23. The Poison Spreading in the South
Chey fell silent. It looked like he was choosing his words carefully.
For Bella, the past no longer remained a painful wound. So even when she called it a burden, she hadn’t said it with any particular emotion.
To Baron Oshik, Bella had been someone he needed to take responsibility for. He had dearly loved the woman who died giving birth to her, so that responsibility must have felt even heavier.
In the kingdom, it was common to view children born from fatal childbirths as cursed. But Baron Oshik hadn’t done that. He gave Bella his all and raised her as best he could.
“Well, being a baron in name only—someone caught between commoner and noble—was probably a burden to him too. The need to earn money, his feelings of inferiority… all of it must’ve weighed on him.”
“No parent thinks of their child as a burden.”
“Haha. Chey, I’m really fine. I was the one who cut ties first because I thought we’d both break if it continued. But I don’t hate or resent my father. What can you do? He made his choices, and I made mine. Who’s to blame or to hate?”
If she had stayed in that house with Baron Oshik, maybe he would’ve become so addicted to gambling that he’d end up selling her off or hurting her again and again.
If it had gone that far, then Bella might have remembered her father’s love as the most painful scar. She would have cursed, resented, and hated him with all her strength. They both would’ve crumbled.
In that sense, leaving her family name and becoming independent as early as she did had been the best decision Bella could’ve made.
Now she even had a mansion of her own. Bella believed that for humans, a home was the most important thing.
“Gambling’s pretty terrifying, huh.”
“It’s like carrying a sack of flour. Once you set it down, it feels even heavier when you try to pick it up again. If you keep putting it down, eventually you won’t be able to lift it at all. It’s a scary addiction.”
“If it was that serious, wouldn’t the royal family have taken action?”
“It’s no use. The setup is always temporary—just pitch a tent and then tear it down quickly before the guards arrive.”
Bella spoke weakly, blinking slowly. She was getting sleepy. She yawned widely and rolled once across her bed.
The gambling operation Count Thresy ran targeted commoners. Unlike the complex card games reserved for nobles, it was a simple matter of picking O or X—purely luck-based betting.
Bella was confident she could find proof. No, she had to.
Even if the setup appeared random and mobile, there had to be some regular pattern to how it was run.
Her eyes fluttered, then gently shut. After such a long journey by carriage, exhaustion finally took over.
“Bella?”
“…”
“Bella, take off your bracelet before you sleep.”
But even in her sleep, Bella seemed intent on protecting Chey—she hugged the bracelet tightly to her chest.
Chey, trapped within the gem, could do nothing but place a hand to his forehead.
Even though he was sealed, it wasn’t like he had actually become a gem. His true form still existed inside the bracelet.
Normally, Bella hugging him wouldn’t have meant anything—her hand would have passed right through.
But not now. In this semi-possessed state, he could sense things through the jewel.
Meaning… the sound of Bella’s soft breathing, the warmth of her breath, the fluttering pulse beneath her neck—he could feel it all.
“…I’m doomed.”
Chey muttered in resignation. Forcing his gaze away from her, he let out a quiet sigh.
“Wow, how long has it been since I came to the South!”
Bella arrived at the southern checkpoint, spreading her arms wide and exclaiming in wonder.
Though the landscape had changed in the years since she left, the atmosphere still lingered in many places.
“Chey, we’re finally here. Have you ever been to the South before?”
There was no reply. Alarmed, Bella shook her wrist slightly, the one with the bracelet, and called out urgently.
“Chey? Chey!”
“…Bella.”
A low, husky voice. Bella clutched her suddenly aching chest and took a deep breath.
She was reminded again that her type was someone with a nice voice. The drowsy, low-pitched tone hit her heart like a blow, and she stammered involuntarily.
“W-Were you asleep?”
“Just tired. Let me sleep a bit more.”
His languid, gentle voice made Bella clutch her chest again. Owning her own home must have come with perks—like getting a voice this dreamy in return.
“You scared me. I thought something had happened. You don’t usually nap like that.”
“I was thinking a lot yesterday.”
“Hmm, it must’ve felt strange being in a new place. Get some rest then. I can’t afford to be known as the weird girl who talks to herself.”
No reply came. Maybe he had fallen asleep again.
