I Became the Male Lead's Adopted Daughter-Chapter 79

Lady Hieina was not a character that appeared in the original novel Leonia remembered.

A self-proclaimed and widely acknowledged stalker who was obsessively in love with Ferio, and treated Ufikla—who was like ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) a younger sister to her—as some petty threat.

Even today, Lady Hieina had sent a letter to the Duke’s estate, and Leonia had seen it with her own eyes again.

A total of fourteen letters had arrived. They were all boxed away now, of course.

To be honest, Leonia had grown so accustomed to seeing them that their absence felt strangely off.

‘It’s so strange...’

Leonia tilted her head.

‘She’s such a distinctive character.’

Why hadn’t she appeared in the original novel?

With that thought, she stared past the building just beyond where the carriage was parked.

She was stunningly beautiful.

Her silvery hair, tinged with blue, stood out sharply—like the surface of a river at dusk, soaking in the colors of the darkening sky.

Far more elegant and composed than expected—an intelligent, refined beauty.

‘Didn’t Ufikla say she wasn’t legally an adult?’

Leonia recalled Ufikla’s words.

In the Bellius Empire, legal adulthood began at twenty. So she must’ve been, at most, nineteen.

And indeed, she looked it.

‘Why wasn’t she in the original story?’

Leonia squinted, observing Lady Hieina more closely.

“Haa... haa...!”

Half her body hidden behind the corner of the building, Lady Hieina stared this way, breathing hotly with eyes full of obsession. No matter how kindly you tried to interpret it—she was not in her right mind.

The fact that she looked so perfectly normal on the outside only made it more unsettling.

“Wow, she’s a total pervert, huh?”

Leonia clicked her tongue in revulsion.

She figured the author of the original story had simply found Lady Hieina’s perverted personality too much to handle—and omitted her.

Leonia completely understood.

On the other hand, Abipher and the knights couldn’t quite understand why Leonia was calling Lady Hieina a pervert.

Frankly speaking, Leonia—who went wild over muscles—wasn’t that different from Lady Hieina.

Of course, saying that out loud would’ve cost them their lives, so they all remained perfectly silent as if by unspoken agreement.

“What should we do?”

Meleis asked cautiously.

“Pretend we didn’t see her.”

Leonia answered firmly.

“First time dealing with a pervert? You absolutely do not engage with obsessive freaks like that! If you give them even a little attention, they’ll just demand more! Don’t fall for that clueless look!”

Meleis felt, somehow, that all those words were actually directed at Leonia herself.

“But Young Lady, aren’t you a pervert too?”

Paavo chimed in with a grin, finally saying what everyone had been thinking.

What a guy, thought Probo, moved by his comrade’s brave sacrifice.

“What are you talking about? I’m a proud and open-minded muscle-lover.”

Leonia declared boldly, with zero shame.

At some point, Abipher had quietly taken a few steps back to pretend she wasn’t with this group.

The conversation had become so embarrassing it was almost painful to witness sober.

“You were literally groping the air a few days ago.”

Paavo recalled the time he’d caught Leonia ogling his younger brother at the academy.

Leonia pouted.

“...I’m telling my dad.”

She pulled out her ultimate weapon.

“I’ll tell him Paavo keeps teasing me. I’ll cry in front of him. You know how panicked my dad gets when I cry, right?”

She glanced slowly across the knights.

She had a gut feeling they were mentally grouping her with the stalker behind the building.

“Wanna see hell?”

The baby beast let out a fierce growl.

“Let’s depart, shall we?”

Paavo immediately straightened up, voice solemn and formal.

He even dropped to one knee and extended a hand to help Leonia board the carriage with dignity.

“Hmph.”

Only then did Leonia drop her anger and climb into the carriage with a confident step.

Abipher, still pretending she wasn’t with them, followed shortly after.

The knights, at last, let out the breaths they’d been holding and returned to position.

“You idiot, why’d you tease the Young Lady?!”

Probo hissed, grinding his teeth. If you want to die, die alone!

“She is a pervert though.”

“Yeah, but you’re not supposed to say it!”

Meleis scolded, worried that the unusually mature child might actually be hurt by the comment.

“You’re not innocent either, Meleis.”

Probo added. It was obvious what Meleis really thought about Leonia.

“Well, still... I wasn’t even scared of her earlier.”

Paavo muttered, clearly still oblivious.

In truth, Leonia hadn’t been truly angry just now.

She’d only gotten a little worked up during some teasing banter.

She’d already forgotten all about the bickering.

“But...”

Paavo swallowed hard.

“...His Grace is scary.”

