The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 76

When I pointed out his pale complexion, the Crown Prince gave a bitter smile.

“Who is that person…?”

However, instead of answering, he turned his gaze toward Nigel, who was standing beside me.

“This is Fluffy.”

“…Fluffy? Surely not?”

“Are you really going to keep changing my name?”

Nigel whispered in my ear before turning to the Crown Prince with a smile.

“So you’re the human who’s been cleaning up after our Bella.”

“What do you mean? No one has ever cleaned up after me.”

I had told Nigel plenty about the Crown Prince, so how did he reach that conclusion?

I glared at Nigel with narrowed eyes.

The Crown Prince, wearing an odd expression, glanced back and forth between me and Nigel before muttering, “If you’re called Fluffy, then you must be a divine beast…”

“It’s not Fluffy, it’s Nigel. Our Bella has an absolutely adorable habit of renaming people.”

I will say it again—Fluffy was a much better name than Nigel.

When I pouted and stared at Nigel, the Crown Prince, who had been watching, gave a small smile.

“You two seem very close.”

“That’s not true.”

“Absolutely not.”

Nigel and I immediately denied it in unison.

Then, we both turned away and glared at each other.

“Why are you denying it?”

“Hey, you just denied it too! You also said we’re not close!”

At that, the Crown Prince’s smile widened. His stiff expression from earlier relaxed slightly, but he still looked unwell.

I asked him, “By the way, Crown Prince. Who dared to ruin your barely tolerable face?”

Today’s hunting competition was an event to celebrate the Crown Prince’s birthday.

Since I am a rather merciful demon, I could at least prepare a birthday gift for him.

With a gentle smile, I said, “As a birthday present, I’ll show you that person’s insides. Choose—vertically or horizontally.”

“Bella… why do you always say such terrifying things?”

Nigel clicked his tongue and scolded me.

The Crown Prince, wearing a strange expression, shook his head. “It’s something I must handle myself.”

“Hmm. Well, if you change your mind later, let me know.”

“More importantly… Lady Bella, there’s something I urgently need to tell you.”

“Go on.”

The Crown Prince hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

But before he could properly begin—

“Your Highness, you need to come this way now.”

A servant approached, calling for him.

“I will find you again later.”

The Crown Prince mumbled quietly before leaving with the chamberlain who was urging him.

After parting ways with the Crown Prince, I strolled leisurely through the hunting grounds with Nigel.

Then—

“Hmm.”

I felt something was off.

“What is it?”

“My demon instincts are telling me… something is wrong.”

I sensed an oddly familiar presence from somewhere.

Looking toward the dense forest, I tilted my head.

It seemed to be coming from over there…

“Nigel, can you check the forest?”

“Why?”

“I feel something familiar. …It might be a demon.”

“Why would there be a demon here?”

“I’m not certain if it is a demon. But something about this feels unsettling, so it’s best to check.”

If I left my spot now, people would notice immediately.

On the other hand, since Nigel was here as my servant, no one would find it odd if he stepped away.

“Haah. I’ll be back soon, so don’t cause any trouble. Just rest in the tent. Got it?”

“Why do you keep treating me like a reckless child?”

“Just do as I say. Understand?”

Without giving me a proper answer, Nigel left.

Once he was gone, I lost interest in strolling and headed toward the tent assigned to House Dunkeld.

On my way there, I overheard whispers from nobles that I hadn’t heard earlier.

“Goodness. Look at Lady Dunkeld. That dress alone must cost as much as half a noble family’s yearly budget. Isn’t that a bit… excessive?”

“No matter how you look at it, it makes no sense that the young lady was chosen as the Saintess. There must have been some kind of behind-the-scenes manipulation.”

I paused momentarily at their words, doubting my legitimacy.

Sharp-witted humans. How did they figure it out?

Just then, Gabby suddenly appeared beside me.

“Why are you just standing there listening to them?”

“Hmm?”

I wasn’t some clueless child who couldn’t tell right from wrong. I wouldn’t get worked up over such trivial remarks.

It’s just…

I made sure to memorize the faces of those who had just spoken ill of me.

The hunting competition was held over two days…

If I paid them a visit tonight, I could resolve this issue.

‘When Isabella returns to this body, those humans shouldn’t be around anymore.’

