Chapter 38. How Could I Not Be Enchanted?
“Why didn’t you tell me that guy was totally insane?”
Count Karl, utterly dumbfounded, snapped at the knight beside him for no reason. The knight wisely stayed silent and bowed his head low.
Count Karl was returning home, completely swept up by Bella, unable to say a single word in protest.
“Damn it, why did His Majesty turn that place into private property? I just don’t get what he was thinking. Because of that, I can’t do a damn thing about it now.”
“L-Lord Count!”
“I know, I know. I’m just saying it because it’s just us here. More importantly, that woman Bella—she’s no ordinary person.”
That woman, Bella, had even said—brazenly, to the back of Count Karl’s head—that she might consider it if he brought Count Trassy with him.
“Hah! Unbelievable. As if anyone’s going to take her word seriously.”
Count Karl snorted and hurled profanities at Bella the entire way back—words too crude to repeat.
Exactly one week later, Count Karl returned to Bella’s mansion in full swagger, confidently knocking on the door. This time, he came well-prepared, his shoulders squared.
“By order of His Majesty, open up!”
Bella stumbled out, visibly irritated. Who the hell wakes people up at this ungodly hour? Her expression was already fierce.
“His Majesty sent you to me?”
“Yes. His Majesty has decreed to reward your hard work by relieving you of one of your burdens.”
“What…?”
A strange sense of foreboding crept in. Bella narrowed her eyes and studied Count Karl. He was definitely better prepared this time.
“His Majesty has ordered the exorcism of the evil spirit for your sake. Now, open the gate!”
“But…!”
Her fear had come true.
Although Chei wasn’t an evil spirit, what if they really brought someone with mystical powers and tried to use them? She couldn’t predict how that would affect Chei.
If ghosts and sacred royal relics with mystical power existed, then surely there were opposing forces capable of affecting such beings.
“This is a royal command!”
At Count Karl’s roar, the knights forced the gate open. Bella flinched but couldn’t do anything.
Because she was a commoner.
If she were a noble, she might face some punishment but nothing too severe. After all, this was meant to be a gesture of reward—politely refusing would have sufficed.
But it was different for commoners. The king’s order was absolute. There was no valid reason to refuse.
Damn this caste system.
Bella gritted her teeth and shot daggers at Count Karl’s back.
“You’re enchanted, aren’t you?”
A soft voice rang behind her. She turned toward it and saw a woman veiled in white.
“Is it you? The one here to exorcise the evil spirit?”
Bella eyed the woman with deep suspicion. But the woman was completely unfazed by Bella’s openly hostile gaze.
“There’s a dangerous spirit here. So dangerous that you should abandon this mansion immediately.”
“Ha. Danger? My life’s never been safe. Orphaned and working as a maid? That life’s dangerous all day, every day, all year long. You must not know what that’s like.”
“Bella. Do you believe in God?”
The woman’s sudden question was gentle and clear, contrasting sharply with Bella’s fierce tone. The unexpected query made Bella freeze.
Her instincts screamed: This woman is real. She had the quiet confidence of someone with true power. Bella had hoped she was a fraud—but she clearly wasn’t.
A white veil. Jet-black priest’s robe.
She was from the temple.
“You already know my name, I see.”
Bella stepped back cautiously. The woman spoke kindly, as if to reassure her.
“Don’t worry. God always stands with the righteous.”
“And who decides what’s good and evil? Some think giving your life to protect your lord is righteous, while others say killing someone in the process makes it evil.”
“Bella. Step aside.”
Her voice was gentle, but her words weren’t. Bella felt like she was talking to a brick wall.
“…What are you saying?”
“I’m telling you not to interfere any further in this matter.”
“Ha!”
Bella scoffed loudly and turned away from the woman. She did have one option left. It was the last thing she ever wanted to do—but now, maybe it was time.
