Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 116

Wolfram looked very displeased about having to send Lily away.
She felt the same. She was scared to death.

She bit her lip.

“Calm down. I was surprised because the situation changed unexpectedly, but it’s still the same as what I thought beforehand. Yes. I just have to follow the plan from yesterday.”

When she wrote the letter, she believed that by the time the sun rose today, she would be holding the cult leader herself.

Even though Aiden had reassured her that it was all a misunderstanding, she had pictured it over and over again in her head. So it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

“Still, I never imagined I’d have to ride in the carriage sent by the cult leader all by myself.”

While thinking hard, Lily stopped walking and spoke to Wolfram.

“Advisor, please bring me the ring. If I happen to need to run away from the capital, I’ll use it to ask for directions. Of course, that won’t happen, but it won’t hurt to be prepared. I’ll just grab my coat and be right back. Let’s meet at the door.”

“Understood.”

“And please tell His Excellency only after I’ve left.”

“…Very well.”

Hearing the answer she wanted, Lily didn’t hesitate and ran to her room.

She realized she was acting just like Aiden had in the past.

By the book, she should have told him directly, then steadied him by saying, “Don’t panic, we just have to do as we planned,” and worked together with him.

But instead of meeting Aiden, Lily chose to slip her arms into her coat and head straight out.

The surface reason was to avoid the knights’ suspicion. But deep down, she feared Aiden might lose control, saying he couldn’t let her go.

What if he really fought the cult leader, knocking down the knights? Aiden wasn’t a fool, but Lily wanted this mission to succeed no matter what.

“It can’t be helped. I’ll apologize to Aiden when I return.”

Thinking in a way that was very much like Aiden Kashimir himself, she walked to the door. Wolfram arrived right away and handed Lily the ring.

“If I follow immediately, they’ll notice. I’ll wait a little before leaving. Please hold on for just a bit.”

“Yes, leave it to me. If it’s about talking, I’m confident.”

Lily spoke bravely and stepped outside. As the door shut behind her, all the knights’ eyes turned to her.

“I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Her voice carried a solemn weight.

The knights led her to the carriage. It was white, with the royal crest gleaming in gold.

It seemed it had been sent as a sign of how much they cared for her.

Without even brushing off her shoes, she climbed in. One knight entered after her, while another went to the driver’s seat.

The carriage moved leisurely, as if there were no need to hurry. Lily stared silently out the window.

Aiden’s mansion was in a quiet suburb. Because of that, they had to pass through a short stretch of sparse woodland.

A small, worn-down wagon passed them from the other direction. The driver looked like a farmer or woodcutter. It was a typical covered wagon with cloth stretched over a roofed frame.

At that moment, Lily’s carriage slowly came to a halt. One of the knights spoke.

“We will be changing vehicles.”

“…What?”

Before she could grasp it, the carriage door opened, and the second knight appeared.

“Please step out.”

Lily looked back and forth between them.

“W-Why? Weren’t we going to the capital? Then why are we switching carriages? W-Where are we going right now?”

“His Majesty is waiting.”

Without giving the exact destination, the knight stepped aside, leaving space for her to get down.

Julius, who had been sitting silently all along, sneered.

[Aiden’s been outplayed.]

Lily didn’t glance at him, keeping her eyes on the knights instead. They blocked her front and back. But even if one side had been left open, escaping past them would have been impossible.

“Let’s hurry. I was ordered to escort you with courtesy, but I was also given permission to use a little force if necessary.”

She had to pull herself together. Nothing was over yet. She wasn’t finished!

The location had only changed—the goal of meeting the cult leader was still the same. In fact, being separated from the palace might even be an advantage.

Better to follow quietly than resist and get struck somewhere.

Lily clenched her teeth and stepped down from the carriage.

The covered wagon they had passed earlier was stopped only a few steps away. That carriage had been part of the plan all along.

