I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

Leonia’s offhand comment sent shockwaves through the air.

“...What the hell are you talking about?”

Lota turned to Varia, her voice sharp.

The blood vessels around her green eyes bulged red with fury.

If Leonia and sword-wielding Meleis hadn’t been there, Lota probably would’ve gone straight for Varia’s throat, claws out.

“Why the hell ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) did the Voreoti girl just call you Mom?”

“I—I don’t know either!”

Varia was just as thrown off. If anything, she was more shocked than Lota.

In her first life, where all she ever wanted was her family’s approval, and in this second one, driven purely by revenge—she had never once had a single romantic entanglement.

On that front, she was perfectly clean.

Besides, there were plenty of rumors about how the Duke of Voreoti was hopelessly in love with a commoner woman who gave him a daughter, and that he wouldn’t even look at anyone else.

But Lota didn’t buy it.

Don’t tell me she’s got something going on with Voreoti?

She seriously wondered if her sister might somehow be involved with the Duke.

Why else would the Duke’s daughter be calling her “Mom”?

If that’s true...!

No matter how powerful the Olor family thought they were, the Voreoti were on a whole other level.

There were only five bloodlines in the Empire older than its history itself—and Voreoti was one of them.

Each of them wielded unimaginable power.

Lota had only started to feel the oppressive weight of the North’s black beasts after marrying into the Olor family.

If her sister got involved with them...

If she actually married the Duke...

If she became the Duchess...

No way in hell!

Lota ground her teeth.

“Ah, sorry about that.”

Leonia suddenly apologized for her little slip. While Varia and Lota were both overwhelmed for completely different reasons, the girl remained totally unfazed.

“Varia, uh... is it okay if I just call you that?”

“W-What? Oh, sure, of course.”

Varia, still reeling, nodded without thinking. Leonia gave her a bright, innocent smile.

“This is the first time we’ve met, but... I don’t know.”

She glanced down, wearing a faintly sad expression.

“You just reminded me of my mom...”

At that, Varia smiled gently, sympathy welling up inside her.

Hearing Leonia mention her deceased mother stirred something deep.

“I was out of line, wasn’t I? I’m sorry.”

“No, not at all! It’s okay!”

Leonia bowed her head in apology, and Varia hurriedly waved her hands, telling her not to.

Lota, on the other hand, stayed silent, her mind stuck on the “bastard” insult she’d thrown out earlier.

She didn’t exactly feel sorry—more like pissed she got caught.

Watching all of this, Meleis was silently impressed by Leonia’s flawless lie.

What a scammer...

She really was becoming more like her father every day—shameless and bold.

Almost no one in House Voreoti knew Leonia had no memories before the age of five.

Meleis was one of those few.

Still, even she didn’t know why Leonia had suddenly called Varia “Mom.”

Judging by her usual behavior, it seemed like just another of her playful jokes.

Regardless, the lie worked.

Varia ended up smiling at Leonia, gently comforting her, while Lota kept darting glances at Leonia, clearly relieved.

...They really are sisters, huh?

Meleis frowned slightly.

They had the same soft, pinkish hair, and a similar gentle aura.

But despite all those similarities, it was shocking how different they really were.

“Anyway, it’s nice to meet you.”

Leonia greeted her again, more formally this time.

“I’m Leonia Voreoti. It’s a pleasure.”

Finally meeting the main character of the original story, Leonia meant every word.

Varia quickly responded.

“I’m Varia. It’s nice to—”

Then she froze.

...How does she know my name?

They were supposed to be strangers.

Of course, Varia herself had done plenty of research on Leonia in secret—she knew her name, her favorite foods, her tastes, even the colors that suited her best.

But for Leonia to know her?

That wasn’t supposed to happen.

“You’re just as beautiful as I’ve heard.”

“You know me?”

Varia asked, wide-eyed.

“Who doesn’t?”

Leonia shrugged.

“My tutor is Professor Ardea. I’ve heard quite a bit about you from him.”

Varia’s eyes widened.

“How is he?”

“Too healthy, honestly. He’s on vacation, traveling the country.”

“Really?”

Varia breathed a sigh of relief.

In her last life, he’d died an untimely death. It was a huge comfort to know he was alive and well enough to travel this time.

And now she understood how Leonia knew her.

Hmph...

Leonia watched her closely.

She really is stunning.

She’d seen her fair share of beauties, but always believed her father Ferio was the most beautiful of them all.

Now she wasn’t so sure.

Varia was breathtaking.

Her pale skin, flawless features, and perfectly balanced face made her almost too perfect.

And that hair...

Varia’s wavy pink hair, dusted with a smoky hue, somehow made her already striking beauty even more vivid.

