Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 32

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Aiden turned his head and asked,

[Why?]

“N-no reason.”

She quickly wiped the smile off her face.

‘Last time I thought he was like a puppy, now a cat? What’s wrong with my eyes, calling a grown man…’

Aiden stopped pawing at the crate and went back to watching Lily. His gaze was a bit much, so she casually said,

“By the way, is there anywhere you’d like to go? I can escort you around the estate, and even into town if you’d like. Or… do you want to tour the territory? I can talk to the aide about it.”

[Anywhere?]

“Yes, anywhere you want.”

Lily said with confidence.

[Then take me to the annex chapel.]

“Ah…”

She quickly corrected herself.

“Anywhere but the annex chapel.”

Aiden narrowed his eyes at her.

‘W-what…? He knows I’m not allowed—why’s he even asking?’

Though she tried to act firm inside, Lily avoided eye contact and busied herself with crates on the far side of the room.

The annex was a remote building, a brisk 15-minute walk from the main estate.

The surrounding garden was poorly maintained, nearly overgrown, and the building itself looked shabby compared to the rest of the duke’s estate.

Back when Lily first started working, she’d heard from a senior maid that it was once where a former lord had sent his estranged wife long ago.

Maybe that’s why no one went there unless they had a reason.

It ended up being the perfect place to keep the Emperor’s soul.

[So once again, I get left out? You excluded me when you moved the protective item, too.]

“Calling it excluded is a bit unfair, don’t you think?”

Aiden didn’t reply. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye—he had his arms crossed and wore a deeply displeased expression.

After the fake emperor left, the ring was successfully relocated. Thanks to the “Pick-and-Throw” strategy, the time spent holding it was minimized.

The method had solid logic behind it.

If holding the ring brought misfortune, then all they had to do was make sure no one held it for more than a moment. Don’t give the curse time to activate.

Wolfram was the one assigned to touch the ring. While he put on gloves, Lily opened the window and checked outside. When the coast was clear, she gave him the signal, and he hurled the ring out the window.

And then it repeated: pick up, throw, pick up, throw…

At first, they’d all been a little uneasy, but after a few tries, it was clear it worked. The operation moved swiftly after that.

The only real drawback was how annoying it was to retrieve the ring. Lily had to keep her eyes wide, scanning the landing area for the creepy, writhing aura.

But the truly awkward part was the way people reacted when they happened to see them—awkward glances, deliberately looking away.

Wolfram bore it with dignity, acting as if there was nothing strange going on. As for Lily, she pretended she had nothing to do with it.

Of course, it wasn’t very convincing.

 

“Lily, what were you and the aide doing that evening?”

On the last night at the lodging, Marie finally gave in to her curiosity and asked.

Lily barely managed to come up with a response.

“Uh, well… the aide said he wanted to test his arm strength…”

“His arm strength? I heard he was throwing a ring?”

“Yeah, he was testing how far and how long he could throw it. Sounds weird, right? You’d think push-ups would be enough, but nope, he made me stand there to find it each time. I guess noble hobbies are just beyond our understanding.”

 

It was a ridiculous excuse. Marie clearly didn’t believe her, but kindly nodded anyway.

Lily had a feeling Marie was going to report this “unusual behavior” of Lily Dienta to the head maid.

She really wished she could erase that memory. Lily bit her lip hard and muttered,

“His Majesty’s top priority is regaining his stability, and to do that, it’s best he doesn’t come into contact with Your Excellency. His condition visibly improved once we got him away from you—so that says it all.”

[So you plan to keep going alone?]

“I guess I have to…”

[Boldly declaring a secret meeting, are we?]

Lily nearly jumped.

“A s-secret meeting?! How can you say something so indecent?!”

[You’re going to meet Julius alone, without me. That’s what a secret meeting is, isn’t it?]

“There’s no such thing as a secret meeting where you say goodbye and go openly!”

[You haven’t told me what you plan to say or how you’ll persuade him. Sounds like a secret to me.]

His tone was gentle, but his words sounded suspiciously like those of a man doubting his lover. But Lily, who felt a little guilty, didn’t pick up on it and looked away awkwardly.

“That’s just because the plan isn’t fully formed yet. Once it is, I’ll tell you everything.”

Aiden changed his approach, his voice soft and coaxing.

[I believed you’d tell me in time. I was trying to wait patiently. I’m sorry I didn’t wait long enough. But lying isn’t okay. You’ve already made up your mind. So why won’t you tell me? Are you afraid I’ll object? Even if I do, you should still share it with me, Lily.]

He made perfect sense, but Lily pressed her lips tightly together.

‘I’m sorry, but even if the sky falls, I can’t tell you, Your Grace. What am I gonna say—that I plan to seduce the Emperor?!’

After a long silence, Aiden let out a deep sigh.

[Haah…]

He turned away and ran a hand through his hair. Then, switching to an old-fashioned tone he hadn’t used in a while, he said,

[I shall take a brief walk.]

And just like that, he left the room.

Left alone, Lily stared at the door for a while. But just looking at it wasn’t enough—something about it felt too… unfinished. So she wandered over near the door.

But in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to go after him and returned to sorting the crates instead.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

Just because something felt off didn’t mean she could ignore her work.

By the time Lily finally straightened her back, three or four hours had passed. The office had been tidied up so thoroughly, it looked ready for use as soon as tomorrow.

Aiden still hadn’t returned, presumably out “getting some air.” Lily scratched her head. She hadn’t expected him to sulk this long.

Fundamentally, they were more like a translator and a foreigner. The only oddity was that the “foreign country” in this case was another dimension.

Still, if she thought back to the beginning, there was never any agreement that they’d share every move or every thought in her head.

Of course, she understood why someone might grow attached to the only person who could see them.

‘But still… isn’t this a bit much? He’s kind of… childish?’

It was only now, after spending so much time scheming and strategizing, that this issue started to nag at her: Was His Grace’s dependence on Lily Dienta… actually okay?

‘Ugh, whatever. Not like it’s something I can fix anyway.’

Lily rolled her eyes once.

Next up was moving the crates out into the hallway to finish up. But as soon as she opened the door and turned around, she found herself face-to-face with Aiden, standing right beside her.

“Ah!”

Startled, she dropped the load she had been carrying in one hand. Thankfully, it didn’t land on her toes.

It was the first time she’d been this shocked by him since their very first meeting.

His expression darkened when he saw her reaction. It made her feel like she’d committed some terrible crime just by flinching.

But honestly, anyone would be startled to open a door and find someone standing right there—ghost or not. Instead of explaining that, she stammered out a question.

“W-when did you get back?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he glanced briefly at the scattered crates on the floor and walked into the office.

Lily, watching his mood, quickly stacked the crates along the hallway wall. She moved the rest of the items from inside the room too.

The work ended sooner than she expected, and she stood awkwardly near the door before quietly closing it.

[Sit.]

He pointed to a chair as he spoke. His voice was calm, but his gaze toward the chair burned with intensity—something she only noticed a moment too late.

Come to think of it, he’d had that same look when he saw the crates earlier…

Aiden slowly lowered his hand after pointing and clenched it into a tight fist. The fury radiating from him was so strong, it was like he was swearing with his eyes.

Then he sat down across from her, and Lily swallowed hard.

A one-on-one sit-down with an angry boss. I’m going to pass out.

It was obvious what he was going to say. He’d demand to know the details of her persuasion plan—since he couldn’t come along, he’d at least want to know what she was planning.

The basic rule of negotiation: give and take.

Should I just tell him? He looks like he’s at the end of his rope… No. If he knew, he’d be even more furious. I’ll show him through the results.