Forced to Sell Myself to the Female Lead After Killing the Male Lead

As one of the Crown Prince's trusted confidants, coupled with his extraordinary talent for magic, Peluoqi had always walked through the imperial capital of Skyvault with complete impunity.

Yet now,

here in this border city,

he had repeatedly been treated coldly by the Duke family.

Today, despite requesting an audience with Avnora in the Crown Prince's name, he had once again been stood up.

How could Peluoqi possibly swallow such an insult to his pride?

Consumed by anger,

he ignored the attempts of the maids and Duke family guards to stop him and barged directly into the Marquis's office.

After overhearing part of the conversation between the Marquis and a certain young woman,

Peluoqi clenched his fists in displeasure.

The next moment,

he violently pushed open the office doors and strode inside with an imposing air.

"My apologies, Marquis. Your daughter will neither remain in Wind Facing City nor travel to the Crimson Leaf Empire to join the Asumos Church. Since she has been designated by the royal family as a candidate for Crown Princess, she must travel to the imperial capital, Skyvault, next month to participate in the Crown Princess Selection Ceremony."

Peluoqi spoke in an overbearing, condescending tone.

His words immediately caused both Mengxi and the members of the Duke family to reveal expressions of displeasure.

Even Miss Yumo frowned slightly upon hearing the phrase "Crown Princess Selection."

Among everyone present,

Xiumu was naturally the one most infuriated by Peluoqi's rude attitude.

However,

for the sake of the bigger picture, the Marquis suppressed his anger and politely asked,

"Your Excellency, the royal decree never required Xia'er to travel to the imperial capital. How could she suddenly become a candidate for Crown Princess?"

"No, Marquis. I believe you've misunderstood."

"What do you mean?"

"The royal family's intention was to invite a direct descendant of the Duke family to Skyvault. It doesn't matter which one. Since Miss Yuan'er has disappeared, and Miss Xia'er has now returned, then Miss Xia'er may simply take Miss Yuan'er's place and head to the imperial capital."

"H-How could that possibly be acceptable?!"

"And why wouldn't it be?"

Peluoqi narrowed his black eyes slightly as he stared coldly at Xiumu.

"Marquis, are you planning to defy a royal decree? Or do you truly believe Wind Facing City still possesses the strength to challenge the royal family? If you intend to resist... I suggest you carefully consider whether you have the ability to withstand a Mana Fission Bomb."

The instant the words "Mana Fission Bomb" were spoken,

Xiumu's towering body visibly trembled.

That subtle reaction

was naturally noticed by Peluoqi.

A cold smile appeared inside his heart.

Heh.

As expected.

Using the reputation of the Mana Fission Bomb to frighten him works quite well.

The Marquis was clearly wavering.

Of course,

actually using a Mana Fission Bomb against the Empire's own citizens was impossible.

Doing so would plunge the nation into chaos.

Besides,

only two Mana Fission Bombs remained.

They had to be reserved as a deterrent against the Crimson Leaf Empire.

The reason Peluoqi mentioned them

was naturally to pressure Xiumu into sending his granddaughter to the imperial capital.

By then,

even if the Marquis's granddaughter failed to become the Crown Princess,

they still had countless methods of keeping her in Skyvault as a hostage.

Everyone knew how deeply Marquis Xiumu-Duke cherished his granddaughter.

Once she was in the capital,

the Crown Prince could use her to control the perpetually troublesome northern territories while gradually weakening the Duke family's influence.

"So, Marquis..."

"Have you reached a decision?"

Peluoqi pressed aggressively.

Just as he had expected,

Xiumu clenched his fists tightly and fell silent.

Watching the conflicted Marquis,

the corners of Peluoqi's lips slowly curled upward.

However,

at that very moment,

the Marchioness, Avnora, who had been gently comforting the pink-haired girl the entire time, shot Peluoqi a completely expressionless glance before speaking in an indifferent voice.

"Your Excellency, I believe you've misunderstood something."

"Hm? Marchioness... what exactly do you mean?"

Peluoqi's expression changed slightly as he looked toward Avnora with growing caution.

Compared to the immensely powerful but hot-blooded Xiumu,

there were times when he actually feared the Marchioness even more.

The next moment,

just as Peluoqi expected,

Avnora answered mercilessly.

"Xia'er and Yuan'er aren't quite the same."

"...What do you mean by that?"

"Xia'er is the legal heir to the Duke family's title. According to Imperial law, even if an heir goes missing, their inheritance rights remain valid for five years. In other words... Xia'er is already the Young Marquis. She therefore cannot become a candidate for Crown Princess~"

Avnora's words dripped with provocation.

Peluoqi's forehead immediately bulged with veins.

A moment later,

the royal envoy viciously glanced behind him toward Benjamin, who was hiding near the corner of the room.

"Heh... Marchioness, surely you're joking."

"Wasn't the inheritance already transferred to Benjamin?"

"Hehe, who told you that?"

