The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 120

I was quietly reading in my room.

Then—

“Miss!”

Jessie burst through the door, calling out to me.

Her loud voice made me frown slightly as I said, “You’re making my head ring, Jessie. Keep it down.”

“Ah! I’m sorry. But that’s not what’s important right now—”

Jessie continued, flustered and rambling, “The Duke has returned. And he brought someone with him, and that someone— Oh my. I’m shaking so much right now I can’t even talk properly.”

Unable to understand a word of what Jessie was saying, I first calmed her down.

“Jessie. Speak slowly.”

“Ah, y-yes. The Duke brought an incredibly beautiful guest. And do you know who she is? Oh my! Oh my!”

At first, she seemed to heed my advice, but the more she talked, the more exaggerated she became.

Still, it was better than before, so I understood what she was trying to say.

The Duke, who said he would stay at the palace for a few days, had returned to the mansion with a guest.

Judging by Jessie’s excitement about the guest being beautiful, it must be a woman.

“Miss, do you know who the guest is?”

I scoffed at her question.

What does she take me for? With this many clues, does she think I can’t figure out who the guest is?

A beautiful woman brought by the Duke.

“Answer: Stepmother,” I replied with full confidence.

The Duke… I thought he still longed for his late wife, but it seems a new breeze has begun to fill his heart.

But I was completely wrong.

“Huh? Miss, why would you think that? You know the Duke only has eyes for the late madam!”

Jessie waved her hands, denying my assumption.

I made a displeased face. So I misjudged him. I must’ve underestimated the Duke’s loyalty.

“Princess Karolea! The guest the Duke brought is Princess Karolea!”

Jessie practically shouted at me, clearly overwhelmed with excitement.

Princess Karolea?

Hearing the name again, after it came up during breakfast, I tilted my head.

Why did she come to the Duke’s residence?

Sure, I’d heard the delegation from the kingdom was arriving today, but could the princess really be part of it?

“Miss, let’s go downstairs! We have to greet the princess quickly!”

Jessie seemed thrilled to meet the princess.

I frowned slightly. Unlike Jessie, it didn’t seem like such a big deal to me. I’m a demon and the Lord of Contracts—do I really need to receive the princess of some human kingdom?

Honestly, I outrank her.

But of course, Jessie had no way of knowing what I was thinking.

In the end, unable to withstand her pestering, I followed her down to the first floor.

The mansion’s lobby was buzzing with activity.

The attendants who came with the princess were unpacking her luggage one by one. On top of that, every servant in the mansion had come out to welcome the royal visitor.

At the base of the stairs, I paused for a moment.

Standing in the center of the lobby was a woman I’d never seen before.

The one called Princess Karolea was a beauty, even by my standards.

Thick chestnut hair cascading to her waist and intelligent blue eyes.

But what shocked me wasn’t her appearance.

What shocked me was…

“Lilith?” I muttered softly.

I felt a familiar magical energy coming from Princess Karolea.

It was the magic of Lilith, the Lord of Jealousy.

Could she be Lilith’s contractor?

They said the previously unnoticed princess suddenly seized power one day.

When someone changes that drastically, it’s usually because of a life-altering event.

Like making a contract with a demon.

But something about her didn’t sit right.

I’ve known Lilith for six hundred years.

That unique aura she carries—domineering, yet impossible to look away from.

This princess had a similar presence.

Even if she were Lilith’s contractor, could she really exude the same atmosphere?

While I was pondering this—

[Lilith: Bella, it’s been a while.]

“……!”

A familiar voice echoed in my head, and I jumped in surprise.

It was Lilith. The woman in front of me was Lilith!

The moment I realized it, my heart began to race.

I rushed down the stairs, practically leaping. People whispered as they saw me, but I didn’t care.

And when I reached Lilith—

“I missed you,” I whispered and threw myself into her arms.

***

“Isabella! What kind of rudeness is this!”

