Chapter 18. You Should Be Afraid of Me
…
“….”
Was it Chay? But ever since he took form, Chay had never suddenly flung open the window like this.
The creaking, unpleasant sound the window had made couldn’t have been natural—it was already cracked and swinging loosely. Someone had forced it open. Deliberately.
A person.
A red warning siren blared in Bella’s mind. She believed that the most terrifying and cruel things in the world were people and money.
So this was the scariest moment of all.
Sweat dampened her palm as she gripped her sword.
There was a presence from across the room. What should she do in a situation like this? She had only followed her father on hunts, never learned how to deal with people.
The extent of her training was noble fencing, one-on-one duels to uphold family honor—not facing someone who clearly intended to kill her.
Should she call Chay? But he was a ghost. How much help could he really be?
Bella quietly exhaled and tightened her grip on her sword.
“Show yourself.”
Her low voice echoed through the room, completely different from the cheerful tone she used in town.
A chilly breeze swept in, and a man in a black hood gently landed on the window sill.
“Who sent you?”
“…”
The man ignored Bella’s question and stepped down from the window, slowly walking toward her.
Was this where she would die?
Sweat beaded on her forehead.
Would she have to haunt this mansion alongside Chay as a ghost? That wouldn’t be so bad, but if she were a ghost, she wouldn’t be able to eat delicious apple pie or run her business…
“Bella!”
Just as the tension between them peaked, a familiar voice called out beside her. Bella turned her head toward it, her eyes slightly trembling.
“Chay…?”
Why had he come to such a dangerous place? Did he really care about her that much—as a friend? Bella had never known a noble like that. Maybe nobles gained humanity once they became ghosts.
Chay tried to urgently grab her hand, but his translucent fingers simply swept through the air.
“Can you trust me? Please answer.”
“What? Trust you? More importantly, why did you come to such a dangerous place? What if he was after you?”
As Bella argued with Chay, the hooded man tilted his head.
“Who are you talking to?”
“Hold on, I’m in the middle of a conversation.”
Bella frowned and glared at him, annoyed at being interrupted.
Surprisingly, the voice beneath the hood was calm. It was hard to believe he had broken into someone’s home.
Bella glanced at him, but his hood was pulled so low, she couldn’t even see a strand of hair.
“With who?”
“Who do you think? You didn’t know what kind of place this is before coming in?”
She snapped irritably. Her neck tingled, and cold sweat trickled down her back. But she couldn’t let it show. People like him got a thrill from seeing others afraid.
It was better to distract herself with ridiculous thoughts, like how nice his voice sounded under that hood. Anything to stay composed.
This man had already committed property damage—now he was probably about to attempt murder. Not that she would let him. With one tug of the small rope beside her bed, a wooden trap would fly out and smack him.
“So you can see ghosts, is that it?”
The man asked again with an amused tone.
“Obviously. Chay, where were we again?”
Bella turned back to Chay. If she was about to die anyway, she had to hear if he had a solution. Before that man could act.
“Bella, do you trust me?”
“Of course I do. So hurry and tell me.”
“…I need your body.”
“My… body?”
She tried to continue the conversation, but the hooded man stepped closer. The tension snapped tight again.
Now realizing she couldn’t rely on Chay in this state, Bella jumped up and moved behind the bed.
With the bed between them, Bella motioned Chay to move behind her.
“Bella.”
“I know you’re a ghost, but I’m still worried.”
“….”
Chay’s expression crumpled.
If he still had a physical body, he could take on dozens of men like this without a scratch. But now, as a ghost, he was helpless.
He looked down at his own hand—pale and translucent. Useless.
“Chay, just run.”
“He can’t see me anyway.”
“That’s true, but… You never know.”
“You mean like a ghost-slaying sword or something?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
The man tilted his head and crossed his arms.
“You two look cozy.”
“You can see him?”
“No. I can’t. Still, kind of rude, you know.”
The man pulled off his hood. Bella half-drew her sword, eyes sharp.
