Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 71

He continued his explanation calmly and persuasively, as if they were having a rational discussion.

“The noble I’m introducing this time is Count Semon Gerybel. The Count’s affairs with women in his youth are quite well known. Fortunately, one of his women happened to live in the Kashimir estate. Do you know Fiona Baker?”

Lily shook her head.

“The Gerybel family is a good marriage match for imperial nobles. If I were to propose to you, people would still see it as a reasonable choice politically and economically, even if you’re an illegitimate child of the Count.”

Even after finishing the introduction of Count Gerybel, there was still a lot of paper left.

“If neither of them pleases you, there’s also the eldest daughter recovering in the countryside due to her weak constitution, or a collateral noblewoman left in a monastery after a tragic accident.”

Piles of documents about nobles lay before her.

“You can choose whatever you want. They’ll all accept gladly.”

His final words sounded more like a certainty—they would have no choice but to accept. Lily was speechless as she looked down at the noble profiles.

She understood that this kind of measure was easy for him. But did it even make sense? To Lily, the offer to make her a fake noble didn’t seem normal at all.

With a trembling voice, she gave another reason.

“What if… I say my status doesn’t matter?”

“Then we’ll have to find a different solution. So, what’s the real problem?”

“What if I’m scared of the way people will look at me when I’m next to you? All those eyes staring at me… I’m scared of the nobles’ judgmental stares, but even more scared of the people who know the truth about me. What will they think of me? They’ll all laugh.”

“That’s a serious problem. Probably more fundamental than status.”

His hand lifted off Lily’s shoulder. He slowly gathered the documents. After placing the closed binder in front of her, he returned to his seat.

“But the solution is much simpler. We just need to make an example out of a few people. After that, everyone will try their best to make you feel comfortable.”

Lily was shocked.

“That’s not what I want! I don’t want a new family or to hurt anyone else!”

“Then what do you want?”

Aiden asked calmly.

“I said I’d fix anything, no matter what. But you don’t like any of it, do you? Then you tell me. What do you want? What should I do?”

Lily twisted her face.

Everything he said and did to gain her trust only shook her even more. Still, she couldn’t shake off her distrust.

The more he made grand promises, the more he proved he could do anything, the clearer their gap became.

When he first woke up at the castle, a few friends spoke directly to her about the rumors. That the girl who secretly liked Aiden ended up mentally broken because of his incurable disease.

They told her with concern that she and Aiden were entirely different, that she’d only get hurt if she had feelings for him.

The Duke’s personal doctor even warned her harshly: if she was planning to cling to him under the excuse of waking him up, she’d better stop.

They were mistaken about a few things, but that didn’t matter.

What mattered was that others thought the same. In that, she found proof her judgment was right.

Lily Dienta was definitely not like Aiden Kashimir. Unlike Aiden, who could do anything, she was just an overestimated, unimpressive girl.

With nothing to show, just tied to the Duke by a special circumstance…

Once his interest in the unfamiliar wore off, Aiden would eventually see her for what she was.

And then her clumsy uniqueness would turn into rudeness, and the cost of changing her status would feel like a regrettable waste.

Even though he insisted so strongly that he’d never think that way, a shadow of fear still crept over her.

Maybe this was proof that she didn’t belong with Aiden.

“I told you from the start.”

She pronounced each word clearly and precisely.

“Once the Emperor’s matter is resolved, I don’t ever want to see you again. What I said about status or how others see me—it was just an excuse. I just want to end things completely this time.”

In that moment, flames rose in Aiden’s eyes. It was a vivid anger, like he might explode at any second.

But he didn’t move a single finger from his seat—he just sat there frozen.

After a long silence, his voice finally came out, half-muted.

“You really are… consistent.”

Where the anger had burned out, gloom and emptiness remained. The mask of a gentleman had shattered, revealing a wounded, raw face.

“Truly… remarkable.”

Lily bit her lip. She didn’t want to see Aiden hurt, but she had no choice. For a stable future, this was the only way…

Aiden picked up his teacup.

When his lips reappeared from behind the rim, he wore a lifeless, bland smile.

“Anyway, thank you for your cooperation.”

