Chapter 14. Seduction
Bella stood at the front gate, keeping watch until the count completely disappeared from view. Only after she was sure she was alone did she turn around.
“Ah!”
As soon as she turned, Chei appeared. She hadn’t even sensed his presence—when had he arrived?
“You scared me, Chei.”
“What’s going on?”
Something was off about Chei’s expression—it was unusually dark. The moment Bella saw his downcast face, she couldn’t help but try to comfort him. She quickly reached out.
Unfortunately, her hand meant to soothe him passed right through his body and wavered in empty air.
Bella quickly withdrew her hand, worried she might have hurt him again, but Chei’s gaze had already sunk deeply into gloom.
“I can’t protect you… not in my current state.”
His voice, low and heavy, was filled with a deep sense of helplessness. As Bella looked at his face, she saw in him a reflection of her own when she first left home.
There was a time when everything had felt hard, overwhelming, and unbearable—even for Bella.
“You don’t need to protect me.”
“Count Trecy is a vile and filthy man.”
“I haven’t met many people who aren’t vile and filthy.”
Bella dropped her gaze, a bitter smile on her lips.
She thought back to when she had first left home with no money, wandering from village to village working as a tutor.
A seamstress accused her of seducing her son and poured dirty water on her. A baroness’s son had harassed her, only to hide behind his mother and pretend to be the victim.
Bella had done nothing then—just turned away, dirty water dripping from her clothes, wiping away tears as she walked.
She had no noble family or parents left to protect her.
She had been powerless—against status, power, and wealth.
Maybe, she thought, if she had at least owned a haunted mansion like now, people in the village would’ve treated her more kindly.
“Haa… Bella. He’s secretly trafficked people. He frequents illegal establishments and runs gambling dens that rob commoners of their money.”
“…Gambling dens?”
Bella’s head snapped up.
Just the word made her seethe. The idea of that greasy Count Trecy running gambling dens made her skin crawl.
“Yeah. So at least until he calms down, maybe you should hide somewhere—”
“This is my home. Where would I go?”
“Bella.”
Chei reached out as if to stop her, but his translucent hand simply passed through her body in a hazy shimmer.
Bella frowned slightly and warned him softly.
“Don’t say my name like that. It makes my heart race.”
“Huh?”
“This is my house. If a homeowner abandons their home and runs away, do you know how pathetic that is? Technically, you’re a tenant here now, Chei.”
“I’m… a tenant?”
Chei, basically a ghost bound to the house, looked incredulous and pointed at himself.
Bella, her gaze distant as if lost in thought, responded.
“Yes. As the landlord, I’m responsible for ensuring tenants live comfortably—like basic maintenance and repairs. How could I just leave?”
“Bella. As you know, I’m a ghost.”
“Well, I’m not leaving.”
Chei sighed, thinking she was just being stubborn.
This woman… Doesn’t she realize she could really die?
Chei already knew Bella was unusual. From fearlessly living alone in this large mansion to setting traps in anticipation of intruders.
Most of all, she remained calm even after sensing his ghostly presence. She even looked directly at his true form without fear.
That was why Chei so desperately wanted Bella to survive. She was his hope—the only one, for now.
“This is life-threatening. Last time, it was just one attacker. Next time, there could be more, or they might use poison.”
“Like what happened to the previous owners?”
“Yes.”
It was touching that such a handsome man worried for her, but Bella had to survive here.
Because—
“But Chei.”
“…Yeah?”
“I spent my entire fortune on this house.”
“What?”
She didn’t even have money to secure a different place to hide. Sure, the mansion was cheap because of the ghost rumors, but a mansion was still a mansion.
And more importantly—
“I have to live in this house for at least six months.”
Only after living there for six months could she receive her investment funds. For Bella, that was as important as her life.
In this collapsing kingdom, money was the only way to preserve one’s dignity as a human being. Money. Gold coins.
Without it, a life less than human awaited—no one to hear your cries when slapped, or when you’re drenched in filth.
Bella had no intention of returning to such a life.
“Bella, nothing is more precious than your life.”
