12. It Smells.
On a sunny afternoon, Bella scooped a spoonful of stew into her mouth and glanced sideways at Chei. For some reason, it felt strangely guilty to look at him openly.
Sensing Bella’s gaze, Chei lifted his eyes from the book.
“Hmm, do I have something on my face?”
“Beauty.”
Chei quickly hid his face behind his book at the flood of compliments.
“Please, Bella.”
“Alright, I’ll stop.”
At Chei’s plea, Bella responded quickly and stuffed her mouth with another big spoonful of stew.
The mansion had been quiet these past few days—except for Bella’s restless heart.
There was no more bloodshed, no intrusions. Occasionally, she felt like someone was watching from outside the window, but Bella ignored it.
After all, who would dare get close to a haunted mansion? Spies wouldn’t even approach, so why care?
What bothered Bella most was Chei.
“Chei.”
“Hmm?”
Even the way he always answered softly and looked at her with those round eyes bothered her. Couldn’t he just say “What?” like a normal person instead of making that gentle little sound and looking at her so sweetly?
“Do you not remember anything from when you were alive?”
“…No. Only the moment I died.”
Chei pressed his lips together briefly before answering.
Bella had been wondering if the person who hired the attacker she kept in the basement was somehow connected to Chei’s past life. That’s why she asked, but his memory wasn’t whole.
“Do you remember anything from that time? I know it’s painful to recall, but I think it could help us figure out who’s behind this attack on the mansion.”
“It was during a break in a carriage procession. Someone handed me a drink, and I took it without much thought. I remember coughing up blood and blacking out. That’s all. When I woke up, I had lost my body and was bound to this mansion.”
Bella wore a serious expression, deep in thought.
The attacker’s body was evidence someone had tried to assassinate her, so she’d stored it in the coldest cell in the mansion’s basement. She wanted to resolve the matter quickly, but the more time passed, the more lost she felt.
Bella, who’d always lived a clear-cut life, was growing frustrated. She even missed the hectic days of making money—it had been better for her mental health.
“Maybe… things are better this way.”
“But didn’t you want to find out the truth?”
“It’s peaceful now. I feel like I should enjoy this peaceful time while it lasts. It’s just a feeling, but… I think something big is going to happen soon.”
“…Maybe.”
Chei closed the book he was reading and sat across from Bella on the sofa. Bella glanced at the book he had put down.
After he regained his form, the first thing Chei did was read the newspaper. When he finished that, he spent almost the entire day reading books. Bella thought maybe he was reading something useful for their current situation—but it was always titles like History of the Kingdom or Poetry.
Bella looked at the media magazine she’d left beside her stew bowl. She was more interested in topics like “Vegetable Prices Soar” and “Pumpkin Crop Fails Due to Drought.”
From lifestyle to taste, she and Chei were complete opposites.
“Bella.”
At the sound of her name, Bella snapped her head up, only to duck it again into her bowl. Chei had come very close without her noticing—maybe because he was a ghost, she couldn’t sense him at all.
“You said you liked my face. Why are you avoiding me?”
Chei leaned in with a naïve look. Bella covered her eyes and protested.
“Because it’s harmful! It’s very harmful to my heart!”
“Harmful?”
“Yes. Honestly, Chei, I think you’re the most handsome person in the entire kingdom. You look like the prince on a white horse from a fairy tale.”
“That’s a relief.”
Chei gave a languid smile and straightened his upper body.
But the blue eyes looking at Bella held no trace of a smile. In truth, Chei was deliberately trying to shake her.
The more Bella wavered, the easier it would be for his soul to interact with her body.
Chei’s form could become more tangible depending on Bella’s emotional closeness to him. That’s how he’d managed to hold heavy books like this now. When he was translucent, even lifting a flower had been difficult.
“I want to get along well with you.”
“I do too.”
All of this had changed since Bella arrived. She wasn’t afraid of ghosts.
Honestly, Chei had expected her to run away screaming after a single creepy encounter.
