Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 128 - Side Story Chapter 4

“I can’t believe it. She was a maid? And the Duke was treated by her so consistently? How is that even possible?”

“It was likely because of her grandmother, Your Highness.”

The aide flipped through his notebook.

“The maid’s grandmother, Julia Dienta, was the daughter of Johann Midroff. Johann Midroff served as a professor at the Academy, and even after retiring for health reasons, he remained a widely respected scholar who left behind a vast body of writings. Julia Dienta herself was said to have held the position of top scholar at the Academy without fail. She was also well-regarded in her hometown.”

The information was oddly detailed, but Caleb’s aide was merely reporting his findings faithfully.

“Lily Dienta was educated by such a grandmother and, despite her status as a maid, was said to be remarkably literate. That may have caught Baron Burnett’s attention, and it seems she was later recommended to the Duke.”

Then the aide added a speculation that sounded fairly reasonable.

“Given that the Duke’s counselor would have to deal with highly personal matters, I imagine he thought it wiser to entrust the position to someone under his own authority, rather than an ordinary physician.”

Caleb found it difficult to believe that a mere maid could possess such qualities. Any noble in the Empire would have thought the same.

Birth was something granted by the heavens; the High God placed each soul in its rightful station according to its potential.

To be born a noble or a commoner—each position was assigned because it was fitting for that person.

But the shocking details didn’t end there.

“For reference, Lily Dienta also caught the eye of His Majesty Julius Shayworth. The Emperor reportedly sent several carriages to invite her to the palace.”

Caleb frowned.

“Julius? Are you serious?”

“The testimony comes from the Second Knight Division, so it’s quite credible. There’s even a knight who claims to have seen His Majesty present her with a ring engraved with his royal seal.”

Caleb spoke with incredulous amusement.

“I truly want to see what kind of person she is now.”

He drummed his fingers on the table, trying to piece together this absurd story in his head.

A single maid had managed to captivate not only the Duke’s aide and the Duke himself—but also the Emperor.

How could that be possible? What trick had she used? Even if her abilities were exceptional, how extraordinary could they have been?

As he pondered the mysterious charm that had bewitched nobles, an amusing idea crossed his mind.

“Rubin, I want to know more about the circumstances in the Kashimir territory—and about that maid. Also, find me a young man. Someone willing to play the fool for a few coins.”

For the first time in a while, Caleb felt alive again. He was determined to take an active hand in this. The thought itself delighted him.

Aiden Kashimir had crushed his dreams—so what harm was there in making the man squirm a little?

To humiliate him publicly, perhaps just a little…

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

During the Emperor’s funeral, Lily spent her days trembling with nerves.
It was all because of Countess Dorian’s relentless instruction.

Countess Dorian had been the etiquette tutor Aiden had assigned to her. The countess came from a distinguished noble family, and even the Regent Empress had studied under her in her youth.

At their first meeting, Lily had said brightly, “Thank you so much for agreeing to educate someone like me, who used to be a maid. I’ll do my very best to learn!”

She had meant to thank the countess for setting aside her pride to teach a former maid, but the lessons had begun that very moment.

— Proper manners begin with proper self-awareness. From this point on, you must never lower yourself before anyone. Those who were born nobles can never truly match someone who raised herself through merit. Always keep this attitude.

The countess taught her everything—from how to breathe correctly to nearly every movement needed to live as a proper person.

Had the countess stayed later into the night, she might have even instructed Lily on the proper way to lie in bed.

Mari, too, was busy being taught by the countess’s own lady-in-waiting: hair styling, how to check current fashions, methods of applying makeup—there seemed to be endless things to learn on that side as well.

That morning, Lily was reviewing the previous day’s lessons while waiting for the countess. Before long, Mari came to announce her arrival.

“My lady, Countess Dorian is here.”

Lily rose gracefully, ensuring the hem of her skirt flowed softly.

“Welcome, Countess Dorian.”

“Good morning, Miss Dienta.”

Lily smiled gently. The countess made no correction!

But just as Lily celebrated inwardly, the countess remarked, “Your expression is too bright.” Her eye for detail was terrifying.

