Chapter 13. A Deal or a Threat
Fortunately, the Count wasn’t the type to underestimate others carelessly. He gave a fake cough at Bella’s calm demeanor and spoke with a forced benevolence.
“Hrm, I came to see the new owner of the haunted mansion.”
“Oh. I’m doing well, thank you.”
“It’s famous for being haunted, and the previous owners all died, so I was worried—but what a relief.”
Bella smiled softly, thinking to herself: Liar. It’s so obvious.
At this rate, the Count would just keep stalling, watching her for a reaction.
She was far too busy managing the mansion to waste time on people like him. Tilting her head and widening her eyes with an exaggerated innocence, Bella replied boldly.
“Count, by the way—so the rumors about the ghost are true, huh?”
The Count visibly tensed.
“Is… is that so?”
“I heard the ghost killed everyone who bought this mansion…”
“Well, even if that’s true, I was warned in advance, so I can’t take it back now.”
The Count tried to bluff, though his face was still flushed with confusion. He clearly didn’t handle unexpected turns very well.
People like that were actually easier to deal with. The hardest person in Bella’s life right now was behind her, flipping pages of a book without a care.
“Oh my, why would I want to return it? It’s hard to find such a nice mansion for this price. It’s a miracle, really.”
She shrugged dramatically and spoke with feigned delight.
“Then…?”
“The ghost apparently kills people.”
“…?”
The Count’s face turned ashen.
Bella propped her chin on the window sill and watched the Count with a cheerful expression. She felt like the villain for once—but sometimes, even villains deserved a taste of their own medicine, she reasoned.
“Why do you look like that? Like someone who just heard something they didn’t expect.”
“W-what do you mean! My throat hurts. Come down and let’s talk!”
“Sure, I’ll bring something to show you too.”
The Count nervously followed Bella’s innocent response with his eyes.
Closing the window, Bella hummed a tune and picked up her sword. She was much better at cleaning and sewing, but somehow she always ended up grabbing a weapon instead.
“Bella. That man is dangerous.”
Chay approached, looking at her with worried eyes and speaking quietly.
You’re the dangerous one, Bella cried inside as she clutched her chest.
That voice—slightly sorrowful, that seductive gaze—it sent every danger signal in her mind flashing red.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied her grip on the sword.
“The most dangerous person to me is myself, Chay.”
“Hmm?”
“So please, don’t open your eyes so wide, or I might turn into a beast.”
With a face as pretty as a flower and those deer-like eyes… it made her want to bite the deer’s neck.
Bella forced a gentle smile.
“I’ll be back, Chay.”
“Be careful.”
“Of course.”
“Wait, Bella.”
Chay reached out his hand—as if she wouldn’t walk right through it anyway.
His hand touched Bella’s cheek. Or rather, passed faintly through it.
“It’s done.”
Chay said lightly, withdrawing his hand. Bella touched her cheek in confusion.
The spot where Chay had touched still felt cold. He really was a ghost. The way just his energy made her hair stand on end…
“What did you do? I feel super cold right now.”
“I’ve added a layer of protection.”
“Protection?”
“So don’t worry. Do what you want.”
With a strange feeling in her chest, Bella looked at Chay for a moment, then hurried out of the room.
It was the sudden thought that she, Chay, and this mansion now felt like a family.
“Such a ridiculous idea…”
What’s so great about a fragile relationship that can collapse with a single gamble? Bella walked quickly down the hall, pressing her flushed cheek with the back of her hand.
Surely Chay wanted something from her too. There was no way this peaceful life would last forever. Repeating that to herself, she opened the door to the underground dungeon.
The air turned cool as she descended into the dark dungeon. In the coldest corner lay the body of the intruder.
Bella wrapped the corpse in a white cloth and tied it with rope, then dragged it out of the dungeon.
Why did Baron Oshik come to mind at times like this? Bella let out a bitter laugh.
As a child, when she couldn’t sleep, she had once secretly gone to her father’s room.
There, through the cracked door, she had seen Baron Oshik dump the money he’d earned on the table and drown himself in cheap liquor. Even though he had made a fortune, he didn’t look happy at all.
Bella’s father—Baron Oshik—a knight of the kingdom who earned money through mercenary work.
“So… this is what you did for a living.”
He would be sent off on expeditions under the king’s orders and come back only to drink all day, too wounded to tend to his injuries.
Bella had known in her head what kind of work he did, but she hadn’t understood what it did to him. What he had truly wanted was a noble and beautiful daughter.
She knew. He had never wanted Bella to follow in his footsteps. There were female knights, but their stories rarely ended well.
