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

In order to preserve what little dignity she had left, Yumo hurried into the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and secretly cleaned away the lingering traces of her body's embarrassing reaction.

Damn it... How can I, a building, even have this kind of reaction...?

Miss Yumo couldn't help grumbling to herself.

Only after putting on the fresh underwear Blood Butterfly had brought her did she finally let out a relieved sigh.

Unfortunately...

The moment she opened the bathroom door, Yumo realized she had relaxed far too early.

As soon as the door swung open, she found five young and beautiful maids standing neatly outside. Led by Duo'er, the group immediately surrounded her without a word and dragged her away to begin a lengthy session of dressing and grooming.

Black lines practically appeared across Miss Yumo's face.

Over the past few days, she had finally come to understand just how troublesome the daily routine of noble ladies truly was.

Every single morning consisted of washing up, bathing, changing clothes, styling hair, and countless other complicated procedures, to the point where Yumo was beginning to feel slightly irritated.

The maids, however, seemed to enjoy every second of it, each wearing a bright, delighted smile.

And somehow...

At some point, Mengxi had actually slipped into the group of maids?!

She had completely treated Yumo like a dress-up doll, changing her into seven or eight different outfits first thing in the morning.

...Why does this feel strangely familiar??

Watching Mengxi happily smoothing out her skirt beside her, Yumo couldn't help thinking that.

The reason it felt so familiar was because, back in the Great Winter Forest, she herself had been just as obsessed with dressing up the childlike heroine.

Seeing the beautiful silver-haired girl wearing one adorable outfit after another had filled Yumo with endless delight.

And, admittedly...

Out °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° of pure selfishness, she had even tricked Mengxi into trying on several rather seductive outfits.

Even now, Yumo still vividly remembered Mengxi wearing that bunny-girl costume while adorably acting cute.

Although she had enjoyed herself immensely at the time, she had quickly stopped dressing Mengxi in revealing clothing.

On one hand, the hollowed-out lingerie, thong underwear, and similar garments Saiboke-Baniya had prepared were simply far too hentai.

On the other hand...

Mengxi's eyes had been far too pure.

Making such an innocent girl wear those kinds of clothes just didn't feel right...

Besides, whenever Yumo picked up one of those overly provocative outfits, she always felt an inexplicable chill running down her back.

She had developed a strange premonition...

If she ever actually dressed Mengxi in those clothes, sooner or later, every single one of them would probably end up being worn by herself.

So...

Yumo had given up.

Forget it.

No point bringing up things that would never pass censorship.

In any case...

The current dressing scene was almost identical to what had happened back in the little wooden cabin.

The biggest difference, of course, was that their roles had completely reversed.

Now she was the doll being dressed however others pleased.

Still...

She had to admit...

Mengxi's taste was genuinely excellent.

Looking at the exquisitely adorable little girl reflected in the mirror, Yumo unconsciously revealed a sweet smile.

With Mengxi and Duo'er's help, she was now wearing a delicate pink-and-white off-shoulder princess dress.

The adorable gown radiated both romance and luxury.

Its lace trim gave off an elegant, graceful beauty, soft and dreamlike.

The translucent chiffon skirt revealed and concealed just enough, while her long legs wrapped in white stockings were irresistibly eye-catching.

The floral embroidery across the skirt resembled a flourishing garden in full bloom, with vivid pink roses blossoming brilliantly across the fabric.

The outfit not only highlighted her extraordinary beauty...

It also perfectly displayed the innocence and purity unique to a child.

She's much better at this than I am...

Yumo sighed inwardly.

However...

Just as Miss Yumo was momentarily entranced by her own reflection, Mengxi suddenly wrapped her arms around Yumo's slender neck from behind and happily pressed her cheek tightly against hers.

"Hehe, pretty, isn't it, Xiaomo?!"

As though proudly showing off her masterpiece, Mengxi's voice overflowed with excitement.

In response...

Yumo gently nodded.

"Mm. It's beautiful."

There wasn't the slightest bit of falsehood in her words.

Receiving Yumo's approval made Mengxi's smile become even brighter.

She immediately began playfully pinching Yumo's soft cheeks.

Although it was a shame she hadn't gotten the chance to dress up Sister Yumo in her true teenage appearance...

This little face was still completely irresistible.

She couldn't help wondering...

Would Sister Yumo's real face be just as soft and delicate?

I'm kind of looking forward to finding out~

Meanwhile...