She quickly entered the mansion and went straight to Chei. He sat calmly in the room, waiting for her. His slow-turning head and serene blue eyes—
Normally, his gaze would calm her. But now, it only made her chest tighten painfully.
“Chei. Did you hear what’s going on outside?”
“Yes. I heard everything.”
Bella locked the door behind her and rushed toward Chei, grabbing his shoulders as if to shake some urgency into him.
“Then why are you so calm? Isn’t there some secret place you can hide? Go there! I’ll get rid of them as quickly as I can!”
She kept trying to pull his wrist to lead him somewhere—but her hand kept swiping through empty air. Watching her, Chei’s lips curled faintly in bitterness.
“It’s no use. Anyone else might be fooled, but that priest can see spirits.”
“…Really?”
Bella’s eyes trembled.
If it were just someone swinging a sword wildly, she could’ve handled it. But someone who could actually see spirits? That terrified her more than any weapon or assassin.
He was her first real friend. Her first family-like person. He had comforted her when she visited the gambling den where her ruined father had once lived. He had always stayed by her side.
She couldn’t lose him.
“Yes. We just made eye contact.”
“But she’s wearing a veil.”
“Spirits can always see beyond the material world.”
“Then… isn’t there a way?”
Bella’s hands trembled visibly as her anxiety poured out.
“Bella.”
Chei reached out to calm her trembling, but his hand passed right through hers.
Overwhelmed by fear, Bella buried her face in her hands and cried out:
“Chei, please! The idea of you disappearing—it’s unthinkable. Who do they think they are, coming here like this? Maybe I should just fight them—!”
“Bella. That’s not what I’m afraid of.”
His voice was calm and firm.
But Bella was already in a full-blown panic.
“I’m scared! I need you, Chei! You don’t understand how much I’ve come to care about you!”
Chei’s eyes widened in surprise. His blue irises shimmered like the sea.
Slowly composing himself, he reached out again. His hand passed through air, but he still tried to embrace her with all his might.
“What I’m afraid of is them taking you away from me. That’s all.”
“…Chei.”
His voice, soothing and gentle, gradually calmed her heavy breaths.
“Bella. I’m scared. Terrified.”
“….”
The unexpected admission made Bella lift her head and look at him. There was a faint shimmer in his blue eyes. Tears, purer than dew, gathered in his gaze. Bella reached out.
But they weren’t real tears. She couldn’t wipe them away. They didn’t roll down his cheek—because they weren’t real.
Tears pooled inside his eyes like an ocean trapped behind glass.
“I’m afraid they’ll take even you away from me… Bella.”
His sorrowful expression was like a silent plea.
Anyone who saw him like that would’ve offered up their soul. Bella was no exception.
“No matter what it takes—I’ll protect you. So just tell me.”
“Tell you what…?”
“If you hide inside my body, will that priest be able to notice?”
“Bella. No.”
If Chei entered Bella’s body, a gap would form between her soul and body. If the bond weakened too much, it could be dangerous.
Chei had hoped that the aura the priest gave off might not be hostile. If they tried to destroy him, then he would ask Bella for help.
“It’s okay. Just tell me—if I lend you my body, can I protect you?”
“…Yes. If I hide inside you, it’s possible.”
“Then do it.”
Bella gently closed her eyes and relaxed her body, like a rabbit surrendering itself before a predator.
A flicker of emotion crossed Chei’s face. Then, he reached out.
The moment Chei’s hand touched Bella, the air around them trembled faintly.
“….”
Bella opened her eyes again.
A chill ran through her, just enough to make her shiver, along with a faint dizziness. It was a familiar feeling. Bella placed a hand over her chest.
She could feel it clearly—Chei’s soul now hidden inside her.
Perhaps it was because this time, she was the one controlling her body and sheltering him.
“Chei.”
She was filled to the brim with happiness.
Just like the priest said—she really had lost her mind.
She had already given her heart away.
She was already completely, hopelessly enchanted by this beautiful soul.