Everyone at the mansion was stunned by my sudden action. Especially the Duke, who had been standing next to the princess—his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

“Duke Dunkeld. It’s alright. It seems the young lady saw me and was reminded of someone.”

Lilith stroked my head gently and offered an explanation in my place.

Well, it was true there had been no connection whatsoever between Princess Karolea and Isabella before now.

Just this morning, I’d claimed not to know who Princess Karolea even was.

Since the princess responded calmly, the Duke spoke to me in a softened tone compared to earlier.

“Isabella, let the princess go now.”

“No.”

I hugged Lilith even tighter.

It was obvious how this must look in the Duke’s eyes.

“You! What do you think you’re doing!”

Unable to raise his voice properly in front of the princess, the Duke stomped in frustration and tried to pull me away from Lilith.

But I snorted and nestled back into Lilith’s arms, and he failed.

“Duke Dunkeld, please show us to a spare room where the young lady can calm down. I’ll try to soothe her.”

In the end, the Duke complied with Lilith’s request and led us to a vacant room.

As soon as the door closed, I called out her name.

“Lilith! I missed you!”

“Bella. I imagined you must have struggled quite a bit in the Middle Realm, but your complexion looks good. I’m glad.”

Lilith spoke while softly stroking my cheek with her left hand.

Normally, I hated being touched by others…

But Lilith was an exception.

I had long since prepared questions I would ask her if we ever met again.

Why hadn’t she noticed my absence? Was it really her who put me in this body?

And if it was, what was her reason?

But now that I was face to face with her, those questions could wait.

I was simply too happy to see her again.

I embraced Lilith once more.

Princess Karolea was tall and had a well-trained physique. Meanwhile, Isabella had the slender frame of a typical noble lady.

Thanks to that, I fit perfectly into Lilith’s arms.

As she stroked my hair, Lilith said, “Belial told me. That our youngest said she missed me. When I heard that, I couldn’t wait any longer.”

That Belial… I always thought he was completely useless, but it seems he can be helpful in times like this.

Next time I see him, I’ll hold back on calling him a fool—once.

I muttered haughtily to myself.

I slowly examined Lilith’s body. Upon closer inspection, it was a human body.

So Lilith was currently in a similar state to mine. The only difference was, she had entered this body voluntarily, unlike me.

“Lilith, who is this human?”

“My contractor. I’m just borrowing her body for a while.”

“The princess was your contractor?”

“Lea is a human who reeked of jealousy. It was such a vile stench it piqued my interest.”

“So the reason she suddenly seized power was…”

“Thanks to the contract she made with me.”

Lilith briefly explained how she and the princess had formed their contract.

The princess had been consumed with envy toward her siblings but lacked the strength to surpass them.

However, the depth of her jealousy left a strong impression. A few years ago, it was enough to draw Lilith’s attention.

By chance, she formed a contract with the Lord of Jealousy. Using the power she gained, she eliminated her siblings one by one.

And that’s how the princess rose to her current position.

It was roughly what I had guessed, so I nodded.

“I didn’t know you were so interested in the Middle Realm that you’d take a human contractor.”

“Bella, you’re the odd one. There’s not a single Lord who has no ties to the Middle Realm. The fact that you stayed in the Demon Realm all this time makes you the unusual one.”

“…I see.”

“Well, now I’d say you’re more involved with the Middle Realm than any other Lord. I guess playing house with a family really suited you.”

I flinched at Lilith’s words.

Playing house, huh. She was clearly talking about Gabby and the Duke.

Her words suggested she had known about my situation all along.

My excitement at being reunited with Lilith began to subside, and rationality slowly returned.

Long or short, depending on one’s perspective—my lifetime had always included trust in Lilith.

Even now, in this very moment, I was certain she wouldn’t harm me.

Still, I needed to clear up my suspicions.

I opened my mouth.

“Lilith, was it you who made the contract with Isabella?”