The sunlight filtering into the alley made that dull pink shimmer.

But her eyes were the most beautiful.

Green eyes were common in the Empire, but none like these. They sparkled like gemstones in clear water.

In the original story, Ferio often whispered to Varia how he could never stop looking at her eyes.

...Ugh.

Leonia cringed.

She’d just imagined Ferio actually saying that, and it made her want to gag.

No matter how perfect he was as a protagonist, to Leonia, he was just her dad.

She couldn’t see him as anything else. The idea of having feelings for him? Impossible. It’d be like falling for a pretty fish flapping around.

She’s too good for him, honestly.

Varia was way too good to be with some guy who already had a kid.

Though to be fair, my dad’s still the best man in the world!

And his daughter’s super cute too!

Leonia smiled proudly to herself.

“Shall we go?”

After finishing her little mental tour, Leonia reached out her hand.

She wanted to talk more with Varia, but that could wait until after she’d finished her father’s errand.

“...”

Varia stared at her hand.

So this is what it is.

Now she understood.

The sudden outing with the Marquis’s son, him disappearing, Leonia showing up as if it was all planned—it was.

This was all perfectly scripted.

A joint effort by Voreoti and Pardus.

Varia felt dizzy.

But even so, her hand started moving on its own.

“Sis!”

Lota cut in again, stopping Varia’s hand midair.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

She sounded like she was scolding her.

Leonia blew a breath at her bangs in irritation.

She didn’t bother hiding her annoyance. Standing with one leg cocked, she stared at Lota.

“Lota.”

Her name slipped from Leonia’s lips.

“Lota Olor.”

And to make sure she knew exactly who she was dealing with, Leonia spelled it out.

“Wife of Viscount Olor’s heir, Lota Olor.”

The protagonist’s little sister.

Remus Olor’s wife.

The wife of a mere heir, not even a full Viscount yet.

“Who exactly do you think you’re stopping right now?”

“...”

“Do you really think you’re above me?”

“N-No, I—”

Lota tried to argue but clamped her mouth shut. Her hand trembled behind her skirt.

Varia felt a little sorry for her.

But she didn’t help.

Her warning to watch her mouth had been enough.

Leonia, meanwhile, didn’t feel a damn thing for Lota. Not even amusement.

Come to think of it...

Looking at the two sisters, Leonia realized something wild about the three of them standing here.

Lota had married Leonia’s biological father. Varia, in the original story, married her adoptive father.

Even now, Varia was the most likely candidate to become her stepmother.

So, technically, both of them were her “mothers.”

What a shitshow.

Not even a gambling den could cook up this mess.

Even Leonia was getting tired of it. She wanted to get the hell out of here.

Especially because just looking at Lota reminded her of the damn Red Swans, and she could feel a string of curses on the tip of her tongue.

Plop.

That’s when Varia grabbed Leonia’s wrist and suddenly pulled her close.

“...Oh no.”

Varia gave an awkward smile.

“You got something on me.”

Leonia’s gelato had smeared all over her clothes.

Smeared and squished into her white shirt, it left a sticky mess.

“...Ha!”

Leonia laughed.

This girl, huh?

In the original, Varia had ditched her indecisive ways and become bold after her regression.

But she didn’t expect her to push this hard.

Varia looked tense as hell.

But that stubborn smile made it all the more amusing.

Meeting Varia in person—she was way more Leonia’s type than expected.

“My gelato ruined your shirt.”

So I’ll take responsibility.

Leonia latched onto the excuse Varia had handed her.

Who’d have thought they’d click so well right from the start?

All the irritation Lota had caused melted away like clouds after a storm.

“Meleis.”

“Shall we go?”

Meleis took off her cloak and draped it over Varia’s sticky top, covering it gracefully.

With a quick fold, it looked like an elegant shawl.

“Sis!”

Lota called after Varia, who had turned to leave.

But Varia only glanced back and kept walking.

“Tch, here we go again.”

Leonia stayed.

“...What the hell are you doing?”

Lota asked, desperate.

“What do you think?”

Leonia smiled wide, genuinely amused. She felt like she could put up with anything Lota threw at her right now.

But just to remind her—

“As the black beast’s daughter, you’d better brace yourself.”

Before leaving, a warning felt fitting.

Leonia thought she was being generous, even merciful.

“Watch what this bastard child can do.”

The bastard daughter of Voreoti, the one Lota had mocked so carelessly, bared just a glimpse of her golden fangs.

The Olor family’s precious daughter-in-law collapsed right there.

Her body shook under the weight of fear, cold and sharp as death itself.

“Let’s avoid each other as much as possible.”

After personally teaching Lota how to treat the next Duke, Leonia finally walked away.