Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 137 - Side Story 2 Chapter 3

<Side Story 2, Chapter 3>

Saul cooperated behind the scenes so that the handling of the pagan cult leader and the matter of the regency would proceed according to Duke Kashimir’s wishes.

For the sake of Lily Dienta’s reputation, he highly praised Johann Midroff’s insignificant achievements and confirmed to gossip lovers that the late emperor had once intended to invite Lily Dienta.

Beyond that kind of preliminary work, there was also a more fundamental shift.

The position of chief steward was, by nature, well suited to spreading one’s own thoughts as if they were the opinions of those in power. He was skilled at using that advantage.

As a result, Lily Dienta’s “assimilation” became a stale, taken-for-granted fact. The nobles’ interest moved on to other topics.

For example, business fields the regent empress was watching closely, the baby emperor’s private tutor, or the selection of court companions.

It had become an environment where Julia could set aside her worries about her granddaughter and focus on her own life.

Moreover, Julia, who loved her granddaughter dearly, would surely be grateful to him for acting on Lily’s behalf.

In fact, a light exchange of greetings by letter in the middle even included words of thanks for that!

When positive impressions in the present were added to feelings from the past, the ending was as clear as day.

By the time Saul stood in front of the townhouse holding a bouquet, his heart was naturally filled with anticipation.

However, he did not get to meet Julia. More precisely, he could not even cross the townhouse’s threshold.

The housekeeper spoke while keeping the visitor standing at the entrance.

—The lady is unwell and cannot receive guests for the time being.

The moment the housekeeper recited the elegant, noble-style refusal, a bleak premonition washed over him. Several facts combined in an instant.

Julia cherished her granddaughter more than her own life.

Julia had been involved in Duke Kashimir’s plan to deal with the emperor.

She had refused his visit.

Conclusion: Julia had not forgiven Saul Oetz’s deception.

Some might call it a far-fetched interpretation, but this was often how noble speech worked.

They hid their true intentions, spoke indirectly, and expected the other person to read between the lines.

If Julia had truly been ill, the housekeeper would have suggested another date to visit.

Or Julia would have shown her pale face for a few minutes herself.

Saul recalled the decisive day.

That day, instead of waiting for Lily Dienta at the castle, the emperor had abducted her to the western forest.

Saul had allowed it to happen and did not inform the duke. He had even stopped Grey Payne, who noticed something was wrong and tried to go to the duke.

It had been an entirely rational decision.

No matter what, Duke Kashimir had to come to the castle with the empress and bring things to a conclusion. If they missed that chance, everyone would have died.

Setting aside emotional anger, even Aiden Kashimir could not deny the justification of that decision.

But Julia’s judgment seemed to be different.

Come to think of it, Lily Dienta had been badly injured during the rescue.

Julia was someone who had said she would rather die together with her granddaughter than run away alone. He could understand how furious she must have been.

—Please tell her that I wish her a swift recovery.

He handed over the bouquet and left cleanly.

He thought it would be enough if the flowers caught Julia’s eye before being thrown onto a trash heap.

That resolve did not change even until nightfall. If he had still possessed that worthless ring, such resignation would have lasted until the day he died.

But that night, he reached for his neck, and his hand grasped nothing.

In that instant, he felt as if he would suffocate on regret.

Julia Midroff still had eyes like the morning star. She smiled sweetly, had a white nape, was stubborn, wished for his life to be safe—and she had not returned the ring.

The ring she had abandoned even when she loved him…

He could not endure this emptiness any longer.

The next day, Saul sent a letter to Lily Dienta. For now, he intended to offer more compensation to Julia’s granddaughter.

He would continue helping until Lily returned to the Duchy of Kashimir. If he did that, he might be able to make up for his sins.

As a bonus, he could also ask lightly about Julia. They were close family and shared many things, so he might gain some clue.

And so, Saul ended up hearing the unexpected news that Julia had truly been ill.

 

 

****

 

 

 

That afternoon, Lily visited the townhouse and sat on the edge of Julia’s bed.

“Grandmother, how are you feeling? Are you really okay?”

She asked with concern.

Julia, whom she was seeing after several days, looked thin, her cheeks hollowed. But she did not look distressed. Julia smiled brightly at her granddaughter.

“Yes. I’m all better now. I can eat proper meals again, so my strength will return soon.”

“That’s such a relief! I was so worried.”

With her heart at ease, Lily spoke in a trembling voice.

Julia was like Lily’s own parents to her. If anything truly bad had happened, Lily would never have forgiven herself for worrying her grandmother and forcing her to march all the way to the capital.

“Have you been well during that time?”

“I’ve been doing amazingly well, honestly. But Grandmother, I’m not sure if I should say this… This morning, I met the chief steward. Count Oetz.”

