Chapter 62:
One Hundred Years
“Th-that ghost… is here?”
“Ah, you can’t see Sean, can you? But he’s right here.”
Bella smiled lightly as she pointed to a spot. Of course, Sean couldn’t see anything.
But what was undeniable was the heavy pressure weighing on his shoulders, as if a boulder were pressing down—stronger than before.
“D-did I perhaps do something to offend the ghost?”
“No? Chei says he doesn’t care much.”
“…I understand.”
Sean swayed a little, bowed politely, and left the room. Only then did Chei, who had been staring at him, shift his gaze away.
“Chei. Did you do something to Sean?”
“You already know well enough that I don’t have that kind of power anymore.”
“That’s true. But why did he look so pale?”
“Perhaps he’s just frightened of ghosts.”
“Doesn’t suit his size at all. He looks like he could take down three or four ghosts by himself.”
“Who knows.”
Chei trailed off, lips curling lazily.
Bella, not noticing the subtle change in Chei’s expression, shook her head.
“Honestly, Sean’s twice your size. What’s so scary about a beautiful, delicate person like you?”
“Not that delicate…”
“Look at your wrist.”
Bella pointed, and sure enough, Chei’s wrist was slender.
“…So it is.”
Even Chei found it strange. When he had been alive, he hadn’t looked like this. His hair had been black as the midnight sky and his eyes a deep blue.
But the form Bella was seeing now was different—platinum hair and blue eyes.
“Chei. So, what will you do?”
“…Do about what?”
Pulled from his thoughts by Bella’s question, Chei blinked.
“Should I ask Hayden? Maybe he could lend his body for a day?”
“You always push things further than necessary.”
Chei hadn’t even thought it possible to enter the royal palace with Bella. But Bella, of course, assumed he would want to go.
“I could push it three times further.”
“Ha. Don’t worry, I’ll ask him myself.”
At Bella’s determined expression, Chei couldn’t help but laugh. In truth, he longed to run his fingers through her silvery-gray curls right then, but as a spirit, he couldn’t.
“You’re just worried about Hayden, aren’t you? If you suddenly spoke to him, he might faint dead away.”
“Well, don’t go talking about someone else in front of me.”
Chei suddenly leaned forward, grinning close to Bella’s face.
Truly, Bella had never seen a man who looked like this.
“Wha—!”
Bella gasped, covering her eyes as she stumbled back. She nearly forgot to breathe.
Chei, fully aware of her pounding heart, only straightened back up and tilted his head slightly.
“In any case, you’ll need a dress first. I’ll jot down a list of suitable places, so choose one from there.”
“Ah. A dress. Do I really have to wear one?”
“Later, you can be more daring. But for now, it’s best not to break decorum when you need to maintain good relations with the royal family.”
“That’s true… Oh, did you see the list of artists this time?”
“I did. Over there.”
Chei pointed to a paper. Three names had already been circled.
Bella checked the list with surprise and copied down the names Chei had marked.
“You already picked them? It’s amazing. How do you always manage to choose the artists who become famous later?”
Indeed, Chei was a tremendous help in this business.
His eye for talent was remarkable—after seeing a few works by a new artist, he could already gauge their potential and tip Bella off.
When Bella hired these artists and sold products featuring limited-edition pieces, it only took a few months before the artists skyrocketed to fame.
It was uncanny. Almost supernatural. Did ghosts naturally glimpse people’s histories and near futures? To Bella, the works all looked the same.
“To be hated to the point of being cursed, one must at least be this good.”
“Wow…”
Her exclamation carried the sense that—even if it was a joke—she couldn’t dismiss it.
Meanwhile, Chei picked up a pen and casually scribbled down several boutique names.
Bella gazed at him with awe, as though it were a miracle he could now hold a pen. She had no idea how dangerous it really was.
With each passing day, Chei drew in more energy, taking shape, touching things. Instinctively, he was changing.
For a spirit that absorbed the living’s energy, the line between ghost and malevolent wraith was razor thin.
“By the way… What about Count Bonart? Still no word?”
Chei set down the pen and asked.
Bella too had found it odd not to see Ridel around lately.
“He says he’s found information about that veiled woman who came to the mansion before. He sent word he’d be visiting tomorrow.”
“She was certainly suspicious. She wasn’t afraid of me at all.”
“She seemed to know something, didn’t she?”
Bella’s violet eyes darkened.
It didn’t feel good. As though events were slipping beyond her grasp.
“Bella!”
“You’re early, Ridel.”
Bella glanced at the dawn light filtering through the window as she replied.
Ridel, apparently a man who never slept in, arrived at the mansion looking irritatingly fresh. Luckily, Chei had been gone since the night before, saying he was visiting the perfume workshop.
Ridel sprawled across the sofa in the parlor as though it were his own home, then turned his head to look at Bella.
“Of course. Didn’t you miss me?”
“Not at all.”
Her reply was cool, sharp in contrast to Ridel’s cheerful air.
Especially with him lying there in his shoes! Bella irritably tapped his leg until he finally sat properly. Only then did she fetch tea leaves and cups.
“But I missed you.”
“Disgusting.”
“Ha! Anyway, where’s the duke?”
“Watch your mouth. The only duke left in the kingdom is Duke Arlé now.”
When Duke Frelrod had died with no heir, the family had been absorbed into the royal line—it was inevitable, given they carried royal blood. Now, the only duke in the realm was Arlé.
And because Arlé’s territory bordered Frelrod’s, there had always been tension between the two.
“What are you talking about? To me, the duke will always be Duke Frelrod.”
“Chei stepped out for a while. He gets along well enough with the people you sent.”
Once, Chei had clung to Bella’s side, saying he was lonely, scared, that she was the only one for him. But after taking Hayden Hope’s body once, he began going out among groups of people. It seemed easier to draw in energy there.
“I did choose people who would help him maintain a stable form.”
“…?”
Bella’s eyes widened. The cheerful tone of his words belied their ominous meaning.
Before she could press him, Ridel quickly changed the subject.
“Here, look at this first.”
“You found out who she is?”
Ridel handed her a report. Bella skimmed the first page.
“Top secret. Extremely dangerous. That veiled woman who came to your mansion? The temple is protecting her very carefully.”
“So that’s why it took so long to find out… Hm. ‘A commoner woman who once wandered the streets is now being sheltered by the temple.’ That is strange.”
Narrowing her eyes, Bella read through the document and set it down.
“This is just my theory,” Ridel said cautiously, “but I think the temple’s about to announce the next Saint. And I think it’s her.”
“The next Saint? But didn’t the line end a hundred years ago?”
“Exactly. Which is why it’s significant. A hundred years ago—the curse on Duke Frelrod, the disappearance of the Saint, and no more oracles since.”
“Oh… that’s…”
There was a clear connection.
The year Duke Frelrod died, the Saint also perished. And for the next century, no Saint appeared.
Without a Saint, the temple weakened, and absolute monarchy rose.
Only recently had trade and commerce shaken the class system enough for the temple to regain some vitality. But without oracles or a Saint, its authority still faltered.
It was strange. As though something vast and shadowy stirred around the kingdom.
“These days, I even make sure to have someone near me when I sleep. I’m scared.”
Ridel rubbed his arms as goosebumps rose.
Rumble—
Thunder cracked, and storm clouds rolled in at once.
“Fitting weather to talk about ghosts, isn’t it?”
Bella’s indifferent eyes drifted to the window, where rain began to pour.
What was this kingdom hiding?
What exactly had happened a hundred years ago?
