I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter - Chapter 16
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“The social circles at the capital?” Leonia tilted her head.
“A place as ugly as the noble council.”
On the surface, beautiful ladies gather together to politely ask each other’s regards and how they are doing, but in reality, their venomous greed and meticulous calculation were the battlefields of snobbery coming and going under the table. If the academy was the third power of the empire, the capital society was called the second power.
“Someday you’ll go there.”
It was an inevitable future now that she became a member of the House of the Duke of Voreoti. Paul had already lost his appetite to think that he is sending that little thing to such a place. On top of that, he didn’t readily hire Karina. Originally, he wanted to recruit someone else, but he hired them as a second choice because the situation there was not favorable. Either way, Karina Tedrose’s skills are undeniable, and she was also a good target for Leonia to experience the dirty social world firsthand.
“If that’s the case, then.”
Leonia shook her head.
Early in the morning. A banner roared with a black lion fluttered in the dim of the morning sky. Calm wind blew their way, as if to help the knights go hunting early in the morning.
“Haam”
Among them, Leonia was struggling with her sleepiness as her head bent alone.
“Why didn’t you go to bed?”
Paul, armed with armor, embraced Leonia. The cold armor material made Leonia shudder and shrug, making a strange sound. The knights behind them laughed secretly.
“Old man is leaving…”
As if trying to chase drowsiness, Leonia tried to rub her eyes with the back of her hand. Paul’s hand with one leather glove stopped it. Instead, he shook her back as if telling her that she could sleep more. Leonia murmured as if not to.
“Please drop me.”
Leonia, down on the floor, glanced at the maid next to her.
“I’m going to give you this.”
Inside the basket, which the maid put on instead of Leonia, there are ginger cookies packed in small portions.
Paul’s eyes widened when he saw the cookie. Among them, there were a few dog shaped thick ones , and there were childish lions painted. Paul naturally picked up the bag with the lion cookies. The loosely baked cookies were well done.
“When did you bake?”
His hand was so careful that he even politely received the cookie bag. However, Leonia didn’t see it through the drowsiness of her sleepiness.
“I sneaked out last night.”
She lied to Paul last night that she was going to bed first, and then sneaked into the kitchen and baked cookies. This is because she recalled that the other day Loupe said, the lord had eaten all the cookies without him.
“Because I am your daughter.”
Dad is going to work in the cold, so this is the least that she should do.
“I shared it with other knights too. Still, I’ve made it a little more special for you, old man. Here’s the one painted with a black lion, and I put two more cookies inside.”
Leonia yawned as if her mouth was torn and heavier.
“Have a safe trip. ”
Paul’s dark eyes were shaken off.
“It’s delicious when it comes …” Leonia, who was still half awake, murmured without making any sense.
“It’s delicious.”
However, Paul’s expression was definitely serious and determined.
‘Where in the world is there anything that tastes better than this loose cookie in my hand?’ Paul was sincerely convinced that there was no such thing. Even if there was, he had intended to get rid of it, whatever it is. His hand covering the bags of the take away cookies was careful. Soon, a large hand fell on the child’s head.
“While I am away, you are the owner of Voreoti.”
Paul now delegates the authority of the Duke of Voreoti in front of everyone to the young seven-year-old daughter rippling in her maid’s arms. Loupe and Kara, who came out together, had surprised eyes.
“Please help her well.”
Loupe and Kara bowed their heads.
“Leonia.”
“Huh”
“Study well.”
“Okay.” Leonia grumbled as if bothered.
“Sleep early, eat a lot.”
“Yeah”
“Make sure to tone it down on the muscles as well.”
“….”
“Are you deliberately not answering right now?”
“Ugh yeah” Leonia shook her head and talked in her sleep.
It was about the time to leave. Paul’s feet did not easily move away from Leonia. The cookie he received a while ago felt warm and it melted him, and his body couldn’t just leave. He wasn’t going to leave this small thing alone, because he kept on looking.
“Ser Cabel.”
Paul stared at the guy, who had blue hair right next to the maid.
Pavo, who was fascinated by the appearance of the lady who was more than rumored, was hurried and ready. Meles was going to go on the hunt with Paul on this outing, and Pavo remained in the mansion instead.
“I will escort the young lady with my life.”
Pavo sweared firmly, holding a sword in his waist with a serious look.
“I’ll come back soon.”
A small whisper passed by Leonia’s ear.
The lips of the sleeping child smacked several times as if she was dreaming of eating, and drew a line. Paul’s feet, which seemed to be so heavy, finally left her side.1
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After the early dawn, after seeing Paul and the Knights off, when Leonia, who fell asleep again, opened her eyes, the sun was already high.
“But you got up right away in the morning just in time.”
Had they been a little bit late, the party would have gone already, the maid said, while tidying her hair.
“Where are my old man and the knights going by now?”
“They must have arrived at the entrance of the mountain range.”
Pavo, standing by the door and escorting, replied instead.
“The monsters usually live in the northern mountains. It’s a very enormous and rugged area where various monsters live together. The habitat of the monsters is not necessarily attached to the Voreoti territory.”
The northern mountain range was where the ecology of the monsters was gathered. Then, at the peak of the food pyramid, there was the Duke of Voreoti and the Knights of Gladigo led by him.
“When will they come back?”
