Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 6

At the same time, Lily miraculously remembered the owner of the strange voice and bowed at the waist.

“I greet Your Grace.”

[Good morning, Lily.]

It was the kind of warm greeting one might offer a friend of ten years.

In reality, they were practically strangers who had only spoken for a day.

‘He’s being too kind, it’s suspicious.’

Lily thought warily. The cold and calculating nature of Duke Kashimir was known across the continent.

And yet, whenever their eyes met, he was almost always smiling.

She figured it out precisely.

‘He must be worried I’ll quit. But if he keeps treating me this nicely, I’m not going anywhere.’

Smiling as if she hadn’t been startled a moment ago, she said brightly,

“What were you saying just now?”

[It wasn’t this messy when I was around.]

The ghost’s gaze subtly shifted away from her.

But rather than focusing on his sheepish tone, Lily was more struck by the fact that he’d responded to what she’d said.

‘He must have heard me talking behind his back! Ugh, I really need to watch what I say…’

This was an important lesson. The ghost gave off no presence—he could be listening anywhere.

Etching that into her mental rulebook, Lily efficiently stacked the dishes onto her tray.

When she spotted a cup covered in a thick layer of white-blue mold, both she and the ghost murmured, “Oh…”

After finishing up the dish collection, Lily lifted the tray. The ghost, watching her, moved ahead toward the door.

He reached for the doorknob. But his hand passed right through it.

The way he froze in place was burned clearly into Lily’s eyes. It could’ve passed as a cute mistake—forgetting his current state and moving as if he were still alive. But then the building began to tremble faintly, and things became serious.

Lily’s eyes widened.

‘Is he… mad that he couldn’t open the door? Just like that?!’

She’d heard rumors about how he constantly broke glass and knocked over things. But she hadn’t expected this level of impatience.

As she hurried over, it was clear something was off. His usual faint smile was gone, the corners of his mouth turned sharply downward. He didn’t just look startled—he looked furious.

The shaking grew stronger. She had to distract him, fast.

“Your Grace, would you like to take a look at the kitchen?”

The ghost rolled his eyes toward her. He still looked a bit like a vengeful spirit, but the moment the shaking stopped, she knew it had worked.

Conscious of the soldier outside, she asked in a low voice,

“You’ve never seen it before, have you? Besides, staying here alone must be boring.”

The ghost slowly nodded.

[That’s true. Being alone is…]

As he spoke, life gradually returned to his expression. Lily placed her hand on the doorknob and gave him a cheerful grin.

“Follow me.”

She headed toward the servants’ stairwell. A quick glance behind showed the ghost trailing along, looking around with curiosity.

He’d been a ghost for quite a while now, but it seemed he’d never been down here. He probably thought it wasn’t a place for someone like him.

Though he chatted casually with a maid, moments like this made it clear—he was still a noble through and through.

They stopped by the kitchen attached to the main building, dropped off the dishes, and retraced their steps.

Now fully composed, the ghost finally spoke.

[I behaved disgracefully earlier.]

“That wasn’t disgraceful at all.”

Truthfully, she did think it had been a bit of a scene—but she denied it anyway to save her boss’s dignity. The ghost still looked slightly embarrassed.

[It’s shameful that I couldn’t even be of some small help to you. You’re doing more than enough already.]

Lily was puzzled. Just what sort of help could a ghost duke possibly give her? Wasn’t this dream of his a bit too ambitious?

Just by existing, he was a mental burden to Lily. Even the noble Duke himself needed to humbly accept that fact.

What he could do was remember her kindness—and repay it double once he returned to his body.

Lily was a clever maid, and she knew how to express this sentiment in a way that would please her master. She spoke sincerely.

“Your Grace, there is a way you can help me.”

[And what is that?]

“Just stay safe and well until the day you recover. When the time comes and you wake up, if you remember the promise between us—there would be no greater joy.”

The Duke seemed very pleased with Lily’s heartfelt words. He smiled lightly and said:

[Hearing that puts me at ease.]

It helped that the ghost was the contract-first type. Comforting him wasn’t hard.

As they neared the top of the servants’ stairs, he suddenly asked:

[Where do you come in from when you enter the main building? It doesn’t seem like the central entrance.]

He looked at her curiously, then elaborated:

[This morning, no one came through the front door, and then you suddenly appeared. It surprised me.]

“I use the west side door.”

[Do you always use that one?]

“Yes, Your Grace.”

That seemed to satisfy his curiosity, and the conversation ended there.

Lily returned to the office and resumed cleaning. Just tidying up the scattered items and wiping away the dust made the room feel significantly brighter.

Wolfram seemed to notice the change too. As he stepped inside, he gave the room a surprised once-over.

“Did you clean in here?”

“Yes, sir. As the maid in charge of the office, I’ll do my best to keep it a pleasant working environment. Please let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

Then, with polite hands, she gestured to where the Duke was standing.

“His Grace is here.”

“I greet Your Grace.”

Unlike Lily, who could see the Duke, Wolfram was addressing thin air—but he didn’t hesitate at all.

[Raise your head.]

“His Grace asks you to raise your head.”

Wolfram obeyed and moved to his desk, then began reporting on their progress.

“First, I’ve arranged a visit from Cardinal Alberto. Since this likely isn’t a natural illness, we thought it best to seek advice from the temple. We’ll also have your physician perform another detailed examination, just in case.”

The Duke nodded.

“His Grace acknowledges your report.”

That concluded the topic regarding the Duke’s condition. It wasn’t realistic to expect any major progress overnight.

Wolfram then pulled out a thick stack of papers.

“I’ve summarized the matters handled during Your Grace’s absence. Once you’ve reviewed them, I’ll go over the items that still require your decision.”

Apparently, the hours of work yesterday weren’t enough to fulfill all of the Duke’s duties.

Wolfram began preparing to read them aloud, but Lily had a better idea.

She asked for permission, then took the documents from him and laid several sheets out on the Duke’s desk, one at a time—replacing each sheet as he finished reading.

With this simple method, everyone could work much more efficiently. Thanks to the Duke’s kindness in allowing her to sit in the side chair, her work environment also improved.

After a stretch of silence broken only by the rustling of pages, it was time for the Duke to share his opinions. Lily spoke up proactively.

“Your Grace, I can write. If it’s alright with you, I could take notes and deliver them to the aide.”

Wolfram glanced up at her voice. Though his expression wasn’t exactly warm, he didn’t object and returned to his work.

Whether or not he liked the maid was irrelevant—he knew her suggestion was convenient.

[You can write?]

“Yes, maybe not with fancy words, but enough for someone to understand what I mean.”

[You really are… helpful in more ways than one.]

The Duke gave her a faint, almost awkward smile. He seemed a little troubled—clearly, he hadn’t expected her to take on this kind of role.

With a touch of playful satisfaction, Lily said,

“I’m glad I can be of help to Your Grace.”

The Duke looked at her like she was some sort of odd creature, then answered:

[Then I’ll ask you to do just that.]

Lily picked up a pen. It felt a bit strange after so long, but she was happy—this would earn her even more points.

However, even after a while, the Duke said nothing.

“Your Grace?”

She called out, puzzled. He blinked and then smiled gently.

[Something just came to mind that I need.]

What could a ghost possibly need? A live sacrifice? The energy of the living? Soil from a dark, eerie grave?

[Could you write this down and give it to Wolfram?]

“Y-yes, of course.”

Lily’s hand trembled from scaring herself with her own imagination. But as the Duke went on, her expression grew more and more puzzled.

By the time she stood in front of Wolfram, she was sweating—struggling to prove that the Duke’s requested item was indeed a legitimate supply for the office.