Chapter 6. A Generous Landlady
“Do you know who the culprit is?”
Tap, tap. This time, two taps. It meant the soul remained in the mansion after being killed without knowing who the killer was.
“I really want to live here. You don’t want to live with the nasty person who displays dead cats on the doorstep either, do you, Mr. Ghost?”
Tap. The rope swayed quickly once. Clearly, the ghost hated it.
Bella felt that she and the ghost got along quite well. After all, she was also very displeased with the unknown figures eyeing her home.
“This place is now our fortress. Do you know what’s most important when the enemy attacks?”
“……”
“It’s draining the enemy’s energy as much as possible before they ever reach you—so that when you do face them inside the mansion, you can easily strike them down. Using terrain, traps, all of it.”
“……”
“I know the layout of this mansion inside and out now.”
Hehe. Bella let out a creepy chuckle. Just from her laugh alone, you couldn’t tell who the real villain was.
By now, it seemed necessary to hear the ghost’s side of the story.
The ghost had died suddenly around the time the ducal family had collapsed.
He was fairly certain he’d been murdered, but didn’t know by whom. He was traveling in a carriage, enjoying a glass of wine, and then suddenly coughed up blood and lost consciousness.
At first, the ghost—his name was Chey—couldn’t accept that he was dead. He kept lingering near the living.
But every time he revealed himself, using the vitality he absorbed from the living, people in the mansion would scream in terror.
“Aaack! A g-ghost!”
“……”
It had happened so many times now.
Chey stared blankly at the latest homeowner fleeing from him.
Was his appearance really that terrifying? He couldn’t know, as he didn’t reflect in mirrors.
Right then, a hooded man stepped in front of the businessman trying to escape Chey.
“Help! There’s a ghost in this house—argh!”
Once again, the hooded man brutally murdered the mansion’s owner. As always, the truth would be buried, and people would blame the vengeful ghost.
Chey followed closely behind the mysterious man as he left the house. The man didn’t seem to notice the ghost.
A huge build, thick jaw, and glowing red eyes beneath a deeply pulled hood.
Chey shivered every time he saw him. Even in battlefields, he’d never seen someone so filled to the brim with murderous intent.
He had tried again and again to warn and save the mansion’s new owners—but all efforts failed.
To hire a mercenary of that caliber, the culprit had to be a very wealthy noble.
Ah.
Chey suddenly stopped following the man. No—he couldn’t go further.
The mansion’s gate. That was the limit of where Chey could roam.
He glared coldly at the man leaving the estate.
The stronger his desire to live grew, the more intense his urge became to possess a human body.
If only he could take that man’s body—the one who killed every resident and blamed Chey for it.
Chey no longer expected anything from the living. Hoping to reveal the truth of his death through communication with the living was nothing more than a pipe dream.
He would take a body, uncover his killer, and escape the mansion himself.
But just as he was set on this new path, a strange new woman arrived.
She often laughed sneakily. When he accidentally broke a frame, she barely reacted.
Isn’t she scared of me?
From all the past failures, Chey knew people hated him. He tried his best to stay hidden. But he couldn’t help the cold aura or the occasional object falling due to his presence.
The woman poured love into the mansion—cleaning it thoroughly, tending to every corner. He wanted to know her name, but no one else ever visited, so he never heard it.
I have to take her body.
Even her body would do—he needed to leave this place.
Still, despite those thoughts, he found himself circling around her.
She was stronger than expected. She even took the dead cat in and examined its wounds.
She figured out that the string of deaths had been caused by the living.
It was the first time for Chey. Someone who didn’t simply blame the ghost—but knew it was a human’s doing.
It was his first time.
Before he knew it, Chey began curling up on the rug under her bed at night while she slept. Just for a while, he could forget he was dead and find peace.
One night, lulled by that comfort, the mysterious man returned.
Without hesitation, the man brought an axe down on another victim tied to the front gate—and then went on to mutilate the already-dead body.
Those eerie red eyes looked up toward the mansion.
Chey, seeing this, quickly shook the woman awake.
Wake up! You’re in danger!