“Saul?”

“Yes. But, um… the way he spoke was a bit strange.”

Lily carefully explained what she had seen and heard at the Imperial Castle, along with what her intuition suggested.

After listening, Julia lightly frowned and got straight to the point.

“So, in other words, you’re saying that Saul is watching my condition through improper means, and that he also has a… worrying tendency?”

“I’m sorry! This isn’t something I should interfere in! But honestly, it’s strange!”

Lily knew she shouldn’t gossip about someone else’s romance.

But she couldn’t help herself. At the very least, Julia needed to know these things.

She cautiously checked her grandmother’s mood. Julia didn’t look serious at all.

Instead, she gave a small snort of laughter and muttered, “That fool again…”

“There’s something you misunderstood. He wasn’t spying. He came to visit in person. I just didn’t meet him because I wasn’t in a state to receive guests. I did tell him I wasn’t feeling well, so you don’t need to worry about that part.”

After finishing, Julia glanced at the vase on the bedside table.

Hearing the explanation, Lily found Saul’s behavior even harder to understand.

He came himself, heard with his own ears that she wasn’t well—so why react like that?

“And that ‘worrying tendency’…”

Julia burst out laughing and continued,

“He seems to have misunderstood it in a different way, but I’ll handle it. Thank you for worrying.”

“Hehe, it’s nothing.”

Lily laughed along with Julia, even though she didn’t fully understand how things were unfolding. She figured her grandmother would take care of it.

After that, they chatted about everyday things—Aiden, staying in the capital, the wedding, the city streets, the tea party, and more.

After talking to their hearts’ content, Julia plucked a single rose petal from the vase.

In truth, Julia had been glancing at the vase throughout their conversation. Curious, Lily observed it.

The flowers weren’t especially fresh, but they still looked reasonably lively. Among the softly colored, modest flowers, a fistful of bright red roses stood out and caught the eye.

Julia asked Lily to help her over to the desk.

She wrote a letter, then enclosed the petal she had plucked earlier and sealed the envelope. The recipient written on the wax-sealed letter was Saul Oetz.

In that moment, Lily realized the connection between Saul Oetz’s visit, the bouquet, and the roses.

“Will you deliver this letter for me?”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Lily replied energetically.

 

 

****

 

 

 

Julia’s letter went from Lily to Aiden, and the next day from Aiden to Saul Oetz.

“Is the training of your successor going well?”

The duke asked as he handed over the letter.

“Yes. It’s proceeding without issue.”

After major events such as the late emperor’s funeral and the announcement of the new emperor were completed, Saul had submitted his resignation.

The regent empress accepted it and, after consulting with her close aides, selected the next chief steward.

Once the successor’s training was finished, the official handover would take place, and Saul would wrap up his life in the capital and return to his territory.

At the latest, it would all be settled by next month.

“It’s a shame. You could have served three emperors. The regent empress is accustomed to your assistance, so if you had expressed the will to remain, she wouldn’t have forced you out against your wishes.”

Only now did the duke kindly say words that held no real meaning.

Coming from the man who had seated someone from his own faction as the next chief steward.

The chief steward was involved in every corner of the Imperial Castle, and therefore the position was meant to be held by someone from the emperor’s or empress’s family.

However, families deeply entangled in the regency dispute had been filtered out, and the duke did not let this opportunity pass.

“New wine belongs in new wineskins.”

“I respect your decision.”

Aiden smiled with eyes that held no warmth.

Seeing that smile, Saul became certain once more that retiring had been the right choice.

He had a serious weakness in the duke’s grasp: the charge of actively cooperating in the emperor’s pagan practices. There was even a chance that some evidence was being kept.

Not questioning his crimes had been the condition for cooperation, but there was no contract that could be trusted forever. The past would become a leash, used to control him at a critical moment.

“If you wish to write a reply, I can wait.”

At the duke’s courtesy, Saul lowered his gaze.

“Thank you, but it’s fine.”

He had no intention whatsoever of opening Julia’s letter in the same place where Duke Kashimir was.

“Very well. Good work.”

The duke stopped smiling and left the room with a neat, expressionless face.

It was the face Emperor Julius had often angrily called “a smug, condescending look.”

Of course, that was the late emperor’s biased interpretation. It was closer to a face that existed coldly, without giving human warmth to those around it.

It was ironic that such a person melted completely, wagging his tail like a dog, only in front of his lover.

He hid his fangs so skillfully that Saul suffered from cognitive dissonance every time he saw the duke together with Lily Dienta.

In reality, he had simply removed his fangs selectively, but Saul pushed thoughts of Aiden aside and opened the envelope with trembling hands.