Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 132

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 132

Belinda broke out in a cold sweat as she confirmed that Leo had become motionless like a stone statue.

‘Does he not like it?’

Belinda slightly lowered her head to examine Leo’s face and froze in place.

Tears began to well up in Leo’s large eyes.

‘Good heavens, he hates it so much he’s about to cry!’

Panicked, Belinda randomly blurted out names that came to her mind.

“If you don’t like it, we can use a different name. So… Do, Donald? Charles? Or maybe Jake?”

“They’re all te, terrible, *sniff*.”

Soon Leo roughly wiped away his tears with his sleeve and spoke clearly.

“I like the name Leo the most in the whole world.”

Despite Leo’s firm declaration, Belinda thoroughly confirmed the child’s wishes until the very end before placing a pen in Leo’s hand.

What was needed for adoption was mutual consent.

Leo began to carefully write his name in the blank name field at the bottom of the document.

Then, above Leo’s head, something like a cursor that she had seen long ago appeared and blinked.

It clicked and deleted the name ‘Jui-bam-tol’ and instead wrote in the name that had been hoped for so very long.

Click-clack.

[Leo Blanche]

Belinda stared at that name for a long while before writing her own name as the guardian below Leo’s crooked signature.

As soon as she did, a system window appeared before Belinda’s eyes.

Bzzt. Bzzzzt.

However, as if there was some error, the window glitched and filled with noise, making it impossible to read its contents.

‘Why is this happening?’

The moment Belinda felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding, the window’s noise disappeared as if nothing had happened, and several windows covered Belinda’s field of vision.

‘Belinda Blanche’ is officially recognized as a guardian.

Starting the 38th update.

The mark of the ‘Hero’s Star’ is being engraved on the ‘Hero’s Star.’

Kingdom map has been downloaded.

Cash Shop access is approved.

Skill window access is approved.

Main Quest has been updated.

.

.

.

Congratulations. You have become the official guardian of the ‘Hero’s Star.’

The thirty-eighth update?

Just as a strange sense of unease crossed her mind, Leo’s voice, tinged with slight anxiety, was heard.

“Is this the end?”

Belinda quickly closed all the system windows before her eyes and knelt down to meet Leo’s eye level.

“Yes, it’s over. Pretty simple, right?”

Leo fidgeted with their clasped hands as if he couldn’t believe it, then asked again as if to confirm.

“Really? I don’t need to overcome seven trials, or pick a Morsenia flower that grows in the most dangerous place in the world, or any proof like that?”

Leo had expected that to become part of Belinda’s family, he would have to pass through extremely difficult trials, like princes and princesses in fairy tales who undergo all sorts of tests to inherit the throne.

But it was over just by writing a few letters on paper.

To Leo, the weight of the Blanche surname felt as heavy as that of the royal family.

It wasn’t that he coveted the Blanche name, but that he wanted to become Belinda’s family.

“I can do well, Lady Belinda. I’ll definitely succeed.”

When Leo spoke with determination, even clenching his fists, Belinda sighed as if she had no choice.

“I was going to tell you slowly so you wouldn’t be scared.”

Just as I thought!

Leo listened intently with a serious expression.

“First, when I ask for a hug, you must always come running to hug me.”

“…?”

“Second, you must exchange good morning and good night greetings with me every morning and evening. And that’s not all? Third, you must always eat dinner with me, and fourth, if you have nightmares, you must come to me first. Fifth, when you want something, you must act spoiled with me, and sixth, even if you lie to others, you must tell me everything honestly. The seventh and final one is the most terrifying and difficult to achieve. You must grow up healthy without any pain. How about it, can you overcome all this?”

“Th, that’s…”

“Then let’s start the first task right away.”

Belinda smiled mischievously and spread her arms.

Leo’s face turned bright red as he realized he’d been tricked and his lips formed a triangle, but he soon threw himself into Belinda’s embrace.

Belinda finally spoke the words she had wanted to say since the very first day she met Leo, so long ago.

“Welcome to our home, Leo.”

* * *

Before I could properly catch up with Leo after completing the adoption papers, I was immediately dragged away by the maids’ hands to be dressed up in all sorts of finery.

