IWIAHC Chapter 16

It was an embarrassing but not difficult question.

"Well, employer and maid, obviously."

Despite this perfect answer, Julia's face didn't brighten. Though she wasn't even the party involved, she declared, "That's not it."

"Isn't it correct? Employer and maid..."

Lily could have been more confident. They were in an employer-maid relationship. However, Julia seemed to think differently.

"Lily, you can speak honestly. I'm not trying to scold or blame you. I just want to hear my granddaughter's story after so long."

Lily genuinely couldn't understand what Julia was talking about.

"Grandmother, I swear it's nothing more or less than that. There's nothing I need to 'honestly' confess to you!"

But Julia was persistent. She seemed to have already decided on the answer she wanted and intended to interrogate until she heard it.

"It's fine. Don't think too hard about it and just tell me. Who confessed first?"

"Grandmother!"

"So the duke confessed first?"

"What are you imagining right now!"

She whispered urgently, fearing someone might hear beyond the door.

However, Julia paid no attention and pulled Lily's hand, seating her in a chair.

"Very well, if you want to hide it that badly, I won't force it out of you."

"I'm not hiding anything..."

Lily's repeated denials didn't reach Julia's ears.

"But remember, nothing is more foolish than believing a noble's spring fancy. Right now you two are in a unique situation, so naturally you feel attracted, but once everything returns to normal, he'll quickly lose interest."

Julia stroked Lily's hand.

"No matter how flowery his promises, you must guard your heart firmly. Otherwise, you'll be the only one left miserable."

It was maddening. If there'd been even a hint of such a thing, she wouldn't feel so wronged!

"I understand what you're worried about, Grandmother. I agree with all of it. But I'll say it again—he and I have an extremely professional relationship."

Lily spoke in a weary tone, desperately hoping her sincerity would get through.

"I'm absolutely not hiding it because I'm afraid of being scolded. There's nothing to hide or not hide in the first place."

"Then... you're really nothing to each other?"

"Yes."

"But surely he's confessed at least once."

"No! Why would His Grace confess to me! We simply have no romantic feelings for each other whatsoever."

"But Lily, think about it logically."

Julia looked bewildered.

"He demolished an entire building to that state because you ran away."

"That's because I promised faithfully to help and then betrayed him, so he was angry."

"It was a simple expression of anger?"

"Yes."

Lily answered matter-of-factly.

"Then how do you explain all those maneuvers earlier?"

"Maneuvers?"

Had they even been in the same space?

"Yes! Swearing his sincerity to you multiple times, demanding your trust, impatiently insisting you never leave his side for a moment, and accepting all my excessive demands to look after you—all those maneuvers!"

That was naturally part of his effort to keep Lily. Nothing new, either. He'd behaved that way from the beginning.

However, Julia seemed determined to interpret everything romantically and turned her arrows on Lily as well.

"You showed an inappropriate attitude for addressing a grand noble too! Smiling with all your teeth showing, making meaningful promises never to leave him alone."

"I suppose it does sound a bit strange when you put it that way. I think you misunderstood because you only heard parts of the conversation."

"Oh, Lily... At the very least, that man definitely has feelings for you."

"I wonder. He didn't particularly seem to. His behavior wasn't especially unusual either."

Julia's mouth dropped half-open in astonishment before closing again.

If he'd possessed a proper body, Lily might have found things a bit ambiguous herself. Everything about him was excessively kind, after all.

However, they had a unique relationship, and Lily didn't find Aiden's obsession with her particularly strange.

She was the only person who could see and hear him—irreplaceable and absolute. Of course he'd be desperate about her.

Lily embraced Julia. In any case, Julia meant no harm. She'd only asked out of concern for her granddaughter.

"Thank you for worrying about me."

"Sigh... Just keep thinking that way."

Unfortunately, her tone still indicated disbelief.

Lily rose. It was truly time to go. Any later and Aiden would pester her about why she'd taken so long.

Julia also stood up. Suddenly she smiled and said, "How unfortunate for him."

"What is?"

"Awakening a cursed beauty is usually done by a true love's kiss or tears, isn't it? If your feelings were mutual, I'd have recommended that method before interpreting forbidden texts."

"Oh, Grandmother. That only happens in fairy tales."

They agreed to meet again at dinner and parted. Lily's heart felt restless as she headed to the main building.

'Hmm. We do seem to be getting along too familiarly. But when His Grace treats me kindly, I can't act like a wooden puppet in response. Still, does it really look that way to others? Does His Grace really...?'

Julia had been so adamant that it left an uncomfortable feeling.

Lily opened the main building door with complicated feelings.

[Lily.]

He'd been waiting for her without moving an inch from where they'd parted. Something resembling vitality stirred in his previously lusterless eyes as he looked at her.

[You took a while. Did you have much to discuss with your grandmother?]

It was the sort of affectionate tone that would have made Julia even more certain of her claims if she'd heard it. Thank goodness she could only hear part of the conversation.

Since the main building bustled with cleaning staff, Lily couldn't answer.

Colleagues who spotted Lily approached.

"Lily! Weren't you only supposed to be gone one day?"

"Something came up, so I returned a bit late."

"Whatever it was, it's fortunate. You were assigned to the main building, so you'd have been caught up in it otherwise. Apparently one soldier survived by hiding under a bed."

"Right. Plus you absolutely loathe this sort of ghost commotion."

If she'd returned as scheduled, this incident wouldn't have occurred at all, but her friends—ignorant of the truth—welcomed her.

Originally Lily had intended to seek out Wolfram immediately, but she had no choice but to join the cleaning crew.

While they devoted themselves to organizing, Aiden remained quietly beside her. Though watching cleaning couldn't be very entertaining, he didn't leave.

Eventually sunset arrived, marking the end of the day's labor.

Lily excused herself, claiming she'd stop by the office briefly. It was to bid Aiden good evening.

The third floor remained unorganized, still bearing the appearance of having been swept by a windstorm. Glass shards crunched with every step.

Lily spoke quietly, mindful of the gaps between doors that hung half-open with misaligned frames.

"Things will be hectic for a while."

[Indeed. I preferred when it was just the two of us.]

Lily's eyes widened. Now that she was conscious of it, this ghost truly spoke strangely.

She hastily rephrased it with more appropriate words.

"That's true. It was comfortable when it was just us."

[From now on, I'll absolutely never do this again.]

He spoke with such a determined expression that Lily couldn't suppress her laughter.

"I understand. How many times are you going to promise?"

Aiden stared at her intently. Lily recalled the 'inappropriate attitude' Julia had mentioned.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've been too presumptuous..."

Come to think of it, this aspect of hers had been the source of continuous friction with Wolfram as well.

[No. It's fine. This is perfect.]

'He said it's good again!'

Lily unconsciously turned her face away. After conversing with Julia, her thoughts kept veering in unnecessary directions.

For now, it would be best to return. She needed to calm her mind.

She poured out her farewell and turned around.

"Thank you. But I'll be careful. Well then, I'll see you tomorrow."

[Alright... Wait, Lily!]

When she turned at his call, Aiden was reaching out toward her.

A cool sensation brushed her wrist, and then he looked upward with a distorted expression.

Lily followed his gaze. A decorative piece that had been precariously hanging above the doorway was falling.

However, it didn't fall straight down but was slammed into a corner by an invisible force.

All of this ended before Lily could properly process it. When she came to her senses, Aiden was standing directly in front of her.