“Whew…”
At the mansion’s front gate, Bella dropped the rope and wiped sweat from her forehead.
Beyond the gate, the Count and his knights stared at her, both bewildered and full of suspicion. Her daydreams faded, and reality rushed in.
Father, I’m sorry.
I don’t think I’ll ever become the kingdom’s most elegant bride.
But maybe—just maybe—I can rise above those nobles who tormented you your whole life. Without ever getting married.
Finishing her silent prayer, Bella pulled back the cloth.
“Ugh!”
The Count recoiled and nearly fell off his horse at the sight of the gruesome corpse. If not for the knight beside him, he might’ve broken his neck.
“One day, I found a dead body in the mansion—killed by the ghost, apparently.”
This might be more convenient than she expected. She could just blame everything on the ghost.
She felt a little guilty about using Chay that way, but he had said he preferred it.
Thinking of Chay’s handsome face, Bella quickly shook her head and tossed the body outside the gate.
“G-Get rid of it! Now!”
The Count shrieked, flailing his arms in horror.
Aren’t nobles the ones who exploit illiterate commoners and cut off fingers for minor offenses?
The nobles Bella knew were much crueler than this.
Compared to them, the Count’s reaction was almost human.
Bella let out a deep breath and responded calmly.
“Count, this is your responsibility.”
“What? What are you talking about? I have nothing to do with that man!”
A slip of the tongue.
Bella slowly raised the corners of her lips and stroked her chin.
“What do you mean, Count? Isn’t it the lord’s duty to handle unidentified bodies found within their territory?”
Only then did the Count turn pale. At this rate, he might actually become a ghost.
Trying to compose himself, he waved at the knights and stammered,
“I-I was just startled by the gruesome sight. Bring it here. I’ll take care of it.”
Just as the two knights dismounted to retrieve the body, Bella blocked their path with her sheathed sword.
“Not for free.”
“…?”
“Pay me. Money.”
Bella held out her hand with an innocent smile.
The Count was so stunned he looked as if he might faint, then his face turned red with fury.
“Y-You vulgar—!”
Is he going to collapse? Bella briefly considered it and then offered a compromise.
“You seem very frugal, Count. Fine. I won’t ask for money.”
“How dare a lowly common girl who worked as a maid speak this way to me, a Count!”
Bella quickly covered her ears.
“Calm down, Count. You’ll pass out at this rate. Fine, I’ll revise my request.”
“You should be grateful I’m even taking the body! How dare you be so shameless!”
Unable to hold back, the Count dismounted and marched threateningly toward Bella.
It was rare for nobles to step on dirt. Especially this kind of dirt. They usually rode in carriages or rickshaws, and always stuck to paved roads in central areas.
Bella’s violet eyes turned cold.
“Stop sending people.”
Her gleaming eyes were like a beast eyeing its prey. The Count instinctively shrank back, swallowing hard.
She was just a commoner, a tailor’s daughter, if he remembered correctly.
But the way she held her sword and radiated intimidation didn’t match that background at all.
“W-What are you saying? Are you accusing me?”
“No, not you, Count.”
Bella stepped forward, and the Count flinched. His knights, sensing his fear, drew their swords and pointed them at her.
In the tense standoff, Bella spoke first.
“Tell the one who sent the assassin this—if they send someone again, I’ll hang the assassin’s corpse right here at the gate. And I’ll spread rumors.”
She smiled coldly.
“Rumors that someone is trying to assassinate the mansion’s owner to incite ghost stories.”
“You—you dare…!”
The Count’s eyes wavered.
His face revealed his thoughts clearly. How could a mere commoner know such things? he must be wondering.
Bella looked down at the corpse with disinterest.
To nobles, commoners were tools—tools for cleaning, for laundry, for food preparation. They lived their lives tied to someone else, earning wages or selling crops.
Bella hated that.
This assassin had likely been a commoner too. Nobles didn’t dirty their own hands.
Whoever had been orchestrating the chaos in the mansion over time, it clearly wasn’t this clumsy Count. And someone that meticulous would never show themselves so easily.
Whoever it was, they were far more vile and despicable than this trembling, mustached Count in front of her.
“Please take this away. A corpse killed by a ghost—it’s too ominous to keep around the house.”
Bella’s expression as she looked down at the body was icily cold.
The assassin was evidence. Proof that someone was targeting the mansion. That’s why she had kept the body.
But it didn’t matter anymore. Evidence like this was useless in a fight between high-ranking nobles and commoners.
She needed to find the one behind it all. The conspiracy targeting the mansion—and the mastermind pulling the strings.
