Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 2

When she cautiously opened her eyes, Lily saw the ghost’s feet. He was wearing spotless, dust-free shoes.

Lily blankly followed the shoes up to the pant legs, to the shins, and up to the knees—then quickly lowered her head again.

She didn’t want to see his face. She was terrified he might be grinning with a horrifyingly wide mouth.

‘Well… he wasn’t like that earlier, though.’

Lily recalled the ghost’s face she had glimpsed before she collapsed.

‘But he really does look familiar… Who is he? I definitely know him…’

Suddenly, an image of a portrait flashed through her mind. Still pressing her forehead to the floor, Lily’s eyes widened.

‘His Grace! That’s Duke Aiden Kashimir!’

She was certain. She vividly remembered studying his face from a portrait during maid training. The ghost looked exactly like the young master of the castle, who was currently lying unconscious!

[Look at me.]

A voice — if it could even be called that — filled with despair and anger echoed through her mind.

Lily swallowed hard and cautiously lifted her head. Even on closer inspection, he really was Duke Aiden Kashimir.

She tried calling out to test it.

“D-Duke Kashimir, Your Grace.”

A smile spread across the ghost’s face.

[You can see me.]

“Y-yes, Your Grace.”

[I can be seen. Finally, I can…]

The way he kept repeating himself made it clear: the Duke wasn’t in a good mental state. Well, no wonder. Turning into a ghost overnight would break anyone.

His smile deepened, growing somewhat manic. The ghost’s overwhelming joy was tangible.

[What’s your name?]

“L-Lily Dienta, Your Grace.”

She answered, trembling.

[Lily.]

Dropping her last name without hesitation, the Duke made a request.

[Become my assistant.]

“…Pardon?”

When Lily looked up, she saw the Duke standing unnaturally still, gazing down at her. What was especially chilling was how he hadn’t blinked even once.

[I need your help.]

It was an overly gentle tone, far too sweet for a high noble speaking to a mere maid. Even whipped cream wouldn’t be this sugary.

[Only you can see and hear my voice. Lily Dienta, only you can help me.]

Oh no. Lily had never imagined a day would come when a ghost would become obsessed with her.

She should have remembered her grandmother’s advice about covering her eyes and ears sooner.

While Lily was busy regretting, the ghost called her again, in an unbelievably sweet voice.

[Please, Lily.]

The Duke’s eyes, completely devoid of warmth, looked at her like a predator eyeing its prey. If not for that, Lily might have seriously mistaken his gaze for love.

 

 

****

 

 

 

Aiden Kashimir, the young duke who now drifted between life and death, carried several notorious labels.

A cold-blooded man with ice in his veins instead of blood, a brutal heretic slayer, an arrogant power-monger—these were the names people gave him.

But now, he was acting completely the opposite.

[Lily Dienta, only you can help me.]

What part of this cooing voice, like a singing bird, matched words like cold-blooded, brutal, or arrogant?

The event that forced Aiden Kashimir to endure such humiliation— the strange phenomenon that separated his soul from his body— had happened three weeks ago, one night.

When he suddenly came to his senses, he found himself looking down at his own sleeping body. Though his bedroom was dark at midnight on a moonless night, he could somehow see the room clearly, as if it were bathed in moonlight.

When he raised his hand and looked up and down, he saw that his form glowed faintly blue and vaguely reflected the objects beyond his skin.

After briefly examining his body, which cast no reflection in the mirror, he accepted the fact: he wasn’t dreaming—he had slipped free from his body as a spirit.

He soon realized that unless he exploded with strong emotions, he couldn’t interact with objects, and that, as if tied by something, he couldn’t leave the main building.

Remaining calm and logical was the limit of what he could manage. Many things soon broke down his mind.

Perfect isolation. The court physician’s inability to explain anything. The countless rumors about ghosts. The faces silently waiting for his body to breathe its last…

Above all, the most unbearable thing was his own helplessness.

