The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 65

Belial had his own unique fondness for Bella, the Lord of Contracts.

Though she was a bit arrogant, he was willing to overlook it because she was the youngest. Besides, the commotion she caused wherever she went provided plenty of amusement for Belial, who had grown weary of his long life.

Even now, Bella’s behavior entertained him.

Trapped in a human body and with a portion of her powers sealed, one might expect her to be dispirited or at least cautious in her actions.

From the start, Belial had noticed Bella’s awkward attempts at deception but let it slide because he found it amusing.

“…In any case, there’s definitely something wrong with the youngest’s survival instincts.”

Despite having more than half of her powers sealed, Bella still said and did whatever she wanted, and Belial couldn’t help but worry a little.

Even though no one in the middle realm could match her power, her current state could leave her vulnerable if someone from the celestial realm noticed and decided to harm her.

“I’ll have to keep an eye on her for the time being.”

After all, it would be sad if Bella died. Although a new Lord of Contracts would eventually be born, there was no guarantee that the next one would be as entertaining as Bella. He hoped this delightful youngest would live a long life.

“But what is Lilith thinking?”

Belial murmured quietly.

There wasn’t a single lord unaware of Lilith’s unusual affection for Bella. At the demon realm meeting, Lilith had explained Bella’s absence by claiming she had been sent on an errand.

This meant Lilith was aware of Bella’s current situation.

And yet, Lilith hadn’t come to the middle realm to retrieve Bella. It was almost as if…

Belial’s lips curled into a wide smile.

Whatever Lilith’s plans were, Belial had no intention of interfering.

‘Seeing the youngest like this isn’t bad for me, after all.’

Lilith would never harm Bella, so Belial felt at ease indulging in the play starring Bella. This was a performance orchestrated by Lilith—or perhaps another force who had constructed the stage.

‘Considering that human prince…’

Belial’s expression darkened slightly.

For the young demon Bella, it might be too subtle to notice, but Belial saw it clearly.

‘That’s a soul that couldn’t have been born without external interference.’

For a human soul to possess such immense power, it must have endured countless trials over an extended period.

In any case, another lord who viewed Bella differently came to Belial’s mind.

“Should I inform Dantalion of this situation?”

Belial pondered for a moment.

If Dantalion learned that Bella was weakened and trapped in a human body, he’d undoubtedly cross into the middle realm immediately.

Thinking about the chaos Dantalion, the Lord of Dominion, could create in the middle realm, Belial felt his fingers tingle with anticipation.

“That would certainly be entertaining… but also infuriating in some ways.”

Belial shook his head.

For now, he decided against telling Dantalion about Bella’s situation.

While he welcomed entertaining spectacles, he had no desire to watch Dantalion fawn over Bella.

Even Belial, known for his lack of scruples, had his limits.

“Still, no matter how upset he is about being rejected by Uriel, he shouldn’t take it out on Bella.”

When it came to relationships, Belial had his own principles.

To him, Dantalion’s behavior was utterly pathetic. Choosing Bella as a replacement for Uriel—just because she was the new Lord of Contracts—was unacceptable.

Besides, Dantalion wasn’t ordinary in his twisted ways, so Bella could end up severely harmed.

Unlike the demon realm, the middle realm offered no protection from the Demon King.

“For now, I’ll keep an eye on Bella. Wherever she goes, trouble follows.”

Of course, the reason trouble followed was that Bella caused it herself.

Belial wondered what amusing chaos she’d stir up next.

Humming a cheerful tune, he found himself excited about spending time with the youngest in the middle realm.

***

The moment I stepped out of the room, I froze.

Kayden was waiting for me.

The tears I had seen earlier were gone, replaced by his usual composed expression.

“Allow me to escort you back to the Duke’s estate.”

“You…”

Something about his unnaturally impeccable demeanor felt off, but I held my tongue.

Given how late it was, it seemed unlikely I could visit the demon worshippers’ base tonight, so I decided to return to the Duke’s estate.

Following Kayden, I exited the theater and boarded the waiting carriage.

As the carriage rolled along, I observed Kayden, seated across from me.

His face was as calm as ever, betraying no emotion.

And yet, this man who appeared so composed had been crying just a short while ago.

Breaking the silence, I spoke, “I saw you sitting in the audience earlier. You were watching the play with Gabby.”

“Ah. I ran into the Young Duke in the theater lobby. Originally, he came with other acquaintances to watch the play, but after meeting me, he insisted on sitting with me instead.”

