The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 133

While I was caught up in those thoughts, the princess spoke to me.

“Lady Lilith told me to give this to you.”

She took a pouch from her robe and handed it to me.

I opened the pouch and checked its contents.

This is…

I momentarily showed a surprised expression.

Inside the pouch was none other than a magic stone.

It was the very same magic stone I had taken from the monster who dared speak so arrogantly to me at the imperial hunting competition.

Thinking it might be useful, I had kept it rather than destroying it, but I never thought I would see it again like this.

The fact that this magic stone was here meant Lilith had touched my belongings…

Well, in the Demon Realm, stealing isn’t considered a bad thing. And she was returning it to me now, so I had no grounds to complain.

Anyway.

The magic stone was darker in color than before. In the past, dark stones had faint swirls within them, like clouds in the sky, but now it was pitch black.

As if someone had infused it with their demonic power.

“……”

I stared at the magic stone in silence for a moment.

My demonic instincts screamed at me to devour it immediately. That’s how powerful the demonic energy inside was.

If I absorbed this kind of energy… even if temporarily, I could wield power many times greater than my current strength.

But the side effects would be enormous as well. If I were consumed by the demonic energy, I would likely lose my reason.

The fate of a demon who has lost reason… the paths differ, but they all end the same.

Eternal rest.

I forced myself to put the stone back into the pouch and asked the princess, “Why did Lilith ask you to give this to me?”

“She said that when the time comes, you will need it.”

That a time would come when I needed this magic stone?

For a moment, I felt deeply unpleasant. Lilith surely knew what would happen if I absorbed it, yet she said that?

The princess glanced at me and cautiously continued, “And she told me to pass on this message as well.”

The princess went on. “It is a demon’s virtue to deal with their enemies with their own hands.”

I stood frozen in place.

It felt like I had just been struck on the head with a hammer.

It was obvious who the enemy Lilith referred to was.

Gabriel.

And yet she told me to deal with him myself.

Even if I am a Lord of the Demon Realm, Gabriel is a being of an entirely different magnitude.

There was no way I could stand against a being who had cultivated his strength for hundreds of thousands of years.

Not by normal means.

I clenched the pouch tightly in my hand. The demonic energy swirling inside the magic stone pulsed vividly in my grip.

Giving me this magic stone was no different from telling me to die.

My initial emotion was fury.

Even if it was Lilith, it was crossing the line to make such a suggestion to me.

But the fury in my chest quickly cooled, turning cold enough to sting.

Only then could I think clearly.

“How am I supposed to meet him? That man should be in the Celestial Realm, no?”

“Lady Lilith left a message regarding that as well. She said that you will be able to meet him in the near future.”

The princess answered calmly.

In the near future?

It wasn’t entirely unexpected.

‘Archangel’s descent at the New Year’s prayer gathering.’

An event I wouldn’t have attended under normal circumstances.

But considering what Lilith had told me, it seemed she wanted me to be there.

Just what is it that Lilith wants?

I clenched the pouch tightly in my hand.

Telling me to personally deal with my enemy while giving me something like this.

Once again, turbulent emotions swept through my mind.

I thought that, just as I cared for Lilith, she cared for me too.

Was all of that just my illusion?

I harshly asked the princess, “Don’t you know what your master truly wants?”

To my question, the princess shook her head and replied, “Lady Lilith is a person whose true thoughts are impossible to read.”

Indeed.

Truly so.

I thought I had known Lilith well until now, but it seems I didn’t at all.

***

I didn’t leave the room right away and continued speaking with the princess.

“Did Lilith care for you?”

Curious, I asked the princess.

She shook her head again. “Lady Lilith doesn’t let anyone get close. But there is an exception, isn’t there?”

“An exception? Who would that be?”

“Obviously, it’s you, Lady Bella.”

The princess spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

In the past, or rather just yesterday, I would have agreed without hesitation upon hearing those words…

I shook the pouch she had given me in front of her face and said, “If you’re a demon’s contractor, you should know how magic stones affect demons, right? Lilith gave me this and told me to ‘deal with my enemy personally.’ Don’t you know what that means?”

Though it was brief, I racked my brain trying to understand Lilith’s intentions.

Even then, it was difficult to grasp what Lilith was thinking.

For a moment, I wondered if she intended to use me to strike Gabriel, but I quickly discarded that idea.

Lilith had never shown any particular hostility toward Gabriel.

On the contrary, she preferred to maintain a smooth relationship with the Celestial Realm.

“It must be a decision she made for your sake, Lady Bella.”

As I fell back into thought, the princess spoke.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Lady Lilith doesn’t usually talk about herself. But when she does, it’s always about you. This might be overstepping, but I’ve often felt that Lady Lilith thinks of you as her child.”

Her child?

It wasn’t exactly an unpleasant thing to hear.

But it couldn’t be.

“No. I don’t see Lilith as a parent.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. If I ever had a parent, the first thing I’d want to do is commit filial impiety. So Lilith can’t be my parent.”

A dream born thanks to Gabby, who goes around committing acts of filial impiety with such flair.

“Ah, I see.”

For a moment, it felt like the princess’s gaze wavered. Must have been my imagination.

Anyway.

The princess continued, “I don’t believe Lady Lilith would do anything to harm you. So why not listen to her advice, Lady Bella?”

She was a contractor who truly cherished her demon.

It wasn’t a bad thing to see.

“If every contractor in the world were like you, that would be nice.”

I spoke honestly from the heart.

“If Lilith ever gets tired of you, tell me. I’ll make sure your end isn’t a lonely one,” I said to the princess.

***

When I returned to my room at the ducal residence, it was already mid-afternoon.

Normally, I would have been happily eating the lunch Jessie brought me.

But.

I just stared at the plate in front of me.

The food on the plate was still steaming and looked delicious, but strangely, I had no appetite.

“Take it away.”

I told Jessie, who was watching me.

“Miss! Are you really feeling unwell? This isn’t good…”

Jessie was visibly anxious at my refusal to eat.

But faced with my firm attitude, she eventually removed the plate.

After that, I didn’t leave the bed for the rest of the afternoon.

My head was a mess, and the fact that I had no one to confide in bothered me more than I expected.

“Nigel. You useless flying beast.”

You said you’d protect me no matter what.

So where are you now when I need you?

Suddenly, I wondered. Did Nigel know that Kayden was Zachary’s reincarnation?

He always says such cryptic things…

I shook my head to rid myself of the thoughts.

I could ask him when he returned.

Right now, my head felt like it was about to explode. I didn’t need any more problems.

I remained deep in thought for a long time.

And finally came to a conclusion.

‘I’ll attend the prayer gathering.’

I have to meet Gabriel. I need to find out what he did to Zachary.

Whether Zachary betrayed me of his own will, or if Gabriel was behind it.

Why Gabriel kept reincarnating Zachary.

…And whether there’s a way to reclaim Zachary’s soul.

This isn’t for Zachary’s sake.

‘I haven’t received Zachary’s soul yet.’

So this is my choice to take back what’s mine.