Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 38

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Julius replied calmly.

[If someone with no noble title recklessly heads to the Imperial City, they’ll lose their life before even glimpsing the emperor’s cape. We can’t afford to lose a valuable talent. There is a clear plan. Once we arrive in the capital, I’ll explain everything step by step, so don’t rush.]

Lily bit her lip.

‘He’s right. Unless he’s a complete fool, he wouldn’t reveal a top-secret plan here. If he had blurted it out without thinking, I would’ve walked away immediately.’

Julius acted like a hundred-year-old serpent, even though his soul wasn’t fully healed.

She couldn’t say she wanted to accompany the duke to the capital. The lie she told—that Aiden had lost his mind—was now coming back to haunt her.

If the lie were exposed, she might even lose her position as the personal physician.

‘No. What am I even worrying about? I wasn’t supposed to get involved in the first place. This is really beyond my ability. In the end, the emperor will just talk, and I’ll be the one actually doing the work. What power do I have to deal with that fake cult leader? No doubt about it, I have to say no. I have to refuse.’

But in front of her was a possibility she couldn’t ignore. A possibility offered with certainty.

Lily finally said, just barely,

“I need time to decide.”

[Take as much time as you need. I can only wait for your judgment. But I do hope you won’t pass up this rare chance to become the savior of both the emperor and the duke. Our lives are far from cheap, after all.]

His words were merciful.

 

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

On her way to the East Wing, Lily sighed every three steps.

‘Should I go to the capital? Or not? Go? No, I really shouldn’t?’

Her mind changed with every step she took. Even as she reached Aiden, who had come to meet her, her thoughts were in turmoil.

[Lily?]

Aiden called her with a puzzled look.

Recently, Lily would shine with excitement in front of this spotless, pure soul, eager to boast about how well her deception was going.

Even when she faced obstacles, she would get angry or serious, but never this down.

Knowing this version of Lily, Aiden asked with concern.

[What’s wrong?]

In the end, Lily briefly explained the situation.

“I might have to go to the capital. With the emperor. Just the two of us.”

[What?]

Aiden asked again, but that was all Lily said.

Lately, she had been avoiding conversations with Aiden in public. She wanted to quell rumors that Lily Dienta was suffering from delusions.

Since she had explained this to Aiden beforehand, he postponed asking for more details.

But by the time they reached the temporary office, his brow was furrowed just like hers.

[Now tell me. What do you mean you have to go to the capital with Julius?]

“Just a moment, let me greet him first. Good morning, sir aide.”

[Lily.]

“Good morning, Miss Dienta. You don’t look well.”

“Well, the thing is…”

Lily told the two men everything that had happened in the annex, step by step.

How Julius had fallen for her lie and slandered Aiden, and then, in the end, asked her to go to the capital with him as his right hand.

Even with her heart pounding, she remembered Julius’s words in vivid detail thanks to her intense focus.

After hearing the whole story, Wolfram quickly stepped back.

“I’ll tend to my work. You two go ahead and talk.”

Wolfram’s judgment was efficient.

He was the only one among them with communication limitations, and this topic—predicting the emperor’s true intent—was too complex to handle mid-discussion.

In such cases, it was best to step away and regroup later.

Wolfram sat at his desk. Lily followed him with her eyes, then turned to Aiden.

Contrary to her expectation that he’d oppose it right away, Aiden was deep in serious thought.

Then finally, he uttered a crude word, completely unfitting of his title as a duke.

[That’s bullshit.]

“What?”

[From start to finish, it’s all bullshit, Lily.]

Saying something nicely didn’t magically make the words elegant, but Aiden’s voice somehow made it feel that way.

It was a relief Wolfram had stepped away. Now she wouldn’t have to repeat to the baron, “His Grace said it’s all bullshit.”

[You didn’t actually believe all that nonsense about jealousy toward his son, or childhood trauma, right?]

“No, of course not! I didn’t believe any of it!”

That was a lie. Lily had believed maybe a quarter of it. Julius had been so convincing, and it wasn’t a totally impossible story.

After all, growing up in a harsh environment and being bullied—wouldn’t it be stranger if he didn’t have any resentment?

Even if Julius had been telling the complete truth, there wasn’t anything wrong in it. Aiden probably didn’t want to reveal his miserable past.

The real villain was Julius, who flaunted someone else’s pain.

Lily said cautiously,

“But, um, even so, I don’t think it’s that strange. Given the situation, it’s understandable. What’s weird about that?”

[Lily… you believed it.]

“No, I mean, only if it were true!”

Even with her quick excuse, Aiden’s gaze stayed troubled.

Only then did Lily truly realize that everything Julius had said was 100% nonsense. Embarrassed, she changed the subject.

“Anyway, the emperor really seemed like he knew something. He kept saying we had to get rid of the cult leader to save both of you. If that’s true, then…”

Aiden leaned forward and reached for her. His translucent hand touched her clenched fist. It felt cold, like a tiny snowflake landing on her skin.

[You’ll leave nail marks.]

Lily wasn’t the type to clench her fist hard enough to draw blood. She was pressing just enough to keep it tight, and any marks would fade in a minute or two.

Aiden surely knew that, yet he didn’t look away until she opened her hand completely.

No one had ever looked at her like that before. Her hand felt like it would melt away. Enchanted by his eyes, Lily muttered the rest.

“Then… I’ll go to the capital.”

It wasn’t something she had planned to say. Even as she sat down to report the conversation with the emperor, she hadn’t made up her mind.

Facing the cult leader on the emperor’s orders was a completely different matter from caring for the ghostly duke. She wasn’t fit for such a mission.

Regret flooded her.

‘Ugh, that was way too impulsive. I didn’t even think it through properly.’

She wanted to cry. Why did she cave to just a look? Just a snowflake-like touch?

But that snowflake-like touch stirred her heart more than any promise of reward ever could…

This ghostly gentleman, with no one to lean on but a humble commoner, had become precious to her. She wanted to respond to his soft and steady kindness. She wanted to do anything she could.

Even if she regretted the impulsive choice, in the end, it seemed she was always meant to accept the emperor’s offer.

Because there was a chance she could help Aiden Casimir.

‘He’ll oppose it, won’t he? What can I say to convince him?’

Just as she was thinking of how to soothe him,

Aiden’s long lashes lifted, and his gaze moved straight from her hand to her face. The warmth in his eyes, filled with worry and sympathy, now held a sharp glint.

It felt like facing a wolf in a winter forest. His sudden shift in demeanor was frightening. In the silence, Lily’s gulp sounded loud.

Aiden sighed lightly. He straightened his posture and blinked a few times. The piercing atmosphere vanished as quickly as it had come.

He paused, then said,

[Yeah. I figured you’d say that.]

His voice was as gentle and soft as always.

[You have a kind heart. You never let even the smallest opportunity pass. As someone who owes you for that kind nature, I’m always grateful.]

Lily instinctively shrank back. She had no defense against such direct compliments.

“I—I’m not that kind…”

As she barely managed to mumble a modest reply, Wolfram glanced over, then buried his face back into his desk.