So Gabby going to the play today was just a coincidence. What an unfortunate coincidence…

I shot a glance at Kayden and continued, “I saw you crying during the play.”

“Me?”

Kayden looked surprised at the suggestion that he had cried. After a moment of thought, he replied, “Ah. Come to think of it, my eyes did feel a little sore earlier. That must be why.”

“…So the play was very moving, huh?”

“Not really. I didn’t care for it… sacrificing someone else’s life for one’s own goals is something I can’t understand.”

“Then why were you crying?”

“Sometimes tears come out on their own without me realizing it. It’s not a good look, so I’ll work on fixing it.”

Kayden paused briefly before continuing, “The High Priest says it’s because I’ve committed many sins. He claims my soul feels shame, and that’s why the tears come.”

“The High Priest talks nonsense.”

What kind of sins could a mere twenty-year-old human have committed?

And from a demon’s perspective, Kayden’s soul was pure and spotless. Sins? Please. With a soul like his, he could pass for an angel.

I concluded that he was simply someone prone to tears.

Turning my head away from Kayden, I looked out the window.

***

The carriage arrived at the Duke’s estate, and I headed straight to my room.

The moment I entered, Gabby was there to greet me.

How long had he been waiting for me?

As soon as Gabby saw me, he shouted, “Hey! Are you out of your mind? Of course, you’re not!”

He answered his own question without waiting for a response.

“Do you have any idea how shocked I was today? So many people were begging me to join them to see Lia Green’s long-awaited return to the stage… and then I saw you there!”

Gabby clutched his head in frustration as he continued, “Do you ever think things through?”

“Are you upset that I performed on a stage usually reserved for commoners?”

At my words, Gabby exploded in anger. “Hey! Did you just say ‘reserved for commoners’? A play can be someone’s dream. Who are you to belittle that?”

I was taken aback by his surprisingly reasonable reaction.

I thought he would criticize Isabella for taking the stage despite being a noble. But… for a noble, Gabby didn’t seem to have a strong sense of class distinction.

He may act rebelliously, saying he wants to commit patricide, but perhaps he’s still a reasonable person.

This contradiction puzzled me.

Can patricide and reason coexist?

‘If the parent is terrible enough, maybe they can.’

Though the Duke wasn’t my real father, thinking about him from Isabella’s perspective made my heart race, as if I’d committed patricide myself.

Is this the thrill of rebellion?

I nodded internally and opened my mouth to speak. “Then what’s the problem?”

“Lia Green! That prince spilled everything. He said you performed on stage because of your connection to Lia Green.”

It seemed Kayden wasn’t as tight-lipped as he appeared. Or maybe Gabby had been persistent in questioning him. Either way, it didn’t matter.

What did matter was Gabby’s hostility toward Lia Green.

“Stay away from that woman!”

The animosity in Gabby’s voice was unmistakable.

“Why don’t you like Lia Green?” I asked.

Without hesitation, Gabby answered my question. “Her face. It’s her face.”

“But Lia Green is beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Well, she’s the most popular actress in the empire, so her appearance is decent enough. But there’s something… off about it. Her face looks unnatural.”

It’s almost as if it’s not her real face.

“Maybe it’s because she wears a lot of makeup?”

Gabby muttered to himself.

The fact that Gabby could see through Belial’s disguise was remarkable. Even demons struggled to notice that level of transformation.

Gabby’s intuition was impressive. It was almost unbelievable that someone so perceptive hadn’t realized his sister’s body was being possessed by a demon.

“Fine. I’ll keep my distance from her.”

I agreed readily, as I had no further business with Belial anyway.

Actually, this worked out perfectly. I had something to tell Gabby, and now he was standing right in front of me.

I spoke confidently, “Brother, I have a request.”

“…Are you feeling okay?”

Gabby’s reaction wasn’t what I expected.

“…Brother. Brother?”

No matter how many times I addressed him as “Brother,” Gabby only frowned and didn’t seem particularly pleased.

Belial had claimed that “Brother” was a magic word, but Gabby’s lukewarm reaction made me tilt my head in confusion.

“What’s the problem?”

“Why do you keep calling me ‘Brother’ all of a sudden?”

“Lia Green said that calling you ‘Brother’ would make you powerless against me.”

“Ugh! What, did you think I’d agree to anything just because you called me ‘Brother’? Do I look like some gullible fool to you?”

“I see. So you’re not gullible.”

“…Why did you leave out the ‘fool’ part just now?”

I ignored Gabby’s comment. It seemed the word “Brother” held no power over him.

Well, it was Belial who thought “Brother” was a magic word, so the fault lay with him.