Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 76

On the table, trays of elegant, colorful desserts were neatly arranged. Maybe if she ate something sweet, she’d regain a bit of energy.

Putting food in her mouth would also give her a legitimate reason not to speak— and frankly, she needed something to pass the time.

As Lily’s gaze drifted toward the treats, Aiden stopped her.

“Better not eat any. Who knows what might’ve been done to them.”

Sure enough, not a single space on the tray was empty. The sweets weren’t being eaten—they were just decorative.

Even pretending to eat to avoid conversation was no longer an option. Caught between fatigue and awkwardness, Lily could only blink slowly, opening and closing her eyes.

There was absolutely nothing to do.

She wasn’t here to act as a real counselor. She couldn’t exactly hold a strategy meeting with prying ears nearby. And they weren’t in the mood for small talk, either.

‘Would staying five minutes be enough? Three minutes might seem too short…’

Lily wiggled her fingers, planning to count to sixty five times in her head.

Then Aiden spoke.

“You look unwell.”

She looked up—and met his eyes.

‘Ah.’

Lily curled her fingers inward. The sweetness in his gaze—once overflowing like honey—was gone. Now he simply asked after her health the way any professional partner might.

She shook her head.

“No, it’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Once, he would have stared her down to test the truth of her words. Now, he turned his attention to Wolfram far too easily.

Something cold brushed her chest. After all that pain—it still wasn’t enough? There was still more to suffer?

She had never really known what loss meant. She didn’t understand what it felt like to see someone you’ve parted from…

‘Enough. Thinking about it will only make me more depressed.’

Lily forced the thoughts away and decided to mentally review Introduction to Psychology.

But the more she tried to distract herself, the more painfully aware she became of the heavy, stifling silence in the air.

‘I can’t breathe.’

The thought came with a wave of gloom. She wanted to drink herself into a stupor and just pass out. She wasn’t much of a drinker—but heartbroken people usually did that, right?

She felt her eyes getting a little misty, more out of melancholy than tears.

“Lily.”

The sudden call made her inhale sharply as she looked up. The moment their eyes met, Aiden froze. He turned so stiff so quickly, time itself seemed to pause.

Two or three seconds of silence passed before he spoke.

“…Is Julius still here?”

Lily looked around. Julius was nowhere to be seen.

“No. He followed the emperor out earlier and hasn’t come back.”

“That’s a problem.”

Aiden stood up.

“What are you going to do?”

“If we move, he’ll probably come into view somewhere.”

“You have the ring with you?”

Lily asked in shock, and Aiden casually answered, “Yes.”

“Right now?”

“Want to see it?”

Lily’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Protective artifacts are affected by spiritual energy. They absorb corruption and pass it onto the bearer, often causing dangerous accidents.

When Lily kept the ring at the duke’s estate, she was repeatedly caught up in serious, near-injury incidents.

And Julius now was in an even more unstable state than he was back then. That meant any accidents drawn by the ring would be far worse.

It was one thing to assume Aiden had brought the ring to the palace, but to think he was carrying it on his person the entire time—

Lily felt like she’d swallowed a hot potato whole.

“Then… are you going to keep carrying it from now on?”

“I have to, since I’m bringing him to meet the Commander. And if I leave it somewhere, who knows when or how someone else might get their hands on it.”

It was perfectly reasonable. She understood it logically—but her heart refused to accept it.

After a long pause, she said quietly,

“I… I’ll carry it instead.”

“You?”

“Yes.”

Seeing his eyes ask for an explanation, Lily racked her brain.

“Someone could drop it by accident, and another person might pick it up. If that happens to me, I can explain that it was a gift from His Majesty. I can even prove it—so it’s safer for me to carry it.”

“I’ve secured it well. It won’t fall.”

“What if someone decides to search you…?”

“They’d dare to search the Duke of Kashimir?”

Aiden clearly wasn’t planning to hand the ring over, no matter what Lily said. He was waiting for her to run out of arguments.

Lily bit her lip.

‘Maybe nothing’s happened so far, like a miracle… But still, it’s dangerous. He only recently got his soul back, and he’s acting like this is nothing?! He went on and on lecturing me about avoiding risk, and now look at him!’

If someone had to get hurt, better it be a townhouse manager cleaning up one building— than a duke responsible for an entire territory.

Better a fully healthy person than one who was only just recovering from being bedridden.

Rather than watch him collapse again… she’d rather—

Just as she was about to cry or forcibly snatch it from him,

“There’s no need to worry.”

Wolfram, unable to hold back any longer, stepped in.

“It’s all been taken care of.”

“Taken care of?”

“Yes.”

Aiden gave Wolfram a sidelong glance, as if chiding him, and shrugged. Then he pulled out a small, folded piece of paper from his inner pocket.

“That’s…”

“I asked the High Priest to write a prayer. After performing every available temple ritual, we wrapped the ring in it. That’s why nothing’s happened.”

As Aiden returned the ring to his pocket, Wolfram added,

“It’s truly awe-inspiring. I was never an atheist, but to see divine providence manifest like that—it’s humbling.”

Lily’s face flushed red.

Of course they would’ve come up with something. It’s been so long since they broke up—he wouldn’t just sit around like a fool.

Come to think of it, Aiden had mentioned that he’d gone through several steps to bring the ring safely to the capital.

She should’ve realized it sooner—there had been no incidents, and both Aiden and Wolfram were in perfect shape.

And yet she’d kept pushing for the ring like a child demanding candy.

She couldn’t even look Aiden in the eye. He must think she was pathetic.

“T-That’s really good news…”

She mumbled and stood up, avoiding looking in Aiden’s direction with all her might.

They left the room. With Aiden leading, there was no need for further directions to the garden.

At the entrance, Lily repeated what Aiden had told her earlier: The patient needed fresh air and calm, so the garden had to be cleared.

The guard sprang into action. Soon, the nobles who had been out for a walk began filing out. Everything went smoothly.

Strangely, and somewhat thankfully, no one questioned her qualifications as a counselor.

They threw her curious looks, but ultimately ignored her—only offering Aiden some concerned words before returning to the banquet.

Lily looked up at the sky, feeling her recent efforts dissolve into a strange hollowness.

Evening was approaching. Distant places were already swallowed by shadows, hard to distinguish.

The guard who had helped with clearing the garden was the last to leave. Lily thanked him and walked with Aiden down the path until they reached a small space bordered by low flowerbeds. They didn’t go any further and stopped there.

Soon, their first visitor arrived.

It was the spirit of Julius — a ghost glowing with ominous light, drawn toward the ring, now drifting toward Lily.

[Lily… Dienta… you… from the beginning…]

Julius’s arm stretched toward her in slow motion. Lily’s eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. At this rate, that monstrous ghost would touch her.

She thought she’d gotten used to fear—but being called by name made it feel new again.

But she remembered a vow she had made less than an hour ago. That she’d rather bite her tongue and bleed than ruin the mission. Lily planted her feet and stood her ground.

And then—she remembered a personal motto she hadn’t thought of in a while.

“Spirit!”

She clenched her fist tightly.

“What matters is spirit! I’m going to overwhelm that deranged ghost!”

She had already succeeded once—it wouldn’t be harder the second time. And this version of Julius, so corrupted, was likely even more vulnerable to intimidation and theatrics.

She met his gaze, staring straight at him.