Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

But Manellano was as persistent as ever.He looked like he was about to follow Lobel as she left, but Edric stepped right in front of him, blocking his path deliberately.Soon, the sharp gazes of the two men clashed in midair.“It’s been a while, young lord,” Manellano said.“…Indeed.”Manellano shook Edric’s hand with a face like he’d bitten into something sour. Even so, Edric continued to engage in meaningless small talk, clearly to irritate him.The bothersome group of nobles hovering around Edric? He redirected them toward Manellano. Realizing what Edric was doing, Manellano’s face grew even more sour.But, given the setting, Manellano couldn’t leave easily. Only Edric, who wasn’t the least bit tired, could use travel fatigue as an excuse to exit the banquet hall.As Edric headed toward the carriage waiting in front of the palace, his steps quickened.His throat felt parched.Even during the battlefield days, when every water source from the lakes to the rivers had been contaminated and he hadn’t had a proper drink for over two weeks, he hadn’t felt this kind of thirst.The fact that Lobel was so close didn’t feel real. He needed to see her with his own eyes to believe it.He had always been late until now.But this time, he had to see Lobel as soon as possible.“My lord.”And yet, when the moment finally came, Edric found himself speechless.Lobel was there inside the carriage, caught in an awkward half-sitting, half-standing position as she called out to him.She looked beautiful.Even as she nervously shifted her eyes behind her round glasses, that soft smile of hers made it impossible for him to look away.Her unique calm and gentle aura felt just as he remembered, though maybe even more delicate now.Her lips, slightly parted as if choosing her words carefully, seemed to give off the sweetest scent.Just like the nobles who had praised him endlessly at the banquet earlier, Edric felt like he could spend all night singing Lobel’s praises and still not do her justice.But Zion had told him that women didn’t like men who were clumsy, talkative, or petty.Remembering that, Edric tried to act as casual as possible around her.However, as he looked at Lobel, something kept irritating him.The glasses from Manellano. The watch from Evo… traces of other men.She wasn’t using anything he had given her, but she was using gifts from those guys? That burning, red-hot feeling of displeasure quickly consumed any joy he felt about seeing her again.He even found himself suddenly curious about what conversations Lobel had with them when she accepted those gifts.No, from the way she’d glanced around earlier, it seemed her connection with those three was still going strong. Did she tell them about the marriage plan?Could it be… that they already knew she was a woman?These tangled thoughts only grew worse once they arrived at the estate.Edric had expected that Lobel, who stayed behind, would help out and mingle with others. Her sociable nature made that obvious.But knowing it in his head and seeing it with his own eyes were two very different things.Why was she so friendly with the Denkart soldiers, the gatekeepers, the maids and servants, even the gardeners…?“Wayne, I’ll take care of the young master today.”When did she start talking so casually with Wayne…?The happiness Edric felt from seeing Lobel again plummeted rapidly.Ironically, it stung even more because Lobel, who was so naturally friendly with everyone else, seemed to struggle only with him.Edric had gone to great lengths to make sure his notorious reputation from the battlefield didn’t reach the capital or the estate.But all that effort was meaningless.Lobel kept her distance from Edric regardless of that.It wasn’t just the awkwardness of seeing each other after so long. She genuinely seemed like she wanted to leave him behind and go.She kept avoiding his gaze, didn’t share her plans, and whenever there was an opportunity to make any kind of promise, she would quickly change the subject.Even without asking, it was obvious. She had already made up her mind.…Tomorrow, she’s going to tell me she’s quitting.

Edric let out a silent, bitter laugh.After spending nearly half her life at Denkart, she was just going to leave like this, so suddenly?Wearing the servant’s uniform of Denkart—the very house he would soon lead—she had looked at him with teary eyes, overwhelmed with emotion, checking his every breath, only to now plan on leaving…?Edric shook his head firmly in his mind.No.He couldn’t let her go that easily.And he wasn’t some fool who would sit around like an idiot while the most precious thing in his life was taken away.It wasn’t even something worth reconsidering. He’d rather lose an arm and a leg than let Lobel be taken from him.So, he had no choice but to put into action the plan he had already thought up to keep her close.Edric looked toward the door Lobel had just exited, a cold smile spreading across his face.He knew exactly where Lobel’s weak spot was. 
