Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 90

The prayer suddenly stopped.
The Emperor slowly opened his eyes and looked at Saul.

“The Empress?”

“Not yet.”

“Hm.”

The Emperor thought for a moment, then spoke.

“Use whatever you need.”

“Yes.”

Saul answered obediently. But he doubted whether they could really be found.

It had been a long time since the Empress and the Prince were kidnapped by bandits during their ‘rest cure.’
The kidnapping itself was humiliating enough, but the Imperial Palace still hadn’t even found the slightest clue about their whereabouts.

Things had gone wrong largely because only essential staff were stationed at the villa.

But at that time, there was no choice. Because of a top-secret operation in progress, only the minimum number of people could remain.

After all, you couldn’t leave witnesses to the death by starvation of the Mother of the Empire and the Heir to the Empire. Once everything was over, the guards watching them were also to be framed and executed…

Even so, however few they were, they were all armed soldiers, and the villa was a proper imperial property. No one expected some insane bandit gang would dare to attack such a place.

By the time news reached them and they found the villa, it had already been thoroughly plundered, and the Empress and the Prince were gone.

Everything in the villa seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Saul carefully opened his mouth.

“They may already be dead. They were on the verge of starving to death. They wouldn’t have had the strength to endure.”

The Emperor furrowed his brows as he considered the words, then smiled.

He must truly have been pleased. He had an unusually strong desire for the Empress’s death—so long as it was done without staining his own hands with blood.

Of course, just as with everything else, Saul never questioned the reason.

“Then find the bodies.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“The Duke of Kashimir?”

“He has completely recovered his health.”

“And her?”

Saul hesitated. ‘Her’ clearly referred to Julia Dienta’s granddaughter. The Emperor pressed him.

“And her?”

“She is still accompanying him.”

The Emperor gave a brief command.

“Bring her.”

“Your Majesty, it has been confirmed she is only a counselor. Since the Duke of Kashimir is still suffering from mental instability, she was merely assisting in his treatment…”

Saul stopped in the middle of his words. The Emperor was staring straight at him.

Whenever the Emperor focused on him like this, Saul felt an overwhelming terror.

It was only natural, once you knew who the Emperor truly was. This old man had nearly killed the Duke of Kashimir and stolen the Emperor’s body.

Even if he now seemed content with a quiet life of prayer, who could know what dark sorcery he might use at any moment?

In the end, Saul had no choice but to give the only acceptable answer.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor smiled in satisfaction, folded his hands, and closed his eyes. He would now immerse himself in meditation for about two hours.

Saul carefully left the storage chamber. At some point, his walking pace down the corridor grew quicker. Things were steadily turning for the worse.

Once outside the bedchamber, Saul looked around and then snapped quietly at the knight guarding the door, Gray Payne.

“Did you deliver the letter properly?”

Since Saul had entrusted him with only one letter recently, there was no need to specify the recipient.

“Yes, Steward. I understand the reply was also delivered to you.”

“Then why is he still sticking with her?”

“I know nothing about that matter.”

Standing beside the stiff, unyielding knight-commander, Saul burst with frustration.

“That man still wears that smug face and pretends he needs counseling? When have I ever poured my heart out to anyone!”

He nervously bit his lip, then asked again with suspicion.

“Are you certain you said it was from someone concerned about the counselor?”

“Yes.”

And still, they ignored his warning. Could Julia Dienta’s bloodline really be this foolish?

The Emperor was taking a particular interest in Lily Dienta. Even though Saul had reported multiple times that she was nothing more than an ordinary personal counselor, the Emperor’s interest remained.

Whatever evil intent lay behind it, one thing was certain—it could not mean anything good for Lily Dienta.

Saul could not calm himself down.

“Did you explain the situation thoroughly?”

It was a naïve thought, laughable even. Explaining too much detail would only risk exposing himself.

Saul could not bring himself to ignore Julia Dienta’s granddaughter, yet he also had no wish to do anything that might bring danger back on his own head.

“Why do you care so much about the counselor?”

