“The main building? You’re telling me to take charge of the main building from now on?”
Lily was horrified.
“Are you joking?”
“Do I look like I’d joke with you?”
The head maid’s gaze was sharp. Sensing danger if she pushed further, Lily immediately changed her demeanor.
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
She shook her head vigorously, her simply braided hair swaying behind her back. It was a bright brown, almost orange, hair.
“But, Head Maid, you know, don’t you? The main building has… you know?”
Even though she broached the subject with utmost caution, almost groveling, the head maid’s face twisted into a deep frown.
“How dare you bring up such nonsense in a place like this?”
The head maid had served at the duke’s castle for a long time and regarded the honor of those she served as her own. It was only natural that she’d react with fury when that topic was mentioned.
But for Lily, being forced into the role of the main building’s maid left her with no choice.
“It’s not nonsense! Everyone says they’ve really experienced it!”
“Dienta!”
The head maid’s voice grew even louder.
“So, you’re saying there’s really a ghost in the noble House of Duke Kashimir? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
Lily wanted to shout, “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean!” but she didn’t have that much courage. Instead, she mumbled, “Well, but…” trailing off.
The head maid sighed, pressing her forehead. Lily, too, wanted to sigh.
‘Mari said it was real! Really, truly real!’
Mari was her best friend, bonded by the similar rhythm of their names and their shared status as low-ranking maids.
Unfortunately, Mari had been assigned to the main building a few days ago and was still working there. Right after her first shift, she had said:
“And then, all of a sudden… BAM! The door swung open. There was clearly no one inside, and all the windows were shut tight, not a breeze could get through. So, whose doing was it? It’s obviously the work of a ghost!”
The evidence of a ghost haunting the main building wasn’t limited to Mari’s story—it was overwhelming. For instance, the senior maid who worked there before Mari had to quit after being injured by a mysteriously shattered window.
On top of that, books would inexplicably fall from shelves, or chairs would tremble on their own. Such incidents were far from rare.
Lily Dienta absolutely loathed anything supernatural. Just hearing Mari’s story was enough to give her nightmares.
Clasping her hands together, she pleaded desperately.
“Head Maid, please. I’ll clean the stables instead. I’ll clean every toilet in the castle by myself if I have to. Cleaning is my specialty, you know that. Just please, don’t send me to the main building. Please?”
“Yes, cleaning is your specialty.”
A spark of hope lit up Lily’s face, only to vanish with the head maid’s next words.
“So, take care of cleaning the main building.”
“Head Maid!”
“All you need to do is air it out regularly and wipe down some dust. Why would you volunteer for harder work when there’s such an easy job?”
Because there’s a ghost, that’s why!
The answer she didn’t dare voice was clearly conveyed through her defiant glare.
The head maid stared at Lily intently.
‘Oh no… was I too cheeky?’
A chill ran down Lily’s spine.
Naturally, she shouldn’t have been so insolent with the head maid. The head maid held complete control over the treatment of all the maids. There was nothing to gain from getting on her bad side.
‘If she says it one more time, I’ll just say okay.’
Lily swallowed hard.
“Ha…”
The head maid looked up at the ceiling, letting out a long sigh.
“Lily Dienta.”
“Yes, Head Maid.”
“Twenty percent.”
The head maid held up two fingers.
“I’ll give you a twenty percent raise. That’s the reward for doing this very easy cleaning job. I’ll also give you one paid day off each month. Didn’t you say your grandmother lives nearby? It’d be nice to visit her.”
Lily’s eyes blinked rapidly.
“How about it? Still don’t want to do it? If you refuse, I’ll have no choice but to assign someone else…”
“I’ll do it! I absolutely want to clean the main building!”
Her change of attitude was swift. For a low-ranking maid with little hope of promotion, the extra income was too tempting to resist. It was as if she could hear the clinking of coins in her ears.
“Good. I’m not trying to burden you for long. Just work hard until His Grace awakens. After that, I’ll send you back to your original post.”
“Yes, Head Maid.”
Right. Let’s think positively. As the head maid said, her tasks weren’t a big deal.
With the duke’s coma dragging on for over three weeks, visitors to the castle had dwindled significantly. Only a portion of the main building was open, and even then, the floor where the duke resided was personally managed by the head maid.
In short, this was a golden opportunity only a fool would pass up. All she had to do was steel herself and ignore the ghost.
“Oh, one thing to remember.”
Angela spoke as if it had just occurred to her.