After consulting with Terry, we decided on a pure white dress as the outfit to wear to the succession ceremony.

Traditionally in the kingdom, white signifies loyalty toward the other party.

Therefore, nobles would often send white bouquets as congratulations when someone they supported achieved political victory.

The one conducting today’s succession ceremony is the Crown Prince.

Just by showing myself wearing white clothes that signify loyalty and receiving a crown bestowed by the Crown Prince, I could metaphorically convey my intention to return to the Royalist Faction to the nobles gathered there.

And most importantly.

“Everyone will be wearing colorful dresses to attend the spring ball, so a pure white dress will really stand out.”

As Terry said, it would definitely stand out.

‘I’m glad my hair is red.’

I nodded with satisfaction as I checked my appearance in the mirror one last time.

Despite everything being pure white – the delicate lace covering my shoulders, the pearls embroidered on the dress hem, and even the hair ornaments – it didn’t look plain. This was partly due to the extremely delicate clothing and accessories, but mainly because my hair was red.

After exchanging final greetings with Leo, I boarded the carriage heading to the Royal Palace.

As always, Penandel took charge of my escort.

How long had it been since the carriage departed?

“In the North, you can occasionally see white auroras. The sight is so beautiful that some people freeze to death while gazing up at the aurora endlessly.”

Penandel began speaking about something completely out of the blue.

Unlike his usual straightforward way of conveying what he had to say, this preamble was uncharacteristic of him, so I nodded and listened attentively to his words.

“I too have seen that aurora, but I felt no emotion whatsoever. Therefore, I may have thought those who froze to death while gazing up at the aurora were perhaps a bit foolish.”

What’s this? Is he telling me a fable?

Just as I was tilting my head, unable to understand the intent behind his words.

“But now I think they must have been ecstatic even in the moment of death, as I look at you, Marquess’s Daughter.”

“What do you…”

“You are extremely beautiful, Lady Blanche.”

“…!”

I quickly opened my fan to cover the area below my eyes.

What? Did he just say I was as beautiful as the white aurora of the North?

‘That Penandel? The AI who can’t say anything other than what’s programmed?’

Having no confidence in controlling my expression, I hid my face behind the fan and caught my breath.

Since a man who usually never says anything like sweet talk spoke such words in a serious voice, the shock was so great that my heart was pounding.

Then I suddenly remembered the advice I had given him on the day of the monthly meeting.

“I understand your sentiment well, but next time when a woman asks like this, make sure to answer in detail about what is beautiful and how beautiful it is.”

Could it be that he remembered what I said back then…

“Ahem, Sir.”

“Yes.”

“Your skill at complimenting women has improved greatly.”

“Thank you.”

His voice was still calm as always, but beneath his mask, his lips curved into a faint arc.

I fidgeted with my hands resting on my knees for no reason before opening my mouth.

“I know that the Duke has entrusted me with someone truly precious to him. And that he is very different from the rumors.”

This was something I had originally planned to say after the succession ceremony when handing over the mine ownership documents to him, but somehow I couldn’t bear the momentary awkwardness and blurted it out.

When I reviewed the family’s business documents as acting head, I confirmed that the mana stone mining at Herington Mine had been suspended for several years already.

I wondered if all the mana stones had been depleted, but that wasn’t the case either.

House of Baluashten simply stated they couldn’t proceed with mining for certain reasons, and had been paying penalty fees to the Blanche Family equivalent to the amount of mana stones they were supposed to mine each year.

I don’t know what circumstances led to this, but there must be desperate reasons compelling them to endure such losses for years.

If the Duke were truly as greedy as the rumors suggest—someone who would kill his entire family to claim his position—he wouldn’t have proposed a political marriage to me.

Instead, he would have commissioned other nobles who held grudges against me to arrange my death, waited for my dowry to be returned to society, then bought the mine when it came up for auction.

Even though that would have been faster and simpler, the Duke deliberately endured losses to propose this deal to me.

“As you said on the first day, I also think he is a very upright person.”

I was praising the Duke’s character, but Sir Penandel denied my words.

“Please don’t… say such things.”

“What do you mean?”

“He is a coward… a pathetic man who fears to speak the truth even when he knows it’s wrong.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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