Leonia came out for lunch and asked Pavo, who was coming along.
“Um, I think it will take some time this year.”
The last three years of monster hunting have been carried out without the Duke of Voreoti and only by the knights. All the Swordmasters of the three in the Order came forward to reduce the population of the beast, but they are not as great as Paul, who has the fangs of a beast. The fangs of the beast are literally the pinnacle of the ecosystem.
“There we are. During the last breeding season, the mana was particularly prevalent that the monsters exceptionally lust…”
Pavo, who usually uses vulgar expressions as if talking to his colleagues, answered all the questions, yet stops it there.
“Exceptionally?”
As he slid down his gaze, Leonier’s black eyes were sparkling.
“I mean love! Love love love!”
Pavo said, “The number of monsters increased because they are so in love of each other.” Leonia smiled at that.
“Love is wonderful.”
“Of course! Love is wonderful.”
Pavo was relieved that he had passed the emergency situation tactfully. He could not defile the ears of such a young lady with such vulgar words. If he does that, his sword will be scarred by his own blood.
“Pavo brother.”
Straightforwardly, then Leonia pulled his sleeve.
“But what’s ‘lusty’?”1
It was only for a moment that Pavo’s copper skin turned pale. (t/n: oh if only you knew the truth, ser Pavo, she is not as pure as you thought lolol)
Shortly after lunch, the family teacher arrived one by one. The first one to come was Artea, who was supposed to reside in the mansion. Two old suitcases and twelve old, thick books were everything that Artea brought, and he unpacked in his room on the fourth floor of the mansion, as Paul said the day before.
“Are you not tired?”
asked Leonia, who followed him to the room.
“A large mansion in the North usually has all the necessary facilities on the third floor, so there’s no problem.”
“Have you ever lived in the North?”
“I’m from the North.”
Leonia opened her eyes wide and was surprised. Now Artea laughed. The child’s eyes, which look like Paul but still cute, were deeper and brighter than the starry night sky.
“Lady.”
Artea extended a book to Leonier.
“My class starts now. Take this.”
Leonia, who received the book unexpectedly, looked at the cover. The title of the book was “The History of the Empire.” (t/n: finally not a depressing title.)1
Leonia secretly thought that the book was so lame it looked like a sleeping pill and pillow.
“I heard you can read and write already.”
Leonia nodded.
“First of all, read the book alone. ”
Then, he told Leonia to come to him whenever she gets stuck on something. Artea’s classes were quite unconventional and freestyled. However, it was a cruel way for only the ruling and opposition parties to gain knowledge and cultivate learning by themselves.
‘That grandpa is not normal either.’ Leonie had a smile on her face. He looked like a good old man with a good personality, but he was a very cold-hearted, workaholic gardener. He would have been able to pluck out the unspeakable buds like this.
It was also admirable in some sense that he dared to insist on the experimental education method to Duke’s young lady of Voreoti.
‘Is this because you’re all from the north?’
When she left the book in her room, Countess Karina Tedrose arrived just in time to teach etiquette class. Despite her frugal appearance unlike the previous day, Karina was still so beautiful that Leonia felt her eyes were blinded. Her wavy blonde hair and white jade-like skin were the words to picture Karina.1
When Leonia saw such a lady, she realized that the eyes of both her birth and adopted parents were not usually aiming high. He let a beautiful woman like that go after him. What kind of combination is this? A woman who teaches the illegitimate child of a man before marriage and she still likes the father of an illegitimate child. What an amazing combination. Leonia wondered if her etiquette class would go well.
“So, let’s start with the greeting method.”
Unlike one that is old fashion and strict, Karina’s class was kind and hospitable. She didn’t blame Leonia for her poor etiquette, and she showed her graciousness every step of the way.
Does she really not have any regret? Now that she is married and became the wife of Count Tedrose, her smile was as clear as if she had abandoned all of past regrets and lingering feelings. Leonia was ashamed of herself for a very short time, as she was doubting her sincerity.
“Good job.”
She cheered Leonia, who greeted her correctly in the manner that she taught her before. Leonia’s conscience ached at how pretty her blue eyes folded like a crescent. She felt sorry if she misunderstood such a good person.
“I didn’t know that you are such a fast learner.”
Karina’s sincere words made Leonia smile.
“Really great. Honestly I was worried… Ah!”
Karina, who blurred at the end, soon admitted to her mistake and apologized. Leonia still had a smile on her face, and she said that she was relieved once again.
“Your ladyship looks so much like the duke and you are so beautiful and attractive. So you have to fill a lot of inner appearances that are lacking(*). It may not be easy because of your previous habits. It will be very worth it for me to teach you.”
Leonia’s smile deepened. At the end of class, Leonia watched as Karina walked out of the mansion in a carriage.
‘It might be only a fiction world …’ Leonia, who turned around, admired her quietly. That is one way to get yourself killed here.
Leonia was overwhelmed by Karina’s subtle sarcasm as if Karina was asking for a death wish herself.
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T/n: Serious question, do you guys think I really need an editor? I can’t really afford one, and don’t have anyone to work with right now >.<, but if you think I should then I might try to find one. I tried my best to edit, but sometimes I can’t help to miss a thing or two.
(*) She meant Leonia’s inner beauty (her habit/personality) Idk which word to use here.. any suggestion?