The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 113

“Seems like Daphne really did hold me dear,” I muttered to myself.

Then I realized something—Nigel hadn’t asked me a single question.

Not why I was surprised, or why I said what I did.

I was the only one who checked the names on the portraits in this room.

I snapped my head toward Nigel and said, “You… you know something, don’t you?”

“You’re usually clueless about everything, so why are you suddenly so sharp now…”

Nigel didn’t bother denying it.

I swung my foot idly, waiting for Nigel to start explaining.

But no matter how long I waited, Nigel didn’t open his mouth.

Every time he stayed quiet, it had always been for the same reason.

I asked him, “Is this another restriction?”

“Yeah, basically.” Nigel nodded.

At his reply, I scowled and said, “Just who the hell did you make such a damn contract with—”

Then I stopped mid-sentence.

Wait. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

Breaking a restriction wasn’t impossible for me.

As long as I properly utilized the Power of Contract.

I asked the power within me, [What price would I have to pay to break Nigel’s restriction?]

A moment later, the power responded, [Isabella’s life.]

I froze at the price it named.

I had expected the cost to be high—but not this high.

I took a deep breath, trying to organize my thoughts.

Which Isabella was it referring to?

At first, I thought it obviously meant the body I currently inhabited—Isabella Dunkeld.

But then I realized something. Though I’m always called Bella, my name is also Isabella.

[Which Isabella do you mean?]

[……]

The power didn’t answer my question.

I frowned. The Power of Contract didn’t always answer my questions properly.

For certain questions that risked distorting causality, it chose silence.

So I asked something else.

[I want to offer a different price.]

[Isabella’s life.]

[…Are you deaf? Wait, no, you don’t even have ears. You don’t have a form. So why can’t you understand me?]

[Isabella’s life.]

[Hey. Enough with the damn “life” thing already. Have you forgotten I’m your master? Why won’t you—]

[Isabella’s life.]

The Power of Contract isn’t a living being. It’s just a force.

So getting angry at it was pointless.

And yet—

Nigel glanced at my face and asked, “Bella? You’re making a weird face right now.”

“I just fought with myself.”

“Huh?”

“And I lost.”

I was furious. I was the master of the Power, yet I couldn’t wield it freely.

I tried taking another deep breath—come to think of it, how many deep breaths had I taken today?

I couldn’t recall the exact number, but I knew it was more than a few.

That’s enough deep breathing. I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Aaaaaargh!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“Huh. I was starting to think you were unusually good at keeping your cool today,” Nigel muttered as he looked at me with half-lidded eyes.

Only after screaming for a long time did I finally manage to cool the fire boiling in my chest.

With a slightly clearer head, I began to think again.

I had no choice but to give up on using the power to break Nigel’s restriction.

Which meant I had to deduce it myself.

I glared at the portraits on the wall.

Then, suddenly, I recalled something the Duke had once said to me.

“The Graham family had a tradition of naming their daughters Isabella.”

“It’s a name passed down in your mother’s family. A name parents give when they wish for their child’s happiness.”

I hadn’t thought much of it at the time.

I figured Daphne had named her daughter that in memory of our friendship, and that the name had simply continued down to her descendants.

But if that were all it was, why would they gather all these portraits in a single room?

Not to mention that last empty frame.

Could that frame be meant for a portrait of Isabella Dunkeld?

Also—

I looked more closely at the figures in the portraits.

Though their clothes reflected different eras, they all shared one thing in common.

They each wore the same necklace I now held in my hand.

A chill ran down my spine.

Then I tilted my head at my own reaction.

Wait a second… I’m a demon. Isn’t this the kind of reaction only a weak human would have?

In the end, I let out a sigh.

There was barely any information. What deduction could I possibly make?

Turning away from the portrait-covered wall, I left the room.

Nigel quietly followed behind me.

***

Feeling unsettled, I was about to leave the Graham estate right away.

But Nigel stopped me.

“Wait a second, Bella!”

“Hm?”

“Don’t you want to check out the library? In estates like this, the important things are usually kept in the library.”

I raised an eyebrow at Nigel’s sudden suggestion.

“Isabella had a hobby of collecting books. She stored them all here in the estate,” Nigel added by way of explanation.

Come to think of it, he had mentioned before that Isabella sold off her dresses and jewelry to buy books.

I followed Nigel’s lead toward the library.

From the way he walked so familiarly through the estate, it was clear Nigel hadn’t just spent a day or two here.

Then again, considering the underground of this estate had been used as a hideout for demon worshippers, it wasn’t all that surprising.

Speaking of which—

“How’s the demon worshipper group doing these days?” I asked Nigel.

“I’m managing it. And well, these days it’s more like a fan club of people who like demons? It’s completely different from the old demon worshippers. Nothing to worry about.”

At his words, I shrugged.

Even if he didn’t look it, Nigel had lived dozens of times longer than me. He could handle a group like that on his own.

We chatted as we made our way to the library.

The moment we opened the door, the thick scent of paper overwhelmed us.

I scanned the interior. The Graham estate held a considerable number of books.

Nigel dashed off to a corner and waved for me to hurry over.

When I reached him, he casually moved aside a few books, revealing a hidden space in the wall behind the shelf.

Inside were three lone books.

I glanced at him with a sideways look. “Did you scam Isabella?”

Considering she’d sold her jewelry and dresses to collect books, I had expected at least dozens of volumes.

But just three?

Under my sharp gaze, Nigel started to defend himself.

“Do you have any idea how hard it was to get those books? Just owning books like that could get you burned at the stake by the temple.”

“A beastkin afraid of fire. Tsk.”

“Hey! Unlike you demons, we’re weak to fire!”

I completely ignored his excuse and picked up one of the books.

The cover had no title—just sturdy-looking dark leather.

The other books were the same.

Opening the seemingly ordinary book revealed its contents.

The moment I saw the first page, I frowned.

Because—

“The letters are too small and dense.”

Who could even read a book like this? As I grumbled, Nigel let out a dry laugh.

“Act your age for once. Anyway, let’s take those three books to the duke’s house.”

“Hm?”

“We have to read them. They’re books Isabella collected.”

“Do you really think I’d read something that looks this boring?”

“You—!”

Watching Nigel’s face flush red and blue, I let out a satisfied smile.

Teasing him was always fun.

Of course, I was definitely bringing the books with me.

The more I learned about Isabella, the easier it would be to make her family regret everything.

I handed the books to Nigel and returned to the carriage waiting outside.

As soon as I sat down, I picked one of the books and slowly began to read.

And immediately frowned.

Not because the letters were small—but because of the content.

“This is a book about demons.”