I Became the Male Lead's Adopted Daughter-Chapter 187
Varia, surprisingly, was shy and conservative when it came to romance. If teased, she’d probably blush and grow meek again.
‘...Hmm.’
That’s what Leonia had been thinking—until she suddenly paused.
‘Maybe not conservative.’
She corrected herself.
No conservative woman would be doing bed exercises for five straight days.
“It’s all Dad’s fault.”
In the end, the little beast blamed the easiest target—her father.
“Ungrateful, after all I’ve done raising her.”
Ferio once again realized that children were absolutely no help in this world.
***
After finishing his report, Les returned to the inn.
“Varia, I’m really glad we became friends!”
Until the moment he left, Les clung to Varia’s hand and talked nonstop.
“I mean, you’re going to be the Duchess of Voreoti! I definitely backed the right horse!”
“If you keep holding on to that horse, Dad might just chop your hand off, you know?”
Leonia warned in advance.
“......”
Just as she said, Ferio was staring fixedly at Les, who was still holding Varia’s hand.
“I’ll write you a letter!”
Les quickly let go and bolted out of the mansion.
“Daddy gets scary when he’s jealous!”
Leonia teased gleefully.
Ferio, having no words to deny it, yanked out a single strand of her hair in retaliation.
After that, the mansion was peaceful. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Well, not really—it was quite lively.
Those five days ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) of “joining rooms” had brought about major changes.
From that day on, the household staff began addressing Varia as “Madam.” Everyone was convinced she would become the next Duchess.
Kara even explained the history of House Voreoti to Varia, including how previous duchesses lived and managed affairs within the mansion.
“But Madam,”
Varia blinked as she listened intently.
“Yes?”
“First of all, you shouldn’t be using honorifics when speaking to me.”
“Oh...”
Varia realized her mistake.
Until recently, she had still considered herself a guest and didn’t dare speak informally.
But now, Varia had accepted that she was part of Voreoti.
“I-I’ll be careful.”
Kara smiled gently at her attempt.
For the master of Voreoti to use honorifics with a servant—it was unacceptable.
“But the young lady still uses them with you.”
“Our young lady is always the exception.”
Kara replied calmly.
Leonia had never once treated Kara as a servant.
To her, Kara was more like a grandmother. She had once been Ferio’s wet nurse, and Ferio himself deeply respected her.
Leonia, quick to observe even as a child, had always been courteous to Kara alone among the servants.
“Besides, she’s no longer the young lady—she’s your daughter.”
Kara politely pointed out that it was odd for a mother to speak so formally to her daughter.
“Then... can I just call her Leo?”
“She’ll be absolutely thrilled.”
Kara turned to glance at Leonia, who was pretending to read a book on the sofa.
“......”
Even though she was clearly listening, Leonia turned her back slightly, pretending not to hear.
Her eyes kept darting toward Varia, though, and her round ears twitched.
She was clearly waiting.
“Le, Leonia...”
Varia’s voice, though it started strong, quickly dwindled.
The last syllable practically evaporated in the air—inaudible.
Leonia, who had been eagerly anticipating it, was visibly disappointed.
“Dad always calls me ‘young lady’ too...”
The supposedly engrossed child muttered from behind her book.
“So you’re planning to abandon me and Dad, huh.”
Young people these days.
She mumbled to herself for a while about how this was why you had to be wary of scam marriages.
“...Is that true?”
Kara looked at Varia suspiciously.
“N-no, not at all!”
Varia replied, flustered.
“It’s just that I’ve called him ‘Duke’ and her ‘young lady’ for longer, that’s all.”
“Like it’s been a thousand years or something.”
Leonia snorted. Her eyes stayed fixed on the book.
It was the third volume of her favorite series, Life Is Just One Big Shot, published after five years by the author of Life Is All Useless.
“Sigh, that’s life for you.”
Leonia closed the book and stood.
“I call you Mom, but you treat me like a stranger...”
She pouted her lips like a duck’s beak and stared at the floor with a crooked gaze.
“You don’t love me.”
“N-no! That’s not it!”
“And you still use formal speech.”
“I won’t anymore!”
Varia quickly changed her tone.
Only then did Leonia’s pout disappear.
But her eyes still held a flicker of rebellion.
“And my name?”
“Leonia.”
“......”
“L-Leo...?”
Finally, Varia managed to say Leonia’s nickname.
It was awkward and hesitant, but it was enough to lift Leonia’s lips into a wide, goofy grin.
“Mom!”
She dove straight into Varia’s arms.
Varia’s eyes welled with warmth.
