Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 93

But when she peeked her eyes open, she saw that Friesen also had her eyes shut, praying along. Lily recited a bit more of the prayer, then straightened her body.

As expected, the Emperor was watching her. Smiling when someone had just died was grotesque. Lily refused to back down and held her head high.

The Emperor, in all his arrogance, walked directly over to Lily.

“We’ll see each other again soon. In a better place. I’ll make the preparations.”

‘Bastard. Who in their right mind would want to see you again?’

Lily cursed without hesitation. To use a person’s death as a tool for testing was lower than any beast.

Having finished his business, the Emperor waved his hand.

“That will be all. Go.”

They gave their farewells and left the room. A knight accompanied them, guiding them out.

Lily, who hadn’t spoken a word since leaving the room, burst out the moment the carriage door shut.

“The High Priest knows about my ability!”

“So it seems.”

“This is serious!”

“Mm.”

Aiden’s replies were extremely short. Worked up as she was, Lily finally turned to properly look at him.

His fingers were interlaced and resting on his knees. His eyes lowered, his breathing steady and silent.

Anyone looking would think he was a man of steel, unshaken by anything.

But Lily felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end. She lowered her voice.

“Uh… He must have realized something unusual about me back at the banquet, right? And instead of letting it go, he even set a trap just to confirm it. He must have a reason. What do you think his goal is?”

Aiden stayed silent, so the turn to speak came back to Lily.

“From the looks of it, the High Priest still believes in the Church of Solomon. After all, he sent the chamberlain to set up a secret gathering. But he’s lost his original powers by switching bodies, and then he learned about my eyes. So the next thought he’d have would be…”

“Lily.”

“Y–yes?”

At the soft call of her name, Lily stammered. Aiden finally raised his head.

“How about staying at the villa for a while?”

“The villa?”

“Mm. No… no. It would be unsettling to leave you alone.”

“You were planning to send me off by myself?”

He went on, speaking more like he was thinking aloud than having a conversation.

“There’s a dungeon in the mansion.”

“A dungeon? Did I hear that right? You’re telling me to stay in a dungeon?”

At her genuine horror, Aiden finally seemed to focus, and smiled as though to reassure her.

“Don’t be too afraid. It hasn’t been used in ages. Just think of it as a kind of basement.”

“Changing the word doesn’t turn a dungeon into a basement!”

“If we clean it up and bring in some furniture, it won’t be uncomfortable to live in.”

“……”

“Lily, don’t think so negatively.”

Aiden was completely unreasonable. Marie’s advice—“That man’s totally insane”—echoed in Lily’s head. She should have listened.

Calm as ever, with that uncanny sense of déjà vu, he laid out his logic.

“The dungeon was built to prevent prisoners from escaping. If you think about it in reverse, that means outside access is just as difficult. As long as we guard the entrance, no one can reach you. In a way, it’s the safest place in the capital. I’ll assign the duke’s best knights to guard it. I already have some names in mind.”

He’d already thought through the manpower allocation? Lily began to feel afraid. At this rate, he might flesh out every detail before they even reached the mansion.

“Still, just to be safe, we should reinforce the door. Replace the lock with a more intricate one. And it’d be best to add a bolt on the inside, so you can secure it yourself. I’ll keep the only key, of course, but one never knows.”

He was far too serious for her to laugh it off as a joke.

But when she peeked her eyes open, she saw that Friesen also had her eyes shut, praying along. Lily recited a bit more of the prayer, then straightened her body.

As expected, the Emperor was watching her. Smiling when someone had just died was grotesque. Lily refused to back down and held her head high.

The Emperor, in all his arrogance, walked directly over to Lily.

“We’ll see each other again soon. In a better place. I’ll make the preparations.”

‘Bastard. Who in their right mind would want to see you again?’

Lily cursed without hesitation. To use a person’s death as a tool for testing was lower than any beast.

Having finished his business, the Emperor waved his hand.

“That will be all. Go.”

They gave their farewells and left the room. A knight accompanied them, guiding them out.

Lily, who hadn’t spoken a word since leaving the room, burst out the moment the carriage door shut.

“The High Priest knows about my ability!”

“So it seems.”

“This is serious!”

“Mm.”

Aiden’s replies were extremely short. Worked up as she was, Lily finally turned to properly look at him.

His fingers were interlaced and resting on his knees. His eyes lowered, his breathing steady and silent.

Anyone looking would think he was a man of steel, unshaken by anything.

But Lily felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end. She lowered her voice.

“Uh… He must have realized something unusual about me back at the banquet, right? And instead of letting it go, he even set a trap just to confirm it. He must have a reason. What do you think his goal is?”

Aiden stayed silent, so the turn to speak came back to Lily.

“From the looks of it, the High Priest still believes in the Church of Solomon. After all, he sent the chamberlain to set up a secret gathering. But he’s lost his original powers by switching bodies, and then he learned about my eyes. So the next thought he’d have would be…”

“Lily.”

“Y–yes?”

At the soft call of her name, Lily stammered. Aiden finally raised his head.

“How about staying at the villa for a while?”

“The villa?”

“Mm. No… no. It would be unsettling to leave you alone.”

“You were planning to send me off by myself?”

