The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 75

“…It’s a relief that you two seem to get along.”

After a long pause, the Duke finally responded.

At the Duke’s composed reaction, Gabby exploded in frustration.

“Ah, if you’re jealous, just say so!”

“Your mother would have been very pleased to see you two getting along so well.”

“—Oh, come on! Look at this old man being sneaky! Why bring up Mother?”

Gabby abruptly stopped speaking and began pulling at his hair.

Hmm.

It seemed like Gabby had lost to the Duke this time. I quietly reached my own conclusion.

Losing all his fighting spirit in an instant, Gabby clamped his mouth shut and stared silently out the window.

Considering his personality… it was surprising that he had such strong feelings about his late mother.

How odd.

Judging by the way he acted toward the Duke, he seemed like the epitome of an unfilial son.

I wondered what kind of person Isabella’s mother had been.

She was also a descendant of Daphne and Ethan…

Suddenly, I found myself wishing I could see the late Duchess in person.

Technically speaking, it wasn’t an impossible wish…

Because the power of the contract I possessed could alter causality—as long as the price was properly paid.

But I quickly shook my head.

The price required to alter causality was beyond imagination.

Even I could barely bear the cost. That’s why, until now, I had only ever done it once.

And when I recalled the price I had paid back then…

In any case, I wasn’t foolish enough to resurrect a human I hardly knew.

Yet, despite that, I still felt a slight pang of regret.

‘Gabby and Isabella’s mother… She must have been an unusual person.’

While I was lost in thought, the carriage set off toward the Imperial Palace.

***

At last, we neared the Imperial Palace.

Just before reaching the main gates, the carriage turned and entered a forest beside it.

The moment we entered the forest, an unpleasant sensation crept over me.

It had been a long time since I last came here.

The last time I had visited the Imperial Palace, I hadn’t entered the forest, so I had completely forgotten about its existence.

In this place…

The sensation of the blade piercing my heart resurfaced, sending an involuntary shudder through my body.

“Hey, what’s with that expression?”

Gabby looked at me with concern.

“It’s just…”

How should I explain this?

Unable to answer, I hesitated.

Gabby seemed to misinterpret my silence and brought up an unexpected topic.

“Are you worried that no one will give you a hunting prize? Don’t worry, who else would I give it to if not you?”

“Hunting prize?”

“It’s tradition for unmarried noblemen to present their hunt to a lady they fancy at the hunting competition. Then again, you’ve never attended one before, have you? No wonder you didn’t know.”

The Empire’s hunting competition was only open to nobles who had come of age.

Since Isabella had only recently reached adulthood, this was her first hunting competition.

But why give away the prey they caught?

Was it meant to mock others by saying, ‘I managed to catch something, but you couldn’t. Here, take this as a consolation’?

Tilting my head in confusion, I waited for Gabby to explain further.

“Families also exchange hunting prizes among themselves. Your dear older brother will make sure to catch plenty and boost your confidence.”

Seeing his exaggerated bravado, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Unintended as it may have been, Gabby’s chatter had successfully shaken off the eerie feeling I had just experienced.

Just then, the Duke, who had been reviewing documents, spoke with a displeased expression, “It’s good that you care for your sister, but… Gabriel, it’s about time you found yourself a fiancée.”

“Are you insane? Why should I get engaged?”

Gabby was outraged by the sudden shift in conversation.

The Duke, unfazed by his reaction, calmly continued, “If you don’t marry, what will you do about the issue of succession? When you inherit the dukedom, you’ll need a legitimate heir.”

“Then she can—”

Gabby glanced briefly at me before shaking his head.

“No. With that unruly temper, what kind of man would marry her? In that case…”

Gabby gave the Duke a once-over before saying, “Old man, just have another kid outside of marriage. I’ll take him as my heir.”

Cough!

I coughed involuntarily at Gabby’s remark.

Not even in the Demon Realm would such a thing be said.

Of course, demons couldn’t have children in the first place, so it wasn’t that they didn’t say things like this—it was that they couldn’t.

Still, was human culture really this liberal?

“Gabriel… Have you no shame? How can you utter such words?”

Hearing the Duke’s next words, I realized it wasn’t human culture that was open-minded—it was just Gabby’s thinking.

“I won’t get married, and I won’t have children. That only leaves one option.”

Gabby shrugged nonchalantly.

But why did Gabby keep talking as if Isabella would never marry?

I didn’t understand that either, nor could I comprehend the way he interacted with the Duke.

‘I know Gabby is a brat, but this feels excessive.’

