Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 46

Aiden brought his hand to Lily’s wrist. A wrist that he could never truly grasp. Skin he could never feel. That was something only the physical body could experience.

He pretended to shake her wrist, which clearly wasn’t going to move. Lily blinked furiously. Still, following Aiden’s intention, she reached out and placed her hand on his forehead.

Aiden had no way of knowing whether her hand was cold, hot, or just comfortably warm. He simply closed his eyes gently and imagined the sensation.

[How is it?]

When he asked, almost teasingly, he heard a hesitant “Umm…” followed by her unsure voice.

“Well… It feels a little cool, and I don’t think you have a fever.”

[Check more carefully.]

“Uuuuh…”

Aiden slowly opened his eyes and glanced at her face, filled with concern, and her upper body slightly leaning toward him.

‘So she can’t even dream of giving up…’

He quietly closed his eyes again.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

“Ugh, he’s peacefully closing his eyes. I can’t even smack him on the head.”

Lily grumbled to herself.

The handsome face obediently resting and the large hand covering the back of her own were absurdly close.

In fact, with just a little effort, she could phase her hand through the ghost and pull it out. It didn’t matter how firmly the man’s hand—so different from hers down to the bone—pressed down with strong will.

Still, she was being careful out of concern for Aiden’s condition—no, his soul’s condition. That was how bad Aiden’s expression looked when she entered the room.

He was always a bluish soul, but today he somehow seemed even paler than usual, worn out by severe fatigue. She was tense, worried she might spot signs of contamination.

Lily focused once more, trying to sense if anything felt off.

“Hmm… Still, I don’t feel any heat.”

Around her hand, there was a faint resistance, as if signaling the boundary of his soul.

From that, there was no warmth—not even the slightest trace of it. It was more like the cool, sunless air at dawn, before the sunlight had warmed it.

Just as she was about to say that there really wasn’t any fever, Aiden spoke first, just a second ahead.

[Having you check on me makes the headache feel a little better.]

With that, he lifted his long eyelashes and looked at Lily. His eyes curved gracefully, and his smile was soft—like a spring breeze.

Lily stared blankly with her mouth slightly open. She couldn’t help it. For a woman who had just decided to let go of her feelings last night, that smile was far too cruel.

“I don’t even need a mirror. I know my face must be bright red!”

As expected, Aiden’s smiling eyes grew even sweeter, more sugary than peach nectar.

Lily quickly pulled her hand away.

“Th-That’s a relief. I don’t feel anything strange with my hand. The color of your soul is still clear, too.”

Then a very different smile passed across Aiden’s lips. If she had to describe it, it was more like a mocking grin at something unknown.

But the smile lasted only for the briefest moment. Maybe she imagined it. There was no reason for him to suddenly smirk when she’d just said his soul looked clear.

“Um… Anyway, I think it’s best if you don’t push yourself today.”

[All right. Understood.]

Goosebumps ran up the inside of Lily’s sleeve. Just like when he called her name, his voice was gentle—almost excessively so.

“Has he lost his mind?”

She was confused. When they parted ways last night, Aiden had definitely not talked like this.

He’d been cheerful that she was now stuck in the Duke’s estate, but his tone had been simply kind and straightforward.

But now, Aiden was speaking even more sweetly than when he’d first decided to make Lily his assistant. What kind of change of heart had occurred overnight to make him act this strangely?

She quickly figured it out.

“Did you meet with your grandmother last night?”

[Lady Dienta?]

“Yes.”

[No.]

Aiden replied confidently. Even as she stared intently at him, trying to see through him, he smiled at her without flinching.

“Damn it! Did he sprinkle fairy dust on his face or something? Why is he sparkling like that?!”

She felt a near-angry level of frustration. Every time she tried to think, her attention was pulled back to him.

She figured nothing good would come from facing him like this. Lily turned her head and spoke.

“Alright, then I’ll get to work.”

As she began her morning cleaning, Lily carefully reflected on Aiden’s behavior.

She didn’t believe for a second that he hadn’t met with Julia. He had clearly received a hint about how to break the curse. After hearing that, Aiden must have decided to seduce her.