He went on, speaking more like he was thinking aloud than having a conversation.

“There’s a dungeon in the mansion.”

“A dungeon? Did I hear that right? You’re telling me to stay in a dungeon?”

At her genuine horror, Aiden finally seemed to focus, and smiled as though to reassure her.

“Don’t be too afraid. It hasn’t been used in ages. Just think of it as a kind of basement.”

“Changing the word doesn’t turn a dungeon into a basement!”

“If we clean it up and bring in some furniture, it won’t be uncomfortable to live in.”

“……”

“Lily, don’t think so negatively.”

Aiden was completely unreasonable. Marie’s advice—“That man’s totally insane”—echoed in Lily’s head. She should have listened.

Calm as ever, with that uncanny sense of déjà vu, he laid out his logic.

“The dungeon was built to prevent prisoners from escaping. If you think about it in reverse, that means outside access is just as difficult. As long as we guard the entrance, no one can reach you. In a way, it’s the safest place in the capital. I’ll assign the duke’s best knights to guard it. I already have some names in mind.”

He’d already thought through the manpower allocation? Lily began to feel afraid. At this rate, he might flesh out every detail before they even reached the mansion.

“Still, just to be safe, we should reinforce the door. Replace the lock with a more intricate one. And it’d be best to add a bolt on the inside, so you can secure it yourself. I’ll keep the only key, of course, but one never knows.”

He was far too serious for her to laugh it off as a joke.

But really, was this something he could be serious about?
How was she supposed to accept being told to hide in a dungeon to avoid danger?
Was she about to become the mansion’s second hidden woman?

“I know you don’t like it.”

“Of course not… suddenly getting locked up isn’t exactly something to be happy about…”

“But Lily, listen. We’re dealing with the Emperor. Ordinary means won’t be enough to keep you safe.”

Lily agreed with that point.

The Emperor was the absolute ruler of the Empire. If he wished, he could control a commoner’s life as easily as he pleased. Life and death were little different in his hands.

The Duke was in the same position. Most of the time, the Emperor respected the Duke, but in principle, every noble in the Empire had to obey the Emperor’s command.

Yes, nobles could join forces to pressure the Emperor, but who would band together just to protect a single common woman?

Even if carrots and sticks were lavishly offered, the justification had to be substantial. Instead, they would call the Duke a fool blinded by a woman, betray him, and curry favor with the Emperor.

“That’s why the best method is to make sure the Emperor can’t find you at all. We’ll say you’ve gone to the territory, and hide you somewhere no one can see.”

Lily timidly objected.

“There’s no reason the hiding place has to be a dungeon.”

“We need to be prepared in case he doesn’t fall for the ruse. Like I said, that’s the most optimal place to protect you. Everywhere else is too exposed.”

Aiden’s intentions were purely sincere. Every word he spoke was meant only to protect her.

Pressed by his intensity, and moved by his earnestness, Lily found herself little by little persuaded.

‘Yes… maybe Aiden is right. It sounds completely insane, but that’s reality. What could I possibly do against the Emperor? It only sounds strange, but if you think about it, it really might be the best hiding spot.’

Lily’s eyes trembled slightly.

Since it was where she’d be staying, he’d surely make it comfortable. Cover the bars with panels, hang tapestries on the walls—then it wouldn’t even look like a dungeon. And Aiden would come by often, too…

Just then, the carriage jolted. Lost in thought, Lily smacked her head on the ceiling.

“Ow!”

Her eyes squeezed shut. The pain was sharp enough to jolt her fully awake.

Aiden leaned toward her, reaching out.

“Are you alright?”

His fingertips brushed the spot where she’d hit. He carefully examined the injury with the gentlest touch.

“It stings a little, but I’m fine…”

With her lover soothing her, the pain seemed to fade even faster.

Lily sighed and retraced the thoughts she had been having.

‘Hmm, I was thinking a dungeon might not be so bad… Wait. What am I saying? Since when is a dungeon not bad? Am I out of my mind?!’

She was horrified at the ridiculous thought she’d just had. She couldn’t believe she had even for a moment agreed with Aiden Kashimir’s insane idea.

Granted, his persuasion had been delivered far too calmly and gently for her to keep a clear head…

“We should make the basement without corners.”

Aiden spoke in a regretful tone. Dear heavens. He was still dead serious.

Lily clapped her hands right in front of his face.

“Get a grip.”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

“Ha, ha.”

She gave him a defiant laugh, and his smile disappeared.

“This situation is more serious than you think.”

“I’m not exactly taking it lightly either.”

He fell silent and looked at her, realizing that she wouldn’t follow his opinion so easily.

‘Not so easily? Not at all. I’ll never go along with it. I refuse, absolutely.’

Her expression made her defiance crystal clear.

“It really would be safe… It won’t be as bad as you think.”

“I said no.”

He drew a slow breath, as though steadying himself, and finally lowered his brows with a faint smile.

“Then it can’t be helped. Alright. I’ll think about it some more.”

He offered his hand. When she reluctantly placed hers atop it, he bent down and kissed it. His elegant gesture was like that of a noble inviting a lady to dance at a ball.

“But you’ll have to understand me, at least a little.”

He lowered himself deliberately, looking up at her.