I Became the Male Lead’s Adopted Daughter
Chapter 215

“It seems everyone here is under quite a big misunderstanding.”

The girl’s energetic voice struck the ears of everyone in the temple with clarity.

“Voreoti is not a god.”

Leonia declared in a ringing tone.

In the Empire, the Voreoti name was mockingly—but also respectfully—referred to as the “Black Beast.”

That name, tangled with admiration, reverence, fear, and dread, carried with it a weight of illusion.

“Of course, we’re ridiculously good-looking, absurdly talented, and have enough stamina to keep working out in bed five days straight, so I understand the jealousy.”

Leonia shook her head like it couldn’t be helped. The look on her face, as if she were troubled by how perfect she was, was downright infuriating.

“That brat...”

Ferio narrowed his eyes.

“Whose kid is she even supposed to take after...”

“Are you being serious?”

Varia asked, stunned. Ferio gave no reply.

Regardless, their daughter was commanding all eyes in the room with her confident stance.

“But Voreoti is human.”

‘Voreoti is human, after all.’

Leonia repeated the words Remus had said when he’d come to the Voreoti estate.

Remus, realizing what she was referencing, flinched. But his lips clung shut as if glued together.

“Black diamond or whatever—if you eat a jewel, you get stomach aches and die. And when you’re pregnant, of course your body gets weaker than usual, so even Voreoti can’t use the Fangs properly.”

So what?

“Isn’t that the same for everyone?”

Leonia shrugged and looked out at the crowd below the platform.

“Anyone here ever eaten a gem and felt totally fine? Anyone get stronger when they’re pregnant?”

At the young beast’s growl, no one answered.

Part of it was the unknown pressure weighing on them, but more than that—there was nothing wrong with what she said.

The “weaknesses” Remus listed weren’t strange at all. They were just things that would weaken any human being.

“Keep your delusions in check.”

Though she had at least tried to stay polite—well, others still felt the pressure—Leonia now made no effort to hide her open contempt.

“Trash.”

Her scathing gaze briefly landed on the Emperor.

He involuntarily frowned when their eyes met and quickly turned his head. But Leonia didn’t care and kept going.

“Know your place.”

The baby beast looked ready to drive her fangs straight into Remus’s neck.

Someone watching even muttered that she might actually kill him.

But Ferio and Varia didn’t stop her. Even if Leonia did kill Remus right there, they were ready to take responsibility.

“How dare a worm like you—”

The young, once-proud Red Swan could only let out senseless muttering.

Now faced with a death threat from someone much younger—young enough to be his daughter—Remus looked pitiful.

A swan flipped on its back, flailing helplessly underwater, was not beautiful. The ugly thrashing of its legs beneath the surface was now fully exposed.

“You dared to touch Voreoti.”

Leonia’s black eyes burned with murder.

“You dared to speak Regina’s name!”

Her rage exploded, her voice thundering throughout the temple.

The one who killed Regina.

The murderer of Varia.

‘The bastard who threw me into hell.’

Without warning, Leonia kicked Remus hard in the shin. He stumbled and collapsed from the unexpected blow.

Leonia grabbed a handful of his red hair as he fell and yanked his head back.

Remus let out a pained groan and was forced to look up at her.

His face was twisted with shame and despair.

“Pedophile.”

Leonia spat the word, her expression curling in disgust. Even breathing the same air as this thing was revolting.

“You’re done.”

The baby beast drew on the last of her patience and whispered so only he could hear.

“So let’s end your precious sperm with just my body, shall we?”

In that moment, Remus’s red eyes trembled.

No matter what Leonia said, he hadn’t been able to say a word back.

His eyes locked onto her slowly receding face, completely dazed.

The look on her face—fearless, smug, convinced she had nothing to fear in this world—looked exactly like Ferio Voreoti.

And the Duke’s daughter turned and walked away.

But the real moment began now.

“That pedophile’s nonsense has been nagging at me.”

Leonia went straight to Ferio to “report,” her face practically glowing with all the bravado she had just shown.

Ferio looked at his daughter with a complex expression: proud, but also troubled.

So small, yet already showing off like a seasoned adult... But then again, she was a Voreoti. If anyone had a right to strut, it was her.

“Dad, how the hell does that bastard know about Aunt Regina?”

