Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 45

Aiden mulled over Julia’s words, then let out a laugh in disbelief.

[What a ruthless grandmother.]

She used flowery metaphors like spring breezes and petals, but in the end, it meant to manipulate someone’s heart for her own ends, then gently soothe things and wrap it up once her goal was achieved. In other words, don’t crush them later for no reason.

He felt a deep weariness. Even though his soul form didn’t experience physical fatigue, he still felt it.

Whether it was the granddaughter who avoided falling in advance because she saw it coming, or the grandmother who told him to lay a carpet under falling petals, or the woman with the surname Dienta—none of them were easy to deal with.

Aiden left the room, leaving Julia still bowing behind him.

He wandered the hallway. His feet, like his complicated feelings, didn’t know where to go. Then, without realizing it, he stopped in front of Lily Dienta’s bedroom door and stared at it for a moment.

He felt the urge to pound on the door without mercy. To bang on it like a fistfight, call her out, and ask, “Do you think I’ll just end as your wound?”

He wanted to bluntly ask whether not even a sliver of desire for Duke Kashimir or for him had sprouted in her heart.

But Aiden left those urges as nothing more than thoughts and walked away from the door. He was determined to stay as far away as possible.

‘I get what they’re worried about.’

Aiden looked gloomily out the window, where not even the moon had risen.

‘There are countless lovers once praised for their great love beyond social classes, only for it all to end in scandal.’

Few ever made it to union, and things only got more difficult afterward. There were cases even in the last generation where queens or noblewomen of common birth were shunned in society and lived in loneliness.

If only love had remained, it might have been bearable, but when the heart grows cold and it ends in tragedy…

‘That’s why Lily Dienta doesn’t even want to begin.’

His attendant was both clever and extremely rational. She faced her position with cool-headed clarity.

Aiden knew what the best choice was. To somehow rope in an unmarried woman from a family fit to be joined with the dukedom and forcibly develop affection. That way, there would be no scandal, no tragic end to worry about.

He’d need Lily Dienta’s help with that process, which meant she might end up in an uncomfortable position.

But the biggest challenge was whether he could ever grow fond of a woman other than Lily Dienta. Until he met her, Aiden had never felt any need or interest in women.

Still, his life was at stake—so he had to try.

That way, everyone would be where they belonged. Each person would fulfill their rightful role and avoid unnecessary suffering.

A youthful feeling born in a special situation wouldn’t even make up a fragment of his life. It might be painful now, but one day in the future, he would nod and acknowledge that it had been the right decision.

Spring breezes eventually always die down.

‘I’ll follow Lady Dienta’s wise counsel and make sure she doesn’t get hurt in the process.’

When morning came, he would summon Lily and tell her he had spoken with Julia. But he’d make sure to say he hadn’t noticed Lily’s feelings and that it was all a decision made out of necessity—with as much delicacy as possible.

Then he’d have Wolfram compile a list of noble families with marriageable daughters. And then…

Aiden stopped walking. He realized he had wandered back to the corridor where Lily Dienta’s room was. He’d tried so hard to stay away—and yet here he was again.

It was late, and he had no intention of becoming the shameless sort to lurk outside a sleeping woman’s room.

So he stood at the start of the hallway and glared at the spot where her room would be.

‘Why am I only pessimistic at times like this?’

He had gone over everything again and again in his head, trying to act calm and rational—and yet suddenly, complaints welled up inside.

‘Up until now, I was always the one trying to stop things. Begging her to stop, to turn back—that was always my role. Has it ever worked, even once? No! Not a single time! So why is she stopping so easily this time?’

He clenched his teeth.

‘You went up against a lunatic ghost disguised as an emperor, against fear that left you paralyzed—and you still acted out in all kinds of reckless ways. And now, of all times, you’re giving up without even trying? You ignored my commands like they were a joke!’

What’s easier: fleeing an estate without permission and risking a lord’s wrath—or winning the favor of a duke?

