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

As the cloaked leader lowered the massive warhammer and knelt before the pink-haired girl, the ghostlike figures surrounding them also dispelled their disguises one after another, revealing the graceful, enviable figures hidden beneath their black coats.

Moments later, the female assassins gathered around the prison wagon and, as though by prior agreement, all dropped to one knee before the pink-haired girl.

The killing intent and icy aura surrounding them...

Vanished the instant they approached her.

In their place remained nothing but genuine warmth...

And even a faint trace of... trying to act cute?

Regardless—

The sudden turn of events left Duo'er and the other maids utterly dumbfounded.

They stared at one another in complete bewilderment.

W-What's going on?

Huh?!

Am... am I hallucinating?

Watching this group of terrifying killers—who had effortlessly crushed the Royal Knights—suddenly kneel respectfully before their young lady, Duo'er instinctively pinched her thigh as hard as she could.

The sharp pain immediately told her...

She wasn't dreaming.

These people...

Had really knelt before Miss.

And with such reverence.

The problem was...

Who were they?

Had some other noble family from Wind Facing City sent reinforcements?

But...

So many female assassins?

There was no organization like this anywhere in Wind Facing City.

Besides...

These women had defeated the Royal Knights with absurd ease.

Who... exactly are they?

Countless questions flooded Duo'er's mind, nearly causing her brain to shut down completely.

Among them...

The thing that confused her most was how the cloaked girl had addressed her mistress.

"Lady Yumo?"

Was... was that Miss's name during the years she wandered outside?

Did she know these people before?

Unable to understand, Duo'er slowly turned around and looked at the pink-haired girl she had been trying so desperately to protect.

Her eyes were filled with shock.

"M-Miss Xia'er... what's... what's going on?"

She couldn't help voicing the question tormenting her.

The other maids did the same, all turning puzzled gazes toward Yumo.

In response, Yumo smiled softly.

With a hint of apology, she gently rubbed Duo'er's head.

"Sorry... Umm..."

"I'll explain everything to you later."

"I can't really explain it properly right now."

"M-Miss...?"

Looking at the pink-haired girl, whose demeanor was completely different from usual, Duo'er could only stare in astonishment.

Before she could think things through—or ask anything else—

Several crimson Blood Butterflies silently fluttered over.

"Huh?"

As the girl let out a small cry of surprise, pale golden powder drifted gently from the butterflies' wings.

The instant Duo'er inhaled the sleeping powder...

An overwhelming wave of drowsiness flooded her mind.

"M-Miss..."

"W-What's... happening..."

She struggled for a brief moment.

Then...

Under Yumo's slightly guilty gaze...

She quietly fell asleep.

The other maids beside her likewise soon drifted peacefully into dreams.

Once the girls had been taken care of—

Crimson light rippled around Yumo's body.

Surrounded by countless Blood Butterflies...

Her body dissolved and reformed.

The disguise disappeared.

Once again, she became the breathtaking black-haired girl she had always been.

The elegant black dress woven from memory fibers once more wrapped itself around her graceful figure.

After releasing Disguise Mode, Yumo smiled toward the small figure still kneeling before her.

"Xiaotong."

"How many times have I told you?"

"You don't have to be so formal in front of me."

"Come on, get up."

Hearing that—

The cloaked girl hesitated briefly before finally standing.

She raised a hand and removed her hood.

A delicate face, as lovely as carved jade, appeared beneath it.

Long pink-and-white gradient hair cascaded over her shoulders.

Several loose strands framed her face, making her appear even gentler.

Her eyebrows curved like crescent moons.

Her clear golden eyes sparkled like brilliant stars.

Combined with her slightly chubby cheeks...

She was unbelievably adorable.

This charming little girl...

Was none other than Qiu Mingtong, who had come under the Black Rose Duke's orders to rescue Yumo.

Standing before Yumo—

All the murderous aura that usually surrounded Qiu Mingtong vanished without a trace.

The decisive commander who dominated battlefields disappeared entirely.

In her place was an adorable little girl who lowered her head guiltily.

"We're very sorry, Lady Yumo."

"We arrived too late..."

"You suffered because of us..."

As she spoke, she shot a vicious glare toward Abike, who was lying unconscious nearby with one of the female assassins casually stepping on his head.

Yumo merely smiled unconcernedly and reached out to pat Qiu Mingtong's head.

"What are you thinking?"

"What could they possibly have done to me?"

"Even if you hadn't come, I was already planning to teach those knights a lesson myself."

"But since you did come..."

"You saved me quite a bit of trouble."

"Oh, right..."

As though sensing something, Yumo happily raised her head toward the dark forest in the distance.

"Xizhi came too?"

"It's been such a long time~"

She cheerfully waved toward the woods.

The next moment—

Orange-red light shimmered through the trees.

A black-haired girl with dragon horns slowly stepped into view.

It was none other than Zhong Xizhi...

Leader of the Nightingale Organization.

At the moment...

She was dragging three unconscious Royal Knights behind her.

Having spent years learning beside Xiao...

Xizhi had always acted cautiously.

To ensure the mission's success, while the Nightingale assassins and Qiu Mingtong attacked the Royal Knights, Xizhi had remained responsible for monitoring the surroundings and preventing anyone from escaping or using communication crystals.

The three knights she carried...

Had all been intercepted while trying to flee for reinforcements.

As for these scum who had dared insult Lady Yumo...

Xizhi wanted nothing more than to grind every one of them into dust.

Then grind the dust again.

Unfortunately...

This operation required complete secrecy.

They couldn't afford to alert the Royal Knights stationed elsewhere inside or outside the gorge.

If these knights died, their Soul Orbs would shatter.

