I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter-Chapter 239

I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter-Chapter 239

“Marquis Ortio’s daughter. Step aside.”
Ferio, in a voice forced into calmness, addressed Unicia. They had no time to waste.
But Unicia remained firm.
“I know how selfish I must sound. But the Voreoti Duke must be present for this hunt!”
The upcoming hunt involved many nobles with designated roles.
Ferio, above all, was the central figure in the actual operation.
He was meant to crush the Olor family completely and pass the decree naming Prince Chrisetos as the crown prince. It was a pivotal moment where Voreoti was to lead the charge, reinforcing the nobility faction’s power.
Ferio’s absence was simply unthinkable.
“That’s not what matters right now—!”
Unable to hold back any longer, Ferio raised his voice, and Unicia froze in fear.
Ferio immediately regretted it. Yelling at a child—no matter how furious he was—was unacceptable.
But his emotions were unstable. His head was spinning, and anxiety gnawed at him.
The Fangs of the Beast that had long lain dormant were now restless, endlessly searching for their missing partner and child.
“My mother said...”
Unicia spoke, her voice trembling with tears.
“She said... the Duke is a ‘symbol.’ I’m still inexperienced, but I know that without you...”
“...Hah.”
At that moment—
“How goddamn annoying.”
Leonia let out a laugh drained of all energy, her voice laced with bitter mockery.
'Still dancing on strings till the very end.'
A voice echoed in her mind—and it moved her body.
“Marquis Ortio’s daughter.”
“Y-Yes!”
“What’s needed for the council... is the ‘Duke,’ right?”
Leonia grabbed Ferio by the collar and tried to pull him toward her.
But Ferio’s solid and heavy frame only pulled her in instead.
“Ugh...”
Completely # Nоvеlight # humiliated, Leonia calmly straightened her expression like nothing happened.
“Then I just need to do this.”
She grabbed the insignia on Ferio’s coat—something he wore whenever he carried out duties as Duke of Voreoti.
'That damned prophecy.'
Leonia sneered as she tore it off.
‘Steal your father’s title.’
At last, Duke Aust’s prophecy had come true.
Leonia pinned the insignia onto her own coat and stepped back.
“Now this is treason.”
“Leo, you...!”
“From now on, I am the Duke!”
A pathetic man who didn’t know the difference between public and private matters had no business leading Voreoti. Shouting that absurdity, Leonia grabbed Ferio’s hand and dragged him toward the Gate.
“To end this treason properly, you must be banished to the freezing North.”
Just before pushing Ferio into the Gate, she whispered softly,
“Dad, go.”
I’ll follow soon.
With those words, she turned away.
Ferio blankly stared at the hand slipping out of his.
The bony hand of an orphan who had been underfed.
The plump and soft hand of a child who had grown beautiful and bright.
The calloused hand of a successor who had endured relentless training and hardship.
And now—
“Marquis Ortio’s daughter.”
“...Y-Yes!”
“Let’s go.”
—A hand that led all others, the hand of a beast.
Ferio let out a short chuckle. The feeling that welled up in his chest was a mixture of pride, admiration—and a tiny sliver of sorrow.
The daughter he still thought of as a child was already standing atop the peak, embracing everyone beneath her.
'It’s alright now. I can trust you.'
'You are the strongest beast of them all.'
How annoying that Duke Aust’s prophecy was proving so accurate.
'Then my task is clear.'
Ferio turned toward the Gate.
'I need to fit Varia with the right shackle.'
And he began preparing all the nagging he would unleash on his wife.
***
Just as Empress Tigria stepped out of her office, she paused.
“Look over there.”
The maids following her turned to look out the window.
“Isn’t the sky just so blue?”
The Empress’s languid voice made the maids smile.
The stifling heat had finally eased—perfect weather for a walk.
“Prepare for an outing, will you?”
She ordered to be called once everything was ready, and the maids bowed and stepped away.
All except one—a middle-aged maid who had served the Empress for many years.
“Your Majesty.”
“The Emperor is dead.”
One of the Empress’s eyelids twitched faintly at the unexpected news.
“His body was just found in the plaza. Confirmed as the Emperor.”
“Who stole the glory from me?”
The Empress spoke with genuine regret.
She had imagined severing his throat countless times, had steeled herself for it—and now the chance had been stolen from her.
“Remus Olor.”
“Figures. Even worse trash, that one.”
Though she sneered knowingly, the Empress’s voice still carried deep disappointment.
“And...”
The maid whispered something in her ear.
“Oh my.”
The Empress’s face darkened—but only for an instant.
She soon arrived at a door. When the maid opened it, the sweet scent of tea rushed in.
“Sorry I’m late.”
The Empress entered and took a seat.
“Not at all. I just got here myself.”
Seated across from her, Consort Usia widened her eyes.
“Though I must apologize—I already had a cup.”
“How could you not? You didn’t know when I’d arrive.”
“I also prepared your tea ahead of time.”
