The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 59

“So, what did you and Lia Green talk about?”

“…I agreed to help with the play.”

I took out the script I had received from Belial and showed it to Jessie.

The Princess and the Nine Dwarfs

That was the title of the play.

“My condition is that you must perform in tomorrow’s play.”

“As a spectator?”

“Do you think I’d make that my bargaining condition? Of course, as a performer.”

Why would he set such a strange condition?

I shook my head.

Jessie looked at the script and let out an exclamation.

“Ah, I know that play! It’s a timeless masterpiece—perfect in every way except for its title.”

“What’s wrong with the title?”

“Well, it includes the word ‘dwarfs,’ but… there’s practically no role for the dwarfs in the play. They barely have any lines.”

“Really?”

“That’s why everyone finds it odd. They can’t figure out why ‘dwarfs’ is even in the title.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“So, if you’re helping with Lia Green’s play, does that mean you’re sponsoring it?”

“Not sponsoring. I’m performing in it.”

Oh my!

Jessie let out an odd squeal and seemed delighted. Then she tilted her head in confusion.

“But miss, are you allowed to perform in a play? The Duke wouldn’t approve, would he?”

She had a point. While nobles attended plays, acting was considered a profession exclusively for commoners.

If I asked the Duke for permission, he’d likely forbid it, saying it would tarnish the family’s honor.

But that wasn’t a problem.

“I’ll perform in secret. And even if the Duke finds out afterward, what can he do about it?”

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

Jessie seemed to accept my reasoning, though she still looked a little puzzled.

“So, what’s your role in the play?”

“I’ll decide that tomorrow.”

I opened the script and began reading from the first page.

After finishing the entire script, my impression was as follows:

“This is considered a masterpiece? The problem isn’t just the title—it’s everything.”

Jessie, hearing my critique, protested, “The story might be a bit provocative, but it’s also philosophical, and there are many iconic lines!”

A bit provocative?

The play begins with a pitiful princess being expelled from the palace by the new queen. The problems start from there.

“In reality, the new queen loved the princess and expelled her to save her.”

The king, in an effort to wake the princess’s mother—cursed into eternal sleep—had decided to sacrifice the princess as an offering.

Upon learning this, the new queen drove the princess out of the palace to save her.

“And to top it off, the new queen turns out to be a man.”

If that level of content is merely “a bit provocative,” I shudder to imagine what qualifies as “heavily provocative.”

“It’s a twist!”

“This isn’t a twist; it’s deception. And how did no one know the new queen was a man?”

There were plot holes everywhere.

“Well, after the princess’s mother fell into the cursed sleep, the king was so devastated that he allowed no one into his chambers. He only took a new queen for political reasons. That’s how the new queen managed to hide his gender.”

Jessie hesitated as she defended the play’s plot.

But there were still too many issues.

“The king is a trash. To break the curse on his wife, he tries to sacrifice his own daughter?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Jessie seemed ready to agree with me, but then…

“But in a way, isn’t he a compelling trash?”

No.

Her comment made me tilt my head in confusion.

“A trashy person is still trash—what do you mean by ‘compelling trash’?”

“I mean, he loved his wife so much that he spent over ten years searching for a way to break her curse! And besides, the king is supposed to be a handsome middle-aged man in the play.”

Jessie added this explanation with enthusiasm

Somehow, it seemed like Jessie’s true feelings were revealed in that last comment… but I decided to ignore it completely.

“If he had accepted his wife’s curse from the start and helped her pass away peacefully, he could have lived happily with the princess and the new queen—oh, wait, that wouldn’t have worked, would it?”

The new queen was a man, after all.

In any case, this play was pure melodrama. I couldn’t help but wonder about the playwright’s mindset.

Disinterested in reading further, I tossed the script onto the sofa and threw myself onto the bed.

…Kkamang.

Blackie, who had been asleep on the mattress, murmured in his sleep as the bed shifted.

The blanket, warmed by Blackie’s body heat, felt soothing and cozy.

“Still, I’m envious, miss. I used to dream of becoming an actress myself.”

“Did you?”

“Yes. But I gave up early when I realized I had no talent.”

