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

At noon, inside one of the major checkpoints outside Skyvault Imperial City, the capital of the Snow Night Empire—

Rumble—

The sudden roar caused everyone at the checkpoint to look up toward the sky in curiosity.

A dazzling white meteor tore across the heavens at an unbelievable speed before hurtling straight toward the checkpoint.

The next instant, as the meteor struck the ground, clouds of dust billowed into the air, accompanied by an overwhelming wave of Holy Aura that instantly descended upon the area. The suffocating pressure caused everyone to instinctively hold their breath, their bodies trembling uncontrollably...

Fear gradually filled the eyes of everyone staring at the brilliant white light.

Fortunately, the violent aura quickly subsided.

With a casual wave from the graceful figure standing within the radiance,

the dense Light-attribute Holy Aura surrounding the area—and the terrifying pressure it carried—vanished without a trace.

As the blinding white light faded, two slender young women appeared before the crowd.

In that instant, nearly every gaze was fixed upon them.

After all...

they were simply too beautiful.

Especially the silver-haired girl, whose beauty resembled that of a divine maiden descended into the mortal world. The moment people laid eyes on her, even the breathtaking scenery surrounding the checkpoint seemed dull and lifeless in comparison.

Quite a few people found themselves tempted to approach and strike up a conversation.

However, after feeling the icy stare cast by the white-haired female knight standing beside her, they quickly abandoned the idea.

As much as they wished to become acquainted with such beauties, they weren't foolish enough to throw away their lives for a pretty face.

In the end, they could only admire the girls' appearances from afar with lingering regret.

—

Feeling the countless gazes filled with various desires converging upon them from every direction, a trace of disdain surfaced in White Yama's azure eyes.

How pathetic...

After once again warning the crowd with a cold glance, White Yama slowly turned toward the expressionless Mengxi behind her.

Upon seeing the girl's exquisitely beautiful face, even White Yama couldn't help showing a hint of envy.

Though mixed with that envy was helplessness.

"Mengxi, I think... next time you should wear a mask."

"I did before."

Mengxi let out a rather helpless sigh.

"...I'll get a new one later."

"Good. So how are you feeling now? You barely got any rest last night."

"I'm fine."

Mengxi slowly waved her hand, signaling there was no need to worry.

"I rested with my eyes closed for quite a while. I'm feeling much better now."

Internally, however, Mengxi could only sigh repeatedly.

She had to overcome this strange condition her body experienced after leaving Sister Yumo's side.

She definitely didn't want Sister Yumo to start thinking she had become some strange child.

Still...

I wonder if Sister Yumo is alright now?

With Sister Yumo's personality...

can she really hide the fact that she's an Abyss Demon?

If someone discovers her...

wouldn't she be in terrible danger?

If I were by her side, I could at least help conceal it...

But now...

No.

If she's with the Black Rose Family, she should be safe...

Rubbing her forehead, Mengxi lost herself in increasingly unsettling thoughts.

Just then—

a slightly hoarse yet magnetic voice, carrying the weight of age, suddenly reached her ears.

The silver-haired girl's delicate body trembled slightly.

"Ah! Mengxi, my dear child! You've finally returned!"

Hm?

That voice...

Following the sound, Mengxi narrowed her eyes.

At that moment—

surrounded by dozens of knights from the Light of the Sun, an elderly man dressed in white-and-gold robes, with flowing white hair and the unmistakable bearing of a "Gandalf," hurried toward her with an excited smile.

The next instant, under the astonished gazes of those nearby, the nearly six-foot-three old man embraced Mengxi directly.

Patting her on the back with obvious "emotion," he exclaimed,

"Ah, my child! Thank goodness you're safe! Do you know how worried I was when I heard you'd been attacked by the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church? Seeing you return unharmed truly is wonderful!"

Worried about me?

More like worried that if something happened to me, your standing within the Church would plummet...

Worried about losing your chance to become Pope...

Mengxi sneered inwardly.

Despite her contempt, however, she maintained an incomparably sweet, deeply moved smile on the surface.

Even her disgust toward the old man's embrace was buried deep inside her heart.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Archbishop Nick."

"No need to apologize, no need at all. It was our responsibility for allowing you to fall into danger."

