Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 52

Aiden spoke seriously.

[Since you entered the room, I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you for even a second.]

“Eek!”

Lily flinched again. The hand that had been scratching her ear now clenched tightly around her earlobe.

“W-Was he always like this?”

[Like this?]

“W-Why are you talking in such a cringey way…”

Lily spoke in a voice that shrank as if she were being strangled.

[I could say more.]

“Please don’t!”

If he teased her even a little more, she looked ready to bolt from the room. Aiden shrugged, signaling that he’d let her off the hook.

Lily rolled her eyes and went back to preparing for work. Since she didn’t really avert her gaze, their eyes kept meeting from time to time.

Eventually, Lily burst out, “Ugh! Why don’t you just come sit next to me instead?!”

Aiden didn’t refuse and quickly moved to her side.

Lily shook her head.

“Oh my gosh, Lord Lumion…”

The exasperated sigh she let out was a bit too loud to be just talking to herself, but it didn’t faze Aiden in the slightest. That was because a faint smile kept twitching at the corner of Lily’s mouth.

Not long after, Wolfram entered the office. Even when he saw Lily Dienta’s unusually bright appearance, the aide didn’t so much as raise an eyebrow.

There was no sign he noticed any change in her. That was the expected attitude of a married man.

Wolfram was not looking well that day. His face was full of concern, like someone who had never known the joys of life.

Lily Dienta noticed this and reported the progress of the translation with more caution than usual.

“They say there’s still no new information.”

She was truly an excellent liar. Even Aiden, who knew the full story, couldn’t detect a whiff of falsehood from her.

She had both hands gently clasped together. With her head bowed low, she really looked like someone overwhelmed with guilt.

Even if there really was no new information, Lily had no reason to feel sorry. It wasn’t Juliana Lily Dienta’s job to find clues.

The only ones responsible were Duke Kashimir and his aide. The failure to secure the key forbidden text, and the fact that the informants were not doing their jobs properly—both were entirely their fault.

Perhaps Wolfram also knew this, as he spoke in a tired voice.

“Please raise your head. This isn’t exactly your fault. Still, it’s a troubling situation. The mood in the capital is turning uneasy.”

He pressed his thumb and forefinger against the inner corners of his eyes.

“Among the nobles, dissatisfaction is growing over how the duchy is being managed. The more moderate voices are at least saying we need to appoint a more legitimate acting lord, and the Emperor has no reason to object.”

“If that happens…”

“If that happens, then a branch of the ducal family or a noble appointed by the Emperor will end up serving as acting lord of the Kashimir Duchy.”

Lily clenched her fists.

“How shameless. What do those people plan to do when His Grace wakes up?”

“They probably believe he won’t ever open his eyes again, since it’s been a long coma and no one’s found the cause, let alone a cure.”

“Whatever! What does it have to do with them? Anyone can see the territory is running just fine. They’re just desperate to snatch up a piece of land while they have the chance.”

Lily didn’t hide her anger, but the nobles had actually waited a long time. They had respectfully endured the authority of the Duke of Kashimir.

If they had waited this long, then even if he couldn’t get out of bed, at the very least, he should have opened his eyes by now.

Either way, as Wolfram said, the situation was becoming serious. He needed to return to his body as soon as possible.

To do that, he had to speed up his relationship with Lily. Let their feelings deepen even more…

Not just to open his eyes, but also to let go of regrets and find another way forward—this was an essential step.

Lily, watching for his reaction, spoke to Wolfram.

“There must be a way.”

Aiden said nothing. It meant he was silently agreeing to keep the First Hypothesis a secret.

Surely, it was a bit awkward to reveal it to others. Even among themselves, they only hinted at it through subtle glances and suggestive remarks.

Wolfram’s burden grew heavier.

“I don’t know. We can’t find any clues… I regret being so thorough in the purge of the heretics. No—maybe I regret not being thorough enough.”

No one laughed at Wolfram’s self-deprecating joke—not even the speaker himself.

“For now, we’ll continue monitoring the major ports to see if any ships from Solmon arrive. I’ll also gather more information on the capital’s situation. Do you have any additional orders?”