While Mari prepared tea, they exchanged polite small talk about the weather and the funeral procession.

Even in that brief chat, Lily was corrected on her phrasing of “an enormous crowd gathered” and “my nose turned red from the cold.”

Lily was bewildered—those were the refined versions she’d already softened!

The originals had been “people packed in like sardines” and “my nose nearly froze off.”

Phew… pretending to be a princess is harder than I thought.

She was starting to realize that her carefully devised “A princess would never do that!” strategy wasn’t working as well as planned.

Indeed, pretending to be a princess was far harder than pretending to be a spiritual healer. The issue wasn’t lack of knowledge—the countess had filled that gap thoroughly.

The real problem was embarrassment and self-consciousness. Her voice had to be half air, soft and fluttering, and her fingers had to move as delicately as if stroking flower petals.

It was a kind of cultural shock bordering on confusion.

Still, I can’t give up. I can’t let Aiden be humiliated because of me!

Lily steeled her resolve.

After serving tea, Mari left the room to receive her own lesson from the countess’s maid.

Only Lily, Countess Dorian, and the escort knight, Baten, remained in the sitting room.

Normally, the countess would have continued with their speech training, but this time she hesitated before speaking.

“Miss Dienta, there’s something I must discuss with you privately. May I?”

It was the first time the countess had ever made such a request. Unfortunately, Lily couldn’t grant it.

“I’m sorry, Countess, but Sir Baten cannot leave my side.”

Indeed—she now had not only a personal maid but also her own dedicated knight!

Aiden had insisted that whenever he was absent, Lily must always be accompanied by at least one knight—someone who would guard her within arm’s reach, not just from outside the door.

Of course, being under constant supervision was quite stressful. She couldn’t even yawn freely or scratch her back in peace.

But knowing it stemmed from Aiden’s worry, she willingly accepted it. If she thought of it as protection, not surveillance, it wasn’t so bad.

The knight spoke in a low, steady voice.

“Please, don’t mind me. Speak freely.”

“Yes, Countess. Sir Baten is a knight personally vouched for by the Duke himself.”

The countess then spoke carefully.

“Miss Dienta, do you by chance know a man named Norbert Rider?”

“I’ve never heard that name before.”

“You can be honest. I won’t repeat this anywhere.”

Lily answered truthfully.

“Even thinking about it again, no—I’ve never heard that name. Norbert, Rider—none of it rings a bell.”

The countess opened her mouth, then sighed. Lily’s eyes widened—the very embodiment of grace and composure had just audibly sighed!

“Yesterday, I happened to attend the same gathering as that man, and he claimed to be your abandoned lover.”

“That’s absurd! A complete lie!”

Her voice came out so flustered it was hardly ladylike. She’d completely forgotten her princess act.

What on earth was being said behind her back? The only man in her life had ever been Aiden Kashimir!

“And he went on about your past… It wasn’t pleasant to hear. Some others even chimed in, as if they’d heard the same from him before.”

Lily’s face went pale.

Could it be they found out I can see spirits? With all the people flocking to the capital lately… maybe someone overheard me talking to myself in the Duke’s estate, and now there’s a rumor I’m some heretic who sees ghosts…

No—that couldn’t be. If that were true, she’d already have been dragged to the temple.

Her hands trembled as she took a bite of cake from her plate. The sweetness helped her mind clear bit by bit.

With a composed smile, she said,

“I’d really like to know what exactly you heard, Countess. Please, tell me—for my sake. Don’t leave anything out. Every word, exactly as he said it.”

 

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

 

After finishing the day’s lessons, Countess Dorian departed.

Back in her room, Lily clenched her fists and trembled, even with the knight still watching.

She recalled what the countess had told her—an unspeakably vile insult. What made it worse was how cunningly the lies had been tangled with truth.

In short, the story went like this:

After the Duke’s collapse, the ducal household had grown lax. The young maid, Lily Dienta, caught the eye of the acting steward, Wolfram Burnett.

Sensing a chance to rise in status, Lily Dienta abandoned her devoted lover and spent “intimate hours” alone with the steward in his office…