“She never left the North. That’s what we were told.”

Varia jumped in smoothly.

“And yet that bastard—that is, Viscount Olor’s son—claims to know her...”

“Mom, just swear properly.”

Saying something awful and then pretending it wasn’t was confusing. Leonia scratched under her nose with her pinky. It was a compliment, of course.

“Exactly.”

Ferio nodded in agreement.

At this point, Regina was now clearly positioned as a tragic girl who had lived her entire short life in the North.

Which meant there was no way Remus should have known anything about her in such detail.

But he did, as if he had met her.

“...Then maybe he really did sneak into the North.”

Ferio looked down at Remus, now nearly collapsed on the floor.

The way he sat muttering about his innocence, hunched over like a broken music box, made Ferio want to throw him out immediately.

“Your Majesty.”

Turning away from Remus, Ferio addressed the Emperor.

“House Voreoti has suffered a grave insult in today’s Honor Ceremony. My daughter has been deeply hurt by these false claims—”

“Leo is just so sad...”

Leonia sobbed into Varia’s arms. Varia patted her back gently, shoulders shaking in effort to stifle laughter.

Her lips were tightly sealed, cheeks puffed and about to burst.

“...deeply hurt.”

Ferio stared at the two with a strange look, then continued.

“My cousin—may she rest in peace—has been unspeakably defiled.”

“A tragic matter indeed.”

The Emperor offered words of sympathy.

“That won’t be enough.”

Ferio replied. Words weren’t going to cut it.

“...Then what do you want?”

The Emperor’s voice quivered. Whatever Ferio was about to say was already tightening the noose around his neck.

“Viscount Olor’s son has lost his honor before all the nobles. He can’t go back to the life he had.”

A plea for leniency.

Ferio let out a cold, unimpressed smile.

“He brought this upon himself.”

Why should the victims forgive him? Ferio asked.

“We are the ones who were harmed. Why should we feel pity or offer forgiveness? That doesn’t heal anything.”

“Show some mercy.”

The Emperor urged him to be generous and let it go.

“...This idiot...”

Leonia flinched.

She thought her inner thoughts had slipped out—but no, it had come from Varia’s tightly clenched lips.

Once again, Leonia was deeply moved by her mother.

“...Sigh.”

Ferio let out a long, stunned breath. The air inside the temple turned ice-cold.

“Your Majesty.”

Ferio spoke with deliberate clarity, like he was scolding a child.

“If we show mercy here, that’s not forgiveness.”

It’s self-harm.

With that, Ferio clamped his mouth shut. He had no desire to continue this idiotic conversation. He just wanted to go home and rest with his family.

Turning away with his people, Ferio left one final statement.

“I’ll be sending two invoices °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° shortly.”

One would go to House Olor—the instigators of this wretched scandal. It would demand immense compensation and legal accountability.

The other... would go to the Imperial Family.

“Remus Olor’s knowledge of my cousin is suspicious. Regina never once left the North.”

Which meant there was real weight behind the claim that the Imperial Family had dispatched him to spy.

Ferio demanded an official investigation.

“Duke Voreoti! Are you accusing the Imperial Family?!”

The Emperor slammed his fist on the platform, roaring.

“...Remus Olor seems to have met Regina while she was alive. At the time, he was a member of the Imperial Knights.”

Ferio twisted his lips into a smirk.

“Wouldn’t it be better for the Imperial side to investigate and reveal the truth?”

That Remus infiltrated the North was almost a given now. The fact that he’d once been an Imperial Knight was common knowledge.

He had bragged about it all the time.

If the Imperial Family had no idea he was in the North, then Remus had disobeyed direct orders—treason.

If they had known, then they had committed a massive offense against the North.

Either way, the Imperial Family looked bad.

“...Then we’ll be taking our leave.”

With the Emperor left speechless, Ferio bowed with composed elegance.

The Voreoti family exited the temple with proud strides. The nobles, as if entranced, watched them for a long time.

The sound of their heels striking the stone echoed like sword-tips tapping the floor.

Even after their icy departure, the temple remained frozen in silence.

“...It’s over.”

Someone muttered.

No one dared to define what exactly was “over.”

But one thing was certain:

The Honor Ceremony... was finally over.