Chapter 60…. A Clue
…!
“Now, go on. I’ve said all I needed to say.”
The astrologer waved her hand, dismissing her.
Bella froze like stone, unable even to breathe, her eyes wide open. Her suspicion that those who had cursed Che might be from the royal family was now close to certainty.
“But then again, my lady was born under a very, very lucky star. Who knows? You may defeat the kingdom’s greatest sorcerer and rescue the duke.”
“…H-how could you…?”
“What kind of astrologer would I be if I didn’t know even that? Now, I’ve answered all I can. Go.”
At the astrologer’s words, Bella staggered to her feet, bowed hastily, and stumbled out of the tent.
Just then, Che—who had finished inspecting the area—spotted her and came closer. Bella stared at him as he approached.
“…Can I… can I really win?”
Against the royal family? Against the king of a nation?
It was utterly impossible in reality. Yet somehow, she felt she had no choice left but this one path.
“Bella. No luck at all. They wouldn’t even let me inside.”
“…Che. How far do you think I can go?”
It was a sudden question, but Che had no choice but to answer with the utmost care. Bella looked far too precarious.
“Well. If I said, ‘as far as you wish to go,’ would that be enough?”
Seeing her dazed expression, Che gently pulled her into his arms as though to protect her.
Leaning on him, Bella staggered out of the village. She turned her head once to look back at the entrance of the astrologers’ settlement.
To uncover the truth of Che’s curse, such villages were no longer where she needed to go.
It was the highest place in the kingdom—
the royal palace.
The turbulence in her violet eyes gradually stilled. Then, a confident smile bloomed across her lips.
“…Now I have one more reason I absolutely must succeed.”
With that, Bella turned without hesitation and left the village. Things had come this far; she had no choice but to win. When cornered at the cliff’s edge, even a mouse could bite a cat.
When Bella and Che returned to the mansion, it was already past midnight. Knights rushed out the moment they saw Che alighting beside Bella.
“Hayden! Where on earth have you been? And why are you with the client?”
“Don’t tell me you tried something with her?”
“….”
Che stayed silent amid the knights crowding around him.
Bella saw one of them casually sling an arm over Che’s shoulder. She squeezed her eyes shut—Che would never let that pass.
As expected, Che gave a cold smile and flicked the arm off.
“You’re not soul-friends, are you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
A knight asked, bewildered, tilting his head. Che walked past them without pause and stood beside Bella.
“You don’t even recognize the one you’re sworn to protect. Pathetic.”
At those words, Hayden’s knees buckled and collapsed. If Bella hadn’t quickly caught him, he would have smashed his face into the ground.
A chilling silence fell. The knights were so stunned by what they had just seen that they couldn’t even process it.
“Th-th-that… surely…”
One knight, recovering a little faster, stammered and pointed at the unconscious Hayden.
Bella hesitated, wondering how best to explain, then carefully chose her words.
“This man is the real Hayden. So take him back.”
“Eek!”
The knights shrank back like frightened children. Bella sighed deeply and half-forced Hayden into their care before slipping into the mansion.
As she had guessed, Che was already inside her room, seated by the window, watching everything unfold outside.
“You can be mischievous when you want, Che.”
“I had to show them once, at least.”
Che moved from the window toward her, but Bella lifted her palm to halt him.
“Che. Let me make this clear. I still haven’t gotten over the sense of betrayal I felt from you.”
“You already knew my name. You were never betrayed.”
His low, velvety voice, that impossibly handsome face—it was now the Che she had come to know.
“Enough with the jokes. When did I ever hear your name from you? I figured it out myself. Oh, and what if someone else were to discover your name?”
“It doesn’t matter. Only the name I reveal has power.”
Without a sound, Che had come closer. He looked at her intently and stretched out his hand.
This time, Bella grasped it. Unlike when he had possessed Hayden’s body, the sensation was chilling and uncanny.
“It feels just like a contract.”
“That’s right. A very powerful one. And it goes both ways. To reveal your name to a soul is the same as exposing your soul. That allows a spirit to use the body of the living.”
This time, Che was frank, laying everything bare. After their broken deal, though trust had been damaged, they now shared more knowledge than before.
Bella must have sensed it too, for she suddenly waved her hand through Che’s body playfully as if testing him.
“So that’s how you were able to enter my body?”
“Yes.”
“And the reason you never told me your name… was because you feared I might wield you?”
“Correct. I admit I was overly cautious.”
His low laugh echoed pleasantly.
“Then what about the scars engraved on a soul? What do they mean?”
“They’re exactly what they are—scars. They could be pain, torment, or wounds, memories carved deep.”
At his words, Bella felt a bittersweet confirmation. She recalled the countless scars she had glimpsed upon his soul.
Thinking of the many marks etched across his back, she realized the Duke of Prellord’s life must have been far harsher than she had imagined.
Perhaps it was presumptuous of her to pity him, yet she couldn’t help but empathize as her feelings deepened.
“The scars on your back… were they all like that?”
“…”
Che flinched slightly, remaining silent, clearly unwilling to talk about it.
Trying to lighten the mood, Bella kept slipping her hand through his form and asked another question.
“Did my soul also have many scars?”
Che gazed at her for a moment, then stepped closer until their noses almost touched. He lowered his head.
She knew nothing would actually touch, yet instinctively she shut her eyes.
As expected, there was no sensation. Only the cold seeped into her as their forms overlapped, making her shiver.
“Not enough to cover you. Here… and here.”
He touched her shoulder—and her abdomen. More precisely, his hand passed through her body with an icy chill.
It looked as though his hand was inside her stomach.
Though he hadn’t truly touched her, the strange sensation made her leap back, her face flaming as she covered it with both hands.
“Y-you!”
“?”
Seeing his guileless expression, Bella smacked her own forehead with a loud thud.
“So it’s just me being indecent again!”
“If it offended you, I apologize.”
“I’m mad because it didn’t offend me!”
“…Hm?”
Her blunt confession made his eyes go wide.
Even that expression was so beautiful that Bella couldn’t look away, muttering under her breath.
“Ugh, why do you have to look like some prince on a white horse too…”
“Pff. If my curse is ever lifted, you’ll be disappointed. This isn’t my real appearance.”
At his joke, Bella recalled the portrait of Duke Prellord.
With that face? It was beyond mere preference—it bordered on being unfair to the rest of the species.
“Don’t worry. Even when alive, the duke’s face was very, very handsome.”
Was this magnificent creature really of the same kind as her?
She finally understood why the royal family and nobles had despised Duke Prellord so fiercely. That face, that height, that physique, that power, that character, that foresight. Even if she herself were king, she would have resented him.
“Well, I’m glad even that face is your type.”
“That’s not the issue. Whether you return to that face or not—do you truly want this curse broken, no matter the outcome?”
“…Yes.”
Though she had asked lightly, the weight of the question was anything but. Che, knowing this, could only answer gravely.
Bella’s own expression grew tense.
“Even if… it means disappearing?”
“….”
Che didn’t answer. But Bella understood the moment she saw the weariness in his eyes. He had already accepted that possibility. In fact, he looked as though he longed for rest.
Bella suddenly felt a pang of sorrow and turned her face away.
To think that in his plan—to take revenge, break the century-old curse, and finally rest—she herself had no place at all. That was what hurt the most.
