Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 37

This chapter is sponsored by NoodLuver~

Julius lowered his gaze diagonally, deep in thought.

Lily had no intention of giving him time to think. She needed to throw him completely off balance—make him truly believe she was just an innocent bystander who knew nothing.

“Your Majesty, did you by any chance… swindle the Duke?”

[What did you think like that?]

“It’s just… unless it was something that serious, I can’t imagine why His Grace would be so hostile toward you. Honestly, things have gotten very difficult for me lately.”

She sprinkled her words with just enough pointed language to catch an emperor’s ear.

“Since His Grace started refusing treatment, Aide Burnett has been breathing down my neck every single day. He says, ‘If the Emperor’s improving, why is our Duke getting worse?’”

Julius listened, dazed, as Lily continued.

“I genuinely wanted to know the answer myself. But now that Your Majesty has regained your reason and we can actually talk, please forgive me for asking—but what happened between you two? Weren’t you closer than brothers?”

Before she knew it, their dynamic had flipped: Lily was the one asking questions now.

And for Julius, this must have seemed like a golden opportunity.

[You really haven’t heard anything from Aiden?]

“If I had, I wouldn’t be bothering Your Majesty—I’d have already prescribed a treatment.”

She replied snappishly, and Julius returned to silent contemplation. Lily waited, giving him room to make his move.

At last, Julius spoke.

[It’s not some financial scandal like you suggested… but there is something that weighs on my mind. Aiden may believe… that I’m the reason he ended up like this.]

“Your Majesty?” she frowned.

“You mean, His Grace thinks you are responsible for his soul being in its current state?”

[Yes.]

“But that’s… isn’t that impossible?”

[Why do you say that?]

“Because… Your Majesty is in the same state. You’re also a victim. It doesn’t make any sense for you to be both the cause and the casualty.”

She spoke with firm conviction.

[You’re quite sharp, I see.]

Julius gave her a faint smile—the first hint of one, and surprisingly sincere. She had him nibbling the bait.

Feigning a detective who thought herself clever but was totally off-mark, Lily continued,

“The real culprit must be the one who took Your Majesty’s body. And if I had to guess… that person is the leader of the cult, isn’t he?”

[Yes.]

Julius agreed without missing a beat. So it was the cult leader who had taken over the Emperor’s body.

Lily acted unimpressed, as though this revelation were old news.

“Hard to believe someone like me—a mere… ah… physician—figured that out while a high-ranking noble like His Grace missed it. Maybe it’s time to consider other explanations.”

She narrowly caught herself before saying “mere maid.”

Julius didn’t react to the slip. Instead, he leaned in, casting out his own bait to reel her in.

[Anyone who’s thinking objectively would conclude the same.]

He spoke with a meaningful tone, watching her closely.

[But Aiden… may not be capable of objectivity. At least not when it comes to me. Because he harbors hatred toward me.]

“Whaaat?!”

Lily was so thrown off that her surprise came out completely genuine.

“His Grace hates Your Majesty? There isn’t a citizen in the Empire who doesn’t know your story. Why would he hate a friend he once trusted with his life?”

[Are you familiar with Aiden’s childhood?]

“Yes… I mean, I am from the Kashimir teritory…”

[Then this will be easier to explain.]

Even though he shouldn’t feel physical discomfort, Julius rolled his neck as if trying to ease stiffness.

[When we were young and innocent, we truly were like brothers. Back then, all of us still had a child’s heart. But the bond faded as we grew. Aiden began to envy me—as the true son of the Emperor.]

Lily’s mouth fell slightly open.

Julius closely watched her reaction and continued his tale.

[He mistook the Emperor’s pity as sincere affection. And as the next Duke, he started developing twisted ambitions. I won’t bother recounting the way he treated me back then… not now.]

The story bore uncanny similarity to Aiden’s version—but somehow, this one was far less believable.

[At the same time, he began lying to himself. In order to justify his own hatred, he convinced himself that I was the one who hated him.]

Lily stammered as she asked,

“Th-then… what about the rumors? Weren’t you two f-friends?”

[Publicly, yes. We both agreed that cooperation between the Empire’s two powers would help maintain order. But I know the truth. He still harbors twisted feelings toward me. And people like that—once there’s even a little distance, they’ll twist it however they please.]

“That’s…”

[You may find it hard to believe, but that… is the true face of the master you serve.]

Julius sounded so natural, so convincing, that Lily began to wonder if maybe—just maybe—he truly did believe it.

[Behind the Iron-Blooded Duke, behind the peerless hero… still lingers the emptiness of his childhood.]

Julius’s expression darkened, as though he genuinely pitied his old friend’s wounds.

Lily felt her mind reel. Is he delusional? Or is this… a masterclass performance?

If this was all just an act, then Julius had no business being an emperor—he should’ve been the star of a theater troupe. He would’ve snagged the lead role effortlessly.

[The more I recover, the more I’ll provoke Aiden’s hidden scars. He’ll stop trusting you. His soul will continue to deteriorate. He may even start making up lies to keep you away from me.]

Well, whether this was madness or manipulation, one thing was clear: Julius now fully believed Aiden’s decline was real—and that was exactly what Lily wanted.

The fact that his delusion was now built on top of her lie? Even better.

And then at last, Julius revealed the true purpose behind all his subtle slander.

[But you mustn’t abandon my treatment.]

Lily almost threw her hands up in victory. Staying at Julius’s side under the pretense of treatment—that’s what she’d been angling for this entire time.

But accepting it too quickly would look suspicious. She put on a conflicted face.

“Now that Your Majesty has confirmed that your presence is negatively affecting His Grace’s condition… I wonder if it wouldn’t be best for me, as a servant of the Duke, to devote myself solely to him.”

Julius nodded, composed.

[Then Aiden is lucky to have such loyal person. I understand. That decision makes sense. And perhaps, if you do that, Aiden’s soul will recover—just as mine has. That’s worth celebrating.]

Then, in a tone unchanged—like a ruler calmly discussing national affairs—he added:

[However, in that case, that will be the extent of what you can accomplish. You’ll only restore his soul.]

“What do you mean?”

[Exactly what I said. You’ll purify his spirit… but you won’t be able to reunite it with his body. You don’t know how. If you did, he’d already be awake by now.]

Lily had been looking down out of habit—to stay respectful, to hide her true thoughts—but now her eyes rose, sharply, piercing straight into his.

[Let me rephrase what I said about not abandoning my treatment. If you truly want to help your master, Lily Dienta… then you must stand with me. Become my right hand. Only by driving out that vile heretic can we set everything right again.]

For a moment, Lily forgot to breathe.

‘Drive out the cult leader… and that’s how to fix it? That’s how the curse breaks? He’s so confident—maybe it’s true… but how exactly does he plan to defeat him?’

And now… he was asking her to become his subordinate. To stand by his side, not as a healer, but as a loyal servant.

Julius, seeing her frozen expression, softened his tone.

[Was that too difficult to understand? Let me put it simply. Let Aiden remain here, resting. You, come with me. We’ll go to the capital. There, we’ll destroy the cult leader—the source of all this chaos. Then both Aiden and I will be restored.]

Lily couldn’t hold back any longer—her questions burst out all at once.

“Do you know how, exactly? What is your plan, Your Majesty? And didn’t you try to stop me when I said I would avenge the Empire? Defeating the cult leader is the same thing—so why did you try to stop me?”

Her chest rose and fell rapidly with urgency and confusion.