Working at a Haunted Mansion

Author: Asternkm

Waiting for someone at the mansion was usually Lily’s role. But tonight, it was the other way around—Aiden was waiting for Lily.

He had deliberately settled into a room on the first floor that looked out over the front entrance. He wanted to greet his lover the moment she returned after an important day.

Lily was very excited about meeting her parents for the first time, but at the same time, she was afraid.

—It’s not pointless to meet them, right? They never once came to see me until now… Of course, I never went to see them either. And they didn’t even write very often. What if it wasn’t because of family circumstances, but because they just didn’t like me? What if they wanted to live on their own as a couple?

—I can say for sure that’s unnecessary worry, but I understand why you’re anxious. No matter what, your parents have to attend our wedding.

—You’re right. I’ll do my best.

There was actually nothing in this meeting that Lily needed to “do her best” for, but Aiden was satisfied that she had gathered her strength.

Now was the moment to find out whether her worries were real or not.

The carriage passed through the garden. Aiden immediately went outside and stood in front of it. Lily placed her small hand on top of his.

“I’m back!”

She spoke in a voice full of joy and excitement the moment she saw Aiden’s face.

“You know what I said before I left? Forget it. It was all pointless worry. I do wish my father had chosen the relocation more carefully—somewhere closer. Then we could’ve visited each other. But something amazing happened. The moment I saw my mother, I thought I was looking in a mirror!”

“Did you cry?”

He asked the moment Lily paused to breathe.

Her face was swollen. Especially around her eyes, which looked puffed up like cotton balls.

“All four of us.”

Lily replied with a shy smile.

Aiden gently touched the corners of her eyes.

Lily closed her eyes and stayed still, then suddenly opened them and looked up at him. Her eyes were slightly smaller than usual, but the starlight inside them was unchanged.

Unable to hold back, he pressed his lips to her eyelids. Then, barely managing his self-control, he succeeded in stopping there and heading toward the entrance.

Lily resumed her report, which had briefly paused.

“Oh! And Grandma made a surprise announcement. She’s getting married—to the chief attendant!”

“Married?”

Aiden repeated.

“Yes. She said she wants to discuss the wedding schedule with us. I was shocked too. I expected they might be dating, but I never thought they’d go through a legal marriage.”

Lily explained the atmosphere at the time in detail. She said the whole family had been in complete shock, with two members suddenly marrying into noble families.

“Grandma says she doesn’t want to go back to Berelin. She wants to live with the chief attendant instead. She wants to spend her remaining time with him. We told her to do whatever makes her happiest.”

They arrived at the bedroom. Aiden seated Lily at the vanity and began removing her hair ornaments.

Looking at him through the mirror, she asked,

“But… it does seem like they had a connection from long ago. Still, the chief attendant—”

“Are you wondering if he’s trustworthy?”

“Yes. He worked under the fake emperor, after all. He helped us in the end, but it still bothers me. What kind of person was he usually? His reputation?”

Aiden recalled what he knew about Saul Oetz.

Saul Oetz had received the title of count for protecting a previous emperor from assassins.

He had done all sorts of things to please the emperor as a loyal hound of power, but now those past actions had been cleaned up.

He had never married, nor had there ever been a single scandal, so it was expected that his title would be reclaimed after his death.

Aiden organized this information and explained it to her.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

“That’s a relief…”

“Then shall we proceed with the dinner gathering as planned the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes! All three of them said it sounded good.”

Until she finished getting ready for bed, Lily was still riding the high of excitement.

She chattered about tomorrow’s gift shopping, Julia’s wedding, preparations for the gathering, and small worries. Aiden eventually had to suggest that she should start sleeping.

Silence settled over the dark bedroom.

After a while, Lily turned onto her side and whispered,

“I feel so happy that I think I might have a nightmare.”

Aiden replied quietly,

“Sounds like the perfect place for me.”

“A nightmare?”

“Yeah. A perfect stage for the ghost duke to appear. Don’t forget to call me.”

Lily laughed softly and fell asleep with a relieved expression. Aiden looked at her face a little longer, then closed his eyes.

****

The day of the luncheon between the Dienta family and Duke Kashimir arrived.

Lily had been smiling brightly since morning.

They had been separated for so many years that, no matter the circumstances, some resentment might have lingered.

But once she understood everything, she gladly let go of the past and enjoyed the present.

Armed with her natural friendliness and warmth, Lily showed affection freely, so it was only natural that the Dienta couple grew fond of her.