Saul stared at Gray Payne. It was unlike him to ask so many questions.

This rigid knight-commander usually seemed like someone without curiosity, never interested in anything beyond his duty. That was exactly why Saul had deliberately entrusted him with the matter, knowing it would look odd otherwise.

“It’s none of your concern.”

Drawing the line, Saul turned and headed back to his room.

The Emperor had ordered Lily Dienta to be brought to him. Saul intended to send that summons to the Duke of Kashimir instead. That man might be able to protect Lily Dienta from the Emperor.

It was the greatest help Saul could give.

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

 

Lily sat in the private guest room prepared for her at Aiden’s mansion and pulled out a worn practice cloth from the sewing basket.

On the cloth, a half-finished flower bloomed, already twisted and uneven.
Its only redeeming feature was that the colors were pretty.

When she switched from crochet to embroidery, Gloria had given her advice.

—Even if it’s just practice, if the materials are too poor in quality, it’s hard to get a result you’ll like. A piece has its limits. Actually, if you use thread of a decent level, when you finish it, it’ll look nice and you’ll feel even more motivated.

At the time, it had sounded reasonable. Since Lily was financially comfortable, she bought the threads Gloria recommended without hesitation.

But recently, she had started to suspect it might have just been a sales trick.

‘I should’ve bought the cheapest thread. What’s the point of fine thread? What I make turns out no better than a rag anyway.’

She stared at the flower she had stitched so far. Should she just rip it all out? Since it had been a while since she last tried making something, she felt even less attached to it.

These days, she hardly had time for embroidery. Nearly every day, she went around the capital with Aiden.

Using his mental and physical well-being as an excuse, they had visited a glass greenhouse some noble had painstakingly built, and gone horseback riding in the outer fields for a sense of freedom.

What she had liked the most, though, was, without question, seeing The Maiden and the Monster again. After leaving the restaurant, Aiden had booked another showing just for her, so she could gush about her impressions freely without worrying about other people’s stares.

After outings like these, disguised as Aiden’s anxiety-reducing exercises, Lily’s heart would float so lightly that embroidery was always put off until tomorrow.

‘Today, no matter what, I’m going to finish a proper flower.’

She had just resolved firmly and was threading her needle when—

“Lily.”

“Y-Yes!”

Without a sound, Aiden appeared, opening the door. Startled, Lily quickly shoved the handkerchief spread out on the table back into the basket.

She was still hiding her clumsy embroidery skills from him. But despite her desperate efforts, he always seemed to notice everything.

This time too, his eyes widened slightly at first, then softened into a gentle smile.

“Why so flustered?”

The way he asked, even though he had figured everything out in seconds, was annoying.

“B-because you suddenly called me, I got startled……”

“Is that so?”

He stepped closer and ran a suspicious hand along the basket’s handle.

“Hey! I told you, it’s a secret until it’s finished!”

Repeating the same protest she always gave when he pestered her to show him mid-progress, she moved the basket far across the table.

With the space now free, instead of choosing from the many empty chairs he could’ve sat in, he settled right into the spot where the basket had been.

What a sudden, unexpected visit. Curious, Lily asked,

“What brings you here at this hour?”

“An invitation arrived.”

Lily took the envelope he handed her. The seal had been opened, but the wax insignia was still attached. Her eyes went wide.

“Isn’t this the imperial crest?”

“That’s right.”

Lily checked the envelope again. The recipient was unmistakably Duke Aiden Kashimir.

Was it really okay for her to see an imperial invitation addressed to him? Hadn’t they agreed not to involve her? And now he was suddenly sharing it with her?

‘Well, I don’t mind, but…’

She glanced at Aiden. His expression was calm. He showed no sign of stopping her. Surely, if he was giving it to her, then it must’ve been fine for her to read.

Letting go of her doubts, Lily pulled out the contents. After a few lines of polite greetings and formulaic openings, the main message appeared.

[…… Therefore, your counselor is also invited, and so on the day of x month x date, you shall enter the palace together.]