He couldn’t control anything about his own life anymore.  He couldn’t investigate what had happened or figure out how to fix it. He could only spend his time, endlessly and hopelessly.

The unbearable rage that built up inside often exploded outward, and every time he came to, he would find the room thrown into chaos.

Thus, his nerves were frayed beyond repair, and he wallowed in despair, having lost all hope.

It was in the middle of that collapse that he met Lily Dienta: a human who could see him, a window to the outside world.

He didn’t know why Lily Dienta alone could perceive him. It was just another inexplicable mystery.

But this mystery didn’t torment him. No, it was a miracle he couldn’t afford to lose. It felt as though a single beam of light shone down onto Lily Dienta from the heavens.

Aiden carefully analyzed the maid’s nature. She was terrified just from meeting his eyes, but not bold enough to flee the building altogether.

Despite him being no more substantial than drifting dust, she still treated him like a real duke, tied tightly by notions of rank and status.

What was the best way to handle a maid like her? How could he use her?

Giving useless orders or trying to scare her was out of the question. The worst outcome would be if she got too scared and never returned to the main building.

Thus, Aiden crafted a soft, sorrowful voice—something he thought he would never use in his entire life.

[Lily, if you help me, I’ll grant you one wish, sworn upon the honor of House Kashimir.]

And so he thought again, more earnestly than ever, about the precious Lily Dienta.

[So please, don’t be afraid. Save me.]

He vowed he would never let her slip away.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

‘I’m absolutely terrified…’

Lily shivered and muttered to herself.

Being stared down by those lifeless, black eyes without even a single blink — honestly, it was a miracle she hadn’t fainted yet.

‘At this point, refusing would be a really bad idea.’

She recalled several ghost stories she had heard. Victims who refused the grudges of the dead often ended up living miserable lives.
And that was the best-case scenario. In some tales, the protagonist was even dragged off to the afterlife with them!

The look in the Duke’s eyes right now was exactly like that. If she refused to help, it felt like a curse would strike her down immediately.

There was just one problem. Even if she wanted to help him, realistically, she had no idea how.

“A-a-as a loyal servant of the Duke’s household, it would be a great honor to assist Your Grace… but I’m terribly sorry, I’m just an ordinary maid with no special skills. Wouldn’t it be better to call for a professional?”

At her refusal, the ghost’s eyes grew cold. Yet his voice remained gentle.

[For example?]

“Since it’s a matter of spirits, um, maybe someone from the faith Your Grace is familiar with… or perhaps someone from the countryside who remembers old rituals…”

Lily tried to avoid giving any specific names.

The Duke let out a soft chuckle.

[How bold, suggesting bringing heretics into the Duke’s castle. Unfortunately, I had no way to summon them myself. But now that you’re here, it’s finally possible.]

“W-what? Me?! No, I have absolutely no connection to any of that! No matter how I think about it, I really don’t think I’ll be much help…”

The ghost simply smiled silently and stared at her. Without realizing it, Lily’s voice trailed off.

[Let’s think about that later. For now, wouldn’t it be more pleasant to imagine what I could do for you instead?]

The ghost clearly had no intention of letting her go. He was just like the devils in stories — the ones who tempted you with angelic voices.

[Providing enough wealth so you’d never have to worry about making a living again, that would be the easiest thing for me. So use your imagination. Wish for something creative. Let’s exchange my desperation for yours. Alright, Lily…]

It was an absurd promise that made her want to argue back. Lily, finally snapping out of her fear, regained her rational thinking.

Sure, right now he seemed ready to pluck stars from the sky for her, but once his problem was solved, who’s to say he wouldn’t just change his mind?

Would he really fulfill some outrageous wish, like funding her luxury lifestyle forever or making her the wife of a high-ranking noble?

She wasn’t being overly cynical, humans who had nothing left to lose often forgot favors and became shameless.

In the end, she would probably end up requesting some modest reward that wouldn’t offend the Duke. She thought seriously about it.

‘It’s not like this is going to turn my life around. Maybe I should just find a way to escape somehow…’