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

After issuing her orders to the Black Rose Family, Qiu Mingtong slowly walked over to Miss Yumo’s side. The gigantic warhammer in her hand gradually disappeared back into her spatial ring.

As one of the orphans personally raised by Lady Yumo,

Qiu Mingtong naturally adored her beyond measure. Every time she stayed by Lady Yumo’s side, she felt an indescribable sense of peace and comfort.

This time, however, the moment she approached Lady Yumo, she couldn’t help but frown. A trace of displeasure surfaced in her pale golden eyes.

Of course, the object of her displeasure wasn’t Miss Yumo.

It was the silver-haired girl being so carefully cradled in her arms...

The Child of Destiny.

Or rather, the ”female protagonist.”

According to the prophecy of the Asumos Church, she was one of the chosen destined to defeat Lady Yumo and destroy the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons.

She was also the Black Rose Family’s greatest target for elimination.

If the one in Lady Yumo’s embrace had been Limo, Liyu, or any of the other children, Qiu Mingtong would have accepted it without the slightest jealousy.

But Lady Yumo was holding the Child of Destiny?!

Damn it...

The girl couldn’t help cursing inwardly.

She simply couldn’t understand.

Why was Lady Yumo treating an enemy so kindly?

That girl would eventually bring about her destruction!

Or... did Lady Yumo truly wish to die?

Judging from the way she lived her everyday life, she didn’t seem like someone who had given up on life...

Uh...

Not that she looked like some lifeless palace, either?!

Then why was she so intent on nurturing the Child of Destiny?

She’s the one who’s going to kill Lady Yumo someday! What right does she have to lie in Lady Yumo’s arms?!

With that thought, the look Qiu Mingtong directed toward Mengxi grew colder and colder.

Actually,

The Black Rose Family, together with the other Demon King-class beings, had held countless meetings trying to determine why exactly Lady Yumo wished to die.

Unfortunately, every discussion ended without results.

Every member of the Black Rose Family—even every Demon King-class existence—had tried every conceivable method to coax the truth out of Lady Yumo.

Yet whenever this topic came up, the usually easygoing Lady Yumo would mysteriously become extraordinarily sharp...

There was simply no way to get anything out of her.

Even when asked sincerely and directly, she refused to answer, as though some unspeakable secret prevented her from doing so.

Under normal circumstances, the Black Rose Family and the other little Demon King ancestors should have obeyed Lady Yumo’s wishes—nurturing the protagonist group and helping them eliminate her.

But faced with someone so gentle...

None of them could do it.

In the end, they could only pretend to obey while secretly acting against her wishes.

Before those Chosen Ones could ever threaten Lady Yumo’s life...

They would eliminate every last one of them.

That was their plan.

However...

Man proposes, heaven disposes.

How had this damned Child of Destiny somehow ended up right beside Lady Yumo?!

Now it would be far too difficult to make a move!

Qiu Mingtong unconsciously clenched her fists as she roared inside her heart.

”Hm?”

Just then, her sharp gaze seemed to make Miss Yumo slightly uncomfortable.

The black-haired girl slowly turned her head, revealing a puzzled expression.

”What’s wrong, Xiaotong?”

”N-Nothing at all, Lady Yumo!”

The instant Yumo turned toward her, Qiu Mingtong immediately concealed every trace of hostility and coldness in her eyes.

She once again became the usual expressionless little girl and greeted Miss Yumo with a respectful smile.

As a member of the Black Rose Family—especially someone allowed to meet Lady Yumo—everyone had to undergo a full year and a half of devilish training under the Nightingale organization and Mr. Saiboke before being permitted to enter the Great Winter Forest.

Training in acting.

That’s right.

Body language.

Mental resilience.

Micro-expressions.

Eye movements.

Every detail underwent brutally strict instruction.

Only those who graduated were allowed to meet Lady Yumo.

After all...

The things they did behind her back absolutely could not be discovered by Lady Yumo.

Back when Lord Saiboke went to find Limo and Liyu, he had also used the excuse of taking them out to play while secretly drilling them in acting.

Incidentally,

Because Lady Limo’s acting wasn’t particularly convincing, many of their later operations were deliberately kept hidden from her...

They were afraid she’d blow their cover.

And once the cover was blown...

Everyone would be doomed.

Oh.

Right.

After Lady Yumo obtained her human form, Lord Saiboke had also presented her with an Encyclopedia of Acting.

However...

He had secretly left a number of flaws inside the book.

The purpose was to make it easier for everyone to read information from Lady Yumo’s expressions in the future...

