I Became the Male Lead's Adopted Daughter-Chapter 186
“Even though she never said it out loud...”
Ferio’s eyes, staring down at the grave, seemed to be revisiting the past.
“I think she was uncomfortable with her new siblings.”
For Regina, who was of noble birth, having her deceased mother’s handmaid become her stepmother must have been displeasing, even distasteful.
That’s why she never referred to the children the Count had with his new wife as her siblings.
“The Countess seemed like a good person,”
Leonia said as she lightly leaned her body against Ferio.
“No matter how good someone is, they can still be disliked by someone else.”
Ferio gently brushed Leonia’s forehead with his fingers as he said this.
Leonia puffed out her lips and mumbled at the moral-filled scolding.
“What was Regina like?”
Varia asked.
“She was immature.”
Ferio replied immediately.
“Grandma the housekeeper and Uncle Lupe said they liked my birth mother.”
Leonia suddenly chimed in.
“But I’m not a fan.”
Ferio frowned. He had never liked Regina, the woman everyone else adored.
“So that story earlier... was about Dad!”
Leonia giggled loudly.
The three of them closed their eyes and prayed for Regina’s peaceful rest.
Varia, in particular, prayed with the most devotion—but unexpectedly opened her eyes the earliest.
“What did you pray for?”
Leonia asked as they left the cemetery.
“I thanked her for letting me meet such a beautiful and wonderful daughter.”
Varia replied, holding Leonia’s hand. Leonia grinned widely.
“What about me?”
Ferio asked as he took Leonia’s other hand. There was a subtle trace of jealousy on his beautiful face.
Varia burst into laughter at the sudden question.
“Oh, you big baby!”
Leonia, on the other hand, looked embarrassed by her father.
“Mom, you get it, right? Our dad might look like an adult, but inside he’s still a kid.”
She tattled on Ferio, saying his jealousy was beyond belief. She didn’t forget to call him petty, either.
“If you don’t praise him even a little, he whines like that. Seriously, he’s so...”
“Our Leo really knows how to poetically say she doesn’t need an inheritance.”
“...You see? I’m perfect. Mom, praise Dad just a little.”
For the sake of her inheritance.
Leonia pleaded with teary eyes.
“Pfft!”
Just when Varia had managed to stop laughing, she burst out again, clutching her stomach.
***
In the drawing room, Les was waiting nervously.
‘I should call her Madam, right?’
A few days ago, when he’d steeled his nerves and entered the estate, he had seen Varia walking out of a room with the Duke of Voreoti.
Apparently, they had spent five days together.
Les, frozen on the spot, had to be helped home by two nearby maids.
And now, two days later—
‘Not Varia. It’s Madam, Madam...’
Waiting for the briefly-out Varia, Les practiced addressing her properly.
“Les!”
But it was all in vain.
“Varia!”
As soon as he saw her return with the family, Les instinctively blurted it out just like before.
“It’s been so long!”
“You idiot...!”
Les got a little choked up.
Varia looked truly happy.
She had a relaxed smile on her face—something Les had never once seen when she lived at the palace dormitory.
She had always carried a heavy burden alone, but now, finally, she had a family she could trust and rely on.
Though Les had originally been tasked with monitoring Varia on Ferio’s orders, he had also genuinely wanted her happiness as a friend.
“How have you been?”
Varia warmly embraced Les.
Then Ferio and Leonia appeared behind her.
Leonia waved to Les with familiarity.
Ferio, on the other hand, silently watched the two friends hugging. His gaze clearly said: Back off, that’s my wife.
Les quickly stepped back, understanding the silent threat.
“Hey.”
Still holding Les’ hand, Varia asked,
“Did you spy on me from the very beginning?”
“...Oh, come on.”
Les felt dizzy at the sudden question that gave him no room to breathe.
He hadn’t expected her to ask so directly.
“Well...”
Before he could answer, he glanced at Ferio. Sitting firmly beside Varia, Ferio pretended not to care, then gave a small nod.
“It was by order.”
Les answered honestly and quickly added, worried she’d get the wrong idea,
“But I really did think of you as a true friend! You might not have felt the same, but I honestly had fun and enjoyed every °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° moment with you.”
Even if it had been an order, sticking with someone for five whole years wasn’t easy.
“...Are you mad?”
Les asked.
“No.”
Varia shook her head.
Strangely enough, she wasn’t angry at all.
Even though it was a situation where she had every right to yell, “How could you lie to me!”, she actually felt grateful to Les.
“I felt the same.”
During the hardest times, it was thanks to Les that she endured.
And because of Les, Ferio had come to see her. In many ways, Les had done something truly meaningful.
“Sniff... Varia!”
Overcome with emotion, Les hugged her and sobbed.
“You’re too kind, really.”
Watching them, Leonia tilted her head in disbelief.
“If it were me, I’d have ripped their scalp off.”
