I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

“Gah, huff, haah!”

Varia ran like mad.

Her arms, slashing through the thick underbrush in her way, were scratched and bleeding.

Her dull pink hair, tied up hastily, had come half undone, strands sticking to her sweat-drenched face and blocking her vision.

The ragged breaths tearing from her throat reeked of blood.

But Varia couldn’t stop.

“She’s right ahead!”

“Get her!”

“Don’t let her live!”

The voices of her pursuers drew closer with every step.

Varia risked a glance behind her. Three or four torches blazed in the dark forest, chasing her down.

Their faces, lit by the flickering firelight, were twisted into cruel, eager grins.

One of them, especially, was all too familiar.

A head of red hair, brighter than the torches, slowly approached.

‘Remus...!’

Varia bit down hard on her lip, a scream of rage caught in her chest.

Blood poured from her cracked, dried lips, tainting the air she breathed with iron.

No matter how far or fast she ran, a dreadful certainty gripped her—that her end would be soaked in blood.

“Aaagh!”

Then, with a scream, Varia fell.

In her terror, she tripped over a tree root.

“You can’t outrun us forever.”

Heh heh heh—an eerie laugh surrounded her.

“With instincts like that, how’d you even survive this long?”

Remus Olor looked down at her with mocking disdain. The blade of the dagger in his hand gleamed white, catching the torchlight.

“To think you’d dare to interfere with this grand cause.”

“Grand cause, my ass!”

Varia spat.

“This is the path to the Empire’s ruin! You’re all on the wrong damn side!”

“Well, aren’t you the stubborn sister-in-law.”

Remus’s mocking smile faltered.

The other pursuers behind him also paused.

Varia was in real danger now.

Most people, faced with death, would be begging and sobbing for their lives.

But not Varia—her eyes blazed with fury.

“You’ll never get away with this!”

A strange glint flashed through the tangled strands of her dirty pink hair.

Her green eyes, sharper than any dagger, pierced through them all.

“...Ha!”

Remus finally snapped out of it.

He was an Imperial knight, for gods’ sake. And yet, here he was, shaken by the glare of a weak woman who’d never even held a sword.

Not just him, either—the others chasing her had frozen too.

“This is seriously pissing me off.”

Remus was humiliated.

“Khak...!”

Suddenly, Varia coughed violently.

“What the hell can you do?”

Before she knew it, Remus was right in front of her, his hand clamping down around her throat.

The veins in her pale neck bulged, straining for air.

‘I... I can’t breathe...!’

Varia clawed at his hand, her nails digging into his skin—a desperate, instinctive struggle.

But it was useless.

Her strength faded as the oxygen left her body. Her vision blurred, turning yellow at the edges.

A high-pitched ringing filled her ears.

“But I’m a gentleman, you see.”

Remus casually flashed the dagger in his hand.

In her dimming sight, Varia saw a familiar ornament.

“...!”

A choked sob escaped her.

Dangling from the dagger was a rabbit charm—the symbol of House Erbanu.

It was her father’s.

“You probably know it better than me, don’t you? Your father treasured this.”

Remus tightened his grip on her throat.

“He gave it to me himself.”

Varia’s body went limp.

Her arms, once tearing at Remus’s hand, had long since fallen to the ground.

Yet with the last bit of strength she had left, she grabbed at the grass beneath her, clinging to it like a lifeline.

It was rage—white-hot fury at the betrayal of her own blood.

“He asked me to deal with the disgrace of the family who dared to interfere with our cause, using one of the family’s own heirlooms.”

The dagger, raised high, glinted coldly.

“Of course, your mother and Lota know, too.”

“...”

“So don’t worry too much.”

Remus whispered.

“Your death will be passed off as just running away. The story of a foolish eldest daughter chasing freedom always goes down well.”

He smiled—a sickening, sadistic smile.

“But still, you’re my dear sister-in-law.”

Remus raised the dagger higher.

“I’ll make it quick.”

Varia’s end came in the flash of her father’s dagger plunging down.

***

“...HAAAH!”

Varia gasped, jolting awake.

Her body instantly chilled.

‘That day again...’

No matter how many times she dreamt it, she could never get used to the nightmare.

The sweat from her nightmare had turned cold in the night air.

Curling into a tight ball °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° under the blanket, Varia trembled as if to run from the dream.

“I’m alive, I’m alive...”

I’m still alive.

With shaking hands, she ran her fingers over her body. Her arms were unscathed.

Her neck didn’t hurt. There was no wound in her stomach where the dagger had struck.

At last, grounding herself in reality, Varia sat slowly at the edge of the bed.

“Whew.”

She blinked.

She’d stayed up too late again, and the nightmare hadn’t missed the chance to strike. This damned cycle showed no sign of ending.

“Get a grip.”

Pushing her hair back with one hand, Varia stood up.

No matter how awful the dream, it didn’t excuse her from going to work.

Luckily, after splashing her face with cold water, she felt a bit more refreshed. Only then did she notice the chirping of birds outside her window.

She brushed her hair, neatly tying it up, and changed straight into her administrator’s uniform.

‘Finance meeting in the morning...’

She mentally ran through her schedule as she finished getting ready.

“Varia!”

Right on cue, someone knocked on her door.

“Les?”

Varia threw on a light jacket.