As Lily herself had said, she strongly resembled her mother, but traces of her father were mixed in as well.

Her father, Zeon Dienta, trembled every time he looked at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling or the decorations lining the hallway. He flinched in a similar way whenever the dishes were changed during lunch.

Seeing this, Aiden felt a strange sense of déjà vu and soon remembered how Lily had behaved in much the same way in her early days.

Could habits be passed down through blood, even without living together?

It was a silly thought, but they could consider it fortunate that the parents resembled Lily.

When asked about the Dienta couple, the village chief of Drindel had described them as “honest, gentle, and with no particular issues.”

Still, Aiden didn’t trust people easily. Overnight, they had become in-laws to two nobles. Even if their nature wasn’t greedy, they could be corrupted later.

Of course, he intended to grant their requests as much as possible.

They would surely be modest requests, and above all, as Lily’s parents, they deserved respect.

But if Lily were to suffer in the middle, that would be a different story.

Before it came to that—before he had to step in—he needed to understand them clearly and set the board in advance.

Aiden had originally planned to gauge them through this luncheon. At least, that was his intention when he fastened a brooch that suited Lily that morning.

But seeing them all sitting together, so clearly alike, he lost the will to scheme.

‘I shouldn’t judge by appearances. A bad habit is forming.’

Though troubled, Aiden treated his guests sincerely for once.

Seeing this, Zeon Dienta thought in fear, ‘That light, effortless attitude belongs to someone who controls everything without even needing to flaunt power,’ which was rather unfair to Aiden.

After lunch, they moved to the lounge for tea.

Lily excused herself, saying she had something to bring, and briefly left the room. The Dienta couple immediately stiffened. It seemed that being treated gently throughout the meal hadn’t been enough.

Still, Aiden had no desire to use the same methods he had used on Lily Dienta. Those were meant only for Lily.

He spoke to Julia.

“I heard the news. Congratulations.”

“I’m sorry for causing trouble with my excessive wishes.”

A common woman remarrying into nobility already drew plenty of attention.

Now that both grandmother and granddaughter were marrying nobles around the same time, a topic that had just begun to quiet down would surely resurface.

“As long as Lily is happy, that’s enough. We can discuss the details separately when Count Oetz is present.”

Julia agreed.

The “details” he postponed included the following.

For example, now that Zeon Dienta would be related by marriage to two nobles, his status would need to be adjusted slightly to match.

He could be adopted as Saul Oetz’s son and become a junior Count Oetz, or he could become Baron Dienta and establish an independent house.

In the latter case, the title Johann Dienta had sold would be repurchased and restored.

Bringing this up now would only frighten the Dienta couple further. Aiden decided to give them some time.

Just then, Lily returned with her arms full of gift boxes.

“Mom, Dad. I bought these with the money I earned from working!”

It was true. The money Lily had earned as an assistant aide, townhouse manager, and spirit interpreter had been precisely calculated and deposited at Saint Forecal Bank.

Yesterday, she withdrew all of it and searched through the shopping district to buy gifts for her family.

The Dienta family carefully cleared away teacups and snacks from the table and opened one of the boxes Lily set down.

The first gift was a silver tea set for teatime.

“Lily, you bought this with your own earnings? Really?”

Melissa asked in shock. Lily glanced at Aiden, then answered proudly.

“As I told you, I got promoted again and again. The conditions were really exceptional. So don’t worry. Now then, I’ll hand them out one by one. This is Grandma’s, this is Dad’s, and this is Mom’s.”

Lily placed a box in front of each of them. They didn’t open them all at once, instead taking turns.

With each gift revealed, they gradually forgot Aiden’s presence and let out cries of amazement. Lily’s shoulders straightened more and more.

Aiden sat beside Lily and watched the scene.

If he hadn’t lost his parents so early, would he have shared moments like this?

Warm, affectionate scenes overlapped with faces he remembered only from portraits. His mood slowly sank…

Suddenly, Lily leaned against him. When he looked down, she was still smiling and watching the table. It seemed like a habitual gesture.

He brushed away the meaningless sense of loss and interlaced his fingers with hers.

Lily turned her eyes slightly to look at him, then faced forward again. She didn’t pull her hand away. Their joined hands felt natural and close.

That’s right. He didn’t need to envy that scene.

He would have it too.

Soon, he would build a warm, loving family with Lily, and with a daughter and son who resembled them.

Aiden smiled from the heart.