NOVEL NEXT Surviving As An Obsessive Servant
“You’ve changed since you came here, haven’t you?”“…I have?”“Yes, you have. You used to act like there was no one but the young master. Now, you’re all caught up with that Ivo or whatever his name is…”“It’s not Ivo, it’s Evo. Brother, I look serious right now, don’t I? Because I am. If you’re just going to add fuel to the fire, go do it somewhere else.”In any case, I had to follow the young master’s orders, so I stepped out of my room.Then, from a corner of the hallway, I made eye contact with Blivan, who was standing there with his arms crossed.When I started moving, he moved too, as if he’d been waiting for me. His destination was the same as mine.Blivan, who I had no idea when he’d arrived, had been strolling around the mansion ever since the commotion with the truth serum.I thought maybe the young master’s growing influence had led to a change in his guards, especially since no one could stand against someone like Blivan.But I had to revise that thought soon. Blivan wasn’t protecting the young master—he was following me around instead.Without saying a word, he quietly followed me, so I couldn’t help but feel like I was being watched. It was even more stressful considering everything else on my plate.But in the past few days, I started to think differently.‘…Blivan has been guarding me all this time.’If he were watching or planning to get rid of me, they wouldn’t need someone as prominent as Blivan for the job.In any case, his presence ensured my immediate safety. For now, I felt safer than ever.‘This proves the young master truly wants to protect me… but why do I still feel so uneasy?’A vague sense of dread lingered around me.This was because the young master, while acting normal toward me, sometimes gave me a shadowy, unreadable look.It was impossible not to notice it.The young master, who had once shared everything, including the truth about Difra, had changed.Now, he was clearly hiding something from me…“Bel, you’re here!”“May the goddess’ blessing be with you. I greet you, Princess.”I smoothed my dark expression and greeted Princess Delilah, who came running toward me.I lightly placed my right hand over my chest and bent my knees slightly in a gesture of respect—a greeting I had learned from Mrs. Sylviet.Delilah’s maids, who were now familiar to me, always looked at me in amazement. I gave them a polite nod in return.Princess Delilah twirled in place proudly.The movement caused her long hair, adorned with a sparkling tiara, to sway beautifully.“Bel, the Grand Duke gave me this. Isn’t it pretty?”“It’s a beautiful tiara.”Seeing Delilah’s bright demeanor lifted my spirits a little.When I spoke with a smile, she placed her hands on her hips and got angry. “No, no! Not the tiara. I’m talking about this dagger.”I thought she was showing off her tiara, but it turned out she meant the dagger at her waist.It was too small to be practical for combat, and it looked too plain to be decorative.Still, she seemed to expect some praise, so I said what she wanted to hear.“Wow, it’s an amazing dagger.”“It’s truly beautiful, Your Highness!”The maids clapped along with me, and the princess gave us a sharp look of mock annoyance.So I exaggerated my reaction, asking her to take it out and show it to me.“It’s much sharper than it looks.”“Right? When my brother gets back, I’m going to learn swordsmanship!”At that, Delilah burst into laughter and extended her hand.She obviously expected me to escort her.Even though I’d learned the etiquette, I hesitated. Could a commoner like me follow noble customs?‘Well… since the princess’s word is law, it should be fine.’After a moment’s thought, I supported her delicate hand, covered in white lace gloves, with my own.Just then, a refreshing laugh came from behind us.“So, you’ve won Delilah’s favor. Impressive.”I instinctively turned my head and saw a man with platinum blonde hair sitting in a wheelchair.His hair was a slightly darker shade than Delilah’s, but it was unmistakably the mark of royalty.I quickly bowed and greeted him.“May the goddess’s blessing be with you. I greet you, Your Grace, the Grand Duke.”The man grinned, seemingly pleased with my manners, and I couldn’t help but admire him.He had a solid build and an imposing presence that even Rimson couldn’t match.Despite being a man who had lost the use of his legs in battle, the Grand Duke carried himself with immense confidence.Even sitting in a wheelchair, he seemed far from defeated.“Where is Alec?”“The Duke is away at the moment,” answered the young butler of the Denkart estate, who had hurried over at the news of the Grand Duke’s arrival.The Grand Duke’s eyebrows shot up.“He left the kid behind?”‘The “kid”… is he talking about the princess?’The Grand Duke’s displeasure left me confused.After all, the Denkarts treated the princess with the utmost respect.“That fool. He should be grateful he’s finally getting a chance to act like a parent.”While everyone was puzzled, the Grand Duke gave a hint with his next words.“Bring Edric here.”The Grand Duke, who was said to have fought alongside the Duke on the same battlefield, had a completely different personality.Once the young master arrived and took a seat, the Grand Duke didn’t hesitate to share stories about the Duke over tea.He talked about their time on the battlefield, even recounting how they had once bet on the enemy’s actions.He even brought up the story of how he lost his leg in battle.“At that time, Alec was right.”The Grand Duke’s eyes reflected his acceptance of his own mistakes as he reminisced.