‘Is he really going to eat all of this…? If he eats alone, he’s definitely going to get sick…’There were maybe one or two times in the past when Edric overate beyond his usual portion and ended up feeling sick. Ever since then, he had been careful about managing his intake.But had his appetite grown while we were apart…? I worried, but then again, with that physique, it seemed possible he could handle it.With those thoughts swirling in my head, I arrived at the room, pushing the serving cart alongside the other attendants.As always, Edric was up early, already dressed for the morning with the help of the two attendants.I marveled to myself.Yesterday’s uniform suited him well, but today’s indigo blue formal attire fit him just as perfectly.His well-trained, muscular but lean frame made the shirt and trousers fit like they were tailored for him. He had the air of a man who had grown into himself.Noticing the sound of our arrival, Edric turned his head and spotted me.Soon, his soft yet rich voice filled the room.“Lobel.”It wasn’t just his voice.Seeing the obvious warmth in his green eyes made me feel even happier. I couldn’t help but smile shyly.But right behind me, Brother Rimson started trembling again, muttering that Edric was scary and backing away. Seriously… what is wrong with him?After moving the food and tableware to the terrace table, the other attendants, including Brother Rimson, all left the room.For this meal, I was to attend to Edric alone, as he preferred not to have too many people around during meals.Well, it wasn’t a difficult task. Others would come to help clean up afterward anyway.I stood a respectful distance behind Edric as he ate at the table.I kept my ears perked, ready to serve him drinks, water, or anything else he might need.But then Edric called me.“Lobel, come closer.”I was a bit puzzled.Honestly, the distance between us was just right.Even from a young age, with the estate’s chefs and helpers, I’d learned the proper distance to maintain.Any closer would feel intrusive, and any farther would feel neglectful.But still… since Edric wanted me closer, I took a few steps forward. Yet even then, he wasn’t satisfied, urging me, “Closer. Closer.”Now, there were barely a few steps between us, just the terrace table separating us… This was definitely close enough.As I gave him a confused look, Edric pointed to the empty seat next to him and spoke in a gentle voice.“Come closer and sit by my side. You need to check if there’s poison in this food.”“…Poison?”I couldn’t help but feel flustered.Thankfully, there was no one left to overhear after the food had been brought in, but still… Poison? Anyone hearing that could easily misunderstand. Even as a joke, it felt like too much.More importantly, there was no longer any need to use such an excuse to stay by Edric’s side.In the past, it had been a simple pretext to sit close and help him recover while sneaking in some of his medicine.I hesitated for a moment, then quietly moved to sit beside him.‘Well… this is the last time. No matter what happened in the past, I should take responsibility for what I said.’Still, I decided that after the meal, I’d gently remind him to be careful with such topics.Thankfully, the atmosphere didn’t feel strange.After all, sitting side by side like this was something we were used to. So was sharing meals.I took the first bite, then scooped up another spoonful and offered it to him. Just like before, Edric opened his mouth and ate.But maybe because it had been so long, I felt a bit nervous even though I didn’t show it outwardly.The closeness, to the point where I could hear his breathing as if it were my own, made me even more tense.At one point, I almost dropped the spoon, but I gripped it tightly just in time. Luckily, Edric didn’t seem to notice.Sitting next to me, Edric would occasionally flash a shy, gentle smile. His good looks seemed to shine even brighter under the clear, sunny weather. I found myself unconsciously admiring him as he chewed on a piece of bread.Then, Edric suddenly took my hand and brought the spoon I was holding to his mouth.Watching him eat so elegantly with the same spoon I had used gave me a strange feeling.‘I mean, it’s one thing when we were kids and didn’t know better… but isn’t it kind of gross to eat from the spoon I just used?’Still, sticking to my role, I took another sip of the soup and fed him again.Our Edric accepted it eagerly, like a baby bird. Thankfully, it seemed like he enjoyed the food. Seeing him eat so well made me feel full faster than usual.After one last bite of the pudding for dessert, I fed him his portion too and then set the spoon down.“There’s no poison.”I joked, finishing my little act of tasting the food. It wasn’t bad. It felt like playing a cute game of pretend after a long time.Thinking he’d continue eating on his own now, I got up from my seat and looked at Edric.When I moved to stand behind him, ready to wait like before, I noticed he was holding a new spoon in his hand.Just as he was about to scoop up some soup—clang! A sharp noise rang out.Whether his hand had slipped or not, Edric dropped the spoon onto the floor.He looked surprised, his eyes widening as he let out a short exclamation.“Ah.”“It’s okay. I’ll get you a new one right away.”I quickly returned to the table to fetch another utensil.But the next words out of Edric’s mouth made me freeze in place.“Sorry. Sometimes… I just can’t use my hands.”