The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 21

“And did we come here to fight? Are we here to fight?! We’re here to clean up your mess, and you talk like that?” Gabby’s voice grew louder as his frustration built up. “Ugh! You’re driving me crazy!”

“Lower your voice. My head hurts.” I frowned at Gabby as I spoke.

Gabby’s shouting was annoying, but it seemed like there was a bit of genuine concern for Isabella mixed in, so I decided to let it go.

I spoke to calm Gabby down. “I’ll take care of it.”

“You? How?” Gabby scoffed at my words.

“Trust me.”

“You think I’d trust you? Ugh, forget it. I’ll handle it from now on, so you just stay quiet.”

“How are you planning to handle it?” I asked out of pure curiosity. Did Gabby have some hidden wisdom he’d been keeping to himself?

“When I persuade people, most of them give in. I’m, well, kind of strong, you know. And who knows, we might end up alone in a dark alley someday. To prevent that kind of future, you have to listen to me, right?”

“……”

“No?” Gabby looked embarrassed by his own words.

If you think about it, Gabby’s way of thinking is quite similar to that of the Demon Realm. And somehow, it reminded me of Amon.

“Kid, only weak demons worry about consequences. You have Amon backing you, so do whatever you want! The strongest fist in the Demon Realm! Just trust your big brother! Hahaha!”

According to Lilith, Amon was “an idiot whose brain had atrophied because he solved every problem with brute force instead of using his head.”

Amon always claimed to be my older brother… Hearing Isabella’s brother say something similar made me feel oddly strange for a moment.

I shook off the absurd thoughts in my head.

“Enough. I’ll handle it, so just watch from the sidelines. It’ll be quite the show.”

I patted Gabby’s shoulder and turned away. Gabby seemed like he wanted to say something more, but I ignored him and returned to the room.

I took my seat and got straight to the point.

“I’ve heard something interesting.”

“What do you mean, all of a sudden?” The young marquis asked, puzzled.

The marquis’s daughter—Nadia Clement—did not want to be involved with the crown prince. It wasn’t just a matter of dislike; she felt fear and disgust.

Well, to a noble young lady who had grown up sheltered, a crown prince consorting with demons must seem terrifying.

“Actually, Nadia Clement doesn’t want to be engaged to the crown prince. But her family is forcing her into it. Haven’t you heard such rumors, young marquis?”

“That’s nonsense.” The young marquis frowned as he responded. “Do you really think I’d force my sister into an unwanted marriage, Lady Isabella?”

“Exactly. Just looking at your face, I can tell you’re the kind of person who would sell out your family and sleep soundly at night.”

“……”

“Young duke, can’t you see the greed plastered all over his face?”

I asked Gabby, who was sitting next to me. He tilted his head, clearly wondering if this was really okay. But he still answered my question.

“Yeah, there’s definitely greed written all over it.”

Gabby crossed his arms and settled into a relaxed posture. It seemed that he had decided to let me handle the situation from here on out and just watch.

The conversation shifted back to the young marquis and me.

“Your ugly ambition to gain power by selling off your sister is written all over your face.”

“Do you realize the kind of disrespect you’re showing me right now, Lady Isabella?”

“Disrespect? Anyone with eyes can see it. At the ball yesterday, it was clear your sister doesn’t like the crown prince much.”

“You must have misunderstood, Lady Isabella.”

As befitting a noble, the young marquis knew how to hide his emotions. He defended himself without changing his expression.

“I’m pursuing this marriage for my sister’s sake, not for power. His Highness is an exceptional man in many ways. If she marries him, it would be a blessing for her.”

“The crown prince is exceptional, is he? Then tell me, what are his qualities?”

“Pardon?”

The young marquis hesitated but began listing the prince’s virtues.

“He’s exceptional in every way. His martial prowess, his ability to govern the country—all have been recognized. He has a good character. And his appearance is also quite handsome.”

“So, to you, the crown prince seems very attractive?”

“Well, yes.”

“Oh. Is that it?”