All she did was call her by a nickname, and Leonia was this happy.
It made her feel ashamed of her own hesitation.
‘I’ll say it often from now on.’
If it was unfamiliar, then she’d just say it until it became familiar.
“Leo, Leo.”
Varia said the name again and again, filled with joy.
Leonia, wrapped around her from behind, tightened her grip with even more strength.
Varia felt like her heart would melt from the warmth of that little body.
At that moment—
“...What are you two doing?”
Ferio looked at the mother and daughter curiously.
“A hug with Mom!”
Leonia waved at him with one hand.
“Guess what? Mom called me by my name!”
“I already did that ages ago.”
Ferio boasted.
“Silly Dad.”
Leonia snorted.
“She used my nickname.”
A nickname filled with affection was a different matter from a regular name.
Ferio knew that difference better than anyone.
He always called Leonia by her nickname—only using her full name when he was scolding her.
“It’s just a name.”
Leonia sneered mischievously.
“......”
Ferio glared at his daughter in annoyance.
“I always use affection when I address both of you.”
Varia tried to intervene, but this was an ongoing war between father and daughter.
“Dad doesn’t even have a nickname.”
“I do.”
“What is it? What is it?”
“When you call me ‘Dad.’”
“You’ve lost your mind.”
Leonia gave him a deadpan look. Ferio, as if realizing how absurd it sounded, scratched his chin and pretended not to know.
“That’s just a title...”
He thought his daughter calling him “Dad” counted as a nickname?
Leonia was about to retort again—but stopped.
She suddenly felt sorry for Ferio.
Thinking about it, his life had always been dry and lonely. As the leader of the North, he had done his best out of duty.
But no one had ever showered him with boundless affection or embraced him unconditionally.
Then Leonia had appeared.
And now, so had Varia.
“Hmm...”
Leonia stopped teasing him and folded her arms, deep in thought.
“Then how about ‘Rio’?”
She decided to give her dad a nickname.
“I’m Leo, and Dad can be Rio.”
“Rio, huh? That’s cute. I like it.”
Varia smiled approvingly.
Ferio, on the other hand, felt incredibly awkward being called by a nickname.
It made him feel like a silly little kid, and hearing the mother and daughter say it out loud made his chest itch with embarrassment.
“It sounds childish.”
“That’s what nicknames are supposed to be.”
Leonia grinned.
“Right, Grandma Kara?”
“In the face of love, we’re all children.”
Kara nodded solemnly, and Leonia puffed up with pride.
“Did you have a nickname too, Mom?”
Leonia asked Varia, though she didn’t expect much. She knew Varia’s past better than anyone.
But Varia nodded.
“My late grandmother used to call me by one.”
Her face softened with longing as she recalled the rare, precious memory.
‘She said she’d stop using formal speech...’
Leonia side-eyed her again, though she didn’t feel too annoyed.
This too would come with time.
“Riri, Ria. It changed often, but I loved how she said it.”
“So we’re all the same!”
Leo, Rio, Ria.
The little beast felt overjoyed.
“We were fated to be a family!”
She grabbed both parents’ hands and raised them up triumphantly.
Caught off guard, Ferio and Varia’s hands went up, and they both burst into laughter.
“......”
Kara, watching quietly from behind, took off her glasses. The edge of the handkerchief in her hand was soaked with tears.
“So, when are you two getting married?”
Leonia swung their hands back and forth, asking eagerly.
“I want to be the flower girl!”
She was already imagining herself in a pretty dress, tossing petals down the aisle.
“Ah...”
Ferio let out a rare, stupid-sounding noise.
That ominous tone made both Leonia and Kara snap their eyes toward him.
Surely not, surely not...
Under their sharp gazes, Ferio quickly turned to Varia.
“Would it be... okay if we held the wedding a little later—”
“Absolutely not!”
“What on earth are you saying!”
Leonia and Kara yelled in unison.
Faced with their fury, Ferio winced and slinked behind Varia, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.
“Varia.”
He mumbled as he rested his chin on her head.
“She bullies me.”
Leonia’s mouth fell open.
Her father’s cuteness was horrifying.
But it worked wonders on Mom.
“Y-you shouldn’t bully him!”
Varia scolded Leonia with a flushed face.
“See? He’s sad.”
“I’m very sad.”
“Don’t be sad... I told her already...”
The mama beast was helpless against the daddy beast clinging to her like a child tattling on his sibling.
“...Ugh.”
Leonia gagged.
So what if they were the protagonists of a novel? So what if they were handsome and beautiful lovers?
To a child, public affection from parents was pure poison.
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