I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

The knight saw Leonia as a young noble lady who had clearly been raised with abundant love.
And yet, the notorious Duke of Voreoti was looking at her with a gaze full of tenderness.

“Thank you for your hard work, sir.”
But her cheerful tone was far more composed than most adults’.
“So when are we going to leave?”

Only then did the knight realize he was the one holding up the Voreoti carriage.
“You finished checking our identification, right? That means we can go now, doesn’t it?”
Leonia asked innocently, tilting her head at the knight who had turned pale.

Yet, for some reason, there was something strangely fierce and commanding in the child’s manner of speaking that sent a chill down his spine.
Snapping back to his senses, the knight hurriedly stepped aside.
Only then did the black carriage enter the Imperial Capital.

“Dad, can you hear it?”
Leonia closed her eyes and cupped her hand to her ear.
The sound of murmuring voices became clearer within the funnel of her curved palm.

The arrival of the Voreoti carriage had stirred quite a commotion in the Capital.
Leonia felt secretly pleased. It proved just how powerful and awe-inspiring the North's reputation truly was.
“They’re all scared of us.”

“Mind your words.”
“They’re too intimidated to even breathe right.”
“Why not just enjoy it now?”

That wicked man, Ferio, tapped the tip of Leonia’s nose.
At the affectionate touch, the little cub squirmed shyly.
“So, what do you think of the capital?”
The now equally pleased papa beast turned his gaze to the scenery outside.

As Leonia stared at the far-off grand, dazzling palace, she turned away with a snort.
“Nothing special.”
The dry little chuckle that followed was brimming with arrogance—just like her father’s.

***
Upon stepping into the Capital’s residence for the first time, Leonia blurted out:
“…It’s more ordinary than I expected.”

The northern estate, at a glance, practically screamed “lair of the Black Beast,” radiating an ominous aura.
It had the kind of atmosphere where it wouldn’t be surprising if someone were found dead at any moment.
The dark, oppressive exterior and the mercilessly vast scale matched that image perfectly.

In contrast, the Capital estate was remarkably modest.
Of course, as one of the two ducal households in the Empire, the sheer size and presence of the mansion couldn’t even be compared to the other noble homes they passed by on the way.
Regardless of the relationship with the Imperial Family, it was still a residence befitting a duke’s dignity.

But compared to the northern estate, it was barely half the size, and the exterior was so bright and lively that the name “Voreoti” almost felt out of place.
There was even a lemon-yellow column sculpture boldly placed in the front garden.
Lemon yellow. For House Voreoti.

The very idea made the lemon tree weep.
“Dad, that…”
Leonia pointed to the column.

“Who decided to put that thing there?”
She was genuinely curious about the taste—or lack thereof—of whoever picked it.
Right next to it stood a topiary sculpted into the shape of an angel.

Now truly unsettled by the Capital estate, Leonia raised her arms toward Ferio, asking to be carried.
“This is why I never come to the capital.”
Ferio clearly didn’t like the vibe either.

His furrowed brows showed no sign of relaxing.
For someone born and raised in the North, this needlessly cute and delicate mansion was far from his taste.
“The northern estate is way cooler.”

In his arms, Leonia took a second look around the garden with a bit more courage.
“This place has none of Voreoti’s coolness.”
When people thought of Voreoti, they thought of black. But the only black thing in sight had been the mansion’s front gate, glimpsed earlier.

Even the black lion insignias engraved on either side of the door were one of the few signs that this was indeed a Voreoti residence.
“But if you hate it so much, why not just change it?”
Leonia asked why he didn’t spend any of the overflowing wealth he had.

“Too much trouble.”
Ferio answered indifferently.
“Why bother asking for extra work?”

He muttered as he looked at the house—he simply avoided it instead.
“If it’s that much trouble, don’t even breathe.”
Leonia scolded him while gently tugging on his sideburns.

Clearly, this lazy attitude was the reason the Capital estate had remained untouched for so long.
Right then, the estate staff came out to greet them.
A man who looked to be the butler stepped forward. He was a young man who reminded her of a cat.

“Welcome home, Master.”
With the rest of the staff behind him, the butler bowed respectfully.
Leonia found his face oddly familiar.

She stared at him quietly, and he noticed.
Meeting her gaze, he smiled gently.
“Lady Leonia, welcome to the Capital. I am Tra, the butler in charge of this estate. I’m the son of Butler Castor, who manages the northern estate.”

“Castor?”
Leonia tilted her head at the unfamiliar name.
“Perhaps you know him better as Kara.”

“Grandma Kara?”
Startled, Leonia clapped her hands together.
“You’re her son?”

“Yes, she’s my mother.”
Only then did Leonia clearly see Kara in his features.
Everything but the eyes looked just like her.

