Working at a Haunted Mansion Chapter 96

He spoke without pause.

“Bringing a woman you love into your home and then hiding the truth, pretending to be strangers—that’s the kind of thing only men in shameful affairs would do. If things go on like this, people will think I’m not serious about you. That I’ll just spend some time with you and then cast you aside. You’re not trying to make me look like some dishonorable scoundrel… are you?”

Lily couldn’t think of a single rebuttal. Her lips trembled before she barely managed to say:

“Th-then… please let me be the one to choose the person.”

Just the faintest lift of his brow softened Aiden’s face into tenderness.

“You have someone in mind?”

“Yes. My friend, Marie Green. I heard she’s here in the mansion. If it’s Marie, then I’d like that.”

Aiden nodded.

“If that’s what you wish.”

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

Waiting for Marie to come after hearing the news, Lily fell into a restless state. She began regretting her choice.

She should have asked for someone completely unfamiliar instead. What if she had just hurt Marie’s pride?

The truth was, Lily truly cherished Marie. She trusted her more than anyone. Hadn’t Marie risked defying Aiden’s orders just to try and tell her the truth? There was no better person than her.

But being someone’s maid is a completely different matter. What if she gets angry, asking if I suddenly think I’m above her? All right. As soon as we meet, I’ll apologize first. And if I beg her, telling her she’s the only one I could rely on… maybe then she’ll forgive me.

She was worrying so much it felt like she might fall ill. Just then, there was a knock at the door, followed by a voice: “My lady, it’s Marie Green.”

Lily shot up from her seat, clenching her fingers tight as if wringing them.

“Come in!”

Her heart pounded faster than when she faced a ghost.

Marie entered and closed the door behind her. Her gaze was sharp, unreadable. Lily stammered out her friend’s name.

“M-Marie.”

She was about to blurt out her apology when Marie’s face lit up in a radiant smile. She rushed forward and hugged Lily tight.

“It’s an honor that you would call for me, my lady!”

Lily froze, bewildered, caught in the embrace.

“You’re… not mad?”

“Mad? Me?”

“No, I mean—you don’t have to speak so formally. Our relationship hasn’t changed, so…”

“Good heavens, don’t say such things!”

Marie stepped back two paces, her face now stern and commanding.

“If I dared act that way, His Grace the Duke would never forgive me. Besides, you must get used to this. You’re going to be the mistress of the ducal house!”

Lily felt her face melt with embarrassment. But Marie pressed on, unbothered, launching straight into a lesson for a future duchess.

“My lady, it’s not just with me. You mustn’t tell anyone to be casual with you. Not even the head maid. Remember that. From now on, you must carry yourself with the dignity of the lady of the house.”

“And if people say I’ve grown arrogant just because I climbed in status…?”

“Shhh! My lady, this—this is exactly what I mean. You know perfectly well how everyone’s watching you right now. If you show weakness, they’ll pounce. They know you’re kind, so they’ll try to push. That’s why you must be even stricter.”

Marie’s eyes burned with intensity.

“And no matter how you act, could you ever be more insufferable than a noble-born lady raised to think herself above the world? Those women don’t even see us servants as human.”

Then, unable to hold it back, she broke into a broad grin.

“Eeeek! My best friend is becoming a duchess, and I get to be the duchess’s maid! I had my suspicions before, but now it’s really happening—this is amazing!”

Marie’s joy was genuine, not a trace of pretense. Honestly, Lily had never expected her to be this happy.

It wasn’t only that she’d dared to call her friend a maid. Marie had once spoken harshly of Aiden.

“Are you really okay with this? You used to oppose me being with His Grace. You said he was insane, told me to break up with him…”

“That was then, this is now! You’re definitely securing the position of duchess. Isn’t that right? That’s why His Grace officially appointed me as your maid, isn’t it?”

“Uh-huh.”

Marie leaned in close, whispering.

“In that case, the advantage is ours. For now, act like you don’t know a thing. But once you’ve secured the full rights of the lady of the house, that’s when we make our move.”

She clenched her fist and ground her teeth.

“How dare he go looking for another woman when he already has you? I won’t allow it. Whoever she is, she’ll never be worth even a fraction of you.”

“Marie…”

“Ah—anyway, hold your ground, all right? This will be a tough battle.”

