IWIAHC Chapter 19

Because Lily Dienta was, in the end, merely a tool for conveying his words.

As the tool's master, he needed to control the tool—not be influenced by it in return.

Certainly, he had become far too absorbed in his performance. Too many unnecessary emotions had accumulated inside him. At the very least, when alone, he should have been thinking about other things.

Aiden relocated himself to shift his mood. He tried to ponder matters like the Emperor's visit or the reasons he remained tethered to the Main Building.

He walked along the gaping windows. And inadvertently recalled a certain maid tucking her hair behind her ear. The casual words that had left her mouth, too.

'Well, of course I worried since you're the person I serve. I'm not such a shameless person who ignores whether my master is ill or in danger while only pursuing wages.'

That wasn't the answer Aiden had wanted to hear. He had hoped for something beyond a maid's proper duty in Lily Dienta's concern.

Because... because although they were bound by obligation, contract, and compensation, that didn't mean their relationship was strictly master-and-maid, nothing more and nothing less. That simply wasn't true.

Objectively speaking, it wasn't. Where in the entire Empire did a master-maid relationship like theirs exist? They were far closer than that.

Aiden himself might regard her as a tool, but Lily Dienta shouldn't speak that way. She was different from him, wasn't she? She knew affection, had a warm heart...

'Stop. It's well past time to stop thinking about this.'

Aiden moved with rough steps, thoroughly disgusted with himself.

'I've clearly lost my mind.'

The thoughts cluttering his head and emotions rising and falling resembled, at a glance, the soliloquy of a male actor in a cheap theatrical production.

The audience would listen to the monologue and take pleasure in how the protagonist alone denied the obvious attraction that everyone around him could plainly see.

Aiden couldn't believe he was having thoughts about Lily Dienta that sounded remarkably similar to that scenario.

If she had been the daughter of a powerful noble house, he might have accepted his rational attraction straightforwardly and positively.

He couldn't remain a bachelor forever, after all. If he had to marry eventually, it would be better to align himself with a woman befitting his station.

And yet here he was, agonizing over some utterly ordinary maid whose existence he hadn't even known about before becoming a ghost. It was absurd.

Meanwhile, the woman in question was conducting herself with flawless propriety, treating him strictly according to a maid's proper duty.

In truth, Aiden had no grounds to feel disappointed in Lily Dienta. At least her outward behavior matched her inner character. He, on the other hand, was a deceiver who secretly regarded people as tools while plotting to manipulate them.

'But not everything was false. At first, perhaps, but gradually I became sincere... ah...'

He caught himself having yet another thought that suggested he'd lost all reason, and exhaled a sigh.

It continued that way throughout the night.

It couldn't be helped. She was someone who scattered vitality through a gray world, who knew how to smile as brilliantly as the sun.

With her endearing features, flitting about like a fist-sized bird, her good nature made one's heart comfortable merely by being near.

Such an existence always lingered gently in one's mind. Whether one wished it or not...

He continued pacing with an aching head, then headed toward the side door around dawn like a well-trained dog.

Even after more time than usual had passed, Lily Dienta didn't come. He'd heard the Emperor was visiting, but couldn't she spare even a moment?

His mood gradually sank, and he carefully retraced his memories for any signs of impending flight he might have missed.

Then the door burst open and Lily Dienta entered.

"Your Grace! Hide!"

Those were the large, warm brown eyes he'd been waiting for all along.

The Duke's castle was in an extraordinary state of emergency due to the Emperor's untimely visit. Lily had to assist in the kitchens instead of going to the Main Building. A consolatory banquet for local dignitaries was being held that evening, apparently.

Peeling potatoes, Lily thought with considerable displeasure.

'What consolatory banquet when the master can't even open his eyes? Does being Emperor mean you can do anything, even when you're not the household's owner? And the idiots accepting the invitation are all the same. Senseless creatures.'

In any case, the castle was indescribably busy between hurriedly establishing a banquet hall in the East Building and preparing bedchambers for the Emperor and his entourage.

Finally, around 3 PM, the Emperor's procession arrived.

To describe it with Lily's limited vocabulary: the procession was absolutely stupendous.

The imperial guard in gleaming armor alone was impressive. Add to that attendants and ladies-in-waiting, bureaucrats, luggage carriages that seemed to contain an entire castle...

For a visit to console an ailing friend, the procession was excessively ostentatious. It felt almost frantic in its display of wealth.

