I Became the Male Lead's Adopted Daughter-Chapter 260

The next dawn.

“We’ve found Remus Olor.”

Empress Tigria, who had urgently summoned Ferio, conveyed the report that had just arrived.

Despite the early summons, Ferio appeared impeccably dressed, showing no signs of agitation.

On the contrary, he seemed like he had expected to be called and was prepared in advance.

“Did you know this would happen?”

The Empress eyed him suspiciously.

“I’m no god. How could I possibly know such a thing?”

“That blasted god.”

With a grimace, the Empress waved one hand dismissively through the air, a gesture meaning she didn’t even want to hear the word.

“I don’t want to hear about it.”

She had suffered enough, thanks to some myth made up by old storytellers. For the time being, she wanted to avoid the topic altogether.

Ferio fully understood. He felt the same.

“Just label it a Gate accident.”

“That was my plan as well.”

“Officially, Remus Olor is already reported to have died in the Northern Mountains...”

“No one wants him.”

The Empress said he could be dumped anywhere—she had no intention of wasting her energy fighting House Voreoti over that piece of garbage. She had enough on her plate as it was.

“What of the Princess?”

Ferio asked about the incident at the Gate yesterday. Because of Leonia’s big mouth, the knights present had learned the true identity of Princess Scandia.

“Should we call it luck?”

The Empress chuckled faintly.

“Thankfully, only the Gladiago and Revoo Knights were there.”

“Still, rumors travel fast.”

“Oh my, are you saying the Gladiago Knights gossip?”

“You mispronounced Revoo.”

“Ah, right. More accurately, it’s the duke’s daughter, isn’t it?”

“Why bring up my daughter?”

At the mere mention of Leonia, Ferio’s face twisted darkly.

“Isn’t it thanks to your daughter that the secret came out?”

“There’s no such thing as a perfect secret.”

Ferio said it was better for a secret to be revealed sooner if it would inevitably come out.

“Look at Olor.”

“That’s not the same thing at all.”

The Empress clearly disliked the comparison between that and her son’s secret.

“I didn’t realize you could switch stances so quickly, Duke.”

“I am humbled by Your Majesty’s generous compliment.”

Ferio leaned back in his seat, feigning gratitude with an utterly bored expression.

“Well... if you say so.”

If he thought that was praise, she’d let him believe it.

With that not-quite-a-compliment concluded, the discussion on Remus ended.

The Empress then moved to the second matter.

“Aust arrived at dawn.”

“Such a noble visit.”

Ferio sneered.

“He wishes to meet with you. What say you?”

The Empress said she’d arrange a meeting immediately if Ferio agreed.

But without hesitation, Ferio declined.

The Empress had expected that answer—she hadn’t invited Aust to the palace for that very reason.

“Shall I handle him, then?”

“I’d be grateful for Your Majesty’s kindness.”

“I’d benefit from it myself.”

With that, the imperial family could now exert more influence over the South. Empress Tigria hoped to present Prince Chrisetos with a more stable political landscape.

“...His Highness the Prince will do well even without Your Majesty’s efforts.”

Ferio held a high opinion of Prince Chrisetos.

He had no particularly outstanding traits, but he understood his own limitations and had the ability to listen to others.

His calm yet firm demeanor during the last noble council, when he crushed the former Viscount Olor, had proven his capability to stand at the top of a nation.

Kind yet fearsome when needed—that balance was crucial.

“I’m glad you see him that way.”

The Empress smiled with pride.

“What about our dear Skan?”

“Her Highness the Princess...”

Ferio’s facial muscles twitched as he recalled the silver-haired knight.

“...She has grown well.”

He answered as flatly as possible. These days, Princess Scandia was a growing threat to his mental well-being.

In some ways, worse than Olor.

“You’re like a godfather to Skan, aren’t you?”

“That’s too grand a title...”

“Oh my, am I being presumptuous?”

“Not at all.”

Ferio was just full of regret.

If he could go back in time like Varia, he wouldn’t have told the Empress or Lord Ibecks about that hidden area in the exhibit hall.

This is a headache.

He had intended to make Emperor Subiteo suffer—and now he was the one left with sticky trouble on his hands.

“When will you return to the North?”

The Empress asked, unaware of Ferio’s inner turmoil.

“I plan to go back to the capital estate this morning and decide from there, but I’ll return as soon as possible.”

“You’d best hurry for your wife’s sake.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“What do you think of using the Imperial Gate?”

At the Empress’s suggestion, Ferio’s eyelids moved slowly. His black eyes, calm and emotionless, settled on the Empress.

“Does that mean Your Majesty intends to reopen the Northern Gate?”

“Not immediately.”

But she added that it was her intention.

“Innocent and kind Northern citizens have suffered long enough. They deserve a safe and comfortable path.”

“In other words, the Western region is reluctant to spend money and effort on clearing out bandits?”