“When there was one last enemy left, my competitive spirit kicked in. I ordered Alec to capture the fleeing soldiers while I dealt with the enemy myself.”The Duke, concerned for the Grand Duke’s safety, had followed the order despite the risk.But while the Duke was away, enemy soldiers hidden in a swamp ambushed the Grand Duke with a poisoned arrow.Though he survived, the poison killed the nerves in his leg, rendering him unable to walk.If the Duke had disobeyed the order, the Grand Duke wouldn’t have been injured at all.“He’s excessively loyal to the royal family. Absolutely useless.”The Grand Duke was a magnanimous man.Not once did he express resentment as he told the story.It seemed he had come to share these past events personally.Families close to each other should know such backstories, after all.Of course, he might also have been strengthening his bond with the young master.After exchanging a round of stories, the Grand Duke gave his advice.“Edric, live your life to the fullest. Run freely, gain experience, and see the world. Life is too short to spend cooped up in a place like this.”“What do you mean ‘a place like this’? Where in the world could be better than the capital of Terua?”Delilah bristled, upset that he referred to the capital as if it were a backwater village.But the Grand Duke gently patted her head, soothing her with practiced ease.“You’re right. Then why don’t we start with the capital? Even if you don’t participate in the hunting festival, Your Highness should at least watch it.”“Mm-hmm! I’ll watch the festival! And two years from now, I’ll participate myself!”It was easy to see why the royal siblings adored the Grand Duke.With his bold yet warm-hearted personality, it was impossible not to like him.Perhaps that’s why even the meticulous Duke considered him a close friend.‘Or… could it be that the two of them were something more?’As I escorted the Grand Duke out and headed back to my room, I began to entertain a reasonable suspicion.For someone as guarded as the Duke to let down his walls that much… something must have happened between them on the battlefield.‘It’s odd, too, that the Grand Duke has refused every proposal for marriage and only taken in an adopted heir.’“What’s that saying? People see what they want to see…”Rimson gave me a horrified look.I wanted to explain that my perspective was shaped by the novels I’d read, which naturally made me see things through a “BL lens.”But he wouldn’t believe me anyway, so I just laughed it off. A few days passed after that.The young master’s attitude hadn’t changed much.He still kept a subtle distance from me, Blivan continued to guard me, and there were no new threats or issues from the retainers.Yet I couldn’t shake my doubts. If the situation had truly been resolved… why did the young master still look at me with those eyes?Around this time, the marks on my thigh—the ones that had plunged my family into despair—completely disappeared as if they’d never existed.Finally, it was time for me to leave.
Chapter 75
After that, even though I didn’t know what happened… strangely… nothing happened at all.As if mocking my anxiety, the usual, ordinary days continued.I followed the schedule and attended to the young master.Except for the lessons with Count Clant, which were postponed due to personal matters, I attended all his other lessons.And the young master treated me as if nothing had happened.“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”Instead, I was the one who brought up the topic of Evo’s bird.“The carrier pigeon was a bird Evo tamed at the orphanage. We used it to send greetings to each other.”As I said this, I showed him part of the letter containing the details.After receiving and reading it, the young master showed no particular reaction.However, he looked at me intently, covering my nervousness with a smile, and asked,
“You’ve changed since you came here, haven’t you?”“…I have?”“Yes, you have. You used to act like there was no one but the young master. Now, you’re all caught up with that Ivo or whatever his name is…”“It’s not Ivo, it’s Evo. Brother, I look serious right now, don’t I? Because I am. If you’re just going to add fuel to the fire, go do it somewhere else.”In any case, I had to follow the young master’s orders, so I stepped out of my room.Then, from a corner of the hallway, I made eye contact with Blivan, who was standing there with his arms crossed.When I started moving, he moved too, as if he’d been waiting for me. His destination was the same as mine.Blivan, who I had no idea when he’d arrived, had been strolling around the mansion ever since the commotion with the truth serum.I thought maybe the young master’s growing influence had led to a change in his guards, especially since no one could stand against someone like Blivan.But I had to revise that thought soon. Blivan wasn’t protecting the young master—he was following me around instead.Without saying a word, he quietly followed me, so I couldn’t help but feel like I was being watched. It was even more stressful considering everything else on my plate.But in the past few days, I started to think differently.‘…Blivan has been guarding me all this time.’If he were watching or planning to get rid of me, they wouldn’t need someone as prominent as Blivan for the job.In any case, his presence ensured my immediate safety. For now, I felt safer than ever.‘This proves the young master truly wants to protect me… but why do I still feel so uneasy?’A vague sense of dread lingered around me.This was because the young master, while acting normal toward me, sometimes gave me a shadowy, unreadable look.It was impossible not to notice it.The young master, who had once shared everything, including the truth about Difra, had changed.Now, he was clearly hiding something from me…“Bel, you’re here!”