Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 8

Lily quickly spoke up.

“About the translator—can we really trust them?”

[Didn’t you say you wouldn’t worry about it?]

The Duke chuckled briefly.

Lily whispered so as not to disturb Wolfram.

“I’m sorry. But I can’t stop thinking about it. What if that person reports us to the temple? That would be the end. Your Grace’s return—and everything we promised—would vanish into thin air.”

[Return, Lily…]

“If I could, I’d start learning Solmonic right now and do the translation myself. But that’s impossible, so there needs to be some kind of solid security in place. I know it’s not my place to worry, but…”

As she spoke, one person kept coming to mind.

Someone well-versed in Solmonic, and more trustworthy than anyone—her grandmother.

Translating a forbidden text was far too dangerous to suggest lightly. But if the Duke truly couldn’t find a suitable person, then maybe… just maybe, she could ask her grandmother for help.

The Duke tried to reassure her.

[I’ll take proper precautions, so don’t worry.]

“As you said—it’s not your place to worry.”

Well, that took longer than expected. Wolfram was staring at her with a heavy gaze.

“Let’s make something clear. You’re here only to relay His Grace’s words. You don’t need to carry anything else in that head of yours.”

“I was only concerned for His Grace’s recovery…”

“Lily Dienta.”

Wolfram called her name with distaste. Lily fought back the urge to roll her eyes.

‘What do you want from me, Wolfram Burnett.’

She stood from the side chair and folded her hands neatly over her stomach.

Who else could she blame? She was the one who opened her mouth. Wolfram had warned her more than once not to overstep. And she, in her nosy concern, had ignored that.

‘Ugh. I just want to go back to mopping floors…’

Clearly, this fancy title at the ducal estate didn’t suit her at all.

“You asked about the translator’s trustworthiness?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then let me be clear. That person will stay at the estate, under supervision even while sleeping. If we detect anything suspicious, they’ll have an ‘accident’ before they leave.”

Lily was dumbfounded.

The kind of measures she had in mind were things like background checks, strong NDAs, or maybe intense vetting.

She hadn’t imagined murder as a backup plan.

She knew people in these positions had the power. That a few discreet deaths wouldn’t bring down the wrath of the law. That during the heretic purge, many had died.

Still—to say someone might be killed just for seeming suspicious? That was no better than having no plan at all. Why even check for suspicious behavior, then? Just hire them and kill them!

Lily’s face went pale. And she had nearly recommended her grandmother for this…

[No, Lily.]

The Duke saw her expression and quickly cut in.

[We don’t handle things like that. Wolfram’s just trying to scare you. The translation will be done peacefully and fairly paid.]

Even with his explanation, once trust was shaken, it was hard to restore.

Subordinates naturally run mental checks—Will this plan please my superior or not?

The fact that Wolfram could even think of such a method showed what kind of methods they usually employed.

Maybe the Duke did agree with Wolfram but was pretending to be kind so she wouldn’t run away in fear.

Lily looked down at the Duke with troubled eyes.

‘Then what about me? If people get killed over translating a forbidden book… what about me, who already knows far more?’

The answer came from Wolfram.

“And it’s not something that could only happen to the translator.”

Lily’s face froze.

He must have wanted to make that threat clear once and for all. If she didn’t want to die, then no funny ideas, just do her job and stay quiet.

‘A nobles, honestly…’

Lily lowered her gaze, afraid the revulsion she felt would show on her face. She could feel the Duke’s gaze lingering on her cheek, but she didn’t look his way.

“So if you keep poking around or asking pointless questions then you, too—ughh!”

A loud boom rang out, and the documents on Wolfram’s desk exploded into the air. Wolfram quickly raised his arms to shield his face.

Black ink spilled to the floor, and the papers fluttered down around them. A deep crack had split the surface of the desk in two.

When Wolfram lowered his arms, a shallow scratch ran across his face.

[I don’t understand. Why does he speak so stupidly?]

The ghost stood up beside her. His pupils were more dilated than usual as he stared at Wolfram.

It was like he was possessed, unaware of anything around him. The windows began to rattle in response an eerily familiar scene.

Wolfram looked around in confusion.

“What—what is this? Is this Your Grace’s doing?”

“What’s going on here?!”

The soldier stationed at the entrance burst through the door, then froze in shock. Everything was complete chaos.

The ghost, still seething, walked over to the bookshelf behind Wolfram and laid a hand on it.

[Telling him to shut up wouldn’t work anyway. In that case…]

A cracking noise came from the bookshelf. One of the center shelves buckled under invisible pressure.

“Gah!”

The soldier shrieked at the supernatural display.

Lily, now pale with dread, instinctively knew—I’ll be the one cleaning this up…

To prevent the worst from happening, she had to intervene now. She clenched both fists and shouted:

“S-Shut up!”

Three sets of eyes turned to her. Yes, three.

Lily’s mind went blank. So focused on stopping the outburst, she’d forgotten all about the soldier.

One disaster after another. Now she had to handle this without revealing the Duke’s secret or sounding like she’d lost her mind.

With her brain about to burst, she quickly found a loophole.

“…Would that be the right thing to say?”

No one spoke for a moment.

Then the soldier, gauging the tension, quietly said, “It seems to have worked. I—I’ll go fetch the butler,” and slipped out.

Only those involved remained in the office now. Lily resisted the urge to flee with him and did her best to explain.

“His Grace wanted to express something to you, but it wasn’t getting through, so he became a little… agitated. Please understand, I didn’t say that earlier line because I wanted to.”

[And say this, too.]

“And he’d like me to add this.”

[She is my valuable assistant, and her opinions should be given proper weight.]

Lily repeated the words slowly. Wolfram still looked completely thrown off.

The Duke continued.

[So drop that filthy attitude immediately and show her the respect she deserves.]

She hesitated.

Even though she was just relaying someone else’s words, it felt far too harsh to say to a baron. Even for a Duke, that kind of language was a bit much.

‘That ‘shut up’ bit was… out of my control…’

The ghost asked gently,

[If you can’t remember, I’ll say it again.]

“So, drop that… filthy attitude and show her respect.”

Lily’s guts twisted. She wanted desperately to emphasize that she was just quoting, but she had a strong feeling saying anything else would only make it worse.

In the heavy silence, Wolfram bent his arm and gave a short bow.

“I apologize for my rude conduct.”

[Do you like that? Was that apology enough?]

The ghost asked hesitantly.

[If you want him to kneel, I’ll make him. Just… please calm down.]

He spoke in a pleading, coaxing tone.

“Well…”

Even with that pitiful offer, Lily hesitated. She couldn’t bring herself to say yes.

Now that she knew how the family handled their affairs, she could no longer play the innocent.

How could she ever be sure that, once everything was resolved, they wouldn’t simply say “You know too much” and silence her for good?

Sure, there was that noble-sounding oath he’d made. But people throw around all kinds of promises when they’re desperate.

Once the Duke had everything he wanted, he might find Wolfram’s method quicker and more efficient—less expensive, and less humiliating.

She’d die. In a carriage accident. Or fall down the stairs. Something like that.

So maybe… maybe it’d be better to just act normal and secretly leave the estate.

She couldn’t hope for a letter of recommendation or a smooth job transfer—but it was better than dying.

She’d have to take her grandmother with her, too. The thought of these people learning about her grandmother’s abilities made her stomach turn.

The ghost must’ve sensed something. He reached out and grabbed her wrist.

[Lily, no. Whatever you’re thinking—it’s not that. I swear, it’s not.]

Escape. Yes. Escape was the answer.

Lily stared down at the ghost’s hand, which passed right through her limp wrist, and made her decision.