Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 43

The maid’s rules.

Be quick, be diligent, do not steal, keep your mouth shut. And do not harbor improper feelings toward your master.

On her first day as a maid, Lily remembered what Angela had emphasized over and over again during new maid training.

But it was exactly because that phrase came to mind that Lily became even more clearly aware she was harboring improper feelings toward her master.

To think she liked Aiden Kashimir.

Lily wanted to deny it, insisting that couldn’t be true.

Of course, she liked Aiden. Talking with him was pleasant. She was grateful for how he paid attention to details. She enjoyed spending time with him and wanted to do anything for him.

But that was purely a human fondness. The kind of fondness one might feel for a gentlemanly boss who treated her kindly. Just that much.

Because she wasn’t the kind of terrible person who hated those who liked her.

So she desperately tried to believe that her feelings were absolutely not romantic— much less anything like what was mentioned in The Returned Father.

Unfortunately, Lily was smart enough to recognize her true feelings.

“What kind of subordinate would feel upset imagining their boss with a lover?”

She held her forehead. Truly, she couldn’t bear the idea of Aiden having a romantic partner. Even the thought alone made it clear.

Once her job helping Aiden was over, she would return to her place—her place as a maid.

Wearing a bonnet and apron, it was better to leave the estate without a second glance than to serve the duchess, who had won Aiden’s love.

Washing clothes for the man she loved and his wife, cleaning their bedroom, calling their children “young master” and “young lady”—what a life that would be!

Not only could Lily not endure such a life, but the moment the duchess discovered her feelings, she’d be kicked out of the estate anyway.
It was better to leave on her own before that happened.

Still, that was a distant worry—nothing to be concerned about right now. Above all, her feelings didn’t matter at all in the face of their great mission.

Lily shook off her loud, jealous thoughts and turned her focus back to the present.

If they were going to test the method from the story, the first condition was that the two people had to be connected by fate.

And most likely, she would be deeply involved in that process. She would be wedged between them like a messenger of love, relaying Aiden’s words.

Lily pressed her temple. The irritation was returning again.

“Lily?”

Julia, who had been watching carefully ever since her granddaughter held her forehead, called out to her.

“I just think it’s going to be really hard.”

Lily answered vaguely.

“Even if we manage to find the right woman, I doubt His Grace will open his heart easily… He doesn’t really seem like the type, does he?”

Julia nodded.

“Yes. The Duke will probably never be interested in another woman.”

When she said “another woman,” Julia’s voice slowed slightly, with a hint of emphasis. It sounded meaningful, as if suggesting something.

Feeling uneasy, Lily continued the conversation.

“But what choice does he have? If he wants to become human again, he’ll have to step up. He’s not in a position to be picky.”

“Lily, if the method in the story is correct, then I think… the only, maybe the only suitable person is…”

Julia paused for a long moment.

“You.”

“Yes. I guess I’ll end up handling this plan too. Someone has to pass along His Grace’s serenade, after all.”

Julia, unsure whether Lily didn’t understand or was just pretending not to, clarified more directly.

“What I mean is—you, more than any other woman, might be the one who can bring him back. If, like in the old tales, love is the key… then maybe only you can do it. He won’t even glance at the other women. He clearly—”

“What you’re saying, Grandma, is… you want me and His Grace to become… like that?”

Their conversation was so full of hesitation that their sentences didn’t quite come together properly. But it was still enough to understand what they meant.

As soon as Julia nodded, Lily gasped and shouted.

“Grandmother!”

“I told you on the first day. The Duke’s behavior isn’t normal. And living in the castle has made me more certain. He sees you as someone special. I’m sure of it.”

“Of course I’d be special! I’m the only one he can see and hear, and I even rolled up my sleeves to save him—how could I not be special?”

Those gentle eyes, the way he always tilted his head slightly toward her, his kind voice, the way he asked her to stay, the way his face would light up like a dog welcoming its owner whenever she appeared.

Those were all things someone would only do for a special person. She was close with several male workers in the castle, but not once had she ever been treated in such a flattering way.

Because she had no immunity to being treated as someone precious, she ended up falling for Aiden before she realized it.

But at the same time, she could still think clearly and judge without being swept away by emotions. About why he was acting like that, what his true intentions were.

It was all part of Aiden’s desperate effort to win Lily over. There was genuine feeling mixed in toward the end, but the essence stayed the same. That had to be it.

Ah, but if he really liked her, and if she could like him back, and if, just like in that story…

Lily glared at Julia.

“Why, why are you saying this? You’re the one who told me to guard my heart. So why are you saying something different now?”

Julia, feeling sorry for her granddaughter, still spoke firmly.

“Think back on everything you’ve been through. If there’s even a chance you can escape from this cursed situation, then it’s right to try anything. At least this way doesn’t risk your life.”

“And then what? We fall in love, His Grace returns to his body, I’m safe, and then what happens after that?”

This isn’t a fairy tale. In fairy tales, a soot-covered girl who grew up eating scraps marries a prince, and a servant’s daughter becomes an empress—but in reality, a maid can’t end up with a duke.

Even if his love doesn’t fade, at best, she’d be a hidden mistress, someone he couldn’t openly be with.

Lily had no intention of wasting her future like that.

You could say she was worrying too far ahead. But that was how things were in those days. Romance meant a promise of the future. Every relationship was based on the assumption of marriage, and nothing was more disgraceful than a broken engagement.

An unmarried man and woman dating and then breaking up was seen as proof they were promiscuous and irresponsible.

And especially for women like that, only the shallow advances of frivolous men would remain.

So unless she planned to live just a few more days, she had to never even dream of doing something foolish like reenacting a legend with Aiden.

“A love between people of different classes only ends in unhappiness. I know my place well. I’ll help him with all my heart, but nothing beyond that concerns me.”

“Then you’re saying you’ll keep living like this with no promise of anything changing? Even with a chance right in front of you?”

“Yes! Things aren’t at their worst yet. His Grace’s body is holding up well, and the territory is running okay. There might still be a clue in the untranslated parts of the scripture. And honestly, isn’t it kind of silly to believe an old story word for word?”

Lily looked at Julia with hostile eyes. It was the first time in her life she had been so disrespectful to her grandmother. She tried to calm down, but her heart was too shaken to control.

In the end, Julia took a step back and said,

“Then at least let’s tell the Duke about this. He has the right to know. After that, we leave the choice to him. This isn’t something we should keep just between us.”

Lily pressed her lips tightly together. She had originally thought the same.

But with all the swirling thoughts in her head so vivid, she couldn’t bring herself to nod.

She admitted it. Whether it was saving a woman or deepening her feelings, she hated it all. She didn’t like the plan moving forward in any way.

For the first time since getting involved with the Duke of Kashimir’s curse, she decided to put the problem off for a little while.

“Later. Let’s tell him a bit later. We don’t have any solid information yet, and there’s still work left with His Majesty.”

At her granddaughter’s stubbornness, Julia looked at Lily with a complicated expression. Lily turned her head away.

Didn’t Aiden try to stop her when she said she’d go to the capital? So she could also postpone things just this once. After all, the territory management and the heretic investigation were moving along okay…

Lily kept giving herself excuses in her head.

It’s not like she planned to keep it a secret forever. Just a little time was all she needed.

She was the only one making a fuss—there wasn’t anything truly special between them anyway. So it should be easy enough to sort out her feelings.