Every person in the castle lined up before the East Building to greet the Empire's master.

The moment the carriage stopped and the coachman opened the door, they knelt on one knee and bowed their heads. The sound of the Emperor descending from the carriage reached them.

"We greet the Sun of the Empire."

Wolfram led the recitation in the master's stead, and the others followed.

The Emperor's response was inaudible. Instead, someone spoke on his behalf: "His Majesty is pleased by your hospitality and bestows ten gold coins as a reward."

Lily was shocked by the Emperor's behavior—not even addressing commoners directly. Come to think of it, the relationship between Duke Casimir and herself truly was special.

Following Wolfram's guidance, the Emperor passed through the assembly. Since no instructions had been given otherwise, Lily remained with her nose pressed to the ground like everyone else.

Presumably they would have to stay this way until the entire party following the Emperor had entered.

It was when the Emperor passed in front of her. Someone muttered in a desolate voice.

[Give back my body...]

Lily's downturned eyes went wide.

[Give back my body...]

Each time he spoke, her head tingled. It was a strange yet somehow familiar sensation.

[My body...]

As the Emperor moved away, the voice gradually faded. Though she knew the Head Maid would have her head for it, Lily risked danger and stole a glance sideways.

The Emperor's retreating back was visible in the distance. And though it was also merely a back view, she saw something translucent following him.

She saw it clearly. That was unmistakably a ghost's form.

'Impossible. There's a ghost attached to the Emperor. No wonder it didn't sound like I was hearing it with my ears!'

What on earth was wrong with this place that ghosts kept appearing?

She wanted to flee to her quarters immediately. This was terror on an entirely different dimension from meeting the Duke. He, at least, had a confirmed identity and a sound mind.

But that ghost was of unknown origin and seemed mentally unsound, repeating the same words like a parrot.

That eerie, resentful voice. Just recalling it made her shudder.

"Lily."

Someone behind her called Lily softly. Only then did Lily regain her reason and lower her head.

She grimaced horribly while reconsidering the fourth ghost of her life.

'Tsk. Is this place cursed or what... But wait, what did it say just now? Give back my body? My body?'

She whipped her head around again. The movement caused her torso to lift slightly.

The Emperor had already disappeared. The ghost as well.

"Lily!"

At the hushed reprimand that bordered on horror, Lily reluctantly lowered her head.

'Did a festival break out? Why are so many humans swarming here? Just how long do we have to stay like this?'

A simple deduction, then. There was an Emperor, and there was a ghost following the Emperor. The ghost looked at the Emperor and said 'give back my body.'

In other words, the Emperor's body originally belonged to the ghost. So what was the ghost? The Emperor!

Though she hadn't confirmed the face, considering the words the ghost uttered and the splendid robes it wore, it was a plausible judgment.

Now that she thought about it, they seemed to have identical backs of their heads, too.

'If the powerful keep popping out of their bodies, the Empire must be doomed. Should I emigrate? I heard there are still unconquered small kingdoms left on the frontier of the continent. Though I'm sorry to His Grace...'

Lily imagined herself departing for foreign lands, then gave up.

'No. I couldn't even escape to the neighboring province, how would I cross the border? But if the ghost really is the Emperor, why did that thing wearing the Emperor's body come to the Duke's castle? And how is that ghost wandering around outside?'

The questions were endless.

After a considerable time the procession ended and the servants returned to their posts. However, instead of going to the kitchen, Lily had to visit the Head Maid. Someone had reported her ridiculous breach of etiquette from earlier.

"Lily Dienta, my disappointment in you is great. Even a maid ignorant of protocol should be able to endure those few minutes! Was bowing your head so difficult? Hmm? Difficult enough to exchange for the family's honor?"

"I apologize, Head Maid."

Though her voice was dejected as if she alone bore all the world's repentance, Lily's inner thoughts were far from contrite.

She continued thinking about the Emperor and the Emperor's ghost.

'Why did he really come? No, more than that, who's inside the Emperor's body right now? Who could possibly evict the body's rightful owner and occupy it themselves?'

A bolt of realization struck Lily.

'Who else! The heretic cult leader!'

She didn't know what foul sorcery that wicked villain had employed, but he'd clearly stolen the Emperor's body and come to completely end Aiden's life—Aiden, on whom the technique hadn't properly worked.

She needed to meet Wolfram immediately!