She said, stretching her arm into the air and shaking it violently as if actually tearing off someone’s hair.
Startled, Les covered his head with both hands.
“I-I was just following orders!”
“Geez, I was joking.”
“No, you weren’t.”
Les retorted with an indignant voice.
Leonia’s wild gestures a moment ago had been anything but a joke.
“...Anyway.”
Ferio, the root of all this, was the last to speak.
“Good work.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Les shrugged. It hadn’t been such a bad mission, after all.
He’d gained a friend like Varia—soon to be the Duchess—and earned quite a lot of money through the whole affair.
All in all, a happy ending.
“So what about those two?”
Ferio got to the point.
He was asking about Baron Onokenta and the administrative officer he’d had an affair with—who had fled to the Northern Mountains right after Les left for his hometown.
“They’re alive, for now.”
Les said.
Wish the monsters would just eat them...
Don’t do anything we could be blamed for.
Then we should at least scare them good.
Leonia and Lupe exchanged those thoughts, and they were passed straight to the knights.
The knights who had been tracking the two into the mountains had appeared at a certain point.
“It’s too dangerous beyond here.”
“Please descend the mountain.”
They tried to dissuade them.
Of course, it was pointless.
Baron Onokenta, claiming he was carrying out the Emperor’s will, stubbornly continued. The other officer, frightened, stopped.
In the end, the Baron climbed alone.
“The Baron...”
Varia furrowed her brow. Memories of her bad history with Onokenta came back.
“That guy once harassed my sister.”
Leonia quickly tattled to Ferio.
From between his lips came a grinding sound—his teeth clenching. A silent death sentence for Onokenta.
“Whether it’s fortunate or not, no monsters appeared.”
Les continued.
“But the Baron fell down the mountain.”
“He fell?”
Varia blinked, surprised by the thought of such a massive man rolling down a mountain.
Then she chuckled slightly at the image.
Just a little—she felt a sense of justice.
“He was startled by a monster’s howl.”
The area where the knights intervened was known for frequent monster appearances.
Sensing the intrusion, a monster let out a loud cry. Panicked, the Baron tripped and tumbled down.
“So where is he now?”
Ferio asked.
“He’s whining.”
Les clicked his tongue.
When he visited the Baron yesterday, the man hadn’t reflected at all—just kept cursing the Gladiago Knights for not protecting him.
Then he saw the knights behind Les and fainted on the spot, his face pale.
Les was convinced even monsters wouldn’t bother eating someone like that.
“...Then there’s no helping it.”
Ferio said.
He arranged for only Les and one other officer to handle the Northern inspections.
As for Onokenta, he would report the Baron’s misconduct directly to the Imperial family.
“Will the Imperial family abandon him?”
Leonia asked.
“Very likely.”
Varia replied.
“They’ve been publicly claiming this was all done for the Empire’s benefit.”
Externally, they’d try to appear cooperative with all four regions.
Even with the North, which was notoriously hostile to the Imperial family.
“But not just yet.”
Onokenta was still a useful pawn. Replacing such a piece would be inefficient.
“Which means we can use that too.”
Ferio agreed with Varia.
So the North would formally confront the Imperial family.
“...Ah!”
Leonia clapped her hands with a look of realization.
“We’re making them think we know nothing about their scheme, right?”
The North would treat Onokenta’s mishap as an accident during official duties.
That meant they’d pretend to be completely unaware of the Imperial conspiracy.
The Imperial family couldn’t discard him just yet—so they’d deal with it as an individual’s mistake.
Their plot would be hidden behind Onokenta’s blunder.
And the North would wear that blunder like a mask to feign ignorance.
That wasn’t all.
“We also blocked their exploration of the North.”
The Imperial family snooping around the North was extremely uncomfortable.
Among the three officers they’d sent, the most dangerous one had been Onokenta.
He had aimed to succeed in this mission and gain Emperor Subiteo’s favor.
He likely carried a secret order from the Emperor himself.
That’s why he tried to climb the Northern Mountains.
Now, only one officer—his affair partner—remained. And by her side stood Les and the Gladiago Knights.
Not exactly easy to move freely.
“Actually, we might get something out of her being left alone and uneasy.”
They could glean clues from her suspicious actions or careless words.
“Even if the Baron says something, she won’t dare act.”
“Well done.”
Ferio handed Leonia a candy in praise.
“Mmm, sweet!”
Grinning proudly, Leonia popped it in her mouth. The strawberry milk flavor was stronger than ever.
“Our young lady is truly impressive.”
Varia looked at Leonia with amazement.
“Then call me by my name!”
Leonia said with the candy puffing one of her cheeks.
“M-my name still feels embarrassing to say...”
“What’s embarrassing now?”
You’ve already gone all the way with Dad.
Still, the dutiful little beast buried the last comment deep in her heart.
Follow current novℯls on f(r)eewebnov𝒆l