For reference, in the latter case, the duke’s favor was already practically hers, and she was well aware of it.

It didn’t even need much thought. If she had the guts to risk running away, then it only made sense for her to try the easier option, too.

Or maybe—between facing a soul so tainted it was filth itself and becoming the duke’s wife—what truly made less sense?

She had the will to run around solving the mystery of a soul torn from its body, but not the will to overcome public scrutiny for love?

Aiden Kashimir wore the expression of a man who had just been abruptly dumped by his fiancée.

Honestly, it was an overreaction. There had been nothing between them but duty and obligation.

In truth, Aiden Kashimir had never really thought seriously about a future with Lily Dienta. All he’d had was a vague wish to keep her by his side for as long as possible.

But Lily Dienta’s preemptive rejection had unsettled him.

‘Why does she need this time in the first place? She says she has no intention of confessing to me. So if it’s not time to build up courage… is she planning to let go during that time? And then attach herself to another woman? Is that even possible for her?’

Maybe for Lily Dienta. But for Aiden Kashimir, it was absolutely impossible.

To have a woman by his side who wasn’t Lily. To speak the same sweet, empty words he had once said to her—to someone else.

Even the thought of it gave him chills of disgust.

If only he could sleep, perhaps he could pause his thoughts. But as a sleepless soul, he had nothing but time. All night long, he was left to stew in betrayal alone.

Whenever topics like grand love, marriage, being a duchess, and falling petals started to fade from his mind, they would reappear one after the other.

In the end, everything became a tangled mess. By the time morning came, he was emotionally exhausted. Aiden stared out the window with weary eyes, then headed for his office.

He wondered why he even had to suffer such agonizing thoughts.

He felt that just a bit—just the slightest bit—of affection had pushed things too far, too fast.

And still, he remained upset with Lily Dienta. For the first time in his life, he questioned whether he was even the kind of man worth holding onto…

“Good morning… Huh—Your Grace! Why do you look so tired? Did something happen during the night?”

Lily Dienta, who had entered the office to begin the day’s work, rushed over in a fuss.

“Your soul’s color doesn’t look clouded… You’re not sick, are you? You could’ve just woken me up. Oh no… Should we try that soul meditation technique I used for His Majesty? It’s surprisingly effective.”

She was an excellent actress, but Aiden, with the keen perception of someone in love, noticed the faint hesitation behind her kind and caring eyes.

The distance between them was about three steps farther than usual, and a strange tension filled the space.

These two things burned away what little reason Aiden had left. He thought rebelliously:

‘Right. She only likes me enough that she can still think of giving up. Then all I have to do is make her like me so much that giving up won’t even be an option.’

Lily flinched.

“Wh-why are you looking at me like that?”

Aiden imagined a dazzling white wedding dress layered over Lily’s neat work uniform.

He placed a tiara with large, sparkling gems on her head and a lively bouquet in her hands. When he pictured himself standing beside her in ceremonial attire, they looked perfect together.

He recalled what Julia had mentioned—about “bringing the soul back into the body.”

Was it the obsession with sensations that could only be experienced physically? Above all, was it the yearning for love as passion?

He let the thoughts continue. For example, he imagined holding Lily Dienta’s hand, embracing her, kissing her. There wasn’t the slightest trace of any physiological aversion.

“N-now you’re smiling… Should I really be taking your temperature…?”

Lily muttered in a slightly frightened tone. The three-step distance between them still hadn’t closed.

A faint, not-so-bright smile briefly passed over Aiden’s lips. He lowered himself a little and tilted his head to the side, looking up at Lily who stood before him.

[Lily.]

She jumped at the sweet—almost disturbingly sweet—sound of her name.

“Y-yes, Your Grace!”

[My head hurts.]

“Uh, uhh… Then we really should try the soul meditation. First, please have a seat and get comfortable…”

[I think I have a fever.]

Aiden stared openly at Lily as a flush of heat rose to her face.