“You’re up, right? Let’s go eat!”

“I’m coming!”

As she stepped out, Les was waiting, pouting.

“If we end up at the back of the line and miss breakfast, it’s your fault.”

“Sorry.”

Varia fidgeted with her fingers, apologizing sheepishly.

“At least you’re good at apologizing.”

Les, who’d accepted the apology easily, looked a lot less annoyed.

Not that she’d really been mad in the first place. She was just excited that her favorite breakfast was being served today.

“You feeling okay?”

Then Les took a closer look at Varia’s pale face, worry creeping in.

“Varia, did you have another nightmare?”

“Just tired, I guess.”

Varia gave a soft smile.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

It was a troubled smile, the kind that said, Please don’t ask me more.

“...You’re gonna end up dead at this rate, you know?”

Les sighed shortly, ending the conversation there.

Luckily, there wasn’t much of a line at the dining hall.

“Guess it’s ‘cause of the cold?”

Les glanced around the unusually empty room.

Her tray was piled high with potatoes, roasted in butter until golden and glistening. There wasn’t much else on her plate.

“Yeah, it’s definitely gotten colder.”

Instead, Varia pulled out some soup she’d brought for herself.

She tore small pieces from the hard bread and dropped them into her bowl.

The bread from the dining hall was always ridiculously tough—soaking it like this made it easier to swallow.

“You’re fine with the cold though, right?”

Varia asked, spooning a soggy piece of bread into her mouth.

“You’re from the North, aren’t you?”

She meant, This kind of cold’s nothing for you, right? Les shrugged proudly.

“Of course.”

Les’s shoulders lifted with pride at the mention of her homeland. Being from the North was something she wouldn’t trade for anything.

Varia felt just a little envious of that. She couldn’t speak about her own home like that.

Didn’t want to, either.

“Now that I think about it, it’s about that time.”

Les muttered, cutting into her potatoes with a fork. The buttery oil oozed out as she pressed down, carrying a hint of spicy seasoning.

“What’s about that time?”

Varia asked, pretending not to know.

She’d heard this story a hundred times, but the tales of the North never got old when Les told them.

“I haven’t told you this?”

Les mumbled, chewing her potatoes.

“In the North, we get these brutal snowstorms in the winter. It’s so bad, no one can go outside. Everyone just stays in their homes.”

“Then the North must be in the middle of one now?”

“No, the storms are probably over by now.”

Les scraped up the last of the buttery goodness with her fork and shoved it into her mouth.

“They’ll be out hunting monsters.”

Every winter, the Duke of Voreoti led the Gladiago Knights into the Northern Mountains for monster hunting.

“This year, I heard the young lady’s joining them too.”

Varia froze, her spoon halfway to her mouth.

Luckily, she had her head down, so Les didn’t notice the expression she made.

If she had, she would’ve asked if Varia was feeling sick again.

“...The young lady, you mean...”

Varia forced her voice to sound casual.

“The Duke’s daughter?”

“Who else, his son?”

Les laughed like she’d just heard a ridiculous joke.

“She’s already twelve, can you believe it?”

With a nostalgic smile, Les stabbed into her second potato.

***

In the North, the snowstorm had hit hard this year too.

No sooner had the savage blizzard passed than the Duke of Voreoti led the Gladiago Knights into the Northern Mountains. It was the same annual event.

But this time, things were a little different.

There was a small change.

“Drive it that way!”

“Don’t let it see your shadow!”

The Gladiago Knights were facing off against a monster.

Baring sharp teeth, the monster looked like a massive wolf or dog.

But the sticky drool dripping from its mouth was highly acidic—just a brush of it would eat through flesh.

“...Leo.”

Watching from a step behind, Ferio spoke.

“What’s that monster called?”

From the mouth of the black beast in heavy armor, a puff of white breath escaped.

“Inopaco.”

The girl, her hair tied tightly behind her, answered immediately.

“A monster that looks like a dog, its parts sell for a high price.”

“And how do you kill it?”

“The hunter must never let it see their shadow.”

Inopaco was a dangerous creature, able to hide in its prey’s shadow.

Because of that, it was one of the top five monsters the knights had to be cautious of.

“But...”

Leonia drew the sword from her waist.

“It’s big, but slow.”

Golden light began to flicker in the depths of the girl’s black eyes.

At the same time, that same golden aura coiled around the blade in her hand.

“My lord! My lady!”

Mono shouted.

The monster was already charging at the father and daughter.

But neither of them moved to run.

If anything, they seemed relaxed, like they were waiting for the beast to come.

“So, how should we kill it?”

Ferio asked, a subtle smile tugging at his lips.

“Well, that’s easy...”

Leonia crouched, steadying herself.

The monster, now just feet away, leapt at her, jaws wide open.

Leonia found it laughable.

That’s the best it can do? Those pathetic teeth?

A loud crash shook the ground.

The impact sent snow swirling into the air. The knights watching from afar gripped their weapons, bracing for anything.

As the snow settled again, another sound was heard.

A heavy thump, like something solid falling into the snow.

As the view cleared, Leonia and the monster stood side by side.

Leonia casually flicked her bloodied sword.

With a soft thud, blood splattered onto the snow.

At her feet lay the Inopaco—its head severed cleanly from its body.

“...Like this, obviously.”

The girl shrugged.