To be honest,

Qiu Mingtong felt that if Lady Yumo ever found out...

Mr. Saiboke probably wouldn’t escape another loving session with the feather duster.

...

In any case,

Thanks to her professional training,

Qiu Mingtong’s acting was absolutely flawless.

Miss Yumo noticed nothing unusual and simply continued treating the Child of Destiny’s severe wounds with the Tear of Nature.

The sight irritated Qiu Mingtong immensely.

Naturally...

She didn’t show it.

”By the way, Lady Yumo.”

”What is it?”

”The golden light Miss Mengxi released just now... was it the same light that originally drove Welt-Sislov away? What exactly was it?”

”That? It’s Divine Protection. I think it’s power left inside the Chosen Ones by the Goddess to keep them safe. Though... judging from what I saw, it can probably only be used once within a short period.”

Recalling the dazzling golden radiance from earlier, Yumo answered honestly.

Toward a trustworthy child like Qiu Mingtong, she had no intention of hiding anything.

”I see...”

After receiving her answer, Qiu Mingtong thoughtfully rested a hand beneath her chin.

A trace of gravity flashed through her adorable pale golden eyes.

Divine Protection...

The Child of Destiny thirteen years ago didn’t have anything like that...

Is it unique to the Child of Destiny?

Regardless,

That golden light possessed terrifying power.

It was enough to grievously wound an Eighth-Tier existence in an instant.

She needed to notify the Duke immediately.

The plan required some adjustments...

Just as Qiu Mingtong was thinking,

Something happened that filled her with overwhelming delight.

?!

Th-This is?!

”Mengxi?!”

Accompanied by Yumo’s startled cry,

The silver-haired girl in her arms {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} suddenly trembled violently.

The next moment, she coughed up a mouthful of blood that splattered across Miss Yumo’s black dress.

Golden cracks rapidly spread across Mengxi’s skin.

As the cracks appeared,

Bright red blood continuously burst from them.

In an instant,

The Mengxi whom Miss Yumo had just cleaned was transformed back into a blood-soaked figure.

”W-What’s happening?! Mengxi?!”

Yumo’s crimson eyes instantly filled with panic and worry.

”W-What’s going on? I-Is this backlash? Divine Power backlash?!”

Watching the beautiful girl cry out in agony,

Miss Yumo bit down hard on her lip.

Beside her,

Qiu Mingtong also wore an expression of shock and panic.

”Divine Power backlash?! W-What do we do?!”

Excellent!

That’s it! Let the backlash kill her! Take her life!!

Qiu Mingtong screamed inwardly once again.

Naturally, as a professionally trained actress cultivated by the Nightingale organization, despite her overwhelming joy inside, her face displayed nothing but anxious concern.

Not a soul could tell that she was practically itching to run outside and set off fireworks.

Feigning panic, Qiu Mingtong hurriedly took various potions out of her spatial ring.

”Lady Yumo! Can these potions help?!”

”No. These potions can’t cure this kind of backlash.”

”T-Then what do we do? Divine Power backlash is far worse than mana backlash! Severe mana backlash alone can kill someone! Divine Power backlash is even worse...”

Hurry up and let her die already!

As she spoke, Qiu Mingtong helplessly lowered her head.

”Unless she receives a large amount of power from the same source, it’ll be almost impossible to resist it. B-But none of us can use Holy Aura. And those heroes from the Asumos Church... who knows where they’ve disappeared to?”

Looking at the silver-haired girl trembling in unbearable pain,

Qiu Mingtong sighed helplessly.

”Without matching power, someone bleeding from every part of their body like this has basically no hope. And the process is unimaginably painful. Lady Yumo... why don’t you help her end—”

However,

Just as Qiu Mingtong was already imagining opening a bottle of champagne,

Yumo interrupted her.

”No.

There is a way.”

”Hm? A way?”

Hearing Yumo’s reply,

Qiu Mingtong froze, completely bewildered as she stared at the black-haired girl before her.

”Lady Yumo... b-but we don’t have any matching power. Even if we searched now, it would already be too late.”

”No need to search.”

”I already have it.”

”...Huh??”

The next moment,

Under Qiu Mingtong’s utterly dumbfounded gaze,

Miss Yumo slowly raised a finger.

An immense, incomparably pure, yet astonishingly stable stream of Shadow of Silence Power gradually gathered at her fingertip.

Then...

She gently pressed that finger against the silver-haired girl’s forehead.

Qiu Mingtong: W-What is this...?

Shit!