Looking into those dimmed eyes made her stomach churn.

Even so, there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t comfort him, nor give him what he wanted. The helplessness was so overwhelming, her head throbbed with pain.

Lily forced herself to sound composed as she concluded,

“Then I’ll consider this matter settled.”

Aiden let out a bitter laugh, but she stood firm and ignored it.

“Now, please tell me how I can assist you. You said you needed someone to verify the Emperor’s existence to a third party, right?”

He stared at her with dark eyes for a moment, then replied, “Yes.”

“There’s going to be a banquet at the imperial palace in a few days. I’ll be meeting with the Captain of the First Knights there.”

Finally, they were talking about the issue, not their relationship. She could breathe again.

“The Captain of the First Knights? That sounds like someone very close to the Emperor.”

“Exactly. He’s one of Julius’s actual confidants. Among those who noticed something was off, he’s the only one who truly cares about Julius.”

“So someone did notice. I guess that makes sense. But… there’s only one person you can approach?”

“Most people don’t care about what the Emperor truly is, as long as their noble houses remain untouched.”

Lily was deeply disappointed in the nobles’ selfish mindset. And now, she couldn’t help but question whether the knight captain was really trustworthy.

“Can we really trust him? You said he’s the only one who genuinely worries about the Emperor— if that’s true, shouldn’t he have approached you first?”

Aiden didn’t respond right away. He stayed silent, as if carefully considering her question.

Sensing she might’ve pointed out something important, Lily continued cautiously.

“If he’s the captain, he probably knew about the ghost incident at the Duke’s castle. He would’ve accompanied the former Emperor’s visit, right?”

She might have unknowingly passed by him at the castle. The faces of the imperial knights she’d seen flashed briefly in her mind.

“If he knows the Emperor is acting strangely, and knows about the ghost rumors at the castle, then it’s strange he hasn’t opened up to you.”

“Exactly. Maybe I’m just not the kind of person who earns others’ trust.”

Lily was caught off guard, unsure how to respond. Aiden let out a short sigh.

“Just kidding.”

It didn’t sound like a joke at all—but Lily didn’t argue…

“If I had to explain, maybe it’s because I got along too well with the Emperor. When I visited to thank him for coming to the estate,
I acted like an old friend. The Emperor mentioned some disloyal nobles like he used to, and the Captain saw all of that.”

Lily fidgeted with her fingers. If he approached after a conversation like that, it definitely wouldn’t look genuine.

“As I said, I didn’t just recklessly bring up Julius’s soul— no, never mind. That’s not something you need to know. You only need to focus on your part.”

He spoke flatly and began explaining her role.

“At the banquet, you’ll accompany me as my therapist. Ever since I got out of bed, my symptoms of suspicion and anxiety worsened,
and Wolfram suggested you based on your connection to the Duke’s estate. That’s the story.”

It wasn’t a completely made-up cover. She had handled Aiden well during his “ghost” days, and she had also worked with Julius Sheiwarts as a client.

“I’ll send some psychology-related books to your place. Reading them will help. Do you have any questions?”

Lily looked into his lifeless eyes. Of course she had questions.

She wanted to know more about Aiden’s plan. What exactly he would say when meeting the captain, what he would do if the captain didn’t believe him—or if he did.

In the past, she would have asked all of it without hesitation, and Aiden would have kindly explained everything.

But now, she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

When the silence dragged on, Aiden closed the conversation.

“Seems we’ve discussed everything. I’ll send a carriage on the day of the banquet, five days from now.”

He stood and walked to the door without waiting for her. Just like she wanted—an emotionless, to-the-point meeting.

‘The reason it’s hard to breathe… is because of the floral scent…’

Lily held her breath as much as she could and followed Aiden. If not, she felt like she’d say something ridiculous.

At the closed door, Aiden spoke in a low voice.

“Close your eyes.”

Aiden hadn’t forgotten the ghost beyond the door. Even now, with clear boundaries between them, he still worried about her safety.

Lily closed her eyes. Aiden took hold of her elbow with just the right amount of pressure.

The difference between entering and exiting was clear. Everything was moving in the right direction.

Without a doubt, it was.