“Oh, how thoughtful.”
Empress Tigria glanced down at the teacup set before her.
The sweet aroma from earlier came from this very tea.
The eyes of the consort reflected in the tea turned narrow.
“Consort.”
The Empress overturned her cup.
“You’ve gone too far.”
The teacup flipped neatly onto its saucer, and the spilled tea soaked it and overflowed onto the table.
“Did the fragrance not please you?”
Consort Usia lightly touched her lower lip with her thumb and forefinger. Her troubled, apologetic expression didn’t seem genuine at all.
“Well, whatever.”
The Empress leaned back comfortably in her chair.
“How about giving up now?”
“Give up on what?”
“I quite liked you, you know.”
She stared at the tea dripping to the floor, then locked her eyes on the consort.
The liquid now seeped into the rug below.
“I like you too, Your Majesty.”
Consort Usia gave a faint, bitter smile.
“So you give up instead.”
“Do you hate the Empire that much?”
“Your Majesty.”
Consort Usia lowered her gaze, as if avoiding the Empress’s eyes.
“I’m an Olor bastard. My mother was murdered by that man.”
“Oh dear, how come?”
“For a necklace.”
There were many Olor bastards, but only one girl with a swan necklace was acknowledged as legitimate.
And for that, her mother was killed.
“That man despised me.”
He longed for the respect of all, yet trembled at the consequences of his own actions.
That’s how the name ‘Usia’ was forced upon the child.
“It means ‘parasite.’”
Olor treated his daughter like one, and the servants, though pitying her, stayed away in fear of the fallout.
Her so-called brother had been kind at first, but later became a lustful beast who reached for her with filthy hands.
“I couldn’t bear it and ran away. Fortunately, he didn’t look for me.”
And she met someone she loved.
“At first I was scared. But he and his family comforted me. It was the first warmth I’d felt since my mother died.”
Children were born. They built a happy home.
“As the day to enter House Aust approached, I was happy.”
“...”
“There’s no need to say the rest, is there?”
“...No.”
The Empress had no taste for stubbornly clinging to someone else’s tragedy.
Silence fell over the table.
Empress Tigria uncrossed her legs, then crossed them the other way. She gently tapped her cheek with the fingers resting against her face.
The consort watched her, then asked,
“Have you ever hated it?”
“What?”
“The Empire. The Imperial family.”
And your father.
At that, the Empress’s hand paused.
“...I resented it endlessly.”
The heavy breath that followed revealed years of swallowed pain.
“They ignored my wishes and forced me to spend my youth with that man.”
“Your Majesty’s life was ruined.”
“Hahaha!”
The Empress let out a laugh so mocking it startled the consort, who had been speaking from genuine concern.
Calming her laughter, the Empress looked at the consort like one might admire a cute little thing.
“That’s not something you get to judge.”
Wiping away the smile, she leaned back in her chair again.
“Yes, it was hard.”
But she tried to fulfill her role as Empress.
When she was pregnant with Chrisetos, she resolved to part with Ibex.
But human hearts aren’t so easily controlled.
“Do you know what Scandia looks like?”
“How would I?”
“Thanks to Duke Voreoti.”
The consort’s eyes widened.
“Isn’t it strange? I doubt he intended it, but thanks to him, I was reunited with Ibex.”
And a new life formed inside her.
“Duke Voreoti is like a godfather to our second child.”
So it was her duty to help with his hunt. The Empress rose to her feet.
The consort swallowed hard. The slow, commanding motion filled the room with tension.
“...Meridio has already infiltrated the palace.”
Consort Usia’s tone sharpened.
“You made a mistake, Your Majesty! You should never have let them oversee the hazardous zone repairs!”
“Oh, but that’s what let them slip in so easily, wasn’t it?”
The Empress had deliberately given Meridio the restoration project so they could sneak in under the guise of ing.
“A blunder! Even if Voreoti comes to stop them—!”
“Consort.”
The Empress cut her off.
“I’m a little disappointed.”
“...”
“I thought you were smart. But you’re still that naive.”
She shrugged.
“You think we waited years just because Voreoti’s dumb?”
“He just pranced around showing off, pretending to prepare for his precious ‘hunt.’”
“No.”
The Empress corrected her again.
“Voreoti... once they set their sights on prey, they always see it through.”
“And the end is death, isn’t it?”
“Really?”
The Empress replied in a gentle voice, as if explaining harsh truths to a child with big dreams.
“Death is mercy.”
“...”
“You don’t understand the world. Voreoti never stops at just killing.”
They end everything.
“Anything and anyone remotely connected to Olor—those who received help, those who had even the slightest association.”
Voreoti was ready to erase the existence of ‘Olor’ from past, present, and future.
“...They’re finally here.”
The Empress smiled.
Only now did the consort realize there was noise beyond the door.
“The beast that will ruin your plans.”
And at that moment, the door was flung open with a crash.

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Chapter 239