I Became the Male Lead's Adopted Daughter-Chapter 199

"Why do they have to leave today of all days? They could’ve just stayed until tomorrow and left the day after.”

Leonia grumbled, unable to hide her disappointment.

“We’ve already stayed way longer than expected, believe it or not.”

Prince Chrisetos looked somewhat apologetic.

“I’m sorry we won’t be here to properly celebrate your birthday.”

“I wasn’t expecting anything anyway.”

“Leonia.”

Varia, who was seeing them off with her, gently chided her. Leonia’s lips pouted again.

“Please travel safely.”

Varia offered the two a sincere farewell.

“I’ll remember the kindness and hospitality you’ve shown me, Madam Voreoti.”

The prince respectfully took Varia’s hand and bowed.

He didn’t kiss it, though—because of the intense pressure bearing down on him from Ferio and Leonia glaring daggers behind her.

“Take care as well, Sir.”

Varia, still unaware of the princess’s true identity, addressed her as if she were the prince’s escort knight.

“Thank you for everything.”

Princess Scandia bowed her head.

“Be careful!”

Leonia waved cheerfully.

The two royals climbed into the carriage that had been prepared for them.

It was one Ferio had lent them, meant to take them near the gate leading west, close to the Voreoti estate.

“Aren’t you getting in?”

Prince Chrisetos, already seated, looked at his sister who remained standing outside.

“...Brother, just a moment.”

After a pause of thought, Princess Scandia turned and headed back toward the mansion.

Seeing the one who was supposed to be boarding return, the Voreoti family exchanged puzzled glances.

“Young Lady Voreoti.”

Standing before Leonia, Princess Scandia reached toward her own neck.

“I figured I should keep my promise.”

“Promise?”

“A birthday present.”

She then took Leonia’s hand.

“......!”

Ferio’s eyes widened more than ever. Varia covered her mouth with both hands and let out a soft gasp of awe.

Then, something was placed into Leonia’s hand.

“This pendant was given to me by my mother.”

Leonia’s eyes bulged.

“Th-this is from the Empr—!”

She almost shouted empress, but caught herself and quickly covered her mouth.

Varia still didn’t know who she really was. This was still a secret.

“I promised I’d give it to you before I left, remember?”

Princess Scandia shrugged nonchalantly.

“It wasn’t something she bought directly—she just picked it out when I was little, thinking it would suit me.”

When she had still been able to dress as a girl, Empress Tigria had chosen accessories for her son. This pendant was one of them.

“I’ve just kept it out of habit since then, so don’t feel burdened.”

“It is burdensome!”

“It’s not worth the price of a whole estate.”

“It’s still too much!”

Leonia fidgeted, clutching the pendant awkwardly.

‘Even if it’s not that expensive...’

If the Empress had personally chosen it, that meant it was a rare item crafted for the Imperial Family.

Unable to give it back now, she placed it carefully into her pocket, then began to undo the wristwatch she was wearing.

“...Then take this.”

She fastened her watch onto the princess’s wrist.

“Leonia, you—!”

“Ferio!”

Ferio tried to stop her, furious, but Varia quickly grabbed his arm and held him back.

Thanks to that, Leonia managed to finish adjusting the watch.

“It’s a rare item that hasn’t been released on the market yet.”

“Who gives something back for a birthday gift?”

Princess Scandia muttered in disbelief.

Yet her gaze was fixed on the sleek black watch, its delicate white hands ticking inside the case.

“It’s not payback. I’m giving it to you as a birthday gift too.”

“For my birthday?”

“I heard yours is in winter?”

Mine’s in late autumn, yours is in the heart of winter.

Leonia pointed to herself and then to the princess.

“Unless you don’t want it, then give it back.”

But the princess said nothing, so Leonia stretched out her hand.

“You can’t just take something back.”

Watching the watch on her wrist with clear satisfaction, the princess smiled softly.

Then, as if afraid Leonia might actually snatch it back, she subtly tucked her wrist behind her.

“I’ll treasure it.”

“You better, or else.”

Leonia mimed twisting someone’s wrist to make her point.

“Go ahead, twist it.”

Princess Scandia laughed and took Leonia’s hand.

“I’ll see you again sometime.”

“And you—Sir, please take ca—”

Just as Leonia began to bid farewell again—

Smooch.

Princess Scandia kissed the back of Leonia’s hand.

“That crazy—!”

“Ferio! You can’t kill anyone!”

Ferio finally lost it, letting out a curse, and Varia had to grab him again to stop him from charging forward.

“Then I’d better get going before the Duke actually does kill me.”

With infuriating swiftness, Princess Scandia jumped into the carriage, which took off from the estate as if fleeing from a deadly beast.

“......”

Leonia stood there, dazed, watching the carriage disappear.

“Leonia!”

Ferio called out sharply.

“Go wash your hands immediately. And throw that junk away!”

“It’s a birthday present!”

Varia pulled Leonia protectively behind her and objected. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

“That’s no gift! It’s a perverted brat making moves on our daughter!”

“Show some grace. And watch your words.”

Varia drooped her lips and eyes in a pout, warning that mean words would just make her sad.

