I Got A Job At A Haunted Mansion

 

 

  As soon as I showed interest in the topic of money, the butler gave a brief smile and spoke.

 

  “Your Grace, please don’t leave the guest standing. You should allow her to sit down for a conversation. I will bring tea. Miss, please come this way.”

 

  He then led me to a table. I followed him and immediately took a seat. 

 

  Dealing with ghosts in the workplace was a bit spooky, to say the least. But not having money was something all my siblings and I found even more frightening, so I figured I should confirm this good salary.

 

  I pushed my hips against the back of the chair and leaned comfortably, resting my back. It was then that I noticed a young child sitting diagonally across from me. 

 

  A child appearing to be around five years old was swinging their feet back and forth in the air, not able to touch the ground.

 

  Why is there a child here?

 

  In a room filled with books and documents, the child was sitting like a mismatched puzzle piece. 

 

  A creepy thought crossed my mind, so I pretended not to notice the child as I glanced sideways. 

 

  In the meantime, my employer approached and took the seat across from me. With a tired expression, he placed papers and a pen on the table.

 

  The child turned to the man sitting next to me and whined.

 

  “Brother, I want to eat cookies.”

 

  “Handel, bring some cookies too.”

 

  He said it calmly. Fortunately, judging how the conversation flowed, the child didn’t seem to be a ghost. 

 

  Feeling sorry for misunderstanding the perfectly normal person, I looked at the child again. The child was still swinging his legs back and forth, playing with their feet.

 

  Maybe he was the man’s younger brother, but they didn’t look alike at all.

 

  The siblings must resemble one parent each. The man had black hair and blue eyes, while the child had light brown hair and green eyes. 

 

  Their appearances were distinctly different. While the man had sharp features, the child had big, round eyes that gave off an innocent vibe.

 

  Knock—

 

  As I was fixated on the child, the man rapped his knuckles on the table with a clenched fist to get my attention. I quickly turned to him and met his gaze. He spoke in a dry tone.

 

  “There’s no need to find working for the Duke difficult. As I mentioned earlier, the work is easy.”

 

  “What? You’re a Duke?!”

 

  I exclaimed in surprise. Come to think of it, the Duke of this country went by the name of Covozhalden. I’d been so preoccupied with making ends meet that I completely forgot even this basic knowledge. 

 

  And who would have guessed that the Duke would be so young? Unbelievable! I blindly walked here to earn money and it turned out to be an astonishingly affluent household.

 

  The man asked irritably. 

 

  “…If you don’t know, then why did you come here?”

 

  Simultaneously, his previously sharp demeanor turned even colder. 

 

  Well, I guess it was natural for an employer to be flabbergasted. I probably would have been the same. It was akin to a job applicant going to an interview without even knowing the company’s name.

 

  “Um… I’m just looking for a job… I was in a hurry, so…”

 

  I cautiously offered an excuse, or rather an explanation. The man let out a small sigh and continued.

 

  “You just need to inform me of my daily schedule, organize documents and arrange papers. That’s all there is to it. When you don’t have work, you can spend your time as you wish as long as you stay by my side. Work starts around noon and goes until roughly 8 o’clock.”

 

  “And you’re offering 500 florins for that?”

 

  “Sure.”

 

  The work did seem quite easy. But wasn’t the compensation too good to be true? I didn’t want to jump to conclusions and accuse the Duke of deceit, but somehow I could smell a scam in the air.

 

  “Why?”

 

  The Duke spoke, his voice carrying a tinge of anger.

 

  “Don’t you think I’m being considerate enough? Is there something lacking?”

 

  “Oh, no, it’s just… it’s strange. No matter how much money someone has, it’s rare to see them offer 500 florins as a monthly salary for just that kind of work.”

 

  “…”

 

  He remained silent once again. There seemed to be a fleeting moment of bewilderment that crossed his face. Unbelievable! Could it be that this was a scam after all? 

 

  I started considering how to make my escape.

 

  Then with a soft click, the sound of a door opening reached my ears.

 

  The butler entered the room with teacups and a teapot. He placed one teacup in front of each of us and poured the tea. Then, he set down a silver tray full of cookies next to it.

 

  “Thank you.”

 

  I looked up at the butler. In response, he nodded his head and withdrew.

 

  The teacups sparkled unbelievably under the light. At a mere glance, it was clear that a delicate craftsman’s touch had been applied. So, in a word, it looked expensive.

 

  The Duke lifted his teacup without a word and I followed suit, gripping the cup quietly. Being careful not to spill, I brought the cup to my lips. 