As he spoke,

Nick turned toward White Yama with a look of righteous anger.

"Bai Xiaozou, have you found the Third Brave, Arela?"

"I'm sorry, Archbishop. We still haven't located her."

White Yama lowered her head respectfully.

Although Nick himself wasn't particularly powerful, he was one of the three Archbishops personally acknowledged by the Pope—and also White Yama's direct superior.

No matter how much she disliked him, she still had to show the proper respect.

"As soon as she's found, send her directly to the Tribunal!"

"Abandoning her post and allowing the Child of Destiny to fall into such danger is an offense that deserves the harshest punishment!"

"Even if she's the Third Brave, there will be no exceptions!"

Nick declared righteously, his voice overflowing with indignation.

Yet...

inside, he was absolutely delighted.

The reason was simple.

The Child of Destiny under his authority had returned completely unharmed.

Nothing could have pleased him more.

At the same time, the two Braves who had abandoned their duties weren't under his command.

That meant he bore no responsibility whatsoever.

Better yet, he could seize this opportunity to weaken the influence of the other two Archbishops, giving himself an even greater advantage in the future struggle for the position of Pope.

Hehe... my lovely little Mengxi, you're truly my lucky star~

Looking at the girl in his arms, Nick chuckled inwardly.

After this...

all I have to do is find a way to bring this little girl together with my foolish son.

Once that happens, she'll be completely tied to our family.

With the title of the Child of Destiny's "father," how could I possibly lose to those other two Archbishops?

Hehe~

Nick's mood became increasingly cheerful.

...

Catching the smile hidden in Nick's eyes from the corner of her vision, Mengxi had already guessed eight or nine tenths of what he was thinking.

A trace of disgust flashed through her lavender eyes so subtly it was almost impossible to notice.

At the same time, feeling the old man's embrace, Mengxi unconsciously clenched her fists.

It felt disgusting.

Completely different from the warmth and comfort she felt in Sister Yumo's arms.

If she didn't need the protection of the Asumos Church, she honestly would have wanted to punch Nick into the sky.

But for the sake of the bigger picture...

she had to endure it.

Putting on another gentle smile, Mengxi suddenly tilted her head as if remembering something.

"Um... Archbishop, isn't it about time for us to enter the city?"

"Oh?"

Only after her reminder did Nick release her and glance at the nearby clock.

"Yes, you're right. It's about time."

Nodding, Nick looked into Mengxi's lavender eyes once more and revealed a warm, "fatherly" smile.

"Hehe, let's continue talking after we enter the city and settle into the guest residence."

Afterward, Nick turned toward the blond young man standing behind him—his son, Felik.

"Felik, inform everyone. Prepare to depart."

"Yes, Archbishop."

After respectfully acknowledging the order, Felik immediately transformed into a streak of blue light and rushed toward the nearby Asumos Church delegation.

Receiving Archbishop Nick's command, the nearly one hundred members of the Asumos Church procession began advancing toward Skyvault, the imperial capital of the Snow Night Empire, under the leadership of White Yama and Felik.

Mengxi also mounted the white warhorse specially prepared for her and rode alongside Archbishop Nick's carriage.

Looking toward the magnificent, boundlessly vast Skyvault City standing just ahead,

an unmistakable look of resistance surfaced within her lavender eyes.

...

...

Dozens of minutes later,

after all the necessary registration procedures and security inspections had finally been completed,

the enormous and majestic gates of Skyvault slowly began to open.

Can this just be over already...

Staring at the massive city gates, Mengxi couldn't help thinking exactly that.

She wanted this tedious entrance ceremony to end as quickly as possible.

After all, she had never liked these cumbersome rituals filled with empty formalities.

At the same time, she silently prayed,

Please don't let that guy show up...

Unfortunately,

it seemed the heavens had no intention of answering her prayer.

As the gates fully opened,

a sea of Royal Knights assembled into a grand welcoming formation immediately came into view.

And the moment Mengxi saw the smiling blond man wearing a crown at the center of the formation—

her expression darkened instantly.

Xue Tianao...

Once the entire Asumos Church delegation had entered the city,

the blond man slowly spread his arms and spoke in a rich, magnetic voice.

"Welcome to Skyvault, honored guests of the Asumos Church."

Mengxi: ...

Damn it...