I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter - Chapter 17

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There are two family teachers hired by Paul. But none of them were sane. One is experimenting with the young lady, whom he is supposed to teach, and the other bullies the young lady in a subtle sarcasm.1

‘You are amazing too, really.’

How did you get these humans together and put them next to your daughter? At first Leonia didn’t doubt Paul’s sincerity when he was hiring the teachers for her. On the day she saw him off, Leonia couldn’t resist the cold and her drowsiness so she coiled herself in the maid’s arms. However, even in her drowsiness and half awake state, she heard Paul’s voice stroking her head and greeting her.

‘Grandpa Artea is not a bad person though.’

Fortunately, Artea was faithful to his tutoring nature. Leonia read the book as much as he set for her, and immediately wrote her review to Artea and asked him questions if she did not understand or got stuck at some point. As this complicated question was being solved, she also showed her sincerity of reviewing and immediately followed through with it.

This made Artea’s attitude change little by little at some point. He started off as an old grandpa who answered only the questions in detail, then he began to teach the part that she has not read yet, at last he turned into a fussy grandfather who asked what she thought about this and that. At the same time, his quality of teaching the class also improved drastically. At the end of the class, they had developed a relationship as they started to have meals and snacks together, thus allowing the two to share some conversation between them.

“Sir, what about Count Tedrose?”

“Wife of Count Tedrose.”

Today, while having a snack together, Leonia asked him questions like she always does. Leonia was mumbling several times as if she was a toddler because she was eating a grounded grain jelly.

“I remember.”

Artea nodded once.

“The name I remember is not Tedrose, but I do know her.”

The name that Artea remembered was Karina Mereoga. This is the name Karina used before her marriage.

“Count Mereoga was a noble family with a reputation for having a residence in the capital city. But unlike the nobles who have resided there for generations, they are migrants who have crossed over from the central which is not well off as much as the capital in the north.”

Whether he was dissatisfied with Count Mereoga, or because of his pride from the North, there was a clear distinction in Artea’s expression when talking.

“For reference, the original aristocrats in the capital are those who have guarded the North from the very beginning along with the Voreoti family.”

As you go up through history, most of them were of course the Duke Voreoti’s family members.

“Very rarely are people born with the fangs of predators.”

Someone like Regina, Leonia nodded.

“And so about the former lady Mereoga…”

Artea remembered the days when he was in the capital, not long ago.

“She was famous among social circles.”

It wasn’t that different from what Paul said.

“She is a venomous woman.”

“It was interesting because it wasn’t what Paul said about her.”

“She is excellent at playing with people.”

“Why do people with such talent have such bad personalities? ”

“Originally talented people are worse off.”

“Of course I am an exception”, and Artea insisted on his innocence with a well maintained expression.

“Anyway, Countess Karina Tedrose is someone who plays with people in words.”

Always be careful, too. Artea told Leonia to be careful with Karina.

“That woman’s worries and compliments hide her attack for her opponent and she considered heart as insignificant in the words she uses like a snake.”

And sometimes words are more painful than sharpened swords.

“A heart hurt by words won’t heal as easy as wounds.”

It was not advice usually given for a seven-year-old child. Artea advised Leonia seriously, as he has clearly learned over the past weeks that she is smarter and more sophisticated than other children of her age.

“… have you suffered from it already?”

Leonia, who aimed at the leftover grain jelly from Artea, flinched. In the meantime, Artea put away his plate.The eyes of the teacher looking at the child was full of worry.

“Three times.”

What Leonia told him was true. During the last three weeks, only once a week during class, Karina ridiculed and ignored Leonia’s origins with her incredibly sly and very skillful wordings.

“Although her baits aren’t working.”

“Haha….”

“Madam Ted Ross is begging me to kill her …”

Leonia, who ate and deprived Artea’s grain jelly, raised the tip of her lips quietly.

“Would you like to listen?”

But her eyes never smiled.

“When I come back, you have to tell me everything.”

Artea sympathized with Karina and dragged his tongue.

At once, he was surprised and admired Leonia’s wickedness. This child is not even old enough to be called an adult yet she is very unique. He has been surprised over the last three weeks of teaching class. Indeed, even though she is a young girl, she is a northern black beast, and her cruel and heartless side resembled Paul. The young predator, who is now in front of him, is waiting with her small body down. The moment she raises the bent body and reveals the hidden fangs, The count of Ted Ross is over.

Artea mourned the future of Count Ted Ross’ family.

