I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter-Chapter 223

I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter-Chapter 223

“Does that really bother you the most?”
Not everything else?
Ferio was left speechless at his shameless daughter’s antics and ultimately closed his mouth.
It wasn’t the first or second time Leonia had been a weirdo, and most things, he could swallow with overflowing paternal love or accept as the burden of having brought her into his life—but today, that was a challenge.
“Hurry up and say ‘my kid’ or ‘our kid’!”
Leonia smacked her own forearm and protested loudly, but Ferio stubbornly pretended not to hear.
“Otherwise, I’m going to introduce Mom to another guy’s muscles!”
“And who could possibly be more impressive than me?”
Ferio scoffed through his nose.
“Manus oppa has more muscles than you, you know?”
“But he doesn’t have the face.”
“...Why isn’t that oppa better-looking than my dad?!”
Leonia slapped her thigh in frustration—but, of course, Ferio had already extended his hand and caught the blow before it landed.
Princess Scandia silently watched the beastly father and daughter.
“The side effect antidote.”
She eventually spoke up quietly.
“I’ll repay it without fail.”
She added, gently, that they shouldn’t fight anymore.
Ferio and Leonia, who had been bickering moments before, blinked and stared at the princess in disbelief.
Marquis of Hesperi, standing beside them, wore a similarly stunned expression as he looked at his granddaughter.
“...Your Highness the Princess,”
Leonia tilted her head.
“You’re unexpectedly a bit... slow, huh?”
“That’s not true.”
The princess shook her head in firm denial.
“It’s not really something I should say myself, but I’m quite cautious and quick-witted. If I were slow, my disguise would've been exposed long ago.”
“True enough.”
Not being found out really was a miracle.
Leonia was so dumbfounded she felt emptied out. Now that she thought about it, the fact that the princess’s identity hadn’t been exposed was sheer luck.
‘The empress knew, though.’
One of the things Leonia had learned from her conversation with Salus was that Consort Usia had known about Princess Scandia’s identity all along.
Had she spoken up, the whole secret would’ve been blown—no doubt about it.
And then the empress, and the entire western faction, would’ve taken a massive hit.
The entire plan would have unraveled.
‘Ugh, it’s pissing me off...’
Before she realized it, her thoughts had drifted toward Consort Usia—and the South.
Leonia crossed her arms and furrowed her brows. Her lips jutted out ever so slightly in a pout, full of displeasure.
‘I feel like I won’t be satisfied until I teach the South a proper lesson.’
How dare they try to use the North.
And act like they didn’t know a thing.
The pride of the next duchess, who truly loved the North, could never forgive the arrogant South.
“......”
Ferio quietly watched his daughter.
But his lips subtly curled as if he could already guess her thoughts. His gaze was unmistakably proud.
‘What a rare sight this is.’
Marquis of Hesperi found Ferio utterly fascinating. Ferio, who rarely trusted anyone, clearly placed full faith in and affection toward his daughter—it was evident in everything about him.
And with that, the marquis felt the sting of regret—knowing he had failed to do the same for his own daughter in the past.
“Anyway.”
Having wrapped up her thoughts, Leonia turned to Princess Scandia.
“How do you want to die?”
The little beast decided to take care of the most important matter first.
***
[IS THIS REALLY OKAY]
The newspaper headline splashed across the front page lacked a subject.
But everyone knew who the missing subject was.
It was none other than the Imperial Family of the Bellius Empire, currently bombarded by one disaster after another.
“How can they be so unlucky...”
Someone clicking their tongue while flipping through the pages muttered that it was as if all the bad luck in the world had been concentrated there. Others around them nodded.
“At this point, they must be cursed.”
“Cursed?”
“Of course, by the North!”
Someone glanced around and lowered their voice conspiratorially.
“Everyone knows the Imperial Family tried to mess with the North to get it under their thumb.”
“Well, yeah...”
“I heard the North snapped.”
“I would too.”
After the Rite of Honor, the North had requested that the Imperial Family investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding Remus Olor’s infiltration.
But the palace had remained silent, doing nothing.
So the North gave up on requesting—and launched its own investigation.
And almost as if they'd been waiting for this, they moved swiftly and revealed everything they’d uncovered.
Remus, when he was a knight under the Imperial Order, had infiltrated the North. The reason? Because of a superstition handed down in the North.
A superstition even Northerners considered folklore—that had driven him to raid Professor Ardea Bosgruni’s lab and attempt to steal his research data.
As a result, the original investigation had been woefully inadequate, and eventually, someone had tried to kill the professor.
There was even speculation that this had gone on for a long time.
“...So what the hell was that superstition?”
Someone who hadn’t yet read the full article asked.
“It’s about the Black Beast.”
“The Black Beast?”
“They mean the Fangs of the Beast.”