[Thank you, as always.]

“Thank you, as always.”

Wolfram smiled weakly.

With that, the morning briefing came to an end, and the three returned to their own desks.

Sitting down, Lily looked deep in thought, her expression dark. Aiden called out to her on impulse.

[Lily.]

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Lily looked at him with a bright smile. But unlike usual, it was a smile shadowed with worry.

Aiden picked up on her unease immediately.

Their earlier conversation must have put a lot of pressure on her. The situation was worsening, and she was likely feeling the urgency to act. Hadn’t Aiden felt the same?

Lily had already been doing everything she could to help him. Now that she held the key to a solution, it was only natural she’d feel even more responsible.

The kind of responsibility that made her feel she had to love him enough to offer up her very self.

At that moment, Aiden felt an indescribable mix of emotions.

Lifting a curse off the one you love is only natural. But in their case, things had happened out of order.

Their relationship had a clear purpose embedded in it. Emotion was an essential tool. Lily surely understood that.

Suddenly, Aiden felt afraid. What if Juliana Lily Dienta felt ashamed about this?

She was being pushed to love in order to break a curse. Their relationship wasn’t born of emotional exchange—it had started for his sake.

If any part of this left a bad taste for her… if calling his name and loving him didn’t bring her pure joy… then Aiden felt he would be deeply miserable.

Without realizing it, he looked over Lily, searching for proof to the contrary.

She had clearly tied her hair up neatly for him. Her lips were redder than usual, and her cheeks flushed every time their eyes met. That much was undeniable.

There was no way that kind of thing would happen just because of a maid’s duty or sense of obligation. She definitely…

“Your Grace?”

Feeling as though a hollow had opened where his heart once was, Aiden blinked. Lily was looking at him, puzzled.

Trying to act natural, he asked:

[Have you thought about what to say to Julius?]

As he said that, he looped his pinky finger around Lily’s left pinky, the one she’d been using to sort papers.

“Ah…”

[So for now, we’re not going to the capital, right? That’s how it’s been decided, yes?]

Lily flinched but didn’t pull her hand away. The little nails lined up along her fingertip were adorable.

“Yes… f-for now, yes…”

But what was even more adorable was Lily Dienta’s red face, stammering without being able to look away from their hands. Aiden felt like he’d never grow tired of that face.

‘Of course it’s right to lift the curse on the one you love.’

Aiden muttered to himself.

‘I’m not loving her to lift the curse. I’m helping her because I love her…’

In the end, it was all a matter of perspective. It would be fine—as long as he didn’t think of things as having happened in the wrong order. Still, the anxiety wouldn’t go away.

When he tightened the pinky hold, her other fingers twitched even more. It seemed she couldn’t control them herself, and her tightly pressed lips were almost funny.

Their eyes met. Seeing Aiden smiling, Lily furrowed her brows.

Then she flipped her hand over so her palm faced upward and gently enclosed his pinky with her own hand. This time, it was Aiden’s turn to be flustered.

“Today, I think I won’t go to His Majesty. Is that okay?”

When he didn’t answer, Lily asked in a timid voice.

“Um, is that really okay?”

[Yes. It’s okay.]

Only then did Lily let out a sigh of relief. She fiddled with Aiden’s finger for a moment before pulling her hand away. Though she was just wriggling her fingers with her fist slightly open, it looked… a certain way.

Then she picked up her quill and, making sure Wolfram couldn’t see, scribbled:
“Instead of going to the annex, would you like to take a walk together?”

[Sure.]

When he answered with joy, her still-blushing face lit up with a sheepish smile.

Feelings aren’t something to be used.

Aiden repeated this to himself again and again, like someone trying to justify himself.

The curse was just a brief moment in the flow of time. Emotion was the true purpose—and it would keep them tied together from now on.

There was so much joy to be shared between two loving humans with real bodies.

That was why they were rushing the lifting of the curse. There were still dozens, hundreds of walks ahead.

Only after thinking that was Aiden finally able to feel at ease.