So if anyone could do it, it would be Bella. If two souls coexisted in one body, it would weaken the host—but it was the only way. He had to break down her barriers and borrow her body.
It didn’t necessarily mean Bella’s soul would be harmed. It was more like two souls occupying one body.
It wasn’t impossible to take full control of her body—but then he’d lose Bella. And he didn’t want that.
So this was Chei’s best option.
“Bella, give me your hand for a moment.”
At his request, Bella offered her hand without hesitation.
Chei stared at it quietly, then slowly moved his fingers to touch hers. Please. Please…
But his hand passed through hers and stopped in midair.
His expression turned cold. His blue eyes glared fiercely at his own pale hand.
Feeling the temperature drop, Bella cautiously tried to comfort him.
“Don’t be disappointed, Chei. Maybe it’ll happen naturally over time, just like how you were able to appear in front of me like this.”
“…Let’s hope so.”
If not, he’d have to slowly kill her and take her body by force. Chei swallowed the thought.
Bella had no idea how fierce and obsessive spirits could be about staying alive.
If he kept trying to make contact, climbed onto her while she slept, showed her nightmares, and wore down her physical body, eventually he could take it.
And in truth, Chei had to resist the urge to do just that whenever he saw her sleeping.
But if a soul was weakened that way, it could sometimes be erased completely.
Souls were more delicate than one might think.
“Chei. First, we need to let people know this mansion isn’t a scary place. I’m thinking of revitalizing the whole village.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just let them stay scared?”
“…Sorry, what?”
At his quiet mutter, Bella looked stunned. Chei leaned back into the sofa and spoke coldly.
“When humans are scared, they won’t come near. But the moment they stop fearing something, that’s when it becomes dangerous.”
Bella had no knowledge about souls. That’s probably why she looked at him with such pure eyes and tried to comfort him.
Chei let out a faint, mocking laugh as he sat next to her. Just his closeness made a sudden chill run through Bella, and she shivered.
“But still, being hated and feared by everyone—that hurts, doesn’t it?”
Bella couldn’t understand Chei’s sudden cold demeanor. He was being falsely blamed for crimes committed by an attacker, and now he said he didn’t mind being feared?
No. That couldn’t be right.
That first morning she saw him, Bella had seen a wounded, helpless soul. He had looked like he was drowning in the blood from his own wounds, slowly dying.
Even though he was already dead.
“People mistake kindness for weakness, and selfishness for strength. I understand your intentions, but if a factory is built on the land near this mansion and people start gathering here, there will definitely be some ignorant fool who tries to damage the mansion or use me as a spectacle.”
Bella had her doubts—but Chei had even more.
What kind of life had he lived? He’d said he didn’t remember his past.
“But still… you’ve been alone for so long.”
“Now I have you.”
“I need money to maintain and restore this mansion.”
“….”
Chei blinked his jewel-like eyes, momentarily speechless. He couldn’t argue with that.
Money—yes, necessary. Even to him, this mansion looked massive and grand.
“This mansion is my home now. And I think ghosts with homes look better. Everyone needs a place to belong.”
“…True.”
“Chei, how could you have stayed in this mansion unless you thought of it as home?”
“I must’ve thought of it that way.”
Chei looked surprised, then fell into deep thought, as if questioning whether that had truly been the case in life.
Just as Bella finished her stew and began clearing the dishes, a loud shout burst through the window along with the sound of hooves.
“Let the owner of this house come out immediately!”
Annoyed by the noise, Bella opened the window and stuck her head out.
In front of the black gate stood a nobleman on horseback, flanked by dozens of soldiers.
“Who are you?”
“I am Count Treshi, assigned by royal decree to govern this territory.”
“So?”
“W-what? ‘So?’ How insolent!”
Governing a territory or not, who introduced themselves like that these days? Bella leaned lazily on the window frame.
This was private property. Bella’s property.
Even if he was a count managing the duchy, he had no right to barge in.
“State your reason for visiting, Count. It’s not the olden days anymore.”
Bella let out a faint smile.
She already had a good idea why the count had come.