The superstition that obsessed the palace was a “creation myth” known only in the North.
According to it, the northern mountain range bordering the Voreoti Territory was dangerous and treacherous because of the “god” said to dwell beyond it.
“You know how only the North has monsters in the mountains? They say those are trials sent by the god.”
“Trials? What kind?”
“Something about testing qualifications or whatever...”
According to Northern myth, the gods created humans in their image.
Reindeer, wolves, white bears, yaks—
And beasts.
Among them, the beast was the most beloved of the gods, who gave them their own color—black—and granted them special powers.
This was the supernatural power called the Fangs of the Beast.
The blackened beasts were charged with protecting the god’s domain. And every time the brutal blizzards cleared, they would climb the Northern Mountains.
There, judgment came in the form of monstrous creatures sent by the gods to test their strength. When the Black Beasts defeated them, they passed the trials.
Finally, they would ascend to the peak and meet the gods themselves.
In the endless black plains.
Where gods lived.
Beings who looked like beasts—parents of all beasts.
“......”
“......”
Those who had heard this myth fell silent.
“Then the Imperial Family...”
They were all dumbfounded, barely able to let out a bitter laugh.
“You mean they clung to this ridiculous myth and did all that?”
Stunned that the palace had lost all reason over some absurd, superstitious fantasy, the public was speechless.
Their trust shattered—not with anger, but with helpless exhaustion.
“This is outrageous!”
Finally, someone shouted.
“Right now, their own daughter—Her Highness the Princess—has been kidnapped by bandits and no one even knows if she’s alive! And yet they wasted tax money on this madness?!”
People quickly rallied to that rage.
Princess Scandia, who had headed south for a marriage meeting, was still missing.
Not a single trace had been found after she was abducted by bandits.
All that was left was the dress she’d worn.
Naturally, speculation about her whereabouts ran wild.
And every theory people shared was horrific and scandalous.
“They still haven’t sent a search party?”
“Are they insane? That’s their daughter, no matter how cold they are.”
“Isn’t this Olor’s doing again?”
Among the information Voreoti uncovered, there were signs of cooperation between the Imperial Family and House Olor.
Evidence had been compiled by the Duchess of Voreoti back when she worked in the Treasury.
Though some of it had already surfaced during the highway project scandal, this time, the focus was on the suspicious collaboration between the palace and House Olor.
The current emperor had funneled massive sums to House Olor under the guise of national development.
But that money had all been used to spy on # Nоvеlight # the North and extract intelligence.
And that wasn’t all—there were embezzlement schemes, tax evasion, slush funds.
Even a monster trafficking attempt from six years ago, previously buried, had come to light.
In short, the current emperor was a cesspool of corruption.
“They should’ve spent that money getting rid of bandits, not building roads!”
“I heard Marquis of Hesperi raised this in the noble council?”
“But the imperial faction blocked it.”
“Besides, the provinces were already fixing their own roads!”
“And that guy’s supposed to be emperor?!”
He should step down immediately!
Public fury now turned fully toward the emperor. They called for his abdication—and for a new ruler to take his place.
“Obviously, it should be the Second Prince, Her Majesty the Empress’s son!”
“Olor’s bloodline must never take the throne!”
“That vulgar woman sold her daughter to get her title!”
“The empress and the First Prince should be deposed too!”
“Crown the Second Prince as the heir!”
Calls for the Second Prince’s coronation grew louder by the day. And with it, demands for the emperor’s removal intensified.
But the emperor remained unmoved.
He didn’t abandon Olor—and he didn’t send a search party for his daughter.
***
Remus Olor entered the palace.
At first, no one even realized he had arrived.
Instead of the grand, flashy carriage he’d once boasted of, he rode in a shabby freight wagon, dressed in plain clothes without a trace of luxury.
“Wait, that red hair...”
“...Hey, isn’t that him?”
Palace servants passing by flinched in horror when they recognized him.
“That’s Remus, right? Remus Olor!”
“No way... That’s him?”
The once-youthful face that had defied age now looked utterly aged and haggard.
His skin was dry and dull, new wrinkles creased his face, and dark circles shadowed his bloodshot eyes.
He even smelled bad—as though he hadn’t bathed in days—though he’d tried to mask it with a heavy dose of perfume, only making it worse.
Without delay, Remus headed straight for the emperor.
“Your Majesty.”
A chamberlain called for Emperor Subiteo.
But no response came.
“...Your Majesty.”
He called again, more cautiously this time. Then—crash!—a sound came from inside.
The chamberlain barely suppressed the shudder in his shoulders and sighed quietly.
The emperor’s moods had been unstable lately. It wasn’t unusual for him to lash out and ignore visitors.
“Perhaps it’s best if you return another time...”
The chamberlain suggested politely.
But Remus didn’t move.
He just stared at the door with bloodshot eyes.

Chapter 223