#10

“Because she’s my daughter, first and foremost.”

“‘First and foremost’? What’s that supposed to mean?”

This time, Leonia cut in. She didn’t like the qualifier Ferio had added.

Ferio, however, responded nonchalantly, as if wondering why she was only reacting now.

“If you weren’t my daughter, Leo, I’d have thrown you out long ago. You’ve heard me say this more than once.”

“Well, I’ve thought the same sometimes.”

Even she wouldn’t want a daughter who resembled her.

Still, Ferio was her father, and Leonia had gained the confidence to boldly cause trouble because of that. She had a dad who would forgive her and accept her—because she was his daughter.

“Those words...”

But Scandia’s expression darkened. His slightly trembling voice was oddly resolute, like someone who had made up their mind.

“...could hurt the Young Lady.”

“...What?”

“Huh?”

The beastly father and daughter let out idiotic sounds in unison. Their disbelief was on par with someone claiming Remus Olor had turned over a new leaf.

“I truly know how deeply Your Grace treasures the Young Lady.”

Scandia suddenly grabbed Leonia’s hand and pulled her into his arms.

“Oh my.”

Held tightly, Leonia blinked five times faster than usual. Though her eyes were wide with surprise, her curling lips betrayed her delight.

‘That intense boom-boom feeling!’

He was usually quiet and composed, but he had this rare tendency to pull people in with force. Leonia had only experienced it once—back in the capital when they had their first kiss.

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden...”

Leonia slurred her words, resting her face against Scandia’s chest.

“My daddy’s watching, y’know, smack smack~.”

She swayed her shoulders playfully. Ferio’s facial muscles had long since frozen—now they were practically stone.

Then suddenly, something flashed through his mind.

There were two truly horrific moments in Ferio’s life. When Varia was kidnapped by Remus, and when Leonia proudly announced she had kissed Scandia.

Because of the latter, he had, for the first time in his life, collapsed into bed.

And now, he felt that same collapse approaching.

“The Young Lady is still young. No matter how mature or composed she seems, she’s still a child who needs her parents’ care.”

You fell in love with such a kid and now follow her around?

Ferio barely restrained that furious inner retort. No good would come from confronting this now.

“Of course, what I did earlier was wrong.”

Scandia admitted his carelessness in nearly kissing her, then promised that moving forward, he would only engage in wholesome physical contact—and only during daylight hours.

That promise eased Ferio’s anger a bit, though Leonia was visibly disappointed.

“But Your Grace mustn’t speak that way either.”

“What did I say?”

“Neglecting your child like that is a form of abuse.”

“When did I ever—”

Ferio stopped mid-rebuttal. At the same time, Leonia also realized why Scandia was suddenly criticizing her father.

Scandia was calling out Ferio and Varia’s three-and-a-half-day long intimate session, during which Leonia had been left on her own.

“The Duchess is still unwell, and the Young Lady craves her parents’ affection and attention.”

Ferio felt unjustly accused.

‘Unbelievable.’

Just listening to this, it sounded like he was being painted as some selfish man who tormented his pregnant wife and neglected his child.

He was so stunned he couldn’t even argue.

Though he wouldn’t call himself a perfect father, Ferio had always done his best to raise and love that sly muscle-bound brat.

And now this?

Even that long session with Varia hadn’t been just for his pleasure.

He had read that pregnant women often lost confidence due to bodily changes. So he had done his best to show Varia that she was still beautiful, even more so, and that he loved her deeply.

Naturally, he had been considerate and gentle.

“Uh...”

Leonia was flustered as well.

She was grateful for Scandia’s concern, but that didn’t mean Ferio had neglected her.

Thanks to her parents’ overwhelming love, she was absolutely drenched in affection.

If she were to compare herself to an animal, she’d be like a feline cub constantly licked by its parents’ enormous tongues. She was always dripping in their love.

Which meant she sometimes needed time ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) to air out her damp fur.

That’s exactly what her parents’ marathon sessions were for.

“...”

Leonia thought quickly.

Who should I side with right now?

The investor who raised me, or the promising rookie I’ll be raising?

“...Honestly.”

After a brief deliberation, Leonia made her choice.

“I did miss you and Mom.”

She chose the rookie.

“But it’s okay!”

Her big, sparkly eyes welled up.

“Having loving parents is such a huge blessing. I don’t want to ruin it by being selfish.”

“But you still need to express when you feel hurt.”

Scandia looked at her pitifully.

“And saying you would’ve abandoned her if she weren’t your daughter...”

He cast a reproachful gaze at Ferio, who was now on the verge of rubbing the back of his neck and shutting his eyes.