“I don’t like the duke’s family name being tossed around in people’s mouths over trivial matters.”
The moment Angela began speaking, Lily realized she had to absolutely adhere to this instruction.
“If something breaks, report that it needs repairs. If you get hurt, see a doctor. With His Grace already unwell, there’s no need to add unnecessary gossip, is there?”
“Yes, yes. You’re right.”
“Since you’ve always said you hate even hearing about such things, let alone talking about them, I trust you with this.”
“Yes, Head Maid. I’ll keep that in mind.”
To be assigned to a haunted house because she hated ghosts… Lily keenly felt the unfairness of the world as Angela waved her hand a couple of times, signaling the end of the conversation.
Leaving the head maid’s room, Lily stood in the hallway and let out a deep sigh.
Regardless, this was an opportunity. Even if she worked another ten years, she’d never see a pay raise like this.
It didn’t matter if it was temporary. With the money she’d saved, by the new year, she could treat her grandmother to a meal out or buy her a pair of shoes as a gift.
‘Right, I’ll just grit my teeth and do it. I can do this! I’m not scared…!’
Lily fervently prayed that her greed would triumph over her fear.
* * *
The next day, Lily gathered supplies from the main building’s storage room and began cleaning from the first floor.
The interior of the main building was quiet. Though she was anxious, wondering when the ghost might cause trouble, the continued peace gradually eased her mind.
Moreover, the workload was ridiculously easy. With no need to worry about running into nobles, she moved freely, and the first-floor cleaning was done in no time.
Lily gathered her tools with a bright expression.
‘It’s doable! I didn’t even encounter the ghost!’
Hope blossomed within her. It seemed Angela was right after all.
The ghost was just a rumor. The castle was old, and the furniture kept breaking, so people linked it to the duke’s illness and let their imaginations run wild.
With a hopeful heart, Lily ascended to the second floor. But the moment she laid eyes on the second-floor hallway, she immediately turned and headed back down.
An unreal figure stood by the window.
‘It’s a ghost!’
Lily’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.
‘Why? Why does it have to appear when *I’m* working? No one’s ever directly seen the ghost before!’
Though stories of the ghost’s antics abounded, no one had ever claimed to have seen the ghost itself with their own eyes. Lily had subconsciously assumed it would be the same for her.
But this changed everything. Cleaning up sudden messes was one thing, but coming face-to-face with a ghost was an entirely different matter.
Lily took deep breaths for a while. She even rubbed her eyes with both hands.
Could she have seen it wrong? Maybe her anxiety had caused her to mistake a pillar or a statue for something else.
Clinging to a sliver of hope, she cautiously peeked out.
The result was unchanged. A translucent figure, defined only by light and shadow without color, was gazing out the window.
She immediately pulled her head back.
‘Dear God, oh no. I knew it. I *knew* there was a ghost!’
Dizziness swept over her as terror surged.
“R-right. I didn’t finish cleaning the first floor. Oh, dear…”
Muttering to herself for no reason, Lily hurriedly stumbled down the stairs.
She positioned herself by the window farthest from the stairs. Wielding her duster, she replayed the scene she had just witnessed.
The ghost had the appearance of a tall nobleman. Though she hadn’t seen it clearly due to the distance, it felt strikingly familiar.
That was very strange. A nobleman familiar to a lowly maid was simply unthinkable.
However, whether she was acquainted with the ghost or not wasn’t exactly the pressing issue. Lily sank into despair.
‘What do I do about cleaning the second floor?’
She wanted to bolt out of the main building right then and there, but that wasn’t an option. Acting capriciously on her very first day would surely earn her the head maid’s disapproval.
Suddenly, her grandmother’s teachings came to mind.
“Lily, in times like that, you pretend not to see, pretend not to hear, and don’t speak to it. Act as if you haven’t noticed and pass by. The best way to handle it is to avoid getting involved.”
Her grandmother had always been fascinated by ghost stories and the supernatural. She used to tell Lily such tales almost daily.
Back then, Lily would cry her eyes out in fear, but with time, she realized those stories were useful.
Grateful to her grandmother, Lily steeled herself to face the second floor.
“Okay… Pretend not to see, pretend not to see…”
[What are you pretending not to see?]
“Eek!”
Lily squeezed her eyes shut. Her legs gave out, and she plopped onto the floor with a thud. The duster clattered across the ground.
[You, you can see me.]
A voice reverberated in her mind. Unlike a normal human voice, it carried an otherworldly vibration.
[Can’t you?]
