Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 34

This chapter is sponsored by NoodLuver~

Part 5. The Spiritual Physician

The chapel was a narrow room, just large enough to fit a small desk and chair meant for quiet meditation. On the desk sat a small blue porcelain dish with a column-shaped pedestal—inside it, the Emperor’s ring was submerged in holy water.

Lily took an empty vial from the basket and carefully tilted the dish to pour out the water.

After sealing the vial tightly, she took out another small bottle—about the size of a medicine vial. It contained holy water personally blessed by the High Priest.

She poured the fresh holy water into the dish, then stepped out of the chapel.

The reason the protective item could serve its purpose was due to the Lord’s blessing, and so they had gone to great lengths to obtain holy water.

Perhaps thanks to that effort, the ring was slowly regaining its color. Not quite back to how it had looked when she first received it, but better than before.

With that done, Lily headed to the bedroom and knocked on the door.

“Your Majesty, it’s Lily.”

As always, there was no response. She didn’t mind and spoke again while opening the door.

“I’m coming in.”

Julius Sheiwartz’s soul was standing by the window. His entire form was still pitch black with corruption, though here and there, bits of color had begun to return—similar to the ring.

They didn’t know exactly why his condition had deteriorated so quickly. But judging by the timing, they could only guess that coming into contact with Aiden had done more harm than good.

In any case, when she first saw him like that—dragged helplessly out by the ring during their “grab and throw” operation—Lily had nearly fainted.

She had never even seen a ghost with a face so blackened, as if cursed. It was like a black pillar risen straight from the depths of hell.

But now, she was so immersed in her role that she could cheerfully con him without a second thought.

“Your Majesty, do you recognize me?”

[Lily… physician…]

“Yes. I’m your spiritual physician, Lily Dienta. Did you rest well last night?”

[I… couldn’t sleep…]

“Oh dear, is that so? Please, come sit down. I’ll check your spiritual temperature and resonance levels.”

A doctor checks a patient’s temperature and heart rate. Therefore, a spiritual physician should check the soul’s warmth and frequency.

Lily pulled a glass rod from the basket. It was just a plain glass stick. It had no function—just an ordinary rod.

When she held it up to Julius’s mouth, he obediently bit down on it. Of course, the rod didn’t float in midair, so Lily had to keep holding it.

She silently counted to thirty, then removed it, pretending to examine it closely by holding it up to the light.

“Your resonance is still quite low. Don’t you feel a bit chilly?”

[A little…]

Wow! It worked again!

Whenever one of her nonsense lines landed, Lily felt half dumbfounded, half thrilled. Even an Emperor wouldn’t question a doctor’s words.

Pretending to be a physician hadn’t been part of her original plan.

Her original backstory had gone like this: Lily Dienta, a patriotic and devoted subject, happened to become the protector of the Emperor’s soul.

Driven by a mission to defend the Empire from heretics and restore the true Emperor, Lily stood strong.

Together, they would uncover the dark schemes of the heretic cult. And as they spent more time together—locking eyes more often… always side by side… slowly but surely, they’d grow close… and the Emperor would eventually open up and seek comfort in her.

That perfect narrative was scrapped before it could even begin. All thanks to Julius’s annoyingly good memory.

[You were with Aiden…!]

At their first meeting in the annex, Julius’s eyes nearly popped out when he recognized her. His already grotesque face twisted further, and it was hard for Lily to even keep looking at him.

But what had really made her freeze wasn’t his face—it was the fact that he’d recognized her at all.

Before coming to the annex, she had changed quite a bit—her hairstyle, her outfit, her entire appearance.

Even among healthy nobles, a maid could go unrecognized just by letting her hair down and changing clothes. So how could an unstable ghost possibly recognize her?

And yet he did—so vividly that he tried to flee like he’d seen a ghost. Even though he was the ghost.

Lily’s plan to hide her ties with the Duke and form a direct, Emperor-focused relationship had fallen apart from the start. She had to come up with a new character quickly.