Avnora chuckled lightly.

"Benjamin indeed possesses the right to inherit, and I have said as much before. However... the formal transfer procedures have never actually been completed."

"So why exactly did you assume the inheritance had already been given to Benjamin?"

"W-What?!"

Peluoqi's expression instantly became awkward.

He shot Benjamin another murderous glare.

You bastard?!

Just to curry favor with the Crown Prince, you actually dared lie to me?!

Meanwhile,

feeling Peluoqi's furious gaze upon him,

Benjamin shuddered.

After a brief internal struggle,

the young member of the Duke family finally rushed into the office.

The moment he heard Avnora announce that the inheritance would be returned to Xia'er,

this so-called "heir" could no longer sit still.

And after meeting Peluoqi's questioning eyes,

he panicked even more.

He had struggled so hard to obtain the position of the family's heir.

He had finally earned the Crown Prince's recognition.

He absolutely could not lose everything now!

Thus,

under Avnora's increasingly stern gaze,

Benjamin stormed into the office and angrily pointed at the pink-haired girl.

"I—I object!!"

"Who can prove this girl is really Miss Xia'er?!"

"How do we know she isn't a spy sent by another faction, intending to seize control of the Duke family?!"

"Benjamin!"

Xiumu roared with overwhelming authority.

"What nonsense are you talking about?!"

However,

driven by greed,

Benjamin managed to withstand the murderous pressure radiating from the Marquis.

He continued righteously,

"Miss Xia'er disappeared when she was only a child! She was raised in luxury! How could she possibly have survived until today?! This girl must be an impostor!"

"Benjamin! What exactly are you implying?!"

"Marquis, everything I'm saying is for the sake of the Duke family! She may very well have some hidden scheme! Besides, we still haven't confirmed whether she's truly Miss Xia'er. If you make her the heir just like that, do you honestly think the branch families will agree?"

As he spoke,

Benjamin pointed through the window toward the cemetery.

"I propose..."

"That we take this girl to meet the Guardian Beast!"

"The Guardian Beast can see through the soul itself!"

"If she truly is Miss Xia'er..."

"Then the Guardian Beast will recognize her!!"

Benjamin's voice gradually became twisted and sinister.

Hearing those words,

both Xiumu and Avnora fell into brief silence.

They looked toward Yumo with conflicted expressions.

Although, in their hearts, they had already accepted Yumo as their granddaughter,

they still lacked this final confirmation.

If she truly was Xia'er,

everything would be fine.

But if she wasn't...

wouldn't they simply be sending this child to her death?

After all,

that Guardian Beast was hardly a merciful creature...

For a moment,

the Marquis and Marchioness hesitated.

However,

to everyone's surprise,

the pink-haired girl, who had remained quietly nestled in Avnora's embrace until now, slowly spoke.

"Um..."

"I... I... I'd like to go."

"Xia'er?!"

Avnora couldn't help crying out in alarm.

In response,

the pink-haired girl met Avnora's gaze directly.

For once,

her voice carried unmistakable determination.

"I want to try."

"I want to know..."

"Whether I really am this family's child."

As she spoke,

Miss Yumo revealed an almost imperceptible mischievous smile.

From the conversation just now,

Yumo had already realized that the identity of "Xia'er" would bring her quite a bit of trouble.

Not only would she suddenly become a Crown Princess candidate,

but these so-called grandparents were also unwilling to let her accompany Mengxi back to the Asumos Church.

That completely contradicted her original objective...

In that case,

although she did feel somewhat sorry for this family,

she had to make them understand that she truly wasn't their granddaughter.

With Mengxi present,

revealing the Shadow of Silence Power was obviously inappropriate.

So...

why not simply make use of that Guardian Beast?

Wasn't it supposed to see through people's souls?

If so,

it should be able to determine that she wasn't this so-called "Xia'er," shouldn't it?

Hehe...

I'm actually pretty smart~

Miss Yumo couldn't help laughing to herself.

At the same time,

Benjamin, upon hearing Yumo agree,

couldn't suppress a cruel smile.

Heh...

You're seeking your own death...

Benjamin knew perfectly well that the real Xia'er couldn't possibly have survived.

Even if, by some one-in-ten-thousand miracle, that girl had somehow lived and returned to the Marquis's estate...

he still had ways to ensure she died beneath the Guardian Beast's jaws.

'Sorry, little girl.'

Benjamin muttered inwardly,

without the slightest trace of guilt.

?

Hm?

As that eerie smile spread across his face,

Benjamin's peripheral vision happened to catch the breathtaking silver-haired girl leaning quietly against the wall.

Mengxi's beauty—

a masterpiece worthy of the Creator Himself—

made Benjamin's entire body stiffen.

But the next instant,

his brows knitted tightly together.

Wait...

Silver hair.

Purple eyes.

And she's wearing the armor of an Asumos Church knight...

Could this girl...

be the very target those fanatics from the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church are trying to kill?