The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 107

The Duke paused briefly, then cut off the High Priest’s words.

“The ducal estate’s garden is famous for its roses. Isabella, take His Highness for a stroll.”

Huh?

I looked at the Duke with questioning eyes, unable to understand his intention.

Then he quickly whispered in my ear, “I’m going to summon Gabriel… but it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to appear in front of the prince.”

Ah.

If Gabby caused a scene, it might indeed get a bit ugly.

The Duke didn’t care about the temple’s gaze, but he was loyal to the imperial family—so it made sense that he wouldn’t want that side of things exposed before the prince.

Especially considering that Gabby was the future successor of the ducal house.

I nodded to show I understood and stood up.

“You get up too, prince brat.”

I saw the Duke grit his teeth at my choice of words, but I pretended not to notice.

At my words, Kayden looked at the High Priest, as if asking for permission.

“Go on. Enjoy your time with the Saintess.”

With a gentle smile, the High Priest gave his permission.

Kayden rose from his seat and reached out to escort me.

I ignored his hand and walked out of the drawing room. Kayden silently followed behind.

It was also my first time seeing the ducal estate’s garden. When we arrived, I paused momentarily at the sight that spread before me.

In the Demon Realm, anything brightly colored was usually poisonous. So gardens overflowing with vibrant red blossoms like this simply didn’t exist.

“The garden is just as beautiful as they say.”

Hearing Kayden’s voice beside me, I had no choice but to agree.

We strolled the garden for a while. It was Kayden who broke the silence first.

“It seems Lord Theodore cares deeply for you.”

At the unfamiliar name, I tilted my head and asked, “Theodore? Who’s that?”

“…He would be your father.”

I couldn’t hide my moment of shock.

Come to think of it… Had I really gone all this time not knowing my own father’s name?

Unbelievable.

I’d always just called him the Duke or Father, so it never occurred to me to ask his actual name.

I studied Kayden’s expression.

By human standards, wouldn’t it be strange for a daughter not to know her own father’s name?

Kayden remained expressionless, but just in case, I tried to offer an excuse.

“I knew it. There’s no way I wouldn’t know the Duke’s name. I just forgot because I always call him by a nickname.”

“A nickname, you say?”

“…Father. I call him ‘Father’ as a nickname.”

“I see.”

Even I found that explanation absurd, but Kayden seemed to accept it without question.

Then, as if recalling something, he added, “Come to think of it, the Young Duke of Dunkeld once said your nickname was ‘rascal.’”

So that brat Gabby had been saying such things behind my back.

I ground my teeth silently.

I wanted to say there’s no way that could be my nickname, but… given that I’d just called the Duke ‘Father’ as a nickname, I had no choice but to accept it.

“…That’s my nickname.”

“Sounds like a very loving family.”

Was he being sarcastic?

But Kayden’s tone didn’t waver in the slightest.

His expression was just as calm.

Only then did I realize—despite all the signs, the reason Kayden reacted that way.

He simply wasn’t interested in me.

There were people like that. Particularly indifferent to others.

Zachary had been that kind of man. Boundlessly devoted to humanity as a whole, but indifferent to individuals.

Considering all the effort I went through to try and seduce Zachary…

Anyway, that kind of temperament was especially popular among demons.

Demons love conquering those types of humans. To the point that they can’t live without them.

Well, you could call it a twisted taste—but what more can you expect from demons?

“You’d better be careful,” I said to Kayden.

It was a warning not to let a demon ruin his life.

“Have I done something to offend you, Saintess?”

But it seemed Kayden had interpreted my words differently.

Well, I guess it would be hard to grasp the true meaning from what I’d just said.

Still, explaining would require revealing too many secrets, so I decided to let it slide.

Then, recalling what Kayden had said to me earlier, I asked him, “So what do you mean when you say Father cherishes me?”

“You can tell just by watching how the Duke treats you, Saintess.”

“…You must be equipped with extraordinary eyes.”

Though the misunderstanding between the Duke and me had been somewhat resolved, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t particularly cherish his daughter.

“The Duke was the very first to greet us when the High Priest and I arrived to meet you. He must have been worried about you.”

I doubted that. It was more likely because the High Priest was suspicious of my identity.

Rather than worrying about me, he probably didn’t want me saying anything foolish in front of the High Priest.

Of course… perhaps there was some concern for me—or rather, for Isabella—mixed in.

We walked for a while. The roses in full bloom filled the air with a strong fragrance.

‘If I buried a corpse here, the smell of rot would probably be masked by the flowers.’

That might actually come in handy someday…

I shook my head roughly to banish the demonic thought.

Pull yourself together, Bella. You can’t go around committing murder in Isabella’s body.

You mustn’t stain the hands of Daphne’s descendant with blood.

I walked a little longer with Kayden in silence.

Then suddenly, Kayden spoke, “They say the Saintess is the only one who can speak with the Celestial.”

“…Well, that much is a given for a saintess.”

I lied without hesitation. It’s not like Kayden had a way to verify it.

Kayden hesitated for a moment, then spoke again, “Could you perhaps ask Him a question on my behalf?”

His unexpected request made me stop in my tracks and turn to look at him.

For the first time, a flicker of emotion crossed his usually serene face.

Was that… desperation?

I tilted my head. For someone who always seemed so calm to show even that much emotion…

I suddenly became curious about what he was going to ask.

“Go on.”

Kayden spoke slowly, carefully choosing each word, “Can a god love a human?”

A strange question. Never mind why he asked me that…

He didn’t need to ask the Celestial. I could answer it myself.

I asked him instead, “Did you know that the Celestial and the Demon God are brothers?”

“…This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

Again, I thought I heard the word ‘vaguely’ somewhere in there, but I let it go.

I continued, “When the Demon Realm invaded the Middle Realm, the Celestial God sided with the Middle Realm. He betrayed his brother to protect humanity. Isn’t that answer enough?”

“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying, Saintess.”

“A fool might be capable of it. A god loving a human, that is,” I said it plainly.

It was something only someone like me—something close to a god—could say.

Then I realized I’d made a mistake.

‘A saintess calling her own god a fool… probably not okay, right?’

Then again, I could still clearly picture Daphne badmouthing the Celestial whenever she got the chance.

I glanced at Kayden’s expression. He looked deep in thought, not particularly offended by my blasphemy.

Still, just in case, I tried to make an excuse.

“Actually, the Celestial God likes being called a fool.”

“…I see.”

Though his reply came a beat late, Kayden’s expression and tone remained calm.

He didn’t seem to think much of what I’d said. It was the epitome of indifference.

It was as if everything outside of the few topics that interested him was simply erased from his mind.

Well, it wasn’t entirely a lie.

The Celestial God had always found my blasphemy amusing.

Well, to be precise, he said it was ‘interesting.’