Under the knights’ watch, Lily approached the wagon. As she tried to climb into the cargo bed, one knight reached out a hand to help her. She ignored him completely and climbed in on her own.

Inside was another man dressed as a farmer. When Lily got in, he lowered the cloth flap at the entrance. The second carriage began to move.

Lily crouched in the deepest corner. Instead of letting herself be swept up by fear, she silently repeated the tasks she had to do. Her heart felt like it would burst, but she forced herself to focus.

The wagon rumbled on for quite a while. Rough dirt roads, a few slopes up and down—until finally it stopped.

The man watching her from inside untied and lifted the flap again. Lily stepped out of the cargo bed.

Before her stood an old wooden building, the kind nobles might use as a hunting lodge. The area around it was dense with trees and eerily quiet, with no one else in sight.

Lily swallowed hard. She couldn’t hope for any help here.

The bleak winter wind shook the branches. She almost broke down in tears.

Would Aiden even be able to find this place? They had even switched carriages midway through to abduct her.

What would happen after the cult leader died, and the Emperor’s body could no longer move? Would she be able to escape these men?

Though they wore farmer’s clothes and had beards, their builds and movements betrayed them as soldiers.

If they had been mere thugs or errand boys, she might have bribed them with Aiden’s money. Too bad.

The men stood at her sides and led her inside, then shut the door and took guard positions outside.

Lily took a deep breath and walked forward. Past the short entryway was the living room: a large rug spread across the floor, a fireplace, a sofa—ordinary enough.

And there sat the Emperor—or rather, the cult leader inside the Emperor’s body—waiting with a cup of tea.

A young knight stood beside him. Lily desperately hoped it might be Gray Payne, but it seemed the gods weren’t on her side.

[Ignorant heretic…]

Ignoring the curse from the spirit, Lily knelt down and bowed.

“I greet Your Majesty.”

“Rise.”

The cult leader smiled at her.

“Thank you for coming. Was the journey difficult?”

Lily quickly reviewed her plan.

Plan 1: Stall for as long as possible with polite small talk.
Plan 2: Say in two words what could be said in one.

“Thanks to Your Majesty’s grace, I arrived safely. The knights were very kind to me, and most of all, the physician you sent gave me strength to endure.”

“Good.”

The cult leader gestured for her to come closer. Walking toward him felt like stepping into a swamp.

“It’s fortunate you finally made up your mind.”

He smiled again.

“I’m in a good mood. It’s thanks to your right decision. Otherwise, much more blood might have been shed.”

“Your Majesty!”

Lily knelt once more at his feet.

“Please, I beg you, spare my grandmother! She has nothing to do with any of this. She’s only an old woman. If she hadn’t raised me, I would never have had the honor of standing before Your Majesty today!”

She pleaded with all her heart.

“If you obey, she will be safe.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Of course. By coming here, I’ve proven my sincerity. From now on, I’ll serve you with all I have. Please entrust me with anything!”

The cult leader lightly patted her head, then stood.

“Let me show you the house.”

Did he just call this place a house? Show her the house?

He really did lead her on a tour. The first floor had a kitchen, laundry room, bath, and storeroom.

Opening a small bedroom, he said, “You’ll use this room.” At that moment, Lily felt something was going terribly wrong.

“Does that mean… I’ll be living here from now on?” she asked hesitantly as they stepped out of the room.

With his usual gentle smile, the cult leader replied, “Yes.”

She opened her empty hands.

“If I’d known, I would have packed some belongings. I thought I’d only be coming and going when helping with Your Majesty’s work. Coming here with nothing makes me uneasy. May I return briefly to fetch my things?”

“There’s no need. Supplies here are plentiful.”

“Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty.”

Inside her mind, Lily imagined the worst.

If their plan failed, she would be trapped here, used in the cult leader’s schemes until the day she died.

Locked up in this place, with no idea how to escape, she would spend every day trembling, dreading whether that sly, loathsome man would come again.

Aiden, please! I beg you!

Lily pleaded silently with her beloved.