“Ugh…”
She moaned as if paralyzed by sleep.
Get up! It’s dangerous!
Chey leaned close to her ear and whispered—and in that moment, her eyes shot open.
Thankfully, the killer was already gone.
As Chey sighed in relief, the woman grabbed her sword and dashed downstairs. Startled, he followed her.
She was examining the corpse outside, furious yet composed.
Watching her, Chey’s mind raced.
Maybe, if he used this woman, he could both protect the mansion and find a way to live again.
So when Bella spoke to him in the storage room, Chey made the decision to reveal himself openly.
“Wow, I’m so excited.”
Lying on her back, Bella stared up at the ceiling with sparkling eyes.
She had already set traps throughout the mansion. Now, all that remained was to wait for the prey.
She believed the culprit would act soon.
More importantly, the traps wouldn’t vanish after one day, so she was free to wait like a patient predator. She felt at ease.
She had taken a big step toward owning her own home.
She used to think simply buying a house meant that dream was fulfilled—but maybe because she had bought such a grand one, pests kept swarming in.
“My house… my house…”
Bella whispered the phrase softly. The more she repeated it, the more her heart swelled with emotion.
She had always lived in someone else’s home. Never truly at ease.
As a tutor, she’d once been kicked out onto the street because the landlord refused to return her deposit. Another time, she had to search frantically for shelter after her rent was suddenly doubled.
Just not having to wander anymore was satisfaction enough.
Bella, wide awake, turned her head and scanned the room.
There was one more reason for her excitement.
The mansion’s ghost.
This was the first day they had ever spoken.
“Are you there?”
At her question, the curtain fluttered slightly.
“Ahem. I’m going to sleep now, so would you mind leaving?”
The curtain rustled more strongly this time—as if saying no.
“But we’re not even married. We can’t share a room!”
The curtain fell still. The sudden silence made Bella shiver.
“Gone already?”
Looking wistfully at the now-still curtain, she blinked slowly.
And then—
“…Huh?”
Footprints appeared on the soft rug—approaching her.
Bella sat up in alarm.
Was the ghost going to hurt her? Why was it coming closer?
Wait—wasn’t the ghost a man?
Panicked, Bella jerked backward. Then a cold sensation touched her shoulder.
“Eek!”
‘S-…’
“I can’t hear you.”
A weak force pushed her shoulder, and Bella’s body toppled back. The bed bounced softly as she landed.
The icy chill that seeped into her bones, the pressure on her shoulders, and the weight of something on top of her—she couldn’t move.
It was like sleep paralysis.
A cold breeze brushed her ear.
“What…?”
Startled, Bella stared into empty air after hearing the ghost’s voice.
The ghost had spoken only briefly.
“I’m scared.”
Scared?
Was he saying he was scared of himself? Or that he, a ghost, was scared of something else?
Unfortunately, the ghost didn’t explain.
Bella was about to say something more when the chill vanished, and the weight on her shoulder disappeared.
“Hey! If you’re scared, you can stay with me. I probably won’t be sleeping much tonight anyway.”
“……”
She quickly waved her hand at the air and raised her voice.
Her eyes drifted to the rug beside the bed. The footprints vanished, and soon a large, round depression appeared.
“You’re sleeping there?”
“……”
Bella looked at the rug with a very conflicted expression, then sighed deeply.
“I’ll let it go because you’re a ghost.”
“…?”
“You can share the bed with me. You were a man in life, sure—but you’re genderless as a ghost, right? It’s a bit weird, but letting someone who died and became a ghost sleep on the floor feels wrong too.”
She patted the empty space beside her.
“Come on. I’m ready. Get up here.”
“…?”
“We’re on the same boat now. Aren’t we?”
Unable to see the ghost’s baffled expression, Bella proudly added,
“And where else would you find a landlord like me? In today’s world, people would probably charge a ghost rent! But not me! I’m even letting you borrow my bed!”
“……”
Who in their right mind would ask a ghost for rent? The ghost sighed involuntarily.
They say genius and madness are separated by a thin line—and she was definitely walking it.
