warm hand, then leaned down and kissed her softly.
“Sleep well.”

“You too, Dad…”
“See you later.”
“Mm…?”

Wait—later? Not “see you tomorrow”?
She wanted to ask what he meant, but for some reason, she couldn’t shake off the heavy sleep that weighed her down tonight.
Soon, the sound of her slow, steady breathing filled the dim room.

A peaceful end to a peaceful day.
Up until now.
“…”

Ferio stood watching the sleeping Leonia for a long time, then gently wrapped her in the blanket and lifted her into his arms.
Every movement was quiet and deliberate.
Even though she had just fallen asleep, she didn’t stir once.

She was so deeply asleep, a bit of drool was threatening to spill from her barely parted lips.
By the time they reached the entrance hall, Mono was already waiting for them.