Chapter 36. Lidell’s Ideal
“Do you like it?”
“Very much, really. But why did you hand over the account book to another family?”
“Because… I wanted you to stay in this mansion. I’ve been alone for far too long.”
That Chay had already carried everything out so perfectly in Bella’s body was astonishing. Bella was even considering—maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to lend it to him occasionally—until she recalled the horrific sensation of losing her physical body and quickly shut down that line of thought. She had no desire to die. Absolutely none.
More than that, Chay’s skill was impressive. He had hidden both himself and Bella, and passed the explosive burden onto someone else.
With this, the conflict between the noble and royalist factions would intensify, further fracturing the aristocracy. That, in turn, would open many more opportunities for the royal family and commoners to rise.
Where on earth did such an utterly lovable ghost come from? She even felt like giving him a kiss.
“Well, it’s true. Nobles are always too busy scheming to stay home much. Don’t worry. I’ll be a very domestic head of the household.”
“Head of the household?”
Chay tilted his head as if he’d just heard something very strange. Bella only raised her brows and gave a small nod in response.
“Of course. I’m the head. And you’re a member of my family.”
“I’m your family?”
“Yes. So were you really going to become my family after seeing all that… my father, down in the South?”
Bella chuckled playfully. Chay stared at her, then asked in a soft voice tinged with laughter.
“Then which am I?”
“Which what?”
As Bella returned the question, Chay stepped forward, coming close to her face. Bella felt her body flush again at the sight of Chay’s face, as if she had sipped morning dew alone.
And yet, she couldn’t look away. She felt like she would fall under his spell again.
Chay’s eyes curved gently. It was clearly a smile of innocence, yet somehow felt mischievous.
“Am I your brother? Or…”
“Wh-what?!”
Startled, Bella shuddered all over, her face flushed bright red—right at that moment, a knock sounded at the door.
“Boss, could you check the interior structure for a moment?”
“Yes, I’ll be right out!”
Bella fled the room, and left alone, Chay waved his hand in the air as if to recapture a warmth he could no longer feel, then let it fall.
The week he spent living in Bella’s body had been dreamlike and magical—yet remained vivid, like just a moment ago.
** A few days earlier… **
As for what Chay did in that week, which Bella had been so curious about—just as he’d said, not much.
The first thing he did upon entering Bella’s body was to inform Lidell of his return.
As expected, Lidell arrived at the mansion in a flash—carrying a vast sum of money.
“This is the agreed amount, Miss Bella.”
“…”
Chay stared blankly at the stacks of money on the table. He looked entirely unimpressed, as if he were used to seeing that much.
The vibe was so different from usual that Lidell cautiously studied her expression before asking.
“Miss Bella? Are you alright?”
“Make sure this is handled discreetly, so my identity doesn’t get revealed.”
Instead of replying, Chay simply placed a document on the table.
“…This is—”
It was the black ledger Bella had nearly died trying to retrieve.
“You must tie down Count Tressy and demand a royal trial. And make this a public scandal in the press.”
Though Chay spoke in formal language, his tone and demeanor carried the weight of command, as if it were as natural as breathing.
Lidell awkwardly looked around, trying to think of a way to continue the conversation naturally.
“Uh, I see. Was everything alright in the South?”
“Was that part of the deal too?”
Chay chuckled coldly. It was a biting, frosty tone that he rarely showed in front of Bella.
Only then did Lidell realize something was wrong, and shot to his feet in shock. His eyes landed on the wrist in front of him. Now that he noticed—Bella wasn’t wearing the bracelet he had given her.
“…You’re not—”
“You seem to know me well, Lidell. Or should I say—Count Lidell Bonart.”
Chay tilted his chin arrogantly and curled his lips into a graceful smile.
Though it was Bella’s body and voice, the atmosphere and pressure were completely different. Lidell’s body even trembled despite himself.
He sat down again hastily and stared at Bella’s face as he opened his mouth.
“I’ve been longing to meet you!”
“Disgusting.”
“No, no… Are you really… him?”
Lidell, his voice shaking with excitement, stared desperately at Chay’s lips until he finally opened them slowly.
“You want to know if I’m Chayre Prelrode, the Duke?”
“My God… truly… at last…”
The Prelrode mansion, rumored to be haunted.
If any ghost resided there, surely it was the Duke of Prelrode who had died in an accident a hundred years ago.
It had been a faint hope.
Lidell had clung to that mansion in pursuit of it. Though he had never once seen the ghost himself, he hoped someone who could see it might appear someday.
He had wished for it desperately.
“And what did you plan to do with the ghost of a man who died a hundred years ago?”
Chay, unimpressed by Lidell’s emotional display, cut straight to the point.
“I wanted to speak with you. I mean it! I’m on your side. I’ve been investigating your death and there are too many suspicious elements—”
“Are you here before me as Count Bonart, or as the CEO of Mist?”
“Uh…”
The mood soured like cold water had been thrown over it, and only then did Lidell take a deep breath.
Chay sighed quietly, picked up the bag of money, and placed it gently in front of himself.
“If you’re a businessman, then simply tell me what you want from me, and what you’re offering.”
“I want to abolish the class system.”
That was the kind of thing that could get you dragged off and executed for treason.
The fact that he said it so unhesitatingly to Chay, in Bella’s body, meant that Lidell was sincere.
Perhaps sensing this, Chay responded with a calmer voice.
“And a count like you thinks he can?”
“I’m not strong enough alone. That’s why I searched for someone capable, but no one in this era fits.”
“No one better than a ghost from a hundred years ago?”
“Yes.”
Chay let out a dry laugh.
He had died, and yet the world hadn’t improved at all. What had people even been doing for the last hundred years? The nobles were corrupt, the royal family petty, and the commoners weak to immediate pleasure.
Only then did he fully understand why Lidell had fixated on Prelrode.
For the past hundred years, Chay had been the only high-ranking noble trying to change this wretched state.
“Then tell me what you want.”
“I want to use your death. To strike both the nobles and the royal family.”
“What power do I have? As you can see, I’m just a soul clinging to a powerless woman’s body.”
“You haven’t taken it over yet?”
Lidell asked with a voice so clear it sounded almost innocent. Chay’s blue eyes turned cold in an instant.
“Hah. I see.”
“…”
“You think the ends justify the means, is that it?”
“That’s—”
“Using this woman was a grave mistake, Count.”
Chay stood, signaling the conversation was over. Lidell hurriedly stood up as well, hesitating.
“Duke, please be our rallying point. I will restore your name and honor.”
“So your plan is to restore my fame, deify my name to create legitimacy, and use the drama of my death to drag down both factions? I understand it.”
Chay replied with a mocking smile.
The bracelet Bella wore used the wearer’s energy to seal the spirit. It wasn’t something one could wear for long.
But Lidell had made it a condition of their deal that Bella protect the ghost. Even though the spirit had lived peacefully in the mansion all this time, he insisted.
Because of that condition, Bella had stubbornly kept the bracelet on. As a result, her energy had weakened—and if Chay left her body now, she would likely die.
This had been Lidell’s intention all along.
He had manipulated the situation so that Chay would have no choice but to take over Bella’s body.
Smoothly. Meticulously.