Someone whose presence with Aiden made sense, but who could still earn Julius’s trust.

Someone who could dig into private matters, demand specific actions or rituals, and whose expertise wouldn’t be easily questioned.

Someone who could maintain a higher position in the relationship with the Emperor…!

Honestly, the fact that I thought of a doctor on the spot had to be divine intervention.

Lily returned from her recollection and now pretended to measure the soul’s frequency by grasping Julius’s wrist.

Then she moved a chair and sat across from him.

“Now, we’ll begin today’s treatment. Please sit comfortably, close your eyes. Inhale… and exhale. Inhale… and exhale… Repeat.”

For something she’d hastily memorized from a meditation guide, her voice sounded impressively professional.

“Holy sunlight shines on every corner of your soul. Feel the warm rays… the gentle heat soaking into your skin. Follow that warmth… and let your soul begin to heal. Keep breathing.”

Julius followed her instructions without even a twitch in his brow.

Though the part about soul restoration was just part of her act as a spiritual physician, a small part of her hoped this simple folk remedy would actually help.

Right now, Julius’s memory was incomplete. He retained only an instinctive fear of Aiden and a fierce obsession with his physical body.

At this rate, instead of gathering clues to defeat the heretic cult leader, she was just keeping a dangerous spirit tethered to the estate.

“The soul recalls its true form. One by one, each part is being purified. You are regaining your wholeness. Entrust your soul to the Lord’s infinite mercy. All the best things are coming to you…”

Slowly, in an utterly tranquil voice, she repeated similar words for a few more minutes until finally she said, “Open your eyes.”

“How do you feel now?”

[Calm…]

Maybe it was just her imagination, but the murkiness of his soul seemed to have lightened just a little.

Carefully, she moved on to the main point.

“Is there anything new that’s come to mind?”

Julius stared at her with blank eyes.

“Even something small is fine. Even if it doesn’t seem relevant to your return.”

[My body…]

Ugh, not this again.

Another failure. That same line about his body—she must’ve heard it a hundred times by now. Every time she thought there was progress, they’d slide backward even further. At this point, she felt too guilty to even face Aiden.

Still, Lily patiently waited for Julius to speak. She had to spend at least an hour with him anyway. She figured she could half-listen until she could pull a different reaction out of him.

But just as disappointment was about to set in, something new happened.

[My body… that man… he talked about my body… Said it was just a commoner’s shell… called it useless… incapable of grasping truth…]

Lily lowered her gaze slightly, careful not to let her eyes shine too brightly. She focused intently, not wanting to miss a single word.

[How dare a heretic say such things… about the sovereign emperor…]

His voice was full of gritted rage, and Lily quickly played along.

“The wicked thief who stole Your Majesty’s body truly has no shame. His insults are beyond rude. If I could repay this disgrace, I’d do anything.”

But even while fanning the flames, she didn’t forget to gently coax him.

“You’re showing good signs today. There’s definitely some improvement. Is there anything else coming to mind?”

After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly opened his eyes wide.

[Themis… Otto…]

Before Lily could even ask who that name belonged to, he moved.

[Themis, Otto, Themis, Otto…]

Julius clutched his head and mumbled the names over and over in a pained voice, then rose unsteadily to his feet. His wobbling steps turned toward the door. Alarmed, Lily hesitated for a second before hurrying after him.

Peeking out from halfway behind the bedroom door, she saw him already at the entrance.

His murmured chant, which had faded with distance, began growing louder again.

[Themis, Otto…!]

Julius lowered a hand to grab the doorknob. His hand, of course, passed through it uselessly.

He began pounding on the door. Unlike the doorknob, the door itself—the boundary between inside and out—refused to let him pass.

[Themis, Otto, Themis, Themis, Themis!]

A name with every punch.

His voice roared loud enough to feel like a slap to the ear, and finally, he threw his whole body against the door. His emotions ran so high that the entire building gave off a faint tremor.

Lily jumped in fright and ran back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.