Gabby, unable to interpret my silence, started grumbling to himself, “I stepped away for a moment to check the situation, and in that short time, these worms dared to insult my family’s troublemaker?”

Gabby deliberately emphasized the word “worms” as he looked around.

Hik!

Wherever Gabby’s gaze landed, people gasped in fright.

“And you’re a problem too. It’s because you’ve been causing so much trouble that your reputation is in this state.”

Gabby scolded me but then hesitated and changed his words.

“But then again, in life, isn’t it normal to pull someone’s hair and pour wine on them from time to time? Really, now that I think about it, our troublemaker isn’t at fault at all.”

Hmm… Even though I’m a demon, I do know that such things are frowned upon in human society.

Regardless of whether I responded, Gabby continued rambling.

By this point, I found his words amusing, so I just listened quietly.

“Hey, troublemaker. Should I go cause a ruckus for you? No, wait. This kind of thing is best done personally. I’ll drag them over, and you can grab them by the hair and shake them. How about that?”

“No.”

Of course, Gabby’s proposal was extremely tempting, but I wanted to protect Isabella’s reputation.

“You’re rejecting this? Have you… caught some kind of disease that makes you kind all of a sudden now that you’re a Saintess?”

According to human standards, becoming kinder shouldn’t be considered a disease.

Since neither Gabby nor I were causing a scene, the people around us regained some courage and resumed their gossiping.

Of course, their voices were much quieter than before.

What they didn’t know was that both Sword Masters and demons had far more sensitive hearing than they realized.

“Just what kind of education did the Duke of Dunkeld provide? Clearly, this is all his fault.”

“Hmm. That actually sounds reasonable.”

Gabby gave a small nod of agreement at one noble’s remark.

I glanced at Gabby. Even at that moment, he wasn’t missing a single opportunity for filial impiety.

He was human, but I had to give him credit where it was due. That was something even a demon like me could learn from.

“Anyway, troublemaker. Go inside the tent for now. Ignore any noise you hear outside. Understand?”

With that, Gabby started stretching his arms.

“What are you planning to do?”

“Something very fun. Just wait and see.”

However, before Gabby could cause trouble, the entire atmosphere of the hunting grounds shifted due to someone’s arrival.

“Saintess! Here you are.”

The High Priest approached me with a pleasant smile.

The moment I saw him, my expression soured.

It was the first time I had seen him since leaving the temple, and I still found him unsettling.

He had always been overly kind to me ever since I became the Saintess, but…

‘That’s exactly what’s suspicious.’

A man in such a high position, treating a girl young enough to be his granddaughter with such excessive kindness without protest—

That was unnatural.

Furthermore, Kayden was silently following behind the High Priest.

Seeing Kayden quietly listening to the High Priest made me feel strangely irritated.

With the same kindly smile, the High Priest spoke, “My goodness, Saintess! You’ve grown even more beautiful since I last saw you!”

“Hmm. You’ve grown even older since I last saw you.”

“Ahaha! The Saintess must be worried about this old man’s health.”

“Are your ears failing you?”

“My hearing is perfectly fine. Ahaha! Thank you for your concern.”

The High Priest responded with a smile from beginning to end.

Few people could converse with me without getting angry.

Watching our exchange, Gabby sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Haah. And I thought she might have softened up. Just listen to that mouth…”

“Ah, Young Duke! It has been a while.”

The High Priest turned his attention to Gabby.

“Ah, well, I suppose it has,” replied Gabby with a reluctant expression.

“I actually had something to discuss with you—may I have a word with you in private?”

“I don’t want to leave my sister alone—”

“His Highness Prince Kayden will be by the Saintess’s side. Of course, nothing should happen in the imperial hunting grounds, but even if something does, His Highness will ensure the Saintess remains unharmed.”

With a sly maneuver, the High Priest led Gabby away.

In the blink of an eye, they disappeared, leaving just Kayden and me behind.

Hmm.

This was an obvious ploy by the High Priest.

Kayden, left behind, had a stiff expression. It seemed he hadn’t agreed to this arrangement either.

Seeing his face made me even more annoyed.

You’re not the only one unhappy about this situation—I dislike it just as much.

If I didn’t have to protect Isabella’s reputation, I would have already caused a commotion.

“If you don’t want to be caught up in strange rumors with me, step back right now.”

At my words, Kayden immediately took a step back.