15 - Adopted by the Villainous Noble Family

/Novelpia - A World Dreaming Through Web Novels! - Adopted by a Villainous Family Sunlight gently tickled my eyelids, waking me up. I slowly lifted my heavy eyelids and gradually sat up, shaking my head to clear the fog from my mind. "You're awake?" The soft voice that reached my ears sharpened my senses. Straightening my posture, I turned towards where the voice had come from. Roselia was gazing at me with an inexplicable smile on her face. I blinked blankly for a moment, then flinched at the sight that followed. Perhaps it was because I had just woken up that Roselia seemed particularly unguarded. My gaze naturally caught the soft curves revealed through the thin straps draped over her shoulders. But more than anything, it was the voluptuous contours below her neckline that truly caught my eye. ‘The size…’ I had thought it rare to see a woman with a figure more striking than Senior Isabel’s, but Roselia shattered that notion in an instant. I found myself at a loss as to where to direct my gaze, my eyes wavering in uncertainty. "Did you sleep well?" With her gentle voice, Roselia captured my wandering eyes. I cautiously nodded in response to her enigmatic gaze. “Yes, I… I slept well. Did you?” “Thanks to you.” Her uncharacteristically kind demeanor left my mind feeling oddly unsettled. She had always been friendly towards me, but never this tender. "Shall we proceed to draw up the contract then?" With a refreshed expression, Roselia suddenly grabbed me lightly from behind and lifted me from my position. She then stepped out of the bedroom and moved to another room. The atmosphere in the office contrasted sharply with the cozy bedroom. The orderly bookshelves lined the walls, along with softly glowing candelabras and neatly drawn curtains adding to the room's tidy ambiance. The subtle scent of paper and ink calmed my chaotic thoughts perfectly. “You mentioned not wanting to owe favors, which is why you proposed a contract to me.” Roselia, adorned now in an elegant dress, exuded even greater noble dignity. “That’s right.” I nodded quietly in acknowledgment of her words. “Good, then it seems we must formalize the contract.” Roselia gracefully perched on a sofa at one corner of the office and elegantly crossed her legs. “…I believe I’m too young to formally draft a contract.” “It’s alright. I’ve prepared a contract suited for your age.” A contract that I could personally handle. From what I’d heard, even a child like me could enter into certain types of contracts. One of those was the personal safety agreement the director had once forcibly made me sign. Could she have prepared something similar? “If there are any points of the discussion you find questionable, I’ll have the Grand Temple act as a witness. You will trust them, won’t you?” A temple situated at the heart of the imperial capital. It was called the Grand Temple for a simple reason: its scale was overwhelmingly greater than any other temple. In the future main story, the saint appearing is also from this Grand Temple. If not elsewhere, I could trust the word from the Grand Temple. In the game, it was well-known as a symbol of positive influence. “…Alright. I trust you.” Roselia smiled softly at my response and quietly placed a sheet of paper face down on the table. “We’ll review the contract itself after we finalize our conversation. Before that, let’s go over the detailed clauses.” “By detailed clauses, you mean…” “I’ve already handled all the conditions you stipulated. We’ve dispatched a new director to your former orphanage from the Grand Temple.” Only a day had passed, yet she had already finalized things. I couldn’t help but be amazed by her capabilities once more. “So… now I just need to fulfill my part of the bargain.” In exchange for fulfilling my request, I would need to provide her with herbs daily. “No, the contract requires slight revision.” “…What?” Revision? Could it be she wanted to add conditions? “You asked to relocate to the Temple, didn’t you? We haven’t fulfilled that yet.” “Oh, isn’t that something you said wasn’t possible?” “That’s right. However, I thought of a better alternative.” Her unexpected words prompted me to tilt my head in curiosity. Roselia pressed her fingertip on the reversed contract with a smile I couldn’t quite interpret. “This contract should offer you ample protection. Even if you were to insult a noble, it would shield you from repercussions.” Her words were so astonishing that my eyes widened in disbelief. For a commoner to insult a noble was a serious crime. Especially for an orphan like me with no backing; even immediate execution would leave me without a word of defense. Yet she claimed this contract could protect me in such a situation? Could it be backed by the imperial palace itself? “If you just sign this contract, you can free yourself from the shackles of your current status.” “May I take a look at it?” “Just promise me one thing first.” I swallowed hard and nodded cautiously. “Promise me that if you find nothing harmful to you in this contract, you will sign it.” “…Is that all?” “Yes.” Roselia smiled quietly. It was an offer with plenty of loopholes. If I felt even slightly disadvantaged, I wouldn’t have to sign it. If I really didn’t want to, I could invent a reason to refuse. Yet, her confidence in the contract suggested that she believed it would hold up to scrutiny. “I promise.” “You promise to sign, given it holds no harm for you?” “Yes.” “Then that’s settled.” I had nothing to lose. More importantly, what I needed most now was protection. A place to hide until I reached adulthood, free from the likes of that director who had controlled my life. Just securing that one thing would be enough for now. Even if it meant entering into a contract with the dark forces of the world, it didn’t matter. ‘I just need to maintain a professional relationship.’ Even if she was a villain, there shouldn’t be any trouble as long as I kept a safe distance. It was purely a business relationship, one I could walk away from without hesitation when necessary. Perhaps my herbs could bring some change to her. From what I heard, she seemed to be suffering from chronic insomnia for quite a while. If only she could sleep well, perhaps the likelihood of her going on a rampage, like in the game, might decrease a little. “Go ahead and read the contract.” I carefully flipped over the contract Roselia handed to me. The pristine white surface gave way to elegantly spread letters of fine ink. The most prominently written phrase stood clearly at the top of the document. “Adoption Confirmation.” I read the words on the document without any doubt. Then three seconds of silence. A slow realization crept in that something was amiss. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the sentence again. Adoption Confirmation. No matter how many times I blinked, the sentence didn’t change. With trembling eyes, I carefully read the sentences below. Though crowded with various clauses, they all conveyed one fundamental idea. It was aimed at incorporating me into the Count Lahiltanny household. I hadn’t read it wrong. It truly was an adoption confirmation. Adoption? Into the Count Lahiltanny household? That was absurd. To begin with, wasn’t this supposed to be a contract? Believing Roselia had simply handed me the wrong document, I unthinkingly returned it to her. “I think you’ve given me the wrong document.” “This is the right one.” Roselia handed back the document as if it were nothing, her expression calm. I blinked in confusion at her nonchalant reaction. “What…?” “Count Lahiltanny’s household will fully safeguard your status. As it states, we’ll even perform our roles as model parents diligently.” “No, this is…” Despite her words, it was hard to believe. Really? Seriously? Are you trying to adopt me now? Why? Providing herbs daily wouldn’t require such measures. No matter how I looked at it, there was no reason to go to such lengths. To put it plainly, perhaps there wasn’t even a need for any formal process. After all, if the Count Lahiltanny wanted herbs, I was in no position to refuse. But adopting me for the sake of obtaining herbs? It was beyond inefficient—it was unfathomable. I looked at Roselia in disbelief. But unlike my bewilderment, she calmly offered me a pen with an almost indifferent smile. “Really, there’s nothing harmful to you here, is there? Go ahead and sign.” “What? Uh, no… This is…” “You’re not about to lie to me, are you?” Roselia’s red eyes glimmered coolly. It was the first time she looked at me with such a chilling gaze. “I absolutely detest liars.” Cold sweat trickled down my back from the icy aura piercing my skin. An indescribable weight pressed down on my throat. “If not, please convince me why this contract might be harmful to you.” I could have easily responded with the truth—well, from what I knew. That this household would one day become the greatest hidden threat to the empire, leading to the loss of countless lives. And you, the mastermind, will eventually be defeated by the protagonist. A few years later, your daughter will drive the empire to ruin again. I wanted to say that I absolutely could not become a part of this household. But of course, I couldn’t voice that reason. She wouldn’t believe me in the first place, and even if she did, she could easily drag me to the execution block for knowing so much about the Count Lahiltanny family. In the end, I had to conceal my true thoughts and come up with a laughable excuse. “W-who knows… you might abuse me like the director did….” Roselia’s brow furrowed gently. Her eyes showed displeasure, and I instinctively swallowed hard. “It’s written in the contract that we’ll be proper parents. If I ever abuse you, you can report me to the Grand Temple.” “You could... imprison me….” “If you're really that doubtful, I can add a clause to hire a holy knight by your side. Would that suffice?” My jaw dropped. A holy knight, not just any knight. Knights who serve the divine and are vastly superior in strength to ordinary knights. Their services would cost a fortune, comparable to throwing a bag full of gold coins every day. She’s willing to do all this just to adopt me? “If you have no objections, go ahead and sign.” Roselia pushed the document closer, as if urging me. My mind went blank. I needed to find a way out of this situation, but no viable excuse came to mind. Just as she said, there really was no aspect of this contract that was harmful to me. An orphan being adopted by a noble family was the kind of miracle straight out of fairy tales. Any other child might have gladly accepted it, perhaps even bowing in thanks. If I didn’t know the circumstances here, I might have signed it without hesitation too. “But… I mean…” Despite everything, my trembling hand couldn’t muster the courage to pick up the pen. Perhaps Roselia found this hesitation unsatisfactory. “You’re making this difficult.” She sighed deeply and slapped the table with her palm. “If you don’t sign, the Lahiltanny family will be very uncooperative with you.” It was almost a threat. I forced a smile to placate her and attempted to negotiate in my own way. “How about a different approach? For instance—” “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Roselia leaned in close to my face. The murderous glint in her red eyes left me frozen in place. “If you don’t want to be quietly locked away, sign the paper.” “Hic….” An involuntary hiccup escaped my lips. Her narrowing gaze pushed my survival instincts into overdrive, moving my hand reflexively. With tears in my eyes, I quickly scribbled my name and pressed my seal on the adoption document. The moment my seal marked the paper, Roselia donned a broad smile and swiftly grabbed the document. “Great, let’s go eat then.” With those words, the tense aura vanished entirely. She gazed at me with a surprisingly warm smile instead. “Looking forward to the future, daughter?” Shivering slightly, I met her smile. ‘W-what am I going to do…?’ Author's Note: You've been adopted. - Thank you to Duckidum for your generous support! I truly appreciate the big contribution. Is it support for continued updates?! I really want to keep up the updates and bring joy to my readers, but... it's a bit of a busy time for me right now. Still, I promise to make it happen as soon as I have more free time! - Thank you to Reader #5 for your support! Even though I've only released a few chapters, your encouragement means a lot to me! I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Thank you again, dear reader! - Thank you to our anonymous supporter! Your cool message and support have truly brightened my day. It's a shame I can't thank you by name, but I'm just so happy to know you're enjoying my work. I’ll continue to work hard! Click to read the next chapter