Chapter 35: “Lost Memories”:
Several days had passed since then. Fortunately, Chay had recovered enough strength to appear faintly to Bella.
“Are you not going to tell me?”
Bella leaped forward and sat down in front of Chay, resting her chin on her hand.
“Tell you what?”
Chay put down the book he was reading and replied briefly.
Now that he had returned as a ghost, Chay couldn’t even take a book from the shelf without Bella’s help. So Bella often made time to go to the archive and fetch the books he requested—usually very old ones.
“What you were doing with my body.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
Since then, Chay had become noticeably quieter, his demeanor more serene—as if his mind was occupied with thoughts from another world.
Bella had also been busy, calculating exactly how much investment capital they had and drafting a budget. But today, she cleared her schedule. No matter what, she had to get to the bottom of things with Chay.
“You did nothing, and yet Riddel knew we’d returned home and immediately sent laborers with investment funds?”
“That man possessed royal treasures. It’s not unlikely he had that kind of capability.”
“Ugh… I feel like an idiot lately.”
Bella sighed deeply and banged her forehead on the desk.
She thought things would clear up after the trip south, but instead, it felt like she’d touched something she shouldn’t have.
Still, she couldn’t let go of the fact that someone directly responsible for her father’s downfall was still roaming free. Even if time were turned back, Bella would’ve still gone south to eliminate them.
“No. You’re doing just fine, Bella.”
Chay spoke gently as he stood up. Bella, still at the desk, turned her gaze toward him.
Her forehead, freshly bumped, was already turning red. Chay’s gaze fell on the reddened spot.
“Do you know something? While I was in the south, it really felt like I was under some sort of spell.”
She barely remembered what she thought or said. Everything was hazy, as if she had moved under someone else’s will.
For Bella—someone who read the newspaper daily and loved analyzing things—having her judgment and perception dulled had been a huge shock.
From the fragments she could recall, Chay had definitely said the royal family was losing power.
The divine treasures said to have been given to the royal family by the gods, and the phrase “the king is the sun,” had been disappearing for the past ten years. People even joked, “Gods, kings, and money—all love gold best.” Perhaps royal authority wasn’t what it used to be.
It might have made sense in the era of absolute monarchy, when the king’s money was the country’s money. But now, new trade routes were open, and wealthy individuals had emerged. The once-austere atmosphere was breaking apart. Power would soon be dictated not by blood, but by money.
Still, that was just Bella’s prediction. In the present, though perhaps not as dominant as in past generations, the royal family still held considerable power. They maintained strong relations with the rising asset-owning class, filled the national treasury, and even held sway over the nobility. They were anything but weak.
As if he understood the confusion inside her, Chay came up behind Bella and gently embraced her. Though he couldn’t physically touch her, his presence overlapped with her body.
“There’s nothing good about staying close to a ghost.”
He referred to the physical anomalies Bella had experienced in the south as the result of staying too close to a spirit.
Though she had felt fine before, after putting on that bracelet, her health declined rapidly. Spending all day next to a ghost must have taken a toll on both body and soul.
“Let’s be clear, Mr. Ghost. You’re the one sticking close to me.”
“Are you planning to keep calling me that?”
His voice whispered sweetly in her ear.
“Don’t change the subject.”
Bella grumbled and buried her face in her arms.
“You were under a spell. That much is true.”
“It was? It wasn’t just that I was feeling sick?”
“No. You spent too much time with me. That weakened your spirit. Naturally, it became hard to think straight.”
“Exactly. I felt dazed and dizzy.”
“Right.”
Chay nodded, as if comforting her. Bella felt her mood lighten and laughed quietly to herself.
Maybe it was because they had gone through hardships together. Somehow, Chay had become familiar to her—natural, important.
“But the moment I entered that village, my thoughts became clear again. The rise of the asset-owning class through trade. When class conflict between nobles and commoners intensifies, it’s the royal family that benefits most.”
“Now you’re thinking properly.”
“That’s not fair. I’ve always thought like that.”
She grumbled like a child—and even surprised herself. It had been ages since she’d whined like this.
She wasn’t particularly whiny as a child either, but she had at least pouted to her nanny or father sometimes. After leaving home, though, complaints were a luxury she couldn’t afford. No one would listen anyway. For Bella, avoiding pity was more important than receiving comfort.
“I was mistaken. In my time, royal authority was absolute.”
“Really?”
Bella peeked up at him.
Chay was still holding her from behind, as if trying to soothe her heart with all he had.
At times, he looked like a shrewd noble. Other times—like now—he resembled a cherished young lord raised in love and care.
Bella had already realized it: Chay still retained some memories from when he was alive. She wanted to ask him about his past. Her lips parted slightly, but then she stopped.
She didn’t want to let go of this warmth.
“Right. So I wasn’t sure whether the weakening of royal power was a good thing. But seeing the actions of the noble faction, it’s clear—they need to be dealt with first.”
Chay released his embrace and stood up. Bella, though reluctant, also lifted her head from the desk.
“I’m not a noble.”
“…?”
Chay blinked in surprise at her sudden statement. He really did look like a startled deer. Bella tried not to look directly at his dangerously beautiful face as she continued.
“Politics has nothing to do with me. My dream is just to be a rich commoner. After seeing people kill and be killed in the name of politics, how could I ever care about it?”
“Bella. People also kill and get killed in the name of money.”
“I don’t know. I’m curious about a lot of things and like to study them, but I don’t want to get involved in high society. Money, at least, is somewhat honest. Politics isn’t.”
Bella stood and walked toward the window.
Outside, workers were converting parts of the estate into a factory using annex buildings. Nearby, a greenhouse was being built to grow flowers year-round.
When Chay stepped up beside her, the sunlight from the window made his ghostly form glow faintly and fade.
“That’s how you see it.”
“Do you know what happens when you get involved with people in power? It’s all or nothing. Either you become the best—or you lose your head and end up on a spike outside the city.”
“Become the best… or lose your head…”
“Exactly. I’m just going to make money. I’ll never get involved in the nobles’ political games, not even in my next life.”
“You already are.”
“…Ah.”
After buying this estate, she’d clashed with Count Treshi. In a way, she’d already dipped a toe into that complex, sensitive, and petty battlefield.
As she processed that thought, a bolt of lightning struck her ears.
“Don’t worry. I handed over the ledger to a noble family I know.”
“What?! You what?! No wonder you never told me how things ended!”
There was no way Chay, in his ghostly state, could’ve delivered documents himself. He must have done it during the week Bella had been asleep. Without a word, he’d taken care of it.
She’d tormented herself with guilt over losing that ledger, and now to find out he had handed it off? It was enough to drive her mad.
At least both gambling dens had been taken down, and peace returned to the southern village. That had been her consolation. Had been.
“You really must’ve been busy. You didn’t even read today’s paper.”
Chay tapped the stack of newspapers on Bella’s desk. Only then did she remember—she’d been too busy to read the news for a few days.
“The newspaper?”
Bella walked over and picked one up. There was no need to flip through it.
It was plastered in huge letters across the front page.
“What a masterpiece of a headline.”
[Count Treshi Faces Trial Over Southern Gambling Ring]
—Could it have been a lowly scheme to bring down the asset class?—
Not a single word about Bella was mentioned in the article.
It simply said that a royalist noble family had acquired the ledger and requested a trial from the royal family, which had been granted.