“But I’ve already received more love than I deserve from Dad. If he hadn’t found me, I’d still be in that horrible orphanage...!”

Leonia sniffled and sobbed into Scandia’s chest.

“Please don’t cry.”

Scandia, flustered, tightly embraced her.

“I’ll be by your side. I may not be enough, but please trust and rely on me.”

“Boom-boom... I mean, Skan...”

The young couple clung to each other like star-crossed lovers.

“...”

Watching them, Ferio had two thoughts.

First, that Scandia was definitely going to live his life wrapped around his daughter’s finger.

That naïve lump of muscle had no real-world experience and was completely fooled by Leonia’s performance.

And second—

‘Raising a kid is utterly pointless.’

Though his face remained indifferent, Ferio’s chest ached.

The image of a grown Leonia holding hands with another man and smiling happily beside him—it was a nightmare he had always tried to ignore.

But now that future was unfolding right before his eyes.

“...Leo.”

Ferio’s voice grew darker as he called her name.

“Dad...?”

Leonia immediately sensed the subtle shift.

“I made some mistakes, didn’t I.”

“W-Well, it’s not that bad—”

Feeling oddly guilty, Leonia rushed to deny it. To her, Ferio was the coolest, most admirable dad in the world.

But Ferio shook his head, saying it wasn’t fine.

“Mistakes must be corrected.”

He smiled gently at her. And in that smile, Leonia suddenly felt she’d made a terrible mistake. Scandia, too, felt a crushing guilt—as if he had inadvertently damaged a father-daughter bond.

“The estate assets you siphoned while I was gone. The tax evasion you managed through creative bookkeeping.”

“...Huh?”

Leonia froze.

“That’s all on me. A failure in my parenting.”

“H-How do you even know that...!”

Her finger trembled as she pointed at him. Her expression alone showed how shocked she was.

“I was going to overlook it, proud that my daughter had learned to pull such clever tricks.”

Ferio slowly walked up and stroked her head.

“But I can’t help it.”

And at the same time, he subtly shoved Scandia aside with his other arm. Scandia stumbled and bumped his head lightly against the wall.

“I’ll undo every little trick my child has pulled.”

Leonia shut her eyes tight.

“Since you felt lonely, I’ll be with you—studying, training, and spending time together.”

I respect your freedom, but if you say you’re lonely, what else can I do?

“I thought you were all grown up, but you’re still such a baby.”

My sweet little crybaby.

Ferio had staged a brilliant comeback.

“Ah—aaaah!”

Leonia, now utterly defeated, fell to her knees.

‘...The North is strong.’

Scandia had gained a powerful insight. The North’s parenting was as ruthless as its winters. Though he briefly wondered if this was just a Ferio-and-Leonia thing, he decided not to dwell on it. His head might explode.

In any case, this was the family he’d be marrying into.

***

Ferio was a father who cared deeply about his child.

For three and a half days, he dedicated himself fully to Leonia, who had confessed to feeling lonely in his absence.

At dawn, they trained together. Through the morning, he taught her how to manage affairs in his office. During breaks, they drank tea and chatted as a family.

In the afternoon, he helped her study, and when she went to bed, he personally read aloud a recent paper by Ardea.

He even graciously allowed Leonia to date.

When she wanted to go out with Scandia, he would personally arrange the carriage and help choose the best restaurant.

Right beside them.

“...”

Varia found this husband of hers to be quite impressive.

In a deeply negative way.

And now, at last, three and a half days had passed.

“Feeling better now?”

“I’ve always been someone with a clean and pure heart.”

“You know, Leo... it’s just that you kind of...”

Varia stammered, her cheeks reddening.

“...You could’ve just kept things moderate.”

“Varia, my love.”

Ferio gently took her hand. Varia gave him a sharp but not unkind glare, but he didn’t flinch. In fact, he looked quite at peace.

“Leo said she missed spending time with us. So I made sure to make up for all the time we couldn’t be together.”

“And you can say that after seeing her face right now?”

Varia gestured toward Leonia, who sat on the opposite sofa.

“Look at our daughter.”

The girl who used to bounce with endless energy now lay slumped like a deflated balloon. Varia had never seen Leonia so limp.

“She looks like charcoal.”

Charcoal that had burned out and turned pale white.

And Scandia, sitting beside her equally deflated, wasn’t doing much better. Having suffered through Ferio’s intensity just like Leonia, he was utterly drained.

‘...What if Muscley turns out to be a girl too?’

Varia was genuinely terrified.

To have to witness this disaster twice—the thought alone made her vision go dark.

Just then—

Ferio’s eyes widened.

Varia’s swollen belly twitched. Muscley had moved inside.