Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 101

Lily squeezed her eyes shut. At the very least, before she left, she would hear some news about how the treatment had gone.

The situation wasn’t all bad.

‘Anyway, he isn’t dead yet. If he had died, the mansion wouldn’t be like this. That alone is enough. As long as he doesn’t die—even if he never regains consciousness—I’ll be fine. Because I can recognize his soul. So it’s fine.’

Perhaps all these worries were unnecessary.

A noble like the Duke of Kashimir could summon the best doctors in the Empire. This was the capital, so the conditions were far better than in the territory.

With skilled treatment and his strong vitality, he would soon rise from his sickbed.

‘When that time comes, I’ll tell him everything Wolfram did. How someone who knows everything still acted so stubbornly that I couldn’t even see your face. And I’ll say we should hold the engagement ceremony as soon as possible, so nothing like this ever happens again.’

She forced herself to cling to optimistic thoughts. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t chase away the dreadful images in her mind.

After all, she had seen it with her own eyes—the sword piercing through Aiden’s body. She had seen the cloak soak through, and the fleeing assassin.

How could she dare to hold on to hope?

Her heart refused to calm, thudding as if it would never stop. She felt the pounding in her chest, in her ears, in her fingertips. Her muscles tensed and locked tight all over her body.

She recalled Aiden’s last words.

—Lily, no matter what happens from now on, you don’t need to worry. I’ve made sure no harm will ever come to you. Everything will be fine. So don’t worry…

Words that ended with the weight of a fallen log.

It was clear Aiden had known he was in danger. That was why he had been so tense, keeping a sharp watch over the square.

And the only reason he had gone there in disguise… was to ease the troubled heart of Lily Dienta.

Her fists clenched tight around the blanket, trembling.
Hatred filled her eyes.

‘I won’t let this go. No matter what it takes, I’ll have revenge. I’ll ruin everything that cult leader wants, and make him end up the same way as Aiden. I don’t care how long it takes. Even if it costs me everything…’

Lily swore to the Lord of Gods.

 

 

****

 

 

 

By the time evening came, at last Marie brought news of Aiden.

“They said his condition hasn’t gotten better, but it hasn’t gotten worse either.”

Lily bit the inside of her lip. She had to hold on to reason so she wouldn’t scream.

The fact that his state from the square was continuing was by no means good news.

She quickly made a plan. Tonight, she would not sleep—she would wander the mansion.

If she was lucky, she might encounter his soul. All she could rely on was the mercy of the Lord of Gods.

Wolfram, whom she had once thought of as an ally, only wanted to drive her out, and Marie pitied her but had no power.

“And also… Lady Dienta sent a letter.”

Lily widened her eyes as she accepted the letter. The sender, receiver, and address were all correct—but the handwriting was not Julia’s at all.

Lily swallowed. It was nothing short of a miracle that this letter had reached her.

If Wolfram had seen it first, he would have noticed something wrong and censored it. He had also received translations before, and so would recognize Julia’s handwriting.

After thanking Marie, Lily carefully tore open the envelope so the contents wouldn’t be visible to her.

Inside was a note written in unnaturally neat handwriting, with poor spelling.  At a glance, Lily recognized the familiar script.

[Did you get the gift well? I sugesst again. Tomorrow, 6 in the morning. At back gate carrage will come. Please don’t refuse last kindness.]

Lily’s eyes flashed. The Lord of Gods had heard her prayer. He Himself had granted her the cornerstone of vengeance!

The cult leader must have disguised the letter under Julia Dienta’s name to avoid the risk of his own correspondence being censored.

Lily could only be grateful that he had impersonated her grandmother.
Thanks to that, she had safely received his letter.

She canceled her plan of wandering the mansion in search of Aiden’s soul. On the eve of such an important matter, she couldn’t afford to draw suspicion.

Instead, she had the meal she had earlier pushed away brought again.

She could taste nothing. It was like chewing clumps of dirt. But she forced herself to empty the plate, for the sake of regaining her strength.

After that, she asked Marie for a coat. She had a very convincing reason ready.

“What if His Grace wakes up before I leave—even at dawn? I want to visit him without wasting a single second.”

Her head buzzed with excitement, but she forced herself to stay calm.

Marie probably thought it was a futile hope. But since she did not oppose it, she quietly brought the clothes.

Now there was no risk of drawing attention by walking around in sleepwear, nor of being caught sneaking into the dressing room.

As luck would have it, the cloth was dark in color, blending well into the night.  Chosen to match the mansion’s somber atmosphere, it turned out to be an unexpected blessing.

But such a small stroke of luck was not enough. She would need far greater fortune—enough to face the cult leader alone, with no weapons, no preparations… only herself.

She had no plan to discuss this with anyone. Not with Julia, who wasn’t here, and not with Wolfram, who would surely try to stop her, even though he had once wanted to use her.

In truth, Wolfram now meant nothing to her.

So Lily resolved to seize this chance by her own strength.

She would make the cult leader believe she came out of fear of his threats. She would act as if she would give him anything he asked—even her very heart—until he lowered his guard.

And when he showed an opening, unaware… she would drive a blade into his vile chest, or set his bed aflame.

Lily sat with the coat across her lap, lost in thought. Then Marie spoke softly to her.

“I’ll pray for His Grace tonight as well.”

Lily looked up at her friend. Marie truly wanted to comfort her.

If she asked, Marie would surely help, no matter how troublesome it might be. Just as she had brought her a cloak earlier, even though she hadn’t expected it to be needed.

It wasn’t because of their mistress–maid relationship.  It was because of their friendship.

But then—just how far did that friendship go? Which would be stronger—her loyalty to her family, or her devotion to her friend? Would she still help if Lily asked her to aid in a secret meeting?

No—there was no need to explain everything. If she simply asked Marie to walk with her outside, saying she needed air, surely she would…

At that moment, Marie placed both hands on Lily’s shoulders.

“My lady, it’s times like these when you must keep your heart firm. No matter how hard it is, you mustn’t let your health be ruined too. His Grace wouldn’t want that. I’ll be by your side to help.”

At the warmth of the hands holding her shoulders, Lily bit down on her lips.

What had she just been thinking? Dragging her friend into this with tricks?

If it were discovered that Marie had helped her arrange a meeting, she would not escape punishment. And once Aiden awoke, he would never forgive it. And he would awaken…

She couldn’t endanger her dearest friend. No matter how much she longed to lean on someone, this was a burden she had to bear alone.

Lily gave a faint smile.

“Thank you, Marie. I’ll go to bed early tonight.”

“Of course, my lady.”

Marie helped her into bed, tidied the fire, and left.

It wasn’t a lie that she intended to sleep.  Better to rest early than stay awake only to collapse from exhaustion at the last moment.

But she couldn’t afford to sleep too deeply, either. So she left the bed and curled up on the sofa, forcing herself to doze lightly.

Her nerves were stretched taut, making sleep difficult. But just as she had forced food into her stomach, she pressed her eyelids shut and endured.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

 

Lily realized she had woken and shot to her feet immediately.

After spending hours in a crumpled position, her body ached all over. Ignoring the pain, Lily searched for the clock.

She had woken too early—she would have to wait a little longer. At last, the darkness shifted into a deep, indigo blue. It was still dim, but the outlines of objects were visible.

Pulling on her coat, Lily quietly opened the door.

“Counselor, is something the matter?”

She froze. Outside the door stood a soldier on guard.

During her stay in the mansion, no one had ever been stationed at her door. She hadn’t anticipated this.

In a sharp tone, she demanded,

“Why are you here?”

“On account of the emergency, the aide ordered me to ensure the guest’s safety.”

Her brows knitted tightly.