Why take off the hood? If this were an assassination, it would make more sense to stay anonymous.
Still, this might be her chance. Bella suddenly grabbed Chay’s hand and shouted:
“Run!”
“Bella?”
Of course, her hand passed right through. Chay tilted his head as he leisurely followed her.
No one could outrun a ghost. Too light.
Chay quietly followed Bella, glancing down at his hand, then looked ahead at her.
She was still running with one hand held back, as if she were really holding his hand.
“….”
“Huff… huff… I think we lost him. Ugh, who the heck takes off their hood like that? That’s even scarier!”
An assassin removing their hood? That was practically a death vow—”I will kill you no matter what.”
Maybe this new guy was worse than the first one.
Bella crouched in a cramped storage closet, surrounded by cleaning supplies.
She didn’t need to hide, but Chay quietly curled up beside her.
It was absurd. They were being chased by a killer, and yet that innocent-looking face beside her…
She couldn’t tell if her racing heart was from fear or from how close Chay was sitting.
“D-Don’t look down so sweetly like that!”
“Hmm?”
“Y-You’re making me feel guilty…”
“Shh. He’s nearby.”
Chay raised his finger to his lips and gently wrapped an arm around her.
Thankfully, the presence faded away.
Chay stared coldly out the door, then turned to look at Bella, who had shrunk into herself.
“C-Chay…”
Unlike her usual self, Bella seemed utterly shaken. Chay’s eyes darkened.
When he leaned in close, she shrank away even more. His expression hardened.
“Aren’t you afraid of being with me?”
“What?”
His voice was no longer gentle. It came from deep within—a chilling, low tone. Bella looked up, startled.
Her face was reflected in his deep, icy blue eyes. Like someone drowning.
“You should be afraid. I’m someone who could hurt you.”
When his fingertip brushed her shoulder, a freezing chill seeped into her skin.
Bella flinched instinctively.
Chay gave a bitter smile, as if he had expected that. But Bella quickly placed her hand over his.
Chay looked at her, wide-eyed.
Bella scratched her cheek, embarrassed.
“Well, that might be true…”
“Might be?”
He slowly tilted his head, repeating her words.
“But rent is scarier. Oh, and gambling too.”
“You don’t understand yet. If you stay here, you’ll keep experiencing things like this, Bella.”
Chay frowned. He seemed to think she was underestimating the danger.
“Chay. Do you think losing a bet is the worst part of gambling?”
“…?”
His innocent eyes asked, What’s gambling?
Bella sighed like she was teaching a naïve child about the harshness of the world.
“Do you know how scary it is when mercenaries show up demanding debt payments?”
“…”
“They come every day—yelling, smashing things, taking furniture. Being afraid someone else might kill you is one thing. But the thought that you’re useless… that makes you want to kill yourself.”
She exhaled shakily and lowered her gaze.
She had said it—her fear, her past, her emotions.
She couldn’t trust people. But she could trust a ghost.
With a ghost, she could lay everything bare. Because he was someone only she could see. Someone only she could talk to.
Chay had broken through even Bella’s strongest walls—just by existing.
But was that really the only reason she trusted him? Bella quietly studied his face.
At first, he was a curious stranger. Then a beautiful ghost who made her heart pound. Then someone she could completely rely on…
“Bella?”
“I’ve lived like this my whole life. When I said I’d die in this mansion, I meant it. I’m serious.”
Bella’s violet eyes sparkled even in the dark.
Just as Chay opened his mouth, as if making a decision—
“Well, aren’t you two cozy?”
The storage door creaked open. A stranger smirked.
He had pale sky-blue hair and silvery-gray eyes like the moon. A new face, but something about him felt oddly familiar.
“…Where…”
“Have you seen me before?”
“Who are you?”
At Bella’s question, the man stepped in and grabbed her arm, dragging her outside.
Bella stumbled and reached for her sword—
“Don’t tell me… you forgot my voice?”