But Bella could still feel like Chey was whispering at her ear. She rubbed it hard out of reflex. Was she really going to get haunted and hand over her soul to a ghost at this rate?
…Well, she could give her soul—but definitely not her house.
The first place Bella visited in town was the vegetable shop.
The owner, though busy stacking vegetables, didn’t seem particularly wary of the stranger.
“Excuse me, can I ask you something?”
“I don’t recognize your face.”
The shopkeeper glanced briefly at Bella and spoke bluntly.
“I lived here for a long time. I work in the capital now.”
“Ah. Okay, what do you want to ask?”
“Do you know Baron Oshik by any chance?”
At her question, the shopkeeper’s expression immediately changed. He looked utterly disgusted, like he couldn’t even tolerate the thought.
“Baron Oshik? That bastard?”
“You know him?”
“He’s probably in jail. He got into some trouble.”
“Jail…?”
Bella’s voice cracked slightly. Jail and scoundrel were not words she would have associated with Baron Oshik.
What on earth had happened? Bella’s face turned dark.
“I don’t really know the details. Try asking someone else.”
With that, the shopkeeper turned back to arranging his vegetables. Bella couldn’t press him further and left the store, wandering the streets in a daze.
She spent the whole day asking around about Baron Oshik, but came up empty.
All she heard was speculation: he had caused trouble in the streets and was probably taken away by the city guards.
Could she really keep investigating like this? Bella looked up at the darkening sky and dropped her head.
Was it really possible for Baron Oshik to have fallen this far? In his youth, he had been a proud knight. Bella had respected and admired him.
At least until he fell into gambling.
Bella kept walking. Her legs were shaky, but she couldn’t give up.
Eventually, she stopped in front of a tailoring shop. An older man inside was turning off the lights, about to close.
“Um, excuse me… do you know anything about Baron Oshik?”
Bella asked with both hands clasped and a tired voice. The man turned his gaze to her.
“Well, if it isn’t Bella!”
The man opened his eyes wide in surprise and threw his arms up in welcome.
Only then did Bella realize his face looked familiar.
“Oh… sir?”
“Welcome! How long has it been? You were just a kid, now look at you—all grown up!”
He approached with a hearty laugh and clapped Bella hard on the back.
She rubbed her aching back and opened her mouth hesitantly.
“Um, sir, I…”
“Come inside. We can talk there. Have you eaten yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then let’s eat together first.”
Without giving her a chance to respond, the tailor led her to the back of the shop, where his home was located.
Nothing had changed in the ten years since Bella last visited. The only difference was a few more wrinkles and white hairs on the tailor’s face.
“Sit down.”
Bella carefully sat at his invitation. This tailor had looked after her like family whenever her father left for war.
He was like a second family to her. Memories came flooding back like a tidal wave, and Bella felt her nose sting.
“Life in the capital must be hard, huh?”
He placed a bowl of warm stew and bread in front of her and asked gently.
Bella hurriedly stuffed a spoonful into her mouth, worried she might cry if their eyes met.
This was why she hadn’t wanted to return to her hometown—because it made people emotional. She knew this would happen. And she was scared of how vulnerable she’d become.
“Yes. Luckily, I’ve been working as a maid, and I even bought a house. So I’m doing okay.”
She tried to answer casually and took another big bite. The tailor, thinking she was just hungry, scooped her another bowl.
“That’s great. I always knew you’d do well. You were smart and ambitious even as a kid.”
“Oh, right, sir. What about Bella?”
“Ah, she went to the capital for a visit. She’ll probably be back the day after tomorrow.”
On paper, Bella (Baron Oshik’s daughter) was listed as the tailor’s daughter, while the tailor’s real daughter Bella was listed as Baron Oshik’s.
In short, they had swapped identities.
But now that Baron Oshik had lost his title, even the tailor’s daughter Bella was just Bella.
Realizing this, Bella pulled a silver coin from her pocket and placed it on the table.
“I’m returning the money I got for selling the title.”
“Bella!”
The tailor called her name in shock.
Bella met his eyes with an expression drained of emotion. There was no time to get sentimental. The more unfortunate you were, the less room you had for luxury.
Some might say she was heartless—but she had no choice. She had mountains of problems to deal with.
“So please tell me now… What happened to my father?”
At Bella’s question, the tailor closed his eyes tightly, as if bracing himself.
“Your father…”
