22. Leaving the Mansion
In the early morning, Bella and Chei stood facing each other in front of the mansion gate.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, Bella.”
Bella slowly reached out and gently placed her hand on Chei’s cheek. The bracelet on her wrist began to glow red.
“…Chei!”
Chei’s body started to melt like wax, slowly being drawn into the bracelet. Alarmed, Bella tried to pull her hand away, but Chei pressed his cheek into her palm, looking at her with a strange gaze.
“Don’t pull away. I’m fine.”
“But still…”
“I’m being sealed. Even if I’m sealed, as long as you’re wearing the bracelet, we can still talk.”
“Chei…”
Was this really okay? The tight clench of Chei’s jaw suggested he was in considerable pain.
Paradoxically, Chei felt a twisted pleasure amidst the intense agony. Pain was a privilege of the living. It was the first time he had felt pain since becoming a ghost. The sensation was so vivid, it almost made him feel alive. That, to Chei, was a terrible joy.
“We couldn’t touch each other anyway. It’s not much different.”
Bella and Chei could never touch. Not in life, not in death. So being sealed into an accessory and only talking might not be that different from before.
Understanding the implication of Chei’s words, Bella’s expression twisted. She felt a pang of sadness at his resignation.
Soon, Chei’s form completely melted away into the gem. The once blue jewel shimmered with a red hue, like it was filled with blood.
…
Bella exhaled deeply and stepped beyond the gate.
She had left the mansion—with Chei. They were heading to her hometown, yet her heart felt heavy. Bella’s instincts warned her: danger lay ahead.
Those with something to protect couldn’t act recklessly. Those with nothing to lose were unpredictable. And greedy people could become brutal if it meant getting what they wanted.
Most high-ranking nobles fell into that last category. Their greed was boundless; they’d kill for a single silver coin. Count Tresy was among the greedier ones.
Bella adjusted her bag and walked quickly. She planned to catch a public carriage in the village.
✦✦✦
The coachman glanced sideways at his passenger.
“Nice out, huh? I mean, staying inside all the time can be stifling, right?”
“…”
“How long were you in that mansion? …A hundred years? Good heavens. Even someone who loves their home couldn’t stay that long. Must’ve been suffocating.”
The young passenger resting her arm on the open window frame, chatting cheerfully, appeared completely alone. The coachman clicked his tongue with a mixed look of discomfort and pity, wiping the cold sweat from his reins.
This young woman had clearly lost her mind. Rumor had it she lived in a haunted mansion—and she seemed thoroughly possessed.
Afraid of attracting misfortune, the coachman quickly averted his gaze and shivered. A person talking to themselves that much couldn’t be right in the head.
Meanwhile, Bella was chatting more cheerfully than ever with Chei. Even though he was sealed, his voice danced in her ears like the breeze.
“Chei. So, you’re a person from a hundred years ago?”
“Probably.”
“Will you tell me what it was like when you were alive?”
“No.”
Chei’s reply was unusually curt. No—flat-out blunt. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it.
Frustrated, Bella sighed deeply and rested her head against the window.
“Why won’t you tell me about your life?”
“I can’t do anything to you, but Bella, you can do anything to me.”
Chei’s voice was calm and gentle—yet his words were brutally honest. Bella pouted.
Normally, Bella was the one to draw lines in relationships. She never wanted to share personal space with others. But maybe because Chei was a ghost, the emotional distance stung.
“…You really think I would do that? I can’t even touch you. What could I possibly do?”
“If someone knows a ghost’s name, they can bind it. And if they know about the ghost’s life, they can sell its soul to someone who holds a grudge.”
“Wait—selling a soul is possible?”
Bella stared at the bracelet in surprise. More shocking was the fact that knowing a ghost’s name could bind it. That meant Chei had given her tremendous trust. Her earlier annoyance now felt a little unfair.
“Ghosts have weaknesses too.”
Chei’s voice dropped low. Bella lightly tapped the gemstone with her finger, as if to reassure him.
“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
“…Alright.”
Chei’s response came after a brief pause. Bella didn’t think much of it and continued enjoying the wind and scenery rushing by.
The carriage sped on, finally leaving the northern region behind.
When they arrived in the southern capital, Bella hopped off the carriage with her large bag. As expected of the capital, it was bustling with people.
“Hmm, let’s stay here for the night and take another carriage tomorrow.”
Bella whispered softly to the bracelet. The pitying look the coachman had given her earlier still lingered in her mind. Only then did Bella realize Chei’s voice was audible only to her. From the coachman’s point of view, she must’ve seemed truly insane.
She easily found lodging and sighed with relief after placing her bag in the room.
“Luckily there was a room left at a decent price. Places in the capital fill up fast.”
Bella unpacked with practiced ease. She’d lived as a wanderer for years. No wonder she’d taken a live-in maid job.
When a noble family fell, they usually became governesses or salon owners. But for Bella, being a maid was the best choice. Capital rent was the highest in the kingdom—without her own home, she would’ve had to spend nearly half her income just to live.
Bella shook her head, trying to erase those painful memories. She had a home now.
“The streets have changed a lot.”
At Chei’s voice, Bella nodded slightly.
“Well, for you, your last memories are from a hundred years ago. The capital must look unfamiliar.”
“It’s not entirely strange. Being trapped in the mansion, all I had were newspapers and books.”
“True. The previous owners left behind a lot of stuff.”
Probably assassinated before they could even pack.
Bella hadn’t disposed of the belongings. There were plenty of usable books, and the old newspapers were helpful for piecing together the past.
After unpacking, Bella flopped onto the bed with satisfaction. It was far worse than the mansion’s bed, but enough for one night.
“Bella. Have you thought about what you’ll do in the South?”
“I’ll visit the gambling den. From there, I’ll work backward and gather undeniable evidence against Count Tresy.”
“Such as?”
“Best case would be catching them in the act. If the guards are in on it and don’t cooperate, then I’ll steal the Count’s ledger.”
“Bella, it’s too dangerous. It’d be better to find your father and make him stop gambling.”
Bella almost burst out laughing.
How naive. Get him to stop gambling? As if that were easy. Getting evidence of Count Tresy’s crimes and handing it to Ridel would be much faster.
“Chei. You’ve never gambled, have you?”
“I haven’t. I enjoyed games like chess, but I never bet on them.”
If he played chess, Chei must have been a rather cultured noble. Even Baron Oshik didn’t understand chess.
Having the leisure to play such games was a sign of wealth and power.
Just as Bella suspected, Chei must’ve been a noble from a hundred years ago. His elegant speech and ghostly attire suggested he’d been at least a count.
To die suddenly like that… surely, one would cling to life.
But Chei, even in ghost form, seemed remarkably composed. At least to Bella, he did.
Bella absently stroked the bracelet with her thumb.
“Games reward your skill. Gambling is the opposite. It’s about earning big gains purely through luck, regardless of your abilities.”
“How is that helpful to anyone?”
“My, Chei. That sounded just like an innocent boy.”
“…”
This time, Bella couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“Gambling is appealing because you hand everything over to the heavens. For a little while, you can forget all the burdens on your shoulders.”
“Did your father have something he wanted to forget too?”
Bella’s eyes curved with a bittersweet smile. The heaviest burden Baron Oshik carried—
“Was me.”
“…”
“I was his biggest burden.”
