Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 73

The woman’s troublesome nature, which had caused him headaches before, now tangled with other concerns and stirred a full-blown migraine.

Was this the result of trying to be decent—of offering her basic dignity out of guilt for deceiving her? Should he have gone with his initial plan and assigned a 24-hour watch? Left unchecked, just how far would she have tried to interfere?

Aiden could easily guess.

‘She would’ve tried to sneak into the gathering no matter what nonsense she had to spout. Obviously.’

He clenched his teeth. Her brazen, heartless face—completely lacking in even a sliver of consideration—flashed before his eyes.

She was the one who deserved the title “cold-blooded.” Her heart was hard as stone, and her affections, if any, would be colder than the winds that whip across a snowy wasteland.

How could someone who appeared so soft, so tender-hearted, be so ruthless? Was there truly no place in that ever-forward-charging heart for lingering feelings?

If that was the case, then she should have behaved accordingly. She shouldn’t have looked at him from the carriage like she was entranced, ready to fall back into his arms.

When he smiled, when he spoke gently, when he touched her narrow shoulders— She should have turned cold, like she’d seen a bug, not blushed like peach blossoms blooming.

Aiden ran a hand through his hair with frustration. Her cheeks, flushed that soft pink, still lingered vividly in his mind.

As if that weren’t enough, she’d even dared to say she hoped to be helpful after tearing their relationship to pieces.

Aiden grit his teeth.

He knew he couldn’t force someone to return feelings they didn’t have. And there was no reason for him to spend the rest of his life clinging pitifully to a severed bond.

And yet—Aiden couldn’t accept that this was simply the end of their connection.

What they had was love pure enough to lift a curse. There would be no one else he could ever love like Lily Dienta. No one else who could love him the way she had.

Even after drinking, his mind remained infuriatingly clear. With a sigh, he reached into his pocket and took out a small key. It belonged to one of his desk drawers.

Inside was a soft, handmade ball—clumsily sewn.

It was all she had left behind, aside from the letter that tore at his chest. Because of that, he rarely touched it, afraid he’d undo even a single thread.

He gently picked it up and set it on the desk, then rolled it with his fingers. A tiny bell inside jingled softly.

“Lily…”

He whispered her flower-like name a few more times.

What was he supposed to do now? He had opened his heart completely—laid it bare before her. And still, she only pulled further away.

If so, perhaps he needed to try the opposite approach.

Aiden leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

 

 

*****

 

 

 

The afternoon following her return from Aiden’s estate—

“Goodbye!”

Lily called out to the departing carriage. Wolfram and the tailor, who had made a surprise visit to Mark’s townhouse, were now on their way back.

Wolfram had brought the tailor to fit her for the outfit she’d wear to the banquet—an outfit given to the duke’s attending physician, tailored now to Lily’s size.

In truth, uniforms for professionals weren’t something one could wear lightly. Only certified members of each profession’s guild were allowed to wear them.

If she happened to run into someone from the medical guild, it could cause an unnecessary dispute. She could get reported, fined—or at the very least, become the laughingstock of the entire ballroom…

When Lily raised this concern with Wolfram, he dismissed it casually.

“Who would dare question a decision made by His Grace? They should blame themselves for failing to produce a therapist that meets his standards.”

It had been a while since she heard such an arrogant remark. It felt strangely nostalgic.

Back inside, Lily began tidying up the tea set and muttered to herself.

“There were so many other things I wanted to ask…”

Like these, for example:

Should she step down from her current position as townhouse manager? Wouldn’t it look strange for someone introduced as the duke’s therapist to also be handling estate affairs?

She was being called a therapist, but that was only true back when Aiden had been in his ghostly state. To everyone else, it would seem like she had appeared out of nowhere. Would it really sound natural?

She also wished Aiden or Wolfram had explained her role in more detail. But neither of them seemed to care about that. As long as she was present on the day, that was enough—apparently.

With a sigh, Lily headed to the sitting room. On the desk lay the package Wolfram had handed her. She picked it up and carried it to her private space on the third floor.

According to Wolfram, these were books meant to help her act the part of a therapist. Judging by their weight and size, there were quite a few.

It was like being given homework—but that was fine. Right now, Lily needed as many distractions as possible. As long as she was focused on something, she could forget about Aiden.

Still, she couldn’t shake the memory of Wolfram’s uneasy expression. He’d looked uncomfortable, as though resigned to something unavoidable, and said:

“These might be a bit difficult for a beginner. You probably won’t be expected to discuss their contents. His Grace doesn’t expect you to read them all, either.”

To Lily, those words felt less like kindness and more like a challenge: “If you can read this, go ahead and try.”

She didn’t expect psychology books to be as easy as popular novels, of course. But she prided herself on having better-than-average reading comprehension and a broad literary background.

Telling her not to worry, that no one expected much, didn’t feel thoughtful—it felt patronizing.

She arrived at the room she used for work and set the bundle on the desk. Unwrapping the yellow paper, she paused as she read the cover of the topmost book.

“Principles of Psychology”

The gothic lettering was far more serious-looking than she’d expected.

One by one, she laid out the rest of the books. Alongside Principles of Psychology were titles like Foundations of Psychopathology and Body and Soul— Just the titles alone made them feel distant and intimidating.

As a test, she opened Foundations of Psychopathology, only to shut it immediately.

This wasn’t the kind of book someone like her should be reading. It probably wouldn’t even be sold at regular bookstores—more likely used in elite academic institutions.

Lily slumped into her chair.

Given Wolfram’s discomfort, it was clear he hadn’t picked the books. Aiden must’ve been the one behind their selection.

For the first time, Lily had no idea what Aiden was thinking.

“Seriously? He wants me to read this? There are only four days left until the banquet! Is this really necessary for pretending to be a therapist? It’s not like we’re trying to prank someone!”

It was clearly impossible to read all of them in just four days.
She wasn’t even sure she could finish one properly.

And according to Wolfram, Aiden knew that.

So then—why send her books she wouldn’t be able to read?

Unable to hold back a sigh, Lily picked up the thinnest volume among them. The title: Introduction to Psychology—by far the most approachable.

As she turned the front page to glance over the table of contents, a card slipped out. There was no name, no sender, just a short message.

“I’m glad we can be together again. Truly.”

Lily picked up the stiff paper.

She thought back to the atmosphere when she left the estate. It had been too cold, too final, for such a warm message to follow.

Had Aiden gathered his resolve overnight and decided not to give up his little tricks? But the man who had let her go… had looked genuinely disenchanted this time.

Feeling more puzzled than touched, she flipped through the book.

Here and there, she found slips of paper— Summaries of key passages, simplified explanations, flowcharts— all written in the same handwriting as the card. The effort was obvious.

No way had this been prepared overnight. Lily finally pieced the timeline together.

Aiden must’ve worked on this well before she was invited to the estate— back when he still believed the invitation wouldn’t end in disaster.

Then, in the chaos, he’d forgotten and had Wolfram send it.

Curious, she checked the other books—but the notes only appeared in Introduction to Psychology.

Biting her lip, she reached for the book again.

But instead of opening it, her hand drifted toward the original card tucked into the cover.

A faint scent wafted from the paper—the same scent she’d smelled when Aiden had lifted her into his arms.

Lily held the card close to her face. If she closed her eyes and focused on the scent, it almost felt like he was right beside her.

She repeated the brief message in her mind. And quietly whispered a reply—one she would never say aloud to him.

“Me too… I’m glad. Truly.”