I Became the Male Lead's Adopted Daughter-Chapter 108

“Because it looked like you really wanted to sit next to me.”

Hmph. Leonia grumbled as if it was nothing, but gently leaned against Ferio’s arm.

“Just admit you wanted to sit next to me.”

“That’s not it.”

While Leonia played coy, the carriage passed through the gate smoothly.

Ferio pretended not to notice how the child leaned into him, visibly relaxed.

Apparently, that first bout of motion sickness had left a stronger impression than she let on.

A large hand quietly began to gently stroke her back.

The open plains that had housed the border checkpoint turned into a thick forest in the blink of an eye.

It was far more lush than when Leonia had first arrived, a vivid sign of the summer heat.

But thanks to the thick canopy of leaves, the harsh sunlight was filtered out.

Even the horses seemed more at ease.

Instead of continuing right away, Ferio ordered a check of the carriage and surroundings in case the gate passage had caused any problems.

Fortunately, no one was hurt.

The horses were fine, and not a single item had been lost or misplaced.

The only issue was a faint crack that had appeared near the window of the carriage used by the staff.

It wasn’t dangerous, so they decided to repair it once back in the North.

“Ooh, look at this...”

With Paavo’s help lifting her up, Leonia inspected the cracked carriage window.

“This is that thing, right? That effect from inside the gate?”

“That’s correct.”

Paavo explained that this was called a “distortion,” one of the phenomena that could occur within the gate.

“Though honestly, calling it an ‘effect’ is too generous. It’s more accurate to say it’s a side effect.”

“Side effect?”

“Yes, because these are the unpleasant phenomena that occur when passing through a gate.”

Since the exact principles behind gate operation were still a mystery, not much was known about the internal reactions that occurred during transit.

“But what is certain is that they’re quite dangerous.”

Paavo held up three fingers.

“Distortion, stasis, and existence denial.”

“Distortion is this one, right?”

Leonia pointed to the cracked window. Paavo nodded in affirmation.

“A gate is—”

“—Simply put, a spatial connection between two locations.”

At that moment, Probo suddenly cut in.

He’d been eavesdropping from behind and jumped in at just the right moment.

“Hey.”

Paavo gave him a look of clear disapproval.

But Probo, completely unfazed, launched into a spirited explanation of gate mechanics.

“Eastern mages are particularly fascinated by gates. The only reason we can even use them like this today is thanks to all the mages’ research.”

“This damn guy...”

Paavo clicked his tongue.

“Hey, you’re not a mage. You’re a knight. A Gladiago Knight!”

“Technically, I’m the only mage-knight in Gladiago.”

“Crazy bastard. Doesn’t matter. Before the Fangs, we’re all nothing but insects.”

“I’m still stronger than you, though.”

“Ha, what a joke. Did the emperor turn into a saint or something?”

Before long, the two knights were growling at each other, eyes locked.

“Tsk, tsk.”

Watching them with disappointment, Leonia clicked her tongue and walked away.

Not far off, Ferio was sitting on a rock, reading a book.

Leonia tilted her head.

Lately, she’d been seeing him reading more and more.

Was he always this into books?

Though she’d seen him read before, it was rare for him to be so engrossed that he didn’t put the book down at all.

“Daddy, whatcha doing?”

The baby beast slithered her way right into Daddy Beast’s arms.

“I’m reading. Quiet.”

Though he spoke like she was bothering him, Ferio opened the arm holding the book just slightly so she could fit in more comfortably.

And when she showed she wanted to sit on his lap, he wrapped an arm around her waist and easily lifted her up without a word.

Leonia smiled, leaning her head against his sturdy chest.

Ferio lightly tapped her forehead with the spine of his book.

“Done playing with Paavo?”

“He and Probo suddenly made eye contact.”

“I told you to stop using phrasing that can easily be misunderstood.”

Ferio gave her a light warning.

Even if they’d left the Capital estate, House Voreoti’s standards for proper speech—especially for Leonia’s emotional education—were still in full effect.

That included curbing exactly the kind of expression Leonia loved most.

“But seriously, look at that.”

Leonia pointed to where she’d just been moments ago.

Ferio finally looked up from his book and followed her finger.

There, Paavo and Probo were fumbling all over each other and muttering something as they grinned.

Then, as if on cue, they smiled and threw their arms around each other in a dramatic hug, patting each other’s backs.

“Is that normal behavior?”

“It is normal.”

Ferio stared at them for a while, then murmured like he couldn’t understand his daughter at all.

To him, it just looked like two knights bonding over their muscles.

“Watch it again—with an open mind.”

Leonia encouraged him to focus harder and gestured toward the knights again.

Reluctantly, Ferio humored her and took another look at Paavo and Probo.

The two were chatting with cheerful expressions, seemingly having a perfectly pleasant conversation.

“Probo, I’ve always been jealous of your muscles.”

“Paavo, the feeling is mutual.”

Only... the voices sounded strange.

They were unusually high-pitched and cutesy.

Just as Ferio furrowed his brow, Probo slung an arm around Paavo’s shoulders and gave a grin.

“Honestly, I want to become part of your biceps...”

“You idiot! If you do that, we can’t train our muscles together!”

“But still...”

“Don’t say anything. My baby peacock.”

“My silver elephant...”

And with that, the two knights disappeared behind the carriage.

“......”