“You’re dismissing my sincerity.”

The Empress feigned disappointment without an ounce of genuine regret on her face.

“Fortunately, the Northern Gate is the most remote in the palace. It’ll take time, but it’s not impossible.”

Resting her chin in her hands, the Empress smiled. She added that it would be nice to find a mutually beneficial outcome.

“Will the West gain anything?”

If the Northern Gate reopened, Western territories would suffer economic losses.

Fewer Northerners would pass through the West on their way to the capital, reducing income from traffic and trade.

“Do you think I didn’t account for that?”

Empress Tigria smiled again.

“Compensation from the noble families we’re about to seize will go to the West.”

“And you intend to use that money for something.”

“For example, turning the route Northerners used to travel through into a tourist zone.”

“Is that even possible?”

“If not, the Northern Gate won’t open.”

The Empress never said she would open the Gate—only that she was willing to.

Ferio found himself briefly wishing this woman had been emperor.

At least then, it would be worth fighting.

After finishing his conversation with the Empress, Ferio returned to where his family waited.

From the hallway, he could already hear cheerful laughter. A faint smile tugged at his lips, and his steps noticeably quickened.

Passing court maids froze in place, their faces flushing red.

From behind the door came the excited voices of his daughter and wife.

Curious about what they were talking about, Ferio quietly slipped inside without a sound.

Leonia and Varia were sitting across from each other at a paper-covered table, happily chatting.

“...When morning sickness gets bad, just look at this.”

“Oh my goodness...!”

Leonia slid over a drawing as if smuggling it. Varia took it, face reddening, and let out a delighted squeal.

“Life at the orphanage was hard mostly because I had nothing beautiful to look at.”

Then, proudly referencing her own growth, Leonia pointed to her tall, muscular frame—far beyond that of her peers.

“A beautiful body nourishes the soul.”

“Exactly, Mother!”

Leonia clenched her fist.

“Buttocks are pure beauty!”

Only then did Ferio see what was drawn on the paper.

It was a sketch of his backside as he swung a sword—his hips strangely, almost grotesquely, emphasized.

“Dad’s glutes are truly a work of art. We should preserve them as a sculpture and pass them down!”

“No, absolutely not! He’s mine now!”

Varia shook her head fervently.

“So unfair...”

Leonia pouted. Hogging a public treasure?

“Well, it’s fine!”

She let it go generously. After all, her father’s glutes were like a painting she could never touch.

No sculpture could ever do them justice.

“True muscles are the wings beside the pecs! The lats!”

“You ungrateful child.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Ferio pressed his fingers into Leonia’s cheeks.

“Mmrph!”

Leonia puffed up like a fish, her eyes slightly teary.

“Y-you’re back?”

Varia, subtly hiding the drawing in her skirt pocket, had the same misty look.

Ferio realized that while he was gone, the two had likely cried their hearts out.

They had hugged, shared their secrets, and wept together.

So many tears...

With that quiet thought, Ferio extended his hand toward Varia. Like a guilty child, she handed him the drawing.

“...Do I really look this wide?”

He stared at the exaggerated curve of his hips.

“I may have... emphasized it a little.”

Leonia grinned brightly. Instead of praise, Ferio pinched her nose. The resulting nasal squeal was oddly funny.

“B-but, it’s really soothing to look at...”

Varia gently pulled the drawing back toward herself.

“Our little Muscle seems to love Papa!”

“Don’t tell me...”

Ferio was so stunned, he couldn’t even speak. Just imagining their second child being called Muscle as Varia’s belly grew made his head spin.

But Varia seemed pleased.

“Doesn’t it feel like they’ll be a really healthy baby?”

“So healthy they might flip my lungs.”

He could already picture their second child copying everything from their older sister.

...Sister?

Ferio froze mid-reach over another muscle drawing. The image of a second daughter had come so naturally to mind.

Whether it was a boy or girl didn’t matter. As long as the child was born healthy, he had no other wishes.

But still, the vision of a second daughter was vivid.

“What’s wrong, Dad?”

A little finger tapped the back of his hand resting over the drawing.

“...It’s nothing.”

Ferio ruffled his overly sentimental firstborn’s hair.

His large hand shook her head back and forth with each pass.

“Dad!”

Leonia escaped with tousled hair, then asked:

“Are we going now?”

“Yes.”

Her face lit up at the reply. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“Let’s go home.”

***

When the Voreoti family arrived at their capital estate, the anxious staff erupted into relieved celebration.

Even the usually stoic Lupe had tearful eyes as he welcomed his master back.

After changing into lighter clothes, Ferio headed to the rear garden.

There, the Gladiago knights waited with tense faces.

They wore the same relaxed training gear as Ferio—but there was nothing relaxed about their expressions.

Without a word, Ferio pointed to the ground.

The knights immediately dropped down.

The long-awaited disciplinary session for the Gladiago Order had begun.