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

The moment the word slave was spoken,

Avnora was instantly enraged.

To protect Xia'er's reputation, Avnora had long ago issued a strict order throughout Wind Facing City, demanding that every trace of the fact that Xia'er had once been a slave be completely suppressed. Very few people knew about it. The people of the Asumos Church and the members of the Black Rose Family had all agreed to cooperate, so the information blockade had gone rather smoothly.

However,

Avnora never expected that she would hear that word again at today's tea party!

And it had come from the mouth of a baron's daughter?

If even children knew about it, didn't that mean the news had already spread throughout the territory?

It had clearly been sealed away before, so why had it suddenly spread so widely?

While burning with anger, Avnora was also filled with confusion.

But before thinking further, she stepped forward and walked to Yumo's side, intending to defend her granddaughter's reputation. If her reputation were completely ruined, she would never be able to convince the people to accept her as the Marquis' heir. Even if she did not inherit the title, no one would be willing to marry Xia'er.

"What nonsense are you all talking about?! How dare you spread such baseless rumors! Lady Alita, is this how you educate your child?!"

Avnora glared angrily at one of the noblewomen.

At that moment, the immense battle aura within her erupted. Combined with her naturally overwhelming presence, it instantly intimidated everyone into silence. No one dared utter another word.

However,

just as the garden became so quiet that a pin could have been heard dropping,

an uninvited guest suddenly strode into Count Hekeduo's Blue Rose Garden.

Completely unfazed by Avnora's authority, the man spoke with obvious mockery and disdain.

"That young lady isn't wrong at all. The heir of our Duke Family really is a slave~"

?!!

The instant those words were spoken, everyone present held their breath.

All eyes turned toward the pink-haired man dressed in a blue-and-white military uniform. Even Miss Yumo looked at him curiously.

The man was none other than the former heir of the Marquis' family—

Benjamin-Duke.

The Benjamin who had always obeyed Avnora without question was now openly contradicting her in public, leaving everyone utterly stunned.

A trace of anger surfaced on Avnora's face.

"Benjamin! What nonsense are you talking about?!"

"No, no, Madam. I'm not talking nonsense~ Everything I've said is the truth."

As he spoke,

Benjamin arrogantly looked around at everyone present.

"Ladies and young ladies, I'm not making things up. The heir of our Duke Family has long since become tainted. She's completely unqualified to inherit anything! She's nothing but a slave. If you don't believe me, take a look at her ankle! Oh, right, it's wrapped in bandages now, isn't it? Those bandages aren't covering burn scars. They're hiding the slave brand burned into her skin with a hot iron!"

After speaking with righteous conviction,

Benjamin fixed his gaze on the little girl standing behind Avnora's protection.

"Miss Xia'er, would you dare remove your bandages and let everyone have a look?"

The moment those words fell,

everyone's eyes instinctively shifted toward Yumo's ankle.

Although they still hadn't seen the slave mark,

the rumors they had heard before, Benjamin's solemn declaration, and the unusual look on Lady Avnora's face had already convinced them of Yumo's identity.

The expressions in their eyes gradually became increasingly complicated.

Seeing this,

Avnora clenched her fists in fury.

"Benjamin! Just what are you trying to do?!"

"What am I trying to do?! I'm simply letting everyone know the truth. You've deceived the people by allowing someone who was once a slave—someone impure—to inherit the territory. That's something that deserves divine punishment!"

Completely unfazed by Avnora's battle aura,

Benjamin viciously pointed a finger directly at her forehead.

At the same time,

his gaze swept mercilessly toward Yumo like a sharpened blade.

"And you! Don't think a slave like you can inherit the Marquis' family!"

Yumo: ...

I never wanted to inherit it in the first place...

Yumo silently complained to herself.

However,

before she could say anything,

a chilling killing intent had already burst forth from Avnora's eyes.

"So... you're the one who spread those rumors?"

"So what if I am?"

Benjamin admitted it without the slightest hesitation.

"Why would you do such a thing? Xia'er is your cousin! How could you treat her like this?!"

"Her? She's not my cousin at all! She's just a fake!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?!"

"I'm not talking nonsense. She isn't Xia'er at all. She's just someone who happens to look similar!"

"Benjamin! Even Lord Guardian Beast personally confirmed her identity before! She is Xia'er!"

"Who knows what trick she used to fool Lord Guardian Beast! The real Xia'er is definitely dead! There's no way she could still be alive!"

Benjamin roared almost hysterically.

His once fairly handsome face twisted more and more grotesquely with every shout.

"I can't believe a single word you're saying!"

Having already accepted Yumo as her own granddaughter,

Avnora naturally had no intention of believing Benjamin's claims.

"Heh."

Benjamin let out a cold snort.

"It doesn't matter whether you believe me or not. You'll understand soon enough. In any case, I will never allow some filthy girl of unknown origin to steal the title that belongs to me! I've worked toward that title for ten years! I absolutely won't let anyone take it away!"

"You..."

Looking at the man who had become so hysterical,

Avnora narrowed her eyes.

Today's Benjamin, so completely different from his usual self and seemingly driven mad, felt utterly unfamiliar to her.

The anger within her had finally reached its breaking point.

"You've already failed the strength assessment twice. How could we possibly entrust that position to you?"

"I don't need you to give it to me anymore."

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

"As long as all you old fools standing in my way are dead, the title will naturally become mine~"

Benjamin's azure-blue eyes were bloodshot.

His voice was now filled with unmistakable murderous intent.

"Oh, right. And my dear little sister—I plan to send you to Hell as well~ Since you look so much like Xia'er, the two of you should become good friends down there."

Glancing sideways at Yumo,

Benjamin shouted in an almost deranged tone.

"Have you completely lost your mind?!"

Faced with Benjamin's repeated insults and provocations,

Avnora finally snapped.

The tremendous purple battle aura within her exploded violently.

In an instant, her entire body transformed into a streak of lightning that flashed before Benjamin, and she fiercely swung her hand toward his face!

The terrifying thunderous energy and surging battle aura sent the pampered noble ladies and young ladies nearby stumbling backward one after another as they stared at Avnora in shock.

However,

the very next moment,

before Avnora's slap could strike Benjamin's face and knock some sense into him,

the white-armored knight standing behind him suddenly vanished in a flash!

Moving at an astonishing speed,

he appeared directly before Benjamin,

raised his hand,

and caught Avnora's wrist with a firm grip,

forcibly stopping her attack.

The surging white radiance erupting from the knight collided violently with Avnora's lightning-attributed battle aura.

The two powers actually reached a complete stalemate.

Clearly,

the knight who had silently stood behind Benjamin the entire time...

was also a Saint-Class powerhouse?!

"Heh, Madam, there's no need to be so impatient. Young Master Benjamin is correct. That little girl truly isn't your granddaughter."

As he spoke,

the knight slowly removed his helmet,

revealing a sinister face that resembled a withered old tree.

The instant she saw him—

the familiar face that had appeared countless times on wanted posters—

Avnora's expression changed drastically.

Her pupils contracted violently.

"Y-You're... the Archbishop of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church?!"

At that moment,

an overwhelming killing intent,

along with an intense fire of vengeance,

exploded from Avnora's eyes.