The Seventh-Tier commander leading the main force would immediately notice something was wrong.

Of course...

With Lady Yumo present, defeating a Seventh-Tier opponent would have been effortless.

Even so...

As one of her subordinates, Xizhi refused to let Yumo dirty her own hands.

That would simply be too disgraceful.

However—

The instant she heard Yumo calling her—

Xizhi immediately abandoned those thoughts.

She casually tossed the unconscious knights into a nearby pile of rubbish.

Then—

With a single blink-like movement—

She appeared right before Yumo.

"Lady Yumo!"

"It's been so long!"

she exclaimed excitedly.

Then, with remarkable obedience, she lowered her head and happily enjoyed Yumo's gentle patting.

Truthfully...

Right now Xizhi dearly wished she were several decades younger.

If she were...

She could shamelessly throw herself into Lady Yumo's arms and act spoiled again.

Lady Yumo in human form...

I want cuddles...

Although countless fantasies raced through her mind...

Her expression remained perfectly serious.

"Lady Yumo..."

"You're alright, aren't you?"

"Those damned knights didn't bully you, did they?"

"Sigh..."

"What are you even thinking?"

Yumo couldn't help laughing helplessly after hearing the exact same question again.

Sometimes...

These children seemed to treat her like a child.

Or perhaps...

Like some fragile treasure that needed constant protection.

Honestly...

They all knew perfectly well how strong she was.

Even if she simply lay there and let those Royal Knights attack her...

They wouldn't even be able to break her defenses.

"I'm fine."

"I'm perfectly alright."

"There's no need..."

"...Actually, never mind."

"Let's not dwell on that."

As she spoke, Yumo turned toward the dozens of beautiful young women kneeling nearby.

Her eyes paused on the crimson bird emblem embroidered on their belts.

Curiosity flickered across her face.

"By the way..."

"Who are these girls?"

"Oh!"

"Them?"

The moment Xizhi heard the question, her face lit up.

Like a child eager to show off her accomplishments, she beamed brightly.

"They're members of the Nightingale Organization!"

"The Duke funded us over ten... Hmm?!"

Before she could finish—

Qiu Mingtong immediately panicked.

Standing behind Yumo, she desperately gestured at Xizhi with her eyes.

Actually...

She didn't even need the reminder.

Xizhi had already realized what she'd almost revealed.

Seeing Lady Yumo again after so long had left her so excited that she had nearly let the truth slip.

Fortunately...

With years of experience, Xizhi instantly pretended she'd bitten her tongue from excitement.

After stammering for a moment, she smoothly continued,

"They're the intelligence organization Saiboke-Baniya mentioned to you before."

"It was established a few years ago to gather information."

"Oh?"

Interested, Yumo carefully looked over the girls.

Only now did she realize...

Some of them were actually children she had once met in the Great Winter Forest.

Time had changed them so much—and the veils hid their faces so well—that she hadn't recognized them immediately.

"But it's only been a few years."

"They're already this well-trained?"

"They even defeated the Royal Knights so easily."

"That's impressive."

Besides...

An intelligence organization?

Their martial prowess is this ridiculous?

Yumo couldn't help complaining inwardly.

"Hehe~ (❁´︶`❁)"

Hearing Yumo's praise, Xizhi couldn't suppress her delighted laughter.

Her heart overflowed with excitement.

Yet beneath that joy...

There was even greater relief.

Holy crap...

That was close.

I almost blew our cover...

After all...

Although the Black Rose Family had only informed Lady Yumo in recent years about their intention to establish an intelligence network...

The truth was quite different.

To keep the information about the "protagonist's group" hidden from Yumo while pretending they hadn't found anything, the Duke had deliberately concealed the Nightingale Organization's existence from her.

Even after the organization had been established...

They'd constantly claimed that unrest in the southeastern Sadik Empire was delaying its development.

Only in recent years had the Duke changed plans and finally told Yumo that Nightingale existed.

But no matter what—

The fact that the organization had actually been founded over a decade ago...

That they had secretly gathered intelligence behind Yumo's back...

Created chaos across multiple nations...

Undermined human unity...

And even carried out assassinations targeting the "protagonists"...

Absolutely could not be allowed to reach Lady Yumo's ears.

Under no circumstances could Lady Yumo discover that they had been deceiving her all this time.

Thus—

Putting on a proud smile, Xizhi declared,

"That's right, Lady Yumo!"

"Everyone has been working incredibly hard to become the finest intelligence agents possible!"

"I see."

"Very nice."

"Mm..."

"You've all worked hard."

"Oh, right, Xizhi."

"Didn't Qiu Mingtong say you were on a mission in the Crimson Leaf Empire before?"

"So why did you suddenly come back?"

"...Don't tell me you returned just to rescue me?"

"Ah, not exactly."

"I mainly wanted to see you, Lady Yumo. Hehe~"

"And another reason..."

"We received new instructions from the Duke."

"Instructions?"

"What kind?"

"It's... a bit complicated."

"In any case..."

Xizhi glanced at the unconscious Royal Knights scattered around the devastated campsite before continuing,

"Lady Yumo."

"We should leave this place first."

"I'll explain everything afterward."

"If that captain notices what's happened..."

"It could become troublesome."

"Alright."

Yumo nodded slightly.

"Oh, right, Lady Yumo."

"What should we do with these people?"

Xizhi asked curiously, looking toward the unconscious maids beside Yumo.

"As for them..."

Looking at the sleeping Duo'er and the others, Yumo sighed helplessly.

Thinking of how desperately they had tried to protect their fake young lady...

She couldn't help softening.

"Bring them back."

"And take good care of them."

"Understood, Lady Yumo."