I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter

A few days after visiting the orphanage.

"Come on, close your eyes."

In a bathroom full of steam, warm water poured over Leonia's head as she immersed herself in a bathtub large enough for three adults to lie down in. Leonia covered her eyes with both of her hands.

"Now, I will wash your hair. Be sure to close your eyes because the bubbles can get in."

Connie rolled her sleeves up to her elbow and began to wash Leonia's hair. Feeling the sensation of the white bubbles rising up in the air, Leonia laughed out loud.

"Connie! I brought you the towel to wipe Milady's body with."

As her hair was being rinsed, she heard the voice of another maid outside.

"It's Mia's voice!"

"Yes, Milady, it's Mia."

"Ah, Milady! You can't move yet!"

Connie brought a towel the size of the mat that was hanging from the wall and wrapped her arms around Leonia's soaked body. Leonia was always amazed by Connie, who gently held her and moved.

"Aren't I heavy?"

"You still need to gain a little more weight."

"I gained a lot. Dad told me I'm about to become a pig."

Leonia grumbled and said. Connie and Mia just laughed at the chattering girl.

"It means that the lady is as cute as a little piglet."

"He said I would be perfect to eat after two months."

"Mia, give me a new towel here."

Connie, who had given up defending her master, who was still clumsy in expressing her feelings, pretended not to listen and received a new towel. Mia, who was listening to everything next to her, grabbed her belly and laughed out loud.

"Did the master really say that?"

"Yes. He teased me for being a pig this evening too."

He had pointed to the bacon from dinner, and he said, 'Here's my daughter's friend,' and he even cut them into bite-size pieces and even hand-feed it to her. 'Your friend is going in,' he said.

"Heh, if he likes me, say he likes me."

[t/n: she's saying that Pelliot is saying ugly things about her when in fact he actually likes her.]

Really childish, Leonia grumbled as she put on her pajamas that came over her head. But the corners of her lips had no intention of going up to her cheekbones.

Connie and Mia secretly made eye contact and smiled. Their master—the black beast of the north, who makes children cry just by making eye contact—was making fun of his daughter because she is pretty and feeds her every time she eats.

The master was still clumsy in expressing himself and the lady would complain about it. This side of them was also cute. Of course, if they talked openly in front of the two, their necks would not remain, so they were careful about their mouths. Especially in front of Pelliot.

"But Dad is a little…"

Leonia, who was wearing her fluffy indoor slippers, murmured.

"After going to the orphanage, Dad changed a bit."

"Master did?"

"I don't know…"

No matter how much Pelliot seemed like a human, he was still a black beast that commanded the North in the eyes of Connie and Mia. They can feel it just by brushing past him, and just thinking about the heinous pressure sent chills down their spines.

Of course, that didn't even work with Leonia.

After finishing her bath, Leonia was in a good mood. The warm bath water kept her body warm in the cold weather, and her pure white pajamas were so soft that they flowed down her skin. She felt good in the nightgown she was in and the smell of soap from her body was as cozy as a duvet.

Thanks to this, Leonia's steps were majestic. The maids following her held back their laughter.

"Dad!"

In the office where she went to say hello, Pelliot was sitting on the sofa alone. Pelliot, leaning on the backrest as if lying down, grinned as he saw his daughter sprinting towards him.

"Dad, you should sit up straight."

Then Leonia nagged, saying that he was bending his back.

"You'll suffer when you get older later."

"You're talking like you're all old."

Pelliot placed the papers in his hand on a nearby table and took Leonia, setting her down on his lap. Bringing his nose close to her wet hair, he sniffed out the delicate scent of flowers.

"It smells good doesn't it?"

Leonia said that it was her favorite shampoo scent these days.

"Dad doesn't like strong scents."

"Did I ever say that?"

"I think Dad's somehow like that."

Actually, she knew because she read the original story, which is the basis of this world, but it was a secret up to that point.

"Ah, what I did today…"

Leonia told her what had happened today, familiarly. One of Pelliot's changes that caught her eye after visiting the orphanage was spending time with Leonia to share what had happened during the day. But Leo did all the talking, and her dad was always the listener. Still, when Leonia asked something, he was always ready to answer.

"…So, we went to the grocery store together, wearing a cloak with a hood."

Leonia, who was talking about going out to town with the maid sisters, opened her mouth wide. Her speech also increased sharply. Pelliot touched his daughter's forehead, leaning on him little by little, and looked at the clock.

Warm body temperature.

9:30 p.m.

"It's your bedtime now."

Leonia seemed to be likely to talk and play all night, but she was unexpectedly a child who practiced a regular schedule. Pelliot held the limp Leonia in his arms. The heavy drowsiness could not be avoided even by Leonia.

She leaned her face against Pelliot's shoulder, closing her small lips. Her fat cheeks were pressed by his shoulders and melted softly.

"Milord."

Connie and Mia, who were waiting outside his office, found Leonia coming out in his arms. The two cautiously approached him and held out their arms, saying that they would carry Leonia instead.