****

“Kiee ee ee!”

With a strange sound, the monster thumped and fell, vomiting black blood. Paul lightly struck the bloody sword into the air. Blood was scattered on the white snow field with the sound of a stroke blowing through the wind.

“Sir Keres.”

Mono who was nearby came. Paul took a short breath and looked around.

“Where’s the cub?”

“You can’t see any traces that followed.”

“It’s strange even if you consider the condition of the monsters that have been roaming around the snowy mountains for three years without me helping the subjugation campaigns and were active during the breeding season this year.”

Paul went to the side of the monster that he had just killed. Then, he knocked down on the dead body with his feet and pushed it to the side.

Paul’s black eyes, looking at the abdomen of the revealed monster, moved loosely. It was still swollen, showing how it was killed shortly after giving birth.

“… in the first place, Vipera was not even a hunting target.”

Vipera, whom Paul had just hunted, is a kind of monster who dwells in the cave during winter with her cubs until the following spring since they were born in winter. Even though it is a large and menacing carnivorous creature, its main source is small animals like rats. It does not harm anyone unless you attack first. But this vipera was by itself without a cub. Even if Paul looked around while developing the five senses of the fangs of the beast, he could not feel anything other than the traces of the mother vipera, who just died.

“The monsters were more violent than what my memory served, and the monster cub is not around to be found …”

Paul tilted his head at an angle. Despite the static movement, mono and other knights around him had to bow their heads as if strangling their necks. The breathtaking silence covered the snowy mountains carved out of rock.

“First of all, let’s head down.”

It was the first time they had finished hunting in three weeks and three days. After the orders were given, the knights took their breath. It was finally the end of this long and tedious monster hunting.

In particular, the veteran knights and their apprentices that came along for the first time this time were relieved as they were standing back.

“Ser Levi Fess.”

Meles approached Paul’s call.

“You called.”

“Do you know where they sell delicious children snacks?”

Meles’s eyes, who thought that he would give the necessary instructions when descending from the mountain, shook. She soon realized his meaning and quickly changed her expression.

“I don’t know if it will suit your taste, but I know a bakery where my younger brother always says he wanted to eat.”

Meles recommended the ‘soft, fluffy, cloud choux cream’ that is sold there. It was said to be very popular among the ladies.

****

“Do you feel uncomfortable sleeping?”

“Huh. No.”

“If you need anything, please shake the bell.”

“Okay. Connie, good night.”

“Good night, too.”

Maid Connie, who watched Leonia’s bed, shut the lights out and closed the door. Leonia, who was lightly sleepy and buried in a soft blanket, looked around the dark room. A large, beautiful canopy bed and a soft carpet underneath. Luxurious dolls and toys in the corner across, a bookshelf made to fit the height of the child and numerous books. A large, spacious desk with two layers of soft cushions. When you take out your arms under the blanket, pajamas made of fine silk flutter. When you turn your head to the side, a glass bottle filled with strawberry milk candies is placed. Leonia got up and held a glass bottle in his arms. The empty glass bottle is now quite heavy, so she had to hold it with both hands. Candy spilled over the blanket, and the sweet scent spread out.

“One, two, three….” Her little finger picked up one candy and put it back into the bottle. “Sixty nine, seventy.”

She is counting the number of candy that is much higher than the number of days she has stayed at the mansion. The candy was first only given out whenever she did something cute, but she had not done anything cute for a certain period now, yet there were more times Paul gave her candies without a reason. It has been two months since she came to the Voreoti territory with Paul. And a month after Paul left the mansion.

“Old man is coming home late ….” There was a powerless mumbling sound of the child.

Leonia didn’t even know if she was sleepy or because of her legal guardian whom she hadn’t seen in a month. However, the seventy-first candy in her hand was bottled back long after.

All dreams are alike. Leonia still couldn’t figure out what was real. One day I woke up and became a skinny orphan, and while struggling in abusive cruelty, I fortunately met the main character in the novel and became his stepdaughter, becoming a noble lady living in such precious treatment. How desperate a young body once got used to.

“I want him to come home soon …”

After coming to the mansion, something that she had never felt before started to exist and secretly showed its presence in her mind. It was sadness and sorrow. Leonia shook her head and went into the blanket while holding the glass jar in her arms. Her eyelids could not overcome her drowsiness and closed down slowly.1

… Come to think of it! tomorrow is the day for the etiquette class.3

Leonia suddenly woke up from the drowsiness that had been pushed away.

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