Chapter 52:
. Lies and Scars
“…….”
Chei, who had longed so desperately to gain a body, reacted with nothing more than indifference.
Standing silently in the room, lost in thought, Chei finally stepped out slowly after a long while.
He had thought that obtaining a body would allow him to do anything, but now that he had it, he felt utterly lost. What was he even supposed to do for the next few hours?
There wasn’t enough time to reach the scene of the incident or to investigate the royal family’s treasures. In reality, there was nothing to do at all.
Chei wandered aimlessly through the mansion until he stopped at one spot.
“……Bella.”
Bella’s face appeared above the window. Chei reached out and touched the glass, letting his fingertips graze the reflection of her face.
Was this really what he had wanted?
In that moment, Chei was closer to Bella than anyone else—he had her body in his possession. Yet somehow, it felt far more distant than the moment their eyes first met.
At the same time, Bella crouched in a tiny space, hands covering her mouth as if to stifle a sound, oppressed by Chei’s soul. If Chei realized that Bella had approached his soul, he would surely try to subdue her soul.
‘Found you.’
The scar etched vividly across his back.
…Chei was indeed the Duke. The Preload Duke, to be exact.
The only noble family with royal blood, the one capable of threatening the throne.
“Good heavens…”
Bella couldn’t take her eyes off Chei’s back.
The Preload Duke she knew was tall, beautiful, and awe-inspiring. But what lay before her eyes now… was something else entirely.
Souls could perceive other souls. Being pure entities, they revealed themselves entirely.
Perhaps that was why she could see what had been invisible.
Countless scars covered Chei’s back.
What hardships could the noblest of men have endured to leave so many wounds etched into his soul?
“…….”
Bella closed her eyes, forcing herself to ignore the scars. What mattered was her own survival. Hadn’t she switched churches, left her father and hometown, all to protect herself?
It was just a soul. Moreover, he was no longer a pitiable soul—a ghost unwilling to accept death. Compared to Counts Karl and Treshee, whose souls had remained invisible even after death, it was clear that he might be cursed.
And only someone possessing immense power—or someone willing to sell their soul to a demon and harbor murderous intent toward a duke—could place a curse on a person of his stature. In a nation with a temple, even attempting such dark magic was a capital offense.
The fact that someone went through such a dangerous and difficult method, rather than a simpler one, suggested that the perpetrator either had high authority or was desperate enough to sacrifice their entire soul to bring down the duke.
In short, from the very beginning, Bella had stepped into the most dangerous place in the kingdom and become entangled with the most dangerous person.
“Ah… so that’s how it was…”
A faint, hollow sound slipped from Bella’s lips.
No wound exists without memory. Scars always remember. If a soul bore wounds this deep, there was no point in questioning anything further.
Chei had lied to Bella from beginning to end. Everything—the claim that he only remembered the moment of his death, the name he had given her, ‘Chei’—was a lie.
Only she had been sincere toward him. He had never truly been honest with her. His heart had never been hers.
The dagger that struck her heart like lightning was sharp and cruel.
“Chei… can you hear my voice?”
Hearing Bella, Chei quietly closed his eyes, straining to hear her. Unlike usual, her tone carried an unusual distance.
“I hear you. And if there’s anything uncomfortable… even now—”
“Have you ever been sincere with me, even once?”
“I was sincere with you every single moment.”
Bella, unwilling to believe Chei, let out a bitter laugh and shook her head.
“You always speak lies to me in the end, Duke.”
“……!”
Shock filled Chei’s eyes. The hand that had touched Bella’s reflection on the glass fell limply.
Bella had realized who he really was. How would she look at him now?
Fear gripped him. He didn’t want to see her face.
Chei forced himself to control his ragged breathing, though he knew that Bella could see everything inside him—his soul, his scars, his emotions.
Only then did the pieces fall perfectly into place. Now he understood why Bella had willingly given herself to him.
She had wanted to see his scars—to check if the scar that belonged to the Preload Duke was indeed etched on his back.
“Duke Preload… you said you only remember the moment of death.”
“Bella, I can explain.”
“No. Don’t explain. I don’t want to hear it.”
“The reason I couldn’t tell you my name…!”
“You didn’t trust me.”
“……”
“If you had told me your name, you feared I might do something to you, didn’t you? That’s why you never revealed it.”
“Bella! I have already told you my name.”
“No. I found out myself. There’s nothing more to discuss with you. If you wish to punish me for daring to speak back to a noble, then do so—if you can.”
“……What?”
Chei froze, wide-eyed.
Bella’s words were almost mocking. She knew he could not punish her as a ghost, so she spat her insult freely.
Anger should have flared, but instead, Chei felt a dull ache deep in his chest.
“Leave my body now.”
At that same moment, Bella saw it—one small crack forming in the heart of Chei’s soul.
His soul became unstable, and it was forcibly ejected from Bella’s body.
Bella opened her eyes in her own body. No longer did she need to search the mansion for Chei.
Her dark violet eyes merely scanned the knife she kept hidden, then she began descending the stairs to the basement.
“…….”
The scariest thing in the world was people. And Bella was one. A person willing to do anything for her home.
In the basement, she found the lifeless bodies of Counts Karl and Treshee.
She drew her knife, resolved to forgive nothing. Chei, who had deceived her; Ridel, who tried to use her; nobles who treated her as a tool; the royal family, who pretended to show mercy while pocketing their gains.
All who sought to ruin her home, livelihood, and stable life.
Her grip tightened around the knife.
“I am the only one who can protect myself, and I must protect what is mine.”
Muttering like a spell, Bella raised her knife.
At dawn, a carriage stopped in front of the Preload mansion.
After tossing her lightly packed bag into the carriage, Bella turned around.
“I heard you’re going out.”
Sean, who had come to see her off, spoke in his usual blunt manner. Bella gave a slight nod.
“Ridel said there are two corpses in the basement. Since I preemptively marked the backs with scars, showing them to Ridel will spread the details to the gossip circles automatically.”
Finishing her words, Bella gave a light wave and was about to board the carriage.
“……Are you all right?”
“What do you mean?”
Caught off guard by the sentimental question, Bella’s eyes widened.
All right? Not all right? The corpses bearing the same scars as Chei’s back? Seeing the corpses themselves? Or the scrutiny from the higher-ups?
Sean realized his question had been ambiguous and quickly added:
“N-No, it’s nothing. I overstepped.”
“I’m fine. Life has rarely been fine. Things not fine… well, now they’re just fine.”
“……”
“Take good care of the mansion!”
While Sean was speechless, Bella slipped into the carriage.
The carriage sped along the well-maintained dirt road. Leaving the north, they reached a proper paved road.
She had thought she would feel relieved leaving Chei behind, but instead, her chest felt constricted, as if someone was pressing on her heart.
There was no turning back now. Had she never bought a haunted mansion, she might not understand. If she could turn back time and choose not to buy it, she would have to think carefully.
“Have I really become a money-obsessed fool…?”
Bella exhaled in disbelief and turned her gaze out the window. Even after going through all this, she would hesitate if given another chance.
The mansion had been the best property a commoner like Bella could buy with ten years of painstaking savings.
Well, the drawbacks? Someone constantly trying to kill her… and a resident ghost, perhaps…