"It's fine."

But Pelliot carried Leonia directly to the child's room. Connie and Mia, who were paying attention, risked their disrespect and walked first, opened Leonia's door, and cleaned her bed and the inside of the room.

The maids went out, and Pelliot laid Leonia on the bed. He took off the robe over her nightgown, hung it on the chair near it, and covered her with a blanket all the way up to her chin.

"Dad, candy…"

Pelliot, who was handed the strawberry milk candy he was holding tightly in his hand, puts it in the glass bottle on the side table. Leonia, relieved by the falling sound, smiled softly and immediately closed her eyes.

"Leo."

"Yeah?"

"Good night."

"Good night Dad…"

The pale lips moved down the child's forehead. The dad, who leaned down, also made a kissing noise. One of Pelliot's changes was calling her name and kissing her as a greeting.

"And you have to be in my dream."

"In your dreams, let me rest for a while."

Contrary to the saying, you only know yourself, Pelliot's face as he looked down at the child was infinitely soft. Leonia could be sure that her father was in a good mood, even in her dimly drowsy field of vision.

"……."

Soon, the sound of steady breathing could be heard. The blanket also moved gently up and down along with the sound.

Pelliot looked curiously at his young daughter, who had left for dreamland. The daring little lady, who always had to have the last word, had drooped into slumber with an innocent expression on her face. It was Leonia's sleeping habit that he recently discovered—that the corners of her mouth always rose when she fell asleep.

Pelliot, who came out quietly closing the door, yawned briefly. He looked at the sleeping child and got sleepy.

"Duke."

Lupert arrived in front of the office just in time and found Pelliot. He smiled quietly, as if he knew roughly where Pelliot had gone.

"It looks like the Lady is asleep."

"Sleeping early is the only thing that's childish about Leo."

"But she's still pretty, right?"

He knew everything even if Pelliot didn't say anything, said Lupert with a smirk.

"Why are you saying that?"

Pelliot got annoyed with a serious look. His calm expression instantly hardened.

"No, why can't I say that?"

It was the first time he was criticized for praising someone else's daughter for being pretty, so Lupert was quite embarrassed.

"You should stay alert."

Pelliot entered the office and sat with upright posture on his chair behind his desk. Leonia's nagging, telling him to sit with his posture upright, lingered in his ears. Oftentimes, knights who had married and had children joked that they were being held captive by children rather than by their wife or husband, and in the end, this was exactly the case with Pelliot.

"This is a bit unfair. How hard have I worked for the Lady."

From Leonia's adoption process to dealing with the orphanage, leading teachers and hiding evidence, and finding the base of malicious rumors about Leonia. Lupert was taken aback because he really did his best.

"…Do you know what Leo said today?"

"How shouldI know that?"

"She looked at me and said, 'Is Uncle Lupert going to be my stepfather?'"

"Stepfather? No, her father is already Your Grace…"

Lupert's mouth stopped for a moment, wondering what it was. It was only then that Lupert's hardened lips gaped in surprise. This was because a huge misunderstanding with Pelliot came to mind.

'Mister's undressed, and Uncle Lupert is on the sofa…'

The fingers that were pointing to him came to mind.

Lupert let out a silent scream.

"Oh, why did you misunderstand that again!"

Lupert, whose complexion was now as blue as his hair, wrapped his hands around his head. For some reason, Leonia's gaze was often stuck on him these days, so it was unusual. In particular, whenever they met near the office, the child's strange gaze was on him.

The voice of the child who was suspicious of him and Pelliot came to mind.

"Because of you."

Pelliot's expression wasn't very good either. Rather, it was his eyes that looked like he wanted to rip Lupert's head off.

"Why me again!"

"Because you're looking for me too much."

"Is it a sin to come to get some paperwork approved?"

It was unfair from Luper's point of view. He helped Pelliot and was in charge of the operation of the Voreoti estate and overall northern management. Because of this, he was forced to meet Pelliot frequently to discuss various issues.

Feeling that this was all very unfair, Lupert refuted it in his own way, but of course it was all in vain. Rather, there was now a restraining order on him from Pelliot.

"Do not come to the office unless it's urgent."

"Then when can I come? And most of my work is urgent."

"During tutoring, taking a nap, sleeping at night."

Pelliot gave an example as he moved three of his fingers. It meant to come only while Leo was doing these three things. Lupert, who had inadvertently needed to fit his work schedule to the Lady's schedule, resisted the urge to throw his resignation letter in the face of his boss.

'There's no other place that gives more money than this place.'

The northern black beast had a lot of money.

The scariest thing than the beast's fangs was the power of money.

This lowly subordinate managed to abate his urge to retire while recalling the truth of life, and so he smiled.

"It's creepy."

"Thank you for the insult."

Lupert showed off his professional spirit and smiled brightly.

"This is the investigation report you ordered the other day."

Lupert presented his report, which was his original purpose of coming here.

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