“Oh my gosh, seduce? Is that the right word? He’s seducing me?”

Her hand trembled as it held the duster. Even she was appalled at the word she had just thought. But there was no other explanation for Aiden’s change.

Lily dusted off what had accumulated overnight and wiped down the desk. All the while, Aiden remained quietly seated—something very unlike him.

Usually, Aiden would follow her around, cracking jokes or chatting about trivial things.

To be honest, Lily saw it as nothing but a nuisance. He didn’t even help, just slowed her down with all his talking.

Even when she gently suggested he sit down because it might be uncomfortable, he would firmly reply, “No, it’s fine. I’m not uncomfortable at all.”

In the end, she had to endure the watchful eye of her top superior, but now—he was calmly sitting in the chair without even being told!

Lily glanced at Aiden now and then.

He sat with his legs crossed, his perfectly angled face deep in thought, but whenever he sensed Lily looking, he smiled kindly. Even so, he made no move to approach her.

Thanks to that, Lily was able to prepare the morning in peace for the first time in a while.

His unusual behavior continued even later, as Aiden saw Lily off to meet Julius with a calm demeanor.

[See you later. Please be careful.]

Just yesterday, he had lectured her for at least five minutes at the door about what to be careful about—this was a remarkable change.

After leaving the East Wing, Lily looked back for no particular reason.

Usually, Aiden didn’t go back to his office but waited behind the door until she returned. But today, she had a strange feeling that he might actually be heading to his office.

She let out a relieved sigh. She was finally going to get some space. Regardless of her feelings for Aiden, his behavior had been a bit much.

She glanced back at the door one more time, then headed for the annex.

****

Lily no longer brought holy water to the annex. That was because Julius’s condition had greatly improved.
But it also made him harder to deal with, so for Lily, it wasn’t something she could be entirely happy about.

Sitting across from him at the bedside table, she calmly opened her mouth.

“Is there something you wish to inform me of?”

Lily tried not to be intimidated by Julius’s intense stare as she recalled what she had demanded of him the day before.

—

It’s only right to follow His Majesty’s orders, but how can a mere healer stand against a cult leader who uses supernatural powers? Unless you tell me for sure that we have a real chance of winning, I must dedicate myself here to treating the two noble souls in this place. That is what truly fulfills a healer’s duty.

—

It was the complete opposite of when she’d raised a fuss like she was about to storm the capital right that second.

Julius had glared at her with shadowed eyes at her sudden change in attitude, and she had made her exit, saying she needed time to think.

While Lily was lost in the memory of that exchange, Julius spoke to her.

[Is it the cult leader’s supernatural power that you’re concerned about?]

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Lily answered politely.

In truth, this conversation was only meant to buy time.
Since it had already been settled that she wouldn’t go to the capital with Julius, she was using this line of reasoning to delay the journey further without drawing his suspicion.

If she simply stopped coming to the annex altogether, there’d be nothing to worry about,
but she couldn’t just cut things off abruptly—Julius’s fate hadn’t been firmly decided yet.

Whether to fully heal him, or to let his soul wander the earth forever…

Honestly, she wanted to toss him into the middle of a vast ocean, but it seemed that someone like the emperor couldn’t be dealt with so easily.

In a situation where all possibilities were still open, things could get complicated if her relationship with Julius became damaged beyond repair.

And while she was at it, she might as well gather more information about the cult leader.

“It’s a power that brought the sun of the Empire to its knees.
A nobody like me would clearly be helpless in the face of it.
If my soul and body were to be separated as well, it would be a complete disaster.
With such a serious matter, I dare say I cannot afford to gamble.”

Of course, the day when the Five Great Stars aligned wouldn’t come for another 99 years,
so there was no chance of Lily’s soul separating from her body.

Whether the emperor knew that or not was unclear—but she didn’t really care.

Whatever Julius said, Lily planned to twist his words, act as if she was still anxious, and push for even more reassurance.

[That’s nothing you need to worry about.]

‘Let’s see whether I need to or not.’

Lily firmly readied herself for battle.