The Possessed Evil Woman Wreaks Havoc - Chapter 85

By the way.

“Nigel. I think I really do judge people by their looks.”

“What nonsense are you spouting now…?”

I retraced the memories I had recalled.

After being betrayed by Zachary, I had avoided memories of the past as much as possible.

So when I finally faced them again, they felt unfamiliar and strange.

What lingered most was the expression on Zachary’s face as he crumbled with every word I said.

Many had confessed their love to me before.

Most were demons in the Demon Realm who wanted to leech off my power.

Since they were also demons, their vile intentions were transparent to me, and I buried them upside down in the ground without hesitation.

Demons do not understand love. At least, that’s what I believed.

So at the time, I hadn’t thought much of Zachary’s question.

Probably…

But when I remembered it again, it bothered me for some reason.

I asked Nigel, “Nigel. Do I… often say hurtful things to others?”

“…You just realized that now?”

I fell silent at Nigel’s reaction. I was aware of it to some extent, but that kind of response?

Should I be… reflecting?

In a sudden burst of frustration, I shouted, “What do people expect from a demon anyway? You want me to speak prettily and kindly?”

Come to think of it, how is this my fault?

What was I supposed to do about being born a demon?

Isn’t it the other races’ fault for judging demons by their own standards?

To this, Nigel shook his head and said, “Yeah. I guess I shouldn’t expect anything from you.”

He continued, “Come to think of it, you do have a point. You were born a demon, and there are things that just can’t be changed.”

I heard you’re considered relatively merciful among demons?

I nodded at Nigel’s words.

“But Bella, even knowing that… it doesn’t stop someone from being hurt.”

“Well—!”

“I mean, you are a noble lord, after all. So why would you care about the feelings of inferior beastkin or humans like me, right?”

“……”

Did I… hurt Zachary?

Is that why he chose to stab me in the heart?

While I stayed silent, Nigel asked me, “Bella? What are you thinking about?”

“Trying to figure out whether emotional wounds or being stabbed in the heart is the more severe injury.”

“…What kind of nonsense is that now?”

“Did I maybe do something to deserve getting stabbed?”

I tilted my head, wondering if such an equivalent exchange would make sense in Demon Realm terms.

Of course, hurting a demon emotionally isn’t easy… but if someone did manage that feat…

“They might stab you.”

Hearing my muttering, Nigel looked horrified. “No! That might be true in the Demon Realm, but not in the middle realm! If you stab someone out there, it’s a huge problem!”

***

“…So that’s what I told him.”

I gave Nigel a brief summary of the conversation I had with Zachary.

Nigel stayed silent as he listened.

After a while, he began to scold me.

“Bella… Even though I’m just your so-so friend, I can’t defend you this time.”

My friend’s personality is garbage…

Nigel muttered under his breath, but I heard it loud and clear.

I defended myself in my own way. “I treated Zachary better than any other human. And I’m the problem?”

“Of course you are! What’s the point of treating him well if you said that?!”

But I really had done so much for Zachary.

Things I never could’ve imagined doing, given how selfish I was by nature.

“If you knew the lengths I went to for him, you wouldn’t say that!”

“…What exactly did you do?”

I clamped my mouth shut. I hadn’t meant to say that much.

“If you can’t answer, then just don’t.”

Seeing my expression, Nigel then asked gently, “But Bella… does Zachary even know what you did for him?”

“He doesn’t.”

“…See, the thing about people is, if you don’t tell them, they don’t know. Well, I guess that applies to demons and angels too.”

“……”

“Whatever it is you did… if Zachary didn’t know, then he could never have known how much you cared about him.”

…I did care for Zachary. If he had asked for something, I probably would have done it.

Seriously… this is why you shouldn’t grow attached to humans.

I understood what Nigel was trying to say. But to think that just because I never said it aloud, he didn’t know I cared for him?

Shouldn’t he have felt it, just from being around me?

I wanted to argue, but seeing how firm Nigel’s expression was, I figured it would just turn into another endless fight. So I decided to just play along and act as if I agreed.

Still, I added a few words, just in case Nigel misunderstood.

“…I cared for Zachary as a contractor. That’s all.”

“Ugh! You’re so frustrating! One day, I will witness the moment you sob and confess your true feelings!”

Nigel clutched his chest in exasperation and shouted.

Dream big, huh.

I scoffed at his words.

First of all, I don’t cry. I’m the proud owner of a mental fortitude so strong I wouldn’t shed a tear even if you rubbed onions in my eyes.

And “true feelings”? There’s no such thing for demons.

Just then, the Duke walked into the tent.

He stared wide-eyed at the sight of me sitting up normally on the bed.

“How are you feeling? Are you alright?”

When the Duke asked, I checked my condition—or rather, Isabella’s.

Thanks to the healing magic I used earlier, the body was in perfect shape without a single injury.

“Not bad.”

As I answered, the Duke let out a sigh of relief.

He stared at me for a moment and then suddenly started shouting.

“You reckless child! Do you know what you were doing?!”

I stiffened.

Why is he suddenly angry?

The Duke continued, “Next time something dangerous happens, you must run. Don’t look back—just get to safety. What use is there in charging in alone? If you couldn’t handle those monsters, the royal guards and the ducal soldiers would have been made a mockery!”

I quietly studied the Duke’s face.

His tone, his expression—

Then I reached a conclusion.

“Were you… worried about me?”

When I asked, the Duke looked utterly flabbergasted.

“What are you saying—! Of course a father would worry for his daughter—!”

“Were we that kind of relationship?”

I tilted my head. Sure, our relationship had softened compared to the past.

But his first impression had been intense… after all, the first slap I ever took in this life had come from the Duke.

We had seemed irreparably distant, but somehow… here we were.

I secretly felt a sense of satisfaction.

First, we had to become close—only then would the Duke reflect on how he had neglected Isabella in the past.

Just as planned… Well, not that I really had a plan, but…

Let’s just say it went according to plan.

As I entertained that thought, the Duke’s face began to twist with frustration.

“Did you think… I wouldn’t worry about you?”

“Yes.”

I nodded as I answered.

“…Why would you think that?”

I hesitated.

How would I know what a normal parent-child relationship is like if I’d never had a father?

After carefully selecting a safe response, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Because Father has never treated me kindly.”

I sifted through my memories and continued, “Didn’t you once tell me that if I caused trouble again, you’d kick me out of the manison?”

That was something he had said not long after I first came to inhabit Isabella’s body.

The Duke flinched at that. Then, composing himself, he responded, “There’s no way I could ever throw you out of the mansion. Isabella, you are my daughter.”

He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

His attitude made me tilt my head.

“Is it a sense of duty toward your family’s name?”

“What kind of thing is that to say… Isabella, you are my daughter. My family.”

“Like Gabby?”

“I don’t know why you’re bringing him up now, but… yes. You and Gabriel are both my children.”

“What does ‘family’ mean to you?”

“Isabella, why are you asking such strange questions?”

The Duke gave me a puzzled look.

I kept staring at him, demanding an answer.

Eventually, he reluctantly replied.

“A family is someone I must lead, protect, and care for.”

“…Do you love your family?”

“Why are you asking something so obvious?”

The Duke looked at me as if he genuinely didn’t understand.