Everyone in the ducal estate knew that the Duke had never forgotten the late Duchess.

The Duke gazed at Gabby with an indescribable expression before finally speaking slowly, “I have never once forgotten your mother since she passed.”

His voice was so earnest that even a demon’s heart might have been moved.

Of course, I was not one of those demons, so I simply watched the scene with amusement.

At the Duke’s words, Gabby scoffed and replied, “Hah. Acting as if you have principles. You didn’t even stay by her side when she passed away.”

“That’s—”

The Duke tried to say something but swallowed his words.

So that’s why Gabby harbored such deep resentment toward him? Because of the betrayal he felt toward his father?

The Duke steadied his voice and spoke again, “Enough. I will arrange your engagement, so keep that in mind.”

“Do as you please. I’ll just break it off anyway.”

Gabby abruptly turned his head and stared out the window.

The sudden chill in the carriage made me scratch the back of my neck awkwardly.

Well, I wasn’t actually Isabella, so I could dismiss it, but why were those two at such odds?

I pondered it for a moment, but…

‘Never mind. There will never come a day when I understand humans.’

I came to that conclusion and also turned my gaze toward the window.

Until we reached our destination, not a single word was spoken inside the carriage.

***

The hunting competition was held at the imperial hunting grounds.

A short distance from the forested area, tents had been set up for the participants.

I hopped off the carriage and straightened my skirt.

Nigel, who had followed behind me, whispered in my ear, “You and Gabriel seem closer than I thought.”

“Call him Gabby. I’m planning to get angry whenever I hear the name Gabriel for a while.”

“…Gabby. Fine, Gabby. Still, I didn’t expect you two to get along so well.”

I glanced around to see where Gabby and the Duke were.

Gabby was checking his sword after stepping out of the carriage.

The Duke had entered the tent assigned to the Dunkeld Ducal House.

Once I confirmed they were far enough away not to eavesdrop, I spoke to Nigel, “Gabby is an amusing human. I don’t dislike amusing humans.”

Considering that Gabby was a descendant of Daphne, it was difficult for me to dislike him.

I confided in Nigel, “To be honest, I’m a little envious of Gabby.”

“You? Envious? Of a human?”

“…He has a father, unlike me.”

I couldn’t hide the wistfulness in my voice as I spoke.

The Demon God was more of a creator to us than a father.

I had never felt a longing for family ties before, but seeing Gabby and the Duke made me experience that emotion for the first time.

Nigel’s expression suddenly turned solemn, as if he had misinterpreted my words.

“Hey, in that case, I don’t have parents either, you know? But I still live just fine.”

Nigel, being a beastkin, also lacked parents like me.

But what nonsense was he talking about?

He had been stuck on a five-hundred-year-long unrequited love.

Besides, he had completely misunderstood what I meant.

It wasn’t about longing for parents I never had. No, my reason for envying Gabby was much more… demonic.

“I want to commit an act of filial impiety just once.”

“Are you serious?”

Nigel looked at me in disbelief.

“It is highly disrespectful to trample on someone else’s dream.”

“…Hearing that from a demon is quite something.”

“You have a real talent for saying unnecessary things and getting yourself into trouble.”

Annoyed, I attempted to step on Nigel’s foot, but he quickly dodged.

Clicking my tongue, I began to explore the hunting grounds.

Since it was an imperial event, the area around the hunting grounds was decorated extravagantly—completely uselessly so.

“Why are there flowers here? With their overwhelming scent, they’ll attract every monster around.”

As I pointed out the various decorations, Nigel shook his head. “Of course not. There are no monsters in the capital.”

“Hmm.”

“The capital has a defense force. How could monsters breach those defenses and infiltrate the royal palace?”

His voice was full of certainty, but I raised an eyebrow.

If I were a particularly bored demon, I might have let a few monsters loose in the capital just to watch the humans panic.

Then again, what kind of demon would be so free as to waste time on such a childish prank?

Most demons didn’t even hate humans enough to go to such lengths.

As I wandered around the hunting grounds, I felt countless gazes directed at me.

It was only natural—Isabella was currently the most talked-about person in the Empire.

I paid no attention to the humans’ stares and continued looking around.

Then.

“Lady Bella.”

A familiar voice called out to me.

When I turned around, I saw the Crown Prince.

Seeing him for the first time in a while, I found myself unconsciously pleased.

Somehow, I had grown rather fond of him, despite him being a human.

But as soon as I got a closer look at his face, I frowned. “Your complexion is ashen. If this were a graveyard, you’d be mistaken for a revived corpse.”

It was no exaggeration—his face was that pale.