Everything Ferio had just heard did not match the facial expressions or movements of the two knights.

In fact, even the voices didn’t sound like theirs at all.

But the voice was familiar.

Ferio slowly looked down at the child in his lap with a conflicted expression.

Leonia, who had been making up this wild drama all on her own, was now pouting her lips, making kissy noises to complete the act.

Then she whipped her head around and smiled brightly.

“How was it?”

The baby beast’s eyes met her father’s, sparkling with hope for validation.

“Sounded suspicious enough, right?”

“Sure did.”

Ferio stroked her forehead and replied—

“I’m suspicious of your morals.”

“No, seriously! Try seeing it with a truly open mind!”

“Leonia, you’re the one who’s way too open.”

Ferio lectured her on the importance of boundaries.

Not everything that’s open is good.

* * *

Once the Voreoti carriage exited the forest, it came ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) to a stop in front of a large villa.

“Where are we?”

Leonia asked as she stepped out of the carriage.

She’d dozed off during the ride, and the back of her head was a complete mess.

Still half-asleep, she blinked drowsily up at Ferio.

Yet in her hand, she was still clutching the round hat he’d given her.

“A villa.”

“Villa?”

“Voreoti property.”

“Cow-head?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Are you making boiled pork slices?”

Half-asleep, Leonia smacked her lips and mumbled, having misheard.

Ferio opened his mouth to correct her—but then just picked her up and carried her into the building.

“Master. We’ve been expecting you.”

“We received your message and made preparations.”

Upon entering the villa, a middle-aged couple greeted them. They were the caretakers of the property.

“Where’s the child’s room?”

Ferio, as always, prioritized Leonia’s sleeping arrangements first.

“We had to prepare in a rush, so we arranged one of the guest rooms for the young lady.”

“My message came last minute, so it couldn’t be helped.”

Ferio didn’t mind.

He was the one who’d given the sudden instruction just the day before they left the Capital—to stop at the villa on their way back.

After checking the room, Ferio gently laid Leonia down on the bed.

“Boiled pork with soju...”

As soon as she lay down, she tossed and turned a few times, murmured something incoherent in her sleep—and promptly passed out.

Once he was sure she was sound asleep, Ferio summoned Connie and Mia.

“Don’t wake her until it’s time for dinner.”

He also told them to change her clothes so she could rest more comfortably, then left the room.

Just as he was about to sit on the sofa to rest until the meal was ready—

“Milord.”

Meleis approached him.

“There’s a message from the vice-commander.”

“From Mono...”

“They say he finally talked.”

The report was vague—no subject, barely any detail.

But to Ferio, that was more than enough. More than enough to make him sigh and wear a look of weary resignation.

“My apologies.”

“No. You’ve all done well.”

Ferio muttered that the stubbornness on the other side had gone beyond expectations.

So much to deal with.

He rubbed his fingers slowly between his brows.

Ferio swiftly ran through the list of tasks awaiting him once they returned to Voreoti.

The documents...

He’d handled the most pressing matters during their stay in the Capital, so once they returned, the pile shouldn’t be too heavy.

With monster hunting season starting in the winter, he’d at least get some breathing room until then.

And with an unplanned but effective new employee added to the staff, Lupe’s efficiency would only improve.

In short, Ferio wouldn’t have to suffer through paperwork.

Same with the wristwatch business.

He’d already sorted out all the patents while in the Capital. It was something to keep moving, but not immediately urgent.

Besides, Leonia was leading the project.

While Ferio and the adults would handle the marketing and distribution, the core ideas—including the design of the wristwatches—were to be led by Leonia.

So again, it wasn’t something Ferio had to personally handle right away.

Monster hunting was an annual affair, and everything else could be handled within his expectations.

The real problem lay elsewhere.

“He finally talked,” huh...

That message Meleis had just delivered—the quiet matter brewing in the North—was the one thing that truly gnawed at Ferio’s nerves.

“Haa...”

Ferio suddenly stopped and looked back.

At the room he’d just come out of—the room where Leonia was fast asleep, unaware of anything.

“Sir Levipes.”

Still gazing at the door to her room, Ferio spoke.

“How long until we reach the North?”

“At least five days, I estimate.”

Meleis calculated with Leonia’s presence in mind.

She had grown healthier, but she was still a young child. No matter how comfortable the Voreoti carriages were, riding for long hours would be hard on her.

It had taken about that long when they first adopted her and traveled north, and another three to four days after that to reach the Rinne territory.

“...I see.”

Ferio agreed with her assessment.

“Then perhaps we’ll stay and rest a bit before heading back.”

It might be a good idea to spend a few days here in the West.

He remembered how much Leonia had liked the western seas and forests.

Stopping by once more before returning home wouldn’t be so bad.

Besides, once they returned to the North, there wouldn’t be many opportunities for play. Winter would arrive quickly, and once the heavy snow fell, going out would be impossible.

“What about the knight who delivered the message?”

As he picked up the book left on the table, Ferio asked.

“He’s still here.”

“Then go back and tell him this.”

That he must not kill.

Reclining against the sofa and opening his book, Ferio delivered the order calmly.

Meleis bowed respectfully and took her leave.

Soon, the only sound filling the quiet room was the slow turning of pages.

It was a peaceful scene.

As if that earlier conversation had been nothing more than a fleeting mirage.