“There is. That so-called ‘pride’ nobles always talk about—I have that too. I’m human. Do you know how painful it is, being homeless, drifting from place to place…?”
Bella’s eyes began to glisten.
Even in winter when she washed laundry, when she scarfed down nobles’ leftovers, or when she was locked alone in a quarantine room with a raging fever—she hadn’t shed a single tear.
Because the world is cold to complaints. Showing weakness only invites contempt.
If she had whined about how hard life was, she would’ve remained a mere maid. But Bella had to be more than that if she wanted to survive.
She had no home. No hometown to return to.
That’s why she clung to the idea of a home so desperately. Even she knew she was obsessing irrationally.
“Bella, don’t cry. I can’t wipe your tears.”
Chei reached out, but his hand dropped limply as he spoke with a gloomy voice. He felt guilty for making the first person who acknowledged him cry, while being unable to offer even the comfort of a touch.
Bella bravely swallowed her tears and carefully placed her hand over his. Though she couldn’t feel it, the chill that radiated through her bones was oddly comforting—almost like body warmth.
“I know. But still… It’s not your fault, Chei.”
“I didn’t realize this mansion meant more than life to you. You haven’t been here that long…”
“It’s fine. I’d have thought the same in your place.”
Chei repeatedly opened and closed his fist, as if trying to grasp her hand that passed through him.
“So… this is about money, right?”
“Yes. I can’t step one foot out of here. Ghosts with a house at least have somewhere to go. People like me would wander the streets even after death.”
Bella spoke in her usual flat yet resolute tone, withdrawing her hand. She feared prolonged contact might give her frostbite.
“There’s money in this mansion.”
“…What?”
Bella’s eyes widened at Chei’s sudden words. Money?
For a moment, Chei’s translucent, beautiful face seemed to glow with divine light.
“How much?”
Chei looked a little embarrassed, fiddling with his earlobe. It didn’t turn red—he was a ghost, after all. But it must’ve been a habit from his living days.
“Not a lot, embarrassingly.”
Ah. So it was just a little. That was fine—Bella was touched just by the gesture.
To feel more warmth from a ghost than most humans… Bella chuckled wryly.
“So how much exactly?”
“Just… a bit.”
Chei avoided the question, casually brushing her cheek with a finger. Even though he lacked blood and warmth…
Moments like this reminded her that he had once been alive.
Annoyed, Bella—who had nearly transformed into a beast in anticipation—raised her voice and flung her arm dramatically.
“Oh come on, just tell me! Like, say ‘a hundred gold coins,’ flat out!”
“They’re jewels.”
“…Excuse me?”
Bella froze mid-gesture. Jewels?
They varied wildly in value, but one thing was certain—jewels were luxury goods, and even the cheapest ones were worth multiple gold coins each.
“There are a few fine pieces left, adorned with high-grade gems.”
And they were crafted? That made them even more valuable. The worth of a jewel often depended more on craftsmanship than the raw stone itself.
Bella’s sparkling eyes narrowed.
“But I already searched the whole mansion and found nothing.”
She’d cleaned every nook and cranny, including the storage rooms. Not a single trinket had turned up.
The only valuables were some nice furniture and wall art—but even those weren’t especially rare.
“Follow me. I’ll show you—but only you.”
Chei led the way, Bella trailing behind, heart pounding with excitement as she calculated in her head.
If it were around a hundred gold coins, she might just scream with joy. With that money, and the amount she got from Mr. Fog, she could redecorate the entire mansion beautifully. Maybe even buy out a small soap-making shop.
Bella pressed a hand to her chest, worried her heart might literally leap out.
When they reached the mansion’s study—which could be called a library—Chei pressed against a blank section of the wall.
“Chei?”
Suddenly, the bookshelf began shifting sideways and backward, revealing a hidden door.
No wonder I couldn’t find it. Bella nodded in approval. A noble’s mansion would surely have more than one of these secret rooms.
“Here.”
Chei opened the door and beckoned her in.
But the moment Bella stepped inside and looked around, her face stiffened completely.
“…What is this?”
