Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 94

“The Emperor isn’t after me—he’s after you. If I were to lose you a third time, I wouldn’t be able to stay sane.”

Aiden confessed his heart in a calm manner. He even smiled softly. He didn’t squeeze her hand but simply supported it with courtesy.

He looked like the same Aiden Kashimir as always—gentlemanly, affectionate, and shining with love for her. There was no trace of madness to be found.

But Lily wasn’t fooled. With her sharpened intuition, she could now read others’ feelings without difficulty.

There was no need to wait until a third loss—he was already not in his right mind. He was only disguising himself, painstakingly, to draw her in.

If she let this pass, who knew what he might do.

Afternoon sunlight streamed into the carriage. Other than the sound of the wheels turning, the inside was still.

She could see dust motes floating in the air. And then, with eyes clouded by affection, the man leaned toward her. She didn’t avoid his overlapping lips.

The large hand that had been serving as a pedestal gradually slid—her wrist, her elbow, her arm—binding her as though to seize something tangible.

They kissed with their eyes open. Through it, Lily caught fleeting glimpses of the raw truth Aiden had hidden beneath his veil of tenderness.

At the bottom of his soul, fear rippled. He was flailing—and yet, desperately clinging to her.

The carriage slowed as they entered a busy street.

“Th—the window, the window…”

She muttered between parted lips. He pulled back and with a rough motion yanked the curtain shut. Then immediately leaned in again.

He pressed close to Lily. Because of the carriage’s low ceiling, he had to hunch forward, bracing one knee on her seat.

Her view was completely blocked by his body. His kiss bore weight—of affection, of fear—crashing down on her. Lily accepted it willingly.

But that didn’t mean she would yield her will. She lifted her fingers to block his lips. His damp, moist mouth brushed against them.

Lily spoke clearly.

“Let me down.”

The carriage had already stopped some time ago. After visiting the palace, they were supposed to head to her townhouse.

The coachman had long since announced their arrival, then politely refrained from disturbing his master.

“Lily.”

Aiden called hoarsely, his voice thick with reluctance to let go. She repeated herself.

“Let me down first. Just wait a little.”

Aiden shifted aside like a massive boulder being moved. Without looking back, Lily strode quickly to the front door.

She rushed up to the third floor. Throwing open the largest trunk, she stuffed it with clothes, then grabbed the book she’d been studying, her embroidery basket, her prayer book—anything she might need.

Packing wasn’t all. She had to make sure no windows were left open, and she gave the plants a cup of water.

And still, more tasks popped into her head.

“Ah! The groceries! Forget it. I’ll deal with it later!”

She cried out, then finally grabbed her cherished jar of candies. With effort, she hauled the overstuffed trunk in both arms and headed back to the entrance.

Aiden, waiting by the carriage, stared blankly as she appeared, then moved like a wind-up doll to take the luggage from her.

“Let’s go!”

Lily climbed aboard and declared boldly.

“To where?”

“To the Duke’s mansion, of course!”

Aiden loaded the trunk and returned to the carriage, still looking bewildered, as if he hadn’t yet caught up with what was happening.

‘Good grief. That’s the kind of face that makes you want to kiss him.’

Lily thought lightly as she moved toward him.

“Lily, what is this…”

But the moment the carriage wheels began to turn again, she acted.

For an instant, Aiden only leaned against her in dazed silence—but almost immediately, he responded to her kiss.

Lily firmly pulled back. That wasn’t a face she wanted to kiss anymore.

“Lily?”

His expression grew even more baffled. Lily, as abrupt as she had been with the kiss, now made an equally one-sided declaration about moving in.

“From today on, I’ll stay at your mansion. Surely you have a room for me? And if you bring up dungeons again, forget it.”

Even she thought her words brimmed with force. He wouldn’t dare refuse. Sure enough, he answered instantly.

“You can share my room.”

She shot him a glare. He amended, “Yes, there’s one,” and then asked carefully:

“Are you sure? Just earlier, you were against it.”

“What I hated was the dungeon. I’m scared of the Emperor too. I don’t want to face him suddenly without any time to prepare. At least the mansion has some distance from the gate to the house. This townhouse—open the door, and that’s it.”

She rattled on, laying out her reasons for cohabiting with Aiden.

“On my own, I’d be no match. You’ll have to protect me.”

Then she added firmly:

“And let me make one thing clear: I absolutely refuse the dungeon. If I wake up one day to find myself moved down there, or hear you’re having it renovated…”

Aiden was listening intently, holding his breath. Lily, more resolute than ever, declared:

“You’ll regret not having registered our marriage sooner.”

A reaction burst out of him at once—full of resistance.

“You don’t have to go that far. I said I understood, didn’t I?”

Lily didn’t let her guard down. Knowing his personality, she could easily imagine him later saying from behind the bars, “I said I understood your feelings, not that I would obey them.”

She knew she was speaking rather harshly. Wasn’t it practically the same as saying, Do as I say or we’re done? That was not something one should utter, even by mistake.

But she couldn’t back down.

A dungeon? Absolutely not. No matter how pitiful Aiden acts, the answer is still no. Never, never!

She had to make her resolve crystal clear—so firm that he would never dare to entertain such an idea again.

“Once I set my mind to something, no one knows what I might do. Not even me. What’s certain is that I’ll do something completely unexpected… something beyond imagination. Yes. That’s right. That’s an obvious fact.”

Her eyes widened. She hoped she looked like a woman brimming with menace as she pressed on with her threat.

“…Haa. Fine. That’s enough.”

At last, Aiden conceded. He leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes, looking more worn out than ever before.

He was clearly on edge. This was nothing like the composure he had shown when facing the cult leader one-on-one.

The only difference now was that Lily Dienta had been added to the game board—yet even that was enough to unsettle him completely.

“Don’t just try to shield me. If you let me take part, things will move faster—”

She tried to slip the suggestion in while he was distracted, but Aiden cracked one eye open and gave her a look. It was as if to say without words, Don’t even dream of it.

Lily gave up without regret and changed tack.

“You must have had a plan from the start, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then hurry up and finish it.”

Still in disarray, Aiden simply gazed at her.

What a beautifully ruined man…!

She shoved the thought away and went on.

“If you end it before I get hurt, then there’s no problem.”

His brows drew together. Lily raised her pinky finger in a little promise.

“In the meantime, I’ll stay quietly at the mansion. I won’t go to my embroidery gatherings, I won’t worry about the food rotting in the townhouse, I’ll keep so quiet it’ll be as if I’m locked up in a cell. So don’t worry about me.”

“If it’s going to feel like being locked up, wouldn’t it be better to just put you in a cell?”

It sounded like they were circling back to the start, but this time it was nothing more than self-deprecating humor.

He had completely given up on the idea. But the side effect was a heavy gloom settling over him.

This wasn’t the kind of gloom he sometimes feigned on purpose. He didn’t slump his shoulders or put on a trembling face. He simply looked calmer than usual, his expression dimmed as though a light had gone out halfway.

He shifted aside and patted the seat next to him. Lily obediently moved closer—she had wanted to press against him anyway.

When she rested her head on his shoulder and leaned into him fully, she felt every rise and fall of his breath.

“I thought once I regained my body, I’d never have to feel powerless again.”

Aiden gave a shadowed smile.