Tra led the two into the mansion.
None of the staff seemed surprised or whispered behind their hands when they saw Leonia.
It was the complete opposite of the northern estate, where no one had been informed in advance.

The Capital estate, on the other hand, had been the place where Ferio had first expressed his intent to adopt.
And they had already been briefed on the general situation up north, so they handled everything calmly.
“Still, it was quite a shock.”

This translation is the intellectual property of .
Tra turned his head slightly, giving a sheepish smile.
“To think Master actually became a father.”

“I told you I’d adopt.”
“I honestly thought you were joking…”
Muttering in disbelief, Tra suddenly gasped.

“Not to speak ill of you, my lady! We were very excited for your arrival!”
Tra flailed, clearly worried he had hurt Leonia’s feelings.
‘Well, I can’t really blame him…’

He left with just himself and came back with a daughter. That would be enough to shock anyone.
Leonia understood Tra perfectly. The other staff who greeted her earlier probably felt the same.
In fact, the surprised reactions in the North had been far more normal.

“Tra, are you close with my dad?”
She’d noticed something earlier—their conversations weren’t quite the formal exchanges of master and servant.
And that offhanded comment about not believing Ferio would adopt was a bit odd.

“Oh, we’re milk-siblings.”
Tra casually dropped a bombshell.
“My mother was Master’s wet nurse. And since I was born around the same time, we were raised together. I’ve known Sir Lupe since childhood as well.”

“Grandma Kara was Dad’s wet nurse?”
Only now did Ferio and Kara’s relationship start to make sense.
It explained a lot of strange dynamics.

Kara always nagged Ferio constantly, and Ferio, while annoyed, would often comply with her scoldings without much resistance.
“No wonder…”
Leonia had been surprised so many times today already.

But there was more—Tra had quite a decorated background.
“I actually served in the Gladiago Knights for a time. I used to be a knight.”
“You went on monster hunts too?”

“Three or four times.”
But he admitted with a wry smile that wielding a sword never really suited him.
Leonia nodded, then gave Tra a once-over from head to toe.

‘Is that lean muscle?’
He looked slender at first glance, but now that she noticed, his dress coat sleeves pulled tight over firm arms.
Leonia smiled in satisfaction.

She liked this guy.
“Tra.”
Ferio jerked his chin toward the grinning Leonia.

“She’s a pervert, so be careful.”
“Dad!”
Leonia shrieked, mortified at being exposed.

***
“This will be your room, my lady.”
Leonia was shown to a sunlit room on the second floor.

It was already fully furnished with items prepared just for her.
The room had been carefully decorated based on the information received from the North—nothing was lacking.
Everything matched Leonia’s tastes.

“Do you like it?”
A maid from the Capital estate asked hesitantly.
Leonia looked around the room and nodded.

There wasn’t a single thing she disliked. From the books on the shelves to the clothes stacked in the dressing room.
Everything suited her perfectly.
“It feels like I’ve lived here before!”

That’s how comfortable it was, she said. The maid visibly sighed in relief.
“But isn’t this a little too much?”
She was only staying in the Capital for a short while—was all this really necessary?

“This is your home too, my lady!”
The maid looked a little hurt by her comment.
“You’ll be spending more and more time in the Capital. This is the room of the most precious young lady in the Empire—how could we decorate it carelessly?”

She insisted it was their duty to ensure she lacked for nothing, anytime.
Leonia tilted her head.
‘Wouldn’t it be easier without a master around?’

Having no boss would make things way more comfortable, she thought.
She couldn’t quite understand why this maid was working so hard.
But judging by the stiff shoulders of Connie and Mia, there clearly seemed to be some kind of competition among the Voreoti staff.

“There’s no dust on the window frame.”
Connie murmured as she swiped a finger along the sill.
“The clothes are fine too.”

Mia sniffed each dress in the wardrobe one by one, only backing away after confirming they smelled like Leonia’s favorite scent.
‘Two mother-in-laws…’
The two maids were inspecting the room more thoroughly than Leonia herself.

It seemed the North held the upper hand.
The maid who guided them visibly tensed every time Connie and Mia checked something.
Even through the barely cracked door, other maids could be seen watching with anxious eyes.

After all, Connie and Mia were Leonia’s personal attendants.
That alone put them in a league of their own.
Thankfully, the inspection ended without issue.

Connie and Mia both nodded in satisfaction, and the Capital maid looked visibly relieved.
As Leonia stepped out of the room, the waiting maids outside stepped back in perfect unison, forming a line.
They stood at attention, quietly awaiting Leonia’s next step.

“Uhh…”
Her black eyes darted nervously.
This was… a bit uncomfortable.

She still wasn’t used ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) to having a crowd of people following behind her.
Even in the North, it was always just two: a maid and a guard.
“Connie.”

“Yes, my lady.”
“I’m gonna go find Dad.”