“You may not have talent as an actress, but you’re quite skilled as a maid.”

“Oh my, miss, you say the most flattering things.”

Jessie chuckled and continued, “Not just me—many commoners dream of becoming actors. It’s one of the few ways for commoners to gain fame and wealth.”

Her gentle tone was as soothing as a lullaby.

My eyelids grew heavy, and I began to drift off.

“Sweet dreams, miss.”

With those words, Jessie turned off the lights and left the room.

***

The next day.

In the dressing room of the Serenity Theater, an uncomfortable tea time was taking place.

Of course, I was the only one feeling uncomfortable.

“So, this handsome gentleman is a prince?”

Once again disguised as a beautiful woman, Belial asked the question with a delightful laugh directed at Kayden.

Her laughter was so enchanting that it could melt even the coldest of hearts.

However, it seemed that Belial’s beauty had no effect on Kayden. He replied with a strictly businesslike demeanor, “Yes, that is correct.”

Feeling uneasy about the situation, I gnawed on the rim of my teacup and recalled how this tea time had come to be.

Originally, my plan had been to sneak out of the ducal estate and head to the theater unnoticed.

So, early in the morning, I left a note for Jessie and slipped out of my room.

Blackie was sleeping so soundly that I decided to leave him behind.

I climbed a tree in the garden, intending to jump over the wall—

“Saintess, you’re quite skilled at climbing trees.”

—only to be caught by Kayden again.

Despite the early hour, Kayden was patrolling the area around the ducal estate and happened to catch me in the act.

Does possessing a lot of holy power mean he doesn’t need sleep?

In any case, I had no choice but to bring that leech along to the theater.

‘What is Belial thinking?’

“Oh my, Bella, you’re here again with that gentleman from yesterday? Come in, come in.”

Belial’s reaction upon seeing Kayden was peculiar.

Although Belial had offered to serve us tea, he completely ignored me and focused all his attention on Kayden.

It was only after I stared daggers at Belial for a long while that he finally glanced in my direction.

‘What are you scheming?’

I silently mouthed the question, but Belial responded with a crescent-moon smile that was charming enough to captivate both men and women alike.

“Ugh.”

It made me nauseous.

“Are you alright?”

Unfazed by Belial’s beauty, Kayden immediately expressed concern upon seeing me gagging.

Of course, his concern was purely for the “Saintess’s” health.

Belial observed us with a strange expression on his face.

[I’ll need your cooperation.]

Suddenly, Belial’s voice echoed in my head.

I glanced at Kayden. His face showed no sign of having noticed anything. It seemed he couldn’t detect this level of magical interference.

I asked Belial in my thoughts, [What do you want?]

[I was inspired by what you said yesterday. Our youngest is posing as a Saintess and committing blasphemy—how marvelous! This big sister can’t just sit by and do nothing, can she? So, I’ve been thinking.]

That damned “big sister” nonsense. I gritted my teeth.

Whenever Belial had “ideas,” the results were never good.

As expected, Belial had arrived at a bizarre conclusion.

[I’m going to seduce a holy knight.]

[You lunatic.]

I immediately cursed at him. Belial smirked, lifting one corner of his lips.

[But it’ll be fun, won’t it?]

Well, yes.

Watching a holy knight bewitched and rendered senseless by a demon would certainly create an amusing spectacle of blasphemy.

[If I’m going to seduce someone, it should be the best holy knight around. I’ve asked around, and apparently, that man is the one. Will you help me, Bella?]

I glanced sideways at Kayden, who was sitting next to me.

Helping Belial would be advantageous for me too.

I could successfully get rid of the temple-assigned “guard” who was both watching and protecting me.

And I’d get to witness an entertaining scene.

But…

[Why does this feel wrong?]

A demon’s instincts are usually accurate.

Of course, they’re not always correct.

[If they were infallible, I would have sensed that Zachary wanted to kill me.]

Still, they’re generally reliable, so I trusted my instincts.

I answered cautiously.

[Is this a trade? If I help you, does that mean I won’t have to perform in the play?]

Belial pondered for a moment before shrugging.

[Hmm. Fine. He seems trickier than most humans, but a little extra effort should do the trick.]