Chapter 127 …
Flame
“Bella! Bella!”
The moment Ridel arrived at the palace and saw the broken gates and the chaotic scene before him, his vision went white.
“Bella, please!”
He shouted Bella’s name like a madman, reaching the Rose Palace, already engulfed in flames.
“Where did all my requests to protect Bella go…?”
“…!”
The moment Ridel saw Bella emerging from the Rose Palace, he immediately realized that the soul inside her was Chei.
“I suppose I need an explanation for why Bella is in such a perilous place.”
“Because… of you.”
“What?”
His voice, hoarse from calling out, trembled with agitation. Ridel stepped closer to Chei and reached out his hand.
“You said this is all you could do for the Duke… and that you love him…”
“…Love.”
His hand, which had been wandering in the air, landed on Bella’s shoulder. Ridel lowered his head completely, resting it against her shoulder, and sobbed for a long moment.
“Let’s go back now, Duke. And Bella too.”
The wetness in his voice sounded almost like a plea. At that moment, Bella’s body crumpled into Ridel’s arms.
“Ugh…”
“Are you coming to your senses?”
Bella grimaced as a needle-like headache pierced her and tried to stand. Beside her, a familiar voice spoke.
“Saint… Lady?”
“For now, this is the best we can do. You’ve already used too much divine power earlier.”
“How am I… here… ah…”
Confused, Bella fumbled, trying to piece together her memories. She let out a soft exhale and stared blankly ahead.
“You called Cheire’s name, right? Cheire gave her soul to you, so it answered your call.”
“That’s right… I did.”
“Thanks to that, Cheire could take shape by feeding on Bella’s life force.”
“But… where is Chei?”
Having regained her senses, Bella urgently grabbed the saint’s sleeve and asked. The saint stared into Bella’s eyes for a moment before speaking slowly.
“Let’s go to the room.”
“Thank you, Saint!”
Bella dashed from the room and ran straight to her original bedroom, flinging open the door.
“Chei!”
The room was gloomy. Bella’s heart skipped a beat as she rushed inside—and then she froze.
“Chei…”
Chei was lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully. Relief washed over Bella, and she was about to collapse when a hand suddenly reached out and helped support her.
“Don’t worry. He just lost consciousness for a while. Even so, he’s able to maintain that form thanks to borrowing your energy.”
“Saint?”
“I came because I thought you might collapse like this.”
The saint spoke a little coldly as she let go of Bella. Bella, swaying slightly to regain her balance, blinked in surprise.
“Ah… thank you.”
“So… what will you do now?”
“That is…”
“Have you made a decision? If Cheire stays by your side, he’ll act as if he’s your servant and kill to protect you, slowly falling into corruption.”
Listening quietly to the saint’s harsh words, Bella smiled faintly and shook her head. No matter how she thought about it, life together didn’t seem like it would be that miserable for either of them.
“No. Even if he stays by my side, it won’t be like that. He’ll probably live a fairly ordinary life.”
“You mean… you intend to keep Cheire bound in this world? Speaking of which, it was this mansion that bound Cheire’s soul. More precisely, this land.”
“I suspected as much. I’ve considered the royal family’s mysterious powers. Perhaps it wasn’t even a curse.”
The saint’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
She had drawn that conclusion knowing about divine power and royal treasures—but Bella had already thought along the same lines. That alone was astonishing.
Especially since Bella had witnessed death and blood firsthand. To still think that the power might not be a curse was no small feat.
“If it wasn’t a curse, but rather a last measure to save the one who was killed… then I can respect your decision, Bella.”
“You thought I’d leave Chei as he is?”
Bella asked lightly, a friendly smile on her face.
“Well, you’d have to think that way. People’s desires… they tend to care more about their own happiness than others’…”
The saint faltered mid-sentence. Bella laughed brightly and gently took her hand.
“Haha, Saint. I never had a choice from the start.”
“…?”
“I want Chei to decide for himself after receiving Arle’s apology, witnessing the temple’s changes, and seeing the king’s execution. That’s my hope, but it’s not something Chei asked me to do.”
Bella’s intentions were not what Chei wanted. She knew this. She still acted on it because she hoped that after completing vengeance and receiving the apology, Chei might choose not to disappear.
“I understand what you’re saying. But what if Cheire cannot awaken? He can’t make any decisions on his own right now.”
“Three days.”
“….”
“If Chei hasn’t awakened after three days, I’ll reveal how to break the curse.”
Bella’s determined eyes sparkled.
When the saint met Bella’s gaze, she understood why everything had gone awry in this mansion. It wasn’t because of Chei. It was because of this woman before her.
A radiant child of God, who would rise no matter how twisted or bent, always holding her head high.
Late at night.
Bella decided to stay by Chei’s side while handling her work. She was surprised to see a familiar face bringing stacks of documents.
“Ridel?”
“How’s your body, Bella?”
Ridel placed the documents beside her and pulled a chair to sit next to her, naturally joining in the review.
“I’m feeling very well. You brought me here, didn’t you?”
“That’s right. The Duke rescued you, and I moved you here.”
“You were in the capital?”
“Of course. I was worried about you.”
“Thank you, Ridel. You saved my life.”
“No need for thanks. But I have good news.”
Ridel placed the finished documents aside and shifted the topic.
“What news?”
“We missed the queen, but the king was captured near the North Gate. His execution will be at sunrise tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow morning?”
It was sooner than expected. Since the king still had troops nearby, they likely didn’t want to give him more time to regroup.
Bella paused, then put down the documents, tying her hair neatly. Every time she tied her hair like this, Ridel felt uneasy.
“Going to see it? It won’t be pretty.”
Ridel’s attempt to dissuade her met a thoughtful tilt of Bella’s head.
“Would Chei like it if I brought the king’s head?”
She gently ran her hand over Chei’s hair, still asleep. The soft strands slipped smoothly through her fingers.
“Ugh… does it have to be the head?”
“Well, even if not, we need to get something from there. Thanks for telling me, Ridel.”
Bella half stood from the chair, leaning toward Chei.
“Chei. The descendant of the one who destroyed Prelorde is finally going to the execution platform.”
“….”
“I’ll go. I want to see his end with my own eyes and hear it with my own ears.”
Whispering this to Chei, Bella rose, leaving a brief greeting of reassurance.
“Already leaving?”
Ridel asked in surprise. Bella turned her face toward the window, her expression calm. She needed to hurry to arrive on time.
“Not quite yet, Ridel.”
“Come with me.”
Ridel grabbed her arm, but Bella gently and firmly removed his hand.
“No. I need to have a thorough conversation with him.”
She touched the sacred object around her neck. At that moment, her violet eyes briefly flashed with red.
“Bella, just now…”
“If the queen comes to my mansion, welcome her warmly, just in case.”
After giving this final instruction, Bella left the room. Ridel turned to look at the sleeping Chei.
“Duke… sometimes Bella seems to think I’m just a butler here.”
“….”
Ridel tried to speak jokingly, but his expression stiffened, almost as if he might break into tears.
“Phew… The Duke needs to wake up soon, or Bella won’t stop pushing herself. I just want her to be a little… comfortable.”
Ridel lowered his head. Among strands of her sky-blue hair, his silver-gray eyes looked dim.
The more one grows accustomed to death, the further one drifts from happiness. Bella had witnessed too many deaths in too short a time.
Even if she says she’s fine this time, Ridel couldn’t be sure Bella would be okay after Chei departs.