Leonia’s final threat had been terrifying.

No matter how loudly the baby beast cried or how cutely she bared her little claws, to the knights, she was still just a kitten.

But behind her loomed the true Black Beast.

If the baby beast got upset or distressed, that beast would bare his fangs and strike without hesitation.

“We’ll have to report Lady Hieina.”

Meleis, captain of the guard, said. Paavo and Probo agreed.

Leonia had clearly been made uncomfortable. Reporting to Ferio was the only option.

“...She’s a dead woman walking.”

Paavo murmured.

Everyone silently thought the same.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

***

As expected—

“She’s crossed the line.”

Ferio was utterly displeased upon hearing the report that Lady Hieina had been spying on Leonia.

His brows were drawn so tightly that his black eyebrows almost met in the middle.

In truth, displeased was far too gentle a word. Meleis, who was delivering the report, silently noted this.

Ferio was already beginning to rise from his seat, as if ready to head to the Hieina estate himself.

Behind him, Lupe began quietly praying. He even muttered a eulogy for Lady Hieina’s soul.

“But the Young Lady...”

Meleis quickly continued before things could escalate further.

“...has requested that we observe the situation a little longer.”

“What?”

Ferio thought he’d misheard.

Leonia wasn’t the type to be generous toward a pervert who secretly watched her.

In that respect, she took after him—merciless and exacting.

But Meleis’s expression held not a trace of a lie.

“The reason?”

Ferio’s gaze was sharper than any blade.

Meleis took a short breath, then explained.

And after hearing the explanation, Ferio’s face twisted with a strange look of confusion.

“Say that again.”

So Meleis repeated it.

“She said there’s something to gain from this, so she’ll let it go just this once.”

“What exactly does she hope to gain?”

“I’ll tell you that!”

As if on cue, the office door burst open.

Ferio and Meleis both turned to look—then lowered their gazes.

“Tada!”

Leonia marched in energetically.

She was wearing a new outfit—one of the pieces they’d picked up earlier from Baron Theon.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Pumpkin-shaped puffy pants with suspenders that doubled the cuteness.

“Young Lady, you’re adorable!”

Meleis couldn’t contain herself.

“Absolutely precious. Did Baron Theon make this?”

Lupe praised the look as well. Leonia beamed and fidgeted proudly.

“Dad, how do I look? Am I cute?”

“You’re cute when you behave.”

“Ugh, so annoying.”

“Anyway, you came at the right time.”

Ferio beckoned her closer. In one of her hands, she held a sheet of paper.

“You said you’d explain, right?”

Ferio asked why she was overlooking Lady Hieina’s behavior.

In response, Leonia handed him the paper.

“I want to make this.”

The paper was a rough schematic, drawn with clumsy but determined lines.

Ferio immediately recognized what it was.

“...A clock?”

It was a clock, yes—but not the typical pocket watch with a chain.

“A wristwatch.”

She tapped her own wrist.

“It goes right here.”

“On the wrist?”

Lupe examined the paper again, now startled. He noticed the straps drawn on either side.

What he’d taken for a child’s doodle was, in fact, surprisingly detailed.

“I thought of it after looking at your pocket watch.”

Ferio suddenly recalled a moment—on the carriage to the capital, when Leonia had stared at his watch in fascination, playing with it for a long time.

He’d thought she simply liked the way it looked.

But this was what she’d been imagining?

“Paavo’s younger brother makes watches, and the Hieina estate produces top-quality leather, right? They even do custom tailoring.”

The Hieina family was renowned for their leatherworking.

They used a secret tanning technique passed down through generations to produce the finest leather, good enough for export.

They were also connected to many skilled workshops.

“I can’t miss this chance.”

Leonia clapped her hands together.

“I’ve got the craftsman for the job, and I might even be able to wrangle the best leather for free—”

“Leonia.”

Ferio pressed a finger to her forehead.

“Calm down.”

Their eyes met.

“...And I’ll have a chance to get it all without paying.”

Now collected, Leonia finished her sentence coolly.

“That’s some creative thinking.”

Lupe couldn’t help but praise her.

“I honestly think it’s brilliant. Pocket watches can be a hassle. Taking them out each time, and if a pen bursts in your jacket—”

A wristwatch would solve that. No more fumbling. No more mess.

“It has real potential.”

Lupe sounded confident. A proud smile spread across Leonia’s face.

“Dad, think about it.”

She tapped Ferio’s thigh, coaxing his attention.

“You’re in the middle of work and wondering what time it is. What do you do?”

“Call for Lupe.”

Of course. The designated target, Lupe, murmured in defeat.