“...Didn’t you see how that punk tried to flirt with our Leo?”

Ferio backed off a little in the face of his wife’s mighty rebuke.

But his opinion hadn’t changed.

“I don’t care if he’s some fancy bone from a royal branch—I’ll never approve.”

“You’re overreacting.”

“After what he just did?”

“Do you know our Leo?”

Varia spoke firmly, her tone full of pride.

“She might play with someone, but she’ll never be played.”

“Right, Leo?”

She wrapped an arm around Leonia’s shoulder and asked warmly.

Only then did Leonia turn to face her parents.

“That little brat...”

She looked at the hand that had been kissed and muttered,

“...Should I devour him when I’m older?”

“You hear that?!”

Varia raised her chin proudly.

“Our daughter is destined to rule over all men in this world.”

“She’s not wrong, and that’s how it should be...”

Still, Ferio felt uneasy.

“Oh, Dad, give me a break.”

Leonia, who’d been quietly listening, finally spoke.

“You didn’t even offer Mom a handkerchief the first time she cried at the mansion...”

“T-that was...”

Ferio looked visibly flustered.

“That knight was way better in comparison! Right, Mom?”

“Now that you mention it, yes. I still feel a little hurt.”

Varia chimed in.

Ferio felt a chill run down his spine.

“Varia, that’s not what I meant...”

“Leo, will you tell me more about that knight later?”

“Yup! Just for you, Mom!”

The mother and daughter linked pinkies and sealed the promise.

“Varia, at the time I—”

“It’s fine. No need to make excuses now.”

“It’s not an excuse. I’m just... naturally shy. I have a delicate heart.”

“...You don’t actually expect us to believe that, right?”

Leonia watched her parents’ first real argument unfold with great interest.

‘Dad’s losing!’

Watching Ferio get trampled in the argument was incredibly helpful for the child.

Thanks to that, Leonia escaped from Ferio’s nagging and darted straight for her room.

Even as she reached the door, Ferio’s voice still rang in her ears:

Leonia is still twelve!

She’s too young for romance!

‘Well... he’s not wrong.’

Once inside her room, Leonia locked the door just in case.

She went to her nightstand by the bed.

There sat her collection of treasures—her glass jar of strawberry milk-flavored candy, a black lion plushie, the cap Ferio used to wear when he was young.

Tomorrow, another lion plush from Varia would be added to the collection for her birthday.

She took the pendant and placed it in an old watch box rolling around the room, setting it carefully among her other treasures.

“Pretty.”

A soft smile bloomed on her face as she looked at it.

The warm, fluttery feeling in her chest wasn’t bad at all.

‘When’s next time, I wonder?’

Sitting on her bed and admiring her collection, Leonia began folding her fingers.

“Next, then next...”

Tomorrow was her birthday.

The day after was Rupi’s—Lupe and Inseréa’s son—first birthday.

After the back-to-back birthdays, winter would officially settle over the North.

Then the heavy snow would arrive, and with it, the monster hunts in the Northern Mountains.

After the monster hunts, there would be endless state affairs piled up due to the delays.

And once that was done, they’d have to return to the capital.

Because of the next hunt.

Thinking about it, her schedule was packed with tight, frustrating tasks. It might be a long time before she could see Princess Scandia again.

That made her feel a little sad.

Still...

Resting her chin on her hand, Leonia smiled faintly.

“...I can finally see the end.”

***

“Welcome in!”

With a hearty greeting, two customers stepped into the restaurant.

One had a messy beard, the other a shiny scalp as if shaved clean with a razor. Both were sunburnt ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) dark from the sea.

“Been a while since we were in the Empire.”

“Plenty of other sailors too.”

“It’s spring—lots of ships setting sail again!”

The restaurant was near a massive trading port, so most of the patrons were muscular, labor-worn seafarers.

The two men took a seat and ordered a feast. Soon, mountains of food arrived.

“Hey, did you hear?”

In the middle of eating, the bearded one spoke first.

“Urbespe Guild hit it big again.”

“You mean that ruckus at the port?”

The bald man snorted.

“Those guys getting off the ship were grinning so smugly I wanted to punch ‘em.”

“No wonder. The stuff they exported went nuts overseas.”

“Obviously—it was that new wristwatch from the Voreoti Young Lady.”

The bald man chugged his ale and let out a massive burp.

The bearded man across from him cringed, face contorting.

“...Rinne Guild must be fuming.”

He barely swallowed down the nausea as he continued.

“Urbespe’s been raking in profits lately.”

“I thought Rinne signed a deal with Voreoti for the watches too.”

“But the export rights went to Urbespe first. Rinne gets in later.”

“That’s still a huge profit though...”

“Either way, Voreoti’s the big winner.”

No matter how much money Urbespe and Rinne made, the ultimate victor was House Voreoti.

“But hey...”

The bald man looked around, then dropped his voice.

“Word is, the Imperial Family’s not doing so hot these days.”

“What? Why?”

The bearded man looked surprised.

“They were fine before we sailed out. Weren’t they starting that big Empire-wide road project?”

The bald man snorted again.

“That’s the problem.”

That entire project?

“It totally flopped.”

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