 

  The subtle aroma of the tea tickled the tip of my nose luxuriously. Taking a sip, the flavor of the tea spread throughout my mouth.

 

  With an expensive teacup like this and this high-quality tea, I wondered if receiving 500 florins from this person was a trivial matter for them. Well, it wasn’t trivial to me. I was actually taken aback by the excessive wealth.

 

  ‘Yeah, where else could I find a place that would hire me for 500 florins? If not here, I might not have any other options for work.’

 

  I tried to reassure myself, setting down the teacup. At that moment, the child who had been sitting diagonally across from me caught my attention once again. 

 

  The child had lifted both legs onto the chair and was sitting on their knees, looking at the plate of cookies placed before them. Strangely though, they just stared at the cookies without touching them.

 

  Didn’t he say that he wanted to eat?

 

  I observed the child carefully. His eyes were fixed on the cookies with a longing gaze. It looked as if he were about to pounce and devour them any second.

 

  But why isn’t he eating?

 

  The Duke interrupted, apparently noticing my thoughts.

 

  “He always says that he wants to eat, but he never actually does.”

 

  “I see.”

 

  I responded nonchalantly while glancing at him. I didn’t press further with a ‘why’ question. After all, it was someone else’s child.

 

  As he set his teacup down, the Duke asked me abruptly.

 

  “Can you see him?”

 

  “Sorry?”

 

  I couldn’t grasp his intention, so I asked in a confused tone. In response, he pointed to the child next to me.

 

  “Huh?”

 

  He’s asking me if I can see this child. What’s going on?

 

  I turned to look at the child, and the child looked back at me. However, the child’s face, hands, arms, and any exposed skin began to suddenly turn red. 

 

  The skin that was first gradually reddening, quickly transformed into a bright scarlet, as if thrown into flames. In the midst of this, the child’s green eyes that had been looking at me blinked slowly, disappearing behind their eyelids only to reappear again.

 

  Snap—

 

  Startled, I dropped the teacup. Fragments of shattered china scattered around my feet. However, I couldn’t pay attention to the fact that I had broken such an expensive cup.

 

  The child’s once peaceful-looking eyes were now darkening as if emitting smoke. Simultaneously, the red skin melted, dripping down like candle wax or wet mud. 

 

  All of this stretched before my eyes in slow motion, like a surreal video. My heart started racing from the shock.

 

  What the heck?!

 

  Snapping out of my daze, I abruptly turned to the man. He had his head turned away from the child, gripping his face with one hand. That large hand was trembling slightly.

 

  “Your Grace, what…?”

 

  “That’s the reason why I asked you earlier. I’m the only one who can see those beings in this mansion.”

 

  I asked, my voice trembling.

 

  “Are you telling me you’re offering me a job just because you can’t stand being the only one to see ghosts?!”

 

  This wasn’t just a matter of occasionally seeing ghosts in the workplace. The situation I had just encountered was enough to give even someone accustomed to seeing ghosts chills all down their spine.

 

  “…Actually, it’s scary for me to see them alone.”

 

  The Duke replied unexpectedly, lowering his hand from his face. His voice was remarkably calm. So much so that it sounded as if he wasn’t afraid at all. 

 

  If he hadn’t been trembling, I might have thought he was just playing a cruel prank.

 

  I was somewhat taken aback. Seeing a man with such a large build and fierce expression trembling was slightly comical. 

 

  With that physique, he could just punch the ghost or something, right? No, wait. He can’t physically touch a ghost, can he?

 

  Come to think of it, he hadn’t once glanced at the child sitting next to us. Even when the child demanded cookies, he didn’t spare them a look. 

 

  I had simply assumed he disregarded his younger sibling because he was considered a nuisance, but now it seems like it was because he was scared. But that was that and this was this.

 

  “I can’t. I’m scared too. I’ll take my leave.”

 

  My voice was heavy with tears as I spoke. While his actions made sense, considering my reaction just now, there was no reason for me to be afraid along with him. I stood up.

 

  “As for the teacup I broke…”

 

  Hesitating, I wondered if I should offer compensation for the broken cup.

 

  “It’s fine. I’m sorry if I scared you a moment ago. Truly. Since you’re leaving, let me provide you with a carriage.”

 

  The Duke got up from his seat as he spoke. His tone was still somewhat stern, but there was an underlying consideration. 

 

  I had heard that the master of Covozhalden was quite eccentric in character, although that didn’t seem to be the case judging by his appearance today. 

 

  Of course, wanting me to see ghosts along with him was another matter! But anyway, I said thank you and glanced over at the other seat.

 

  The child with green eyes had disappeared without a trace. Only the plate full of cookies remained.

   

 

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