I turned to Gabby, who was sitting next to me and asked, “Young duke, is same-sex marriage allowed in the empire?”

“No?”

Gabby was momentarily taken aback by the sudden question directed at him but answered earnestly.

“I see. Now I understand why you’re so eager to marry your sister off to the crown prince.”

I paused for dramatic effect before continuing, “You love the crown prince.”

As soon as I said it, the atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze once again.

I confidently continued my argument.

“Since same-sex marriage isn’t allowed, you decided to use your sister to stay connected to the crown prince no matter what. Young marquis, what do you think of my reasoning?”

“It’s complete nonsense, but I like it. Keep going.”

Gabby looked at me with sparkling eyes, as if he was about to applaud. Of course, everyone present knew my words were nonsense.

“Make your choice, young marquis. Will you be the one who sells out his sister for power, or the one who harbors forbidden love for the crown prince?”

Sometimes, nonsense can be just as damaging.

A true demon doesn’t only attack with strength. They also know how to use words as weapons.

The young marquis could no longer keep his emotions in check. His face flushed red and then paled.

“You’ve crossed the line, Lady. I won’t let this slide.”

“And what if you don’t?”

“I’ll formally file a complaint, of course. Your already terrible reputation will be dragged even further through the mud.”

The young marquis tried to threaten me.

If the marquis’s family formally accused me, I would certainly be in trouble. But this was precisely why I had pushed Sher so hard.

“Go ahead.”

“Sigh. If you’re going to be like this, I have no choice but to—”

“I’ll report you as well. For attempting to falsely accuse me.”

I tossed the report Sher had given me yesterday onto the table.

The young marquis skimmed through it, his voice trembling as he spoke, “Where did you get this…?”

“A rat told me.”

“You planted a spy in the marquis’s household.”

Not true. It was literally a rat that had informed me. But I didn’t correct his misunderstanding and instead gave him a sly smile.

I wanted him to waste time searching for a spy that didn’t exist after I was gone.

“Your sister was quite careless. Leaving so many traces while buying poison.”

The report detailed the path through which the marquis’s daughter’s maid had purchased poison.

“How much must your sister hate the crown prince to have caused such a scene? And how greedy must you be to try and use that situation to extort me?”

His sister had resorted to poisoning herself to avoid attending the imperial ball as the crown prince’s partner. If this information became public, there would be no chance of her becoming his fiancée.

Instead of suppressing the incident his sister had caused, the young marquis tried to blame me.

He aimed to paint his sister as a victim of an evil woman while simultaneously demanding a hefty sum from the ducal house in the name of settlement money.

The atmosphere in the room shifted dramatically.

“You tried to frame our family’s troublemaker, did you?!”

Gabby was the first to speak up. He grabbed the young marquis by the collar and began shaking him violently.

“Something felt off. Sure, she’s a brat, but she’d never stoop to poisoning someone!”

The young marquis, who was more of a scholar, flailed like a ragdoll in Gabby’s grasp.

I watched the scene for a moment. Even after shaking the young marquis thoroughly, Gabby seemed unsatisfied and turned to me.

“Hey, Isabella. What should we do with this guy?”

“Put him down for now.”

Surprisingly, Gabby obeyed me without argument. I smiled at the young marquis and spoke, “Do you have nothing to say to me?”

“I’m sorry. I must have misjudged things.” The young marquis spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes still filled with arrogance.

“Your apology lacks sincerity, but—oh well. There’s no use in getting an apology from someone like you.”

I shrugged and asked Gabby a question. “Gabby, what do you think the duke would do if he found out about this?”

“If the old man found out—hmm. He’d probably storm the marquis’s estate and tear down a few pillars, at least. And he’s the type to hold a grudge… He might block every single career path for both the marquis’s direct and collateral relatives.”

If it were up to me, I would simply challenge the young marquis to a duel.

Gabby muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

No one could face a sword master in a duel and walk away unscathed.

The young marquis, fully aware of this, grew visibly paler.

“Kneeling might be a good place to start,” I advised him in my own way.