Yumo offered no resistance whatsoever to Mengxi's shameless behavior.

She simply allowed Mengxi to continue kneading her cheeks.

After all, she'd already become used to being treated that way lately.

Not only Mengxi, but the Marquis and Marchioness, as well as the maids who attended her every day, all loved pinching her face.

Yumo had already accepted the fact that everyone treated her like a fluffy plush toy.

Still...

As Mengxi continued pinching her cheeks, Yumo looked toward her with a puzzled expression.

It was certainly a good thing that Mengxi had become so close to her.

That made it much easier for Yumo to stay by the heroine's side and quietly help keep everything on the proper course.

But...

Isn't this... a little too close??

That question surfaced in Yumo's mind from time to time.

She certainly had been doing everything she could to increase Mengxi's affection toward her...

But wasn't it rising a little too quickly?

Mengxi now seemed to treat her like a real little sister.

She stayed by her side all day long.

She insisted on bathing together.

Sleeping together.

Sometimes...

Yumo even felt like the girl wanted to swallow her whole.

How strange...

She had only spent a little over a week interacting with Mengxi in the form of a little girl.

Miss Yumo found the whole situation extremely puzzling.

However...

She had no time to dwell on it.

After finishing the long dressing session, Yumo and Mengxi were escorted by the maids to the dining hall of the Marquis' residence, where they joined Marquis Xiumu-Duke and Avnora for breakfast.

As expected...

The moment they entered the dining room, Miss Yumo was immediately pulled over to sit beside the Marchioness.

—

For the granddaughter who had finally returned home after so many years, Avnora showered her with boundless affection.

She even tried to make up for every bit of love that "Xia'er" had supposedly missed over the years.

As a result, every time they ate together, Avnora insisted on feeding Yumo personally.

Not only that...

Whatever Yumo wanted to eat, Avnora would do everything possible to satisfy her.

For example...

The night before yesterday, after Yumo casually remarked that she wanted to try White Forest Cake after hearing how delicious it was, Avnora immediately dispatched a squad of knights in the middle of the night to the cake shop in the eastern district and practically dragged the owner back to the Marquis' residence to bake one.

In everyone's eyes, Avnora undoubtedly doted on Yumo.

Some might even call it outright spoiling.

Yet no one in the Duke Family objected.

Almost everyone wanted to make up for everything the young lady had lost during the many years she had been missing.

After feeding Yumo her fruit juice...

Avnora lovingly picked up a napkin and gently wiped the crumbs from the pink-haired girl's lips.

"Well? Are you full now, Xiaomo?"

Nowadays, out of consideration for Yumo's feelings, Avnora had temporarily stopped calling her "Xia'er" and instead addressed her as "Xiaomo."

After all, it was obvious that her granddaughter wasn't particularly fond of the name "Xia'er."

Hearing the question...

Yumo smiled politely and respectfully.

"Yes, I'm full, Madam."

"Mad...?"

The moment she heard that form of address, a trace of disappointment flashed across Avnora's violet eyes.

Still...

She quickly buried that sadness deep within her heart.

She understood perfectly well that it would take time before her granddaughter could completely let go of her reservations toward the Duke Family.

Soon afterward, Avnora once again revealed her warm, gentle smile and habitually pinched Yumo's soft little cheeks.

"Then, just as we planned earlier, Xiaomo, I'll be taking you to Count Hekeduo's residence for a tea party. It'll be a good opportunity for you to meet more children your own age. Some of them were even your friends before."

However...

Before Yumo could say anything, Mengxi, who had already finished breakfast and was seated opposite her, slowly set down her teacup and respectfully looked toward Avnora.

"Marchioness, may I accompany you as well?"

"Miss Mengxi? You'd like to come too?"

"Yes. I've heard Count Hekeduo's gardens are exceptionally beautiful, so I'd like to see them for myself."

"I see. If you'd like to come along, then of course that's perfectly fine."

However...

The moment Avnora finished speaking, Marquis Xiumu-Duke, seated at the head of the table, suddenly spoke.

"My apologies, Miss Mengxi, but would you be willing to come to my office this morning?"

"Hm?"

Faced with the Marquis' unexpected request, Mengxi paused for a moment before revealing her signature courteous smile.

"May I ask what this is regarding, Marquis Xiumu-Duke?"

"There are several important matters I'd like to discuss with you."

"They concern Xia... no..."

"They concern Xiaomo."

Mengxi: "..."