At last, Lily’s tension eased, and she found herself smiling—truly smiling.

 

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

For two or three days, Lily spent her time without any particular incidents.

Marie behaved like Wolfram clinging to Aiden’s side. She would bring Lily every little piece of gossip she picked up among the servants or from the noble guests visiting the mansion.

Thanks to her, Lily could sit in her room and still learn about rumors—such as the commander of the knights visiting or the speculations surrounding the mysterious woman.

But what Lily truly appreciated about Marie wasn’t her role as an informant.

Because Marie cared for her so warmly, Lily was slowly able to shake off her awkwardness and guilty feelings.

Today, instead of news, Marie brought a letter.

“My lady, I’ve brought some correspondence.”

“Thank you.”

Lily turned the envelope over in her hands. A letter, all of a sudden? She had sent one to Julia, but it was far too soon for a reply.

“Who could it be from? Gloria?”

She tilted her head. There was no reason Gloria would be writing to her.

She had already informed her that she could no longer attend the embroidery gatherings. Perhaps it was just a check-in, or maybe news about the embroidery shop’s move?

As Lily tore open the envelope while running through guesses, a strange familiarity struck her. The feel beneath her fingertips was oddly recognizable.

She was sure she had handled this type of paper before—and quite recently, too.

The letters from the Imperial City… weren’t they made of paper just like this?

Distracted by the name, she had only noticed it late, but now she was certain. Smooth and white, the sort of fine stationery only nobles would use. Unnecessarily thick and stiff. And the handwriting—it looked strangely familiar.

Could this be Count Oetz’s second warning?

Lily stared hard at the outer envelope. She gazed until her eyes ached, but unfortunately, she couldn’t glean any more information.

Sigh… Forget it. I’ll just have to open it.

Suppressing her unease, Lily tore the rest of the envelope and pulled out its contents.

The letter was written in a completely different hand from the address on the envelope. The lines were so stiff and unnatural it looked as if someone had only just learned to write neatly.

And the sender’s spelling was shockingly poor. Most of the words were spelled phonetically, and the vowels were a mess.

Corrected for readability, the letter read as follows:

[Tomorrow morning at six, a carriage will be sent to the back gate. Come in secret, without the Duke’s knowledge. I will make you a very good offer.

Take this as a warning—falsehoods have gone on long enough.

Enclosed is a precious favor as a gift. Keep it well.]

After reading the final lines, Lily picked up the envelope again. Inside, she noticed another slip of paper that had been hidden by the letter. She shook it out onto the table.

A worn scrap of paper fell. Slightly longer than a playing card, rectangular, yellowed with age, and frayed along the edges.

The paper was coarse, creased from many folds, and stained with large brown blotches.

It was blank—or so it seemed, since it had landed face down.

With a grimace of distaste, she hooked her nail under it and flipped it over. On the front was something utterly unexpected.

“Who would dare send something like this?!”

Lily cried out in alarm, and Marie, who had been waiting nearby, came rushing in.

“My lady, what’s wrong?”

Lily’s eyes widened as she looked at her friend. She was so shocked, she forgot there was someone else in the room.

Before she could hide it, Marie had already seen the paper.

“Huh? Isn’t this a Solmon talisman?”

And indeed, that’s what it was.

A mysterious symbol and foreign letters drawn in red ink. Unlike the protective brooch crafted by the Count of Contania’s maid, this was unmistakably a Solmon talisman, recognizable even with eyes half-closed.

The Solmon faith used to distribute these charms freely to any follower who came to them. Before it was outlawed, they had once been a common sight even in ordinary households.

The difference was, those were clean and new, whereas this one was old and worn, as if someone had carried it close to their heart for a long time.

“They should’ve all been collected during the confession period at the temple.”

“I—I don’t know anything about this.”

Flustered, Lily waved her hands.

“I’m absolutely not a heretic. You know that, right? How sincere I am to Lord Lumion. I pray every night without fail. Even back when we shared a room, I did. These days I’ve become even more devout. I call upon Lord Lumion not only before bed but whenever I have time. So…”

“Please, calm down.”

Marie patted her shoulder gently.

“I won’t report it.”

“…Thank you.”

Her strength drained away, and Lily sank back against the chair.