“May the goddess’ blessing be with you. I greet you, Princess.”I smoothed my dark expression and greeted Princess Delilah, who came running toward me.I lightly placed my right hand over my chest and bent my knees slightly in a gesture of respect—a greeting I had learned from Mrs. Sylviet.Delilah’s maids, who were now familiar to me, always looked at me in amazement. I gave them a polite nod in return.Princess Delilah twirled in place proudly.The movement caused her long hair, adorned with a sparkling tiara, to sway beautifully.“Bel, the Grand Duke gave me this. Isn’t it pretty?”“It’s a beautiful tiara.”Seeing Delilah’s bright demeanor lifted my spirits a little.When I spoke with a smile, she placed her hands on her hips and got angry. “No, no! Not the tiara. I’m talking about this dagger.”I thought she was showing off her tiara, but it turned out she meant the dagger at her waist.It was too small to be practical for combat, and it looked too plain to be decorative.Still, she seemed to expect some praise, so I said what she wanted to hear.“Wow, it’s an amazing dagger.”“It’s truly beautiful, Your Highness!”The maids clapped along with me, and the princess gave us a sharp look of mock annoyance.So I exaggerated my reaction, asking her to take it out and show it to me.“It’s much sharper than it looks.”“Right? When my brother gets back, I’m going to learn swordsmanship!”At that, Delilah burst into laughter and extended her hand.She obviously expected me to escort her.Even though I’d learned the etiquette, I hesitated. Could a commoner like me follow noble customs?‘Well… since the princess’s word is law, it should be fine.’After a moment’s thought, I supported her delicate hand, covered in white lace gloves, with my own.Just then, a refreshing laugh came from behind us.“So, you’ve won Delilah’s favor. Impressive.”I instinctively turned my head and saw a man with platinum blonde hair sitting in a wheelchair.His hair was a slightly darker shade than Delilah’s, but it was unmistakably the mark of royalty.I quickly bowed and greeted him.“May the goddess’s blessing be with you. I greet you, Your Grace, the Grand Duke.”The man grinned, seemingly pleased with my manners, and I couldn’t help but admire him.He had a solid build and an imposing presence that even Rimson couldn’t match.Despite being a man who had lost the use of his legs in battle, the Grand Duke carried himself with immense confidence.Even sitting in a wheelchair, he seemed far from defeated.“Where is Alec?”“The Duke is away at the moment,” answered the young butler of the Denkart estate, who had hurried over at the news of the Grand Duke’s arrival.The Grand Duke’s eyebrows shot up.“He left the kid behind?”‘The “kid”… is he talking about the princess?’The Grand Duke’s displeasure left me confused.After all, the Denkarts treated the princess with the utmost respect.“That fool. He should be grateful he’s finally getting a chance to act like a parent.”While everyone was puzzled, the Grand Duke gave a hint with his next words.“Bring Edric here.”The Grand Duke, who was said to have fought alongside the Duke on the same battlefield, had a completely different personality.Once the young master arrived and took a seat, the Grand Duke didn’t hesitate to share stories about the Duke over tea.He talked about their time on the battlefield, even recounting how they had once bet on the enemy’s actions.He even brought up the story of how he lost his leg in battle.“At that time, Alec was right.”The Grand Duke’s eyes reflected his acceptance of his own mistakes as he reminisced.“When there was one last enemy left, my competitive spirit kicked in. I ordered Alec to capture the fleeing soldiers while I dealt with the enemy myself.”The Duke, concerned for the Grand Duke’s safety, had followed the order despite the risk.But while the Duke was away, enemy soldiers hidden in a swamp ambushed the Grand Duke with a poisoned arrow.Though he survived, the poison killed the nerves in his leg, rendering him unable to walk.If the Duke had disobeyed the order, the Grand Duke wouldn’t have been injured at all.“He’s excessively loyal to the royal family. Absolutely useless.”The Grand Duke was a magnanimous man.Not once did he express resentment as he told the story.It seemed he had come to share these past events personally.Families close to each other should know such backstories, after all.Of course, he might also have been strengthening his bond with the young master.After exchanging a round of stories, the Grand Duke gave his advice.“Edric, live your life to the fullest. Run freely, gain experience, and see the world. Life is too short to spend cooped up in a place like this.”“What do you mean ‘a place like this’? Where in the world could be better than the capital of Terua?”Delilah bristled, upset that he referred to the capital as if it were a backwater village.But the Grand Duke gently patted her head, soothing her with practiced ease.“You’re right. Then why don’t we start with the capital? Even if you don’t participate in the hunting festival, Your Highness should at least watch it.”“Mm-hmm! I’ll watch the festival! And two years from now, I’ll participate myself!”It was easy to see why the royal siblings adored the Grand Duke.With his bold yet warm-hearted personality, it was impossible not to like him.Perhaps that’s why even the meticulous Duke considered him a close friend.‘Or… could it be that the two of them were something more?’As I escorted the Grand Duke out and headed back to my room, I began to entertain a reasonable suspicion.For someone as guarded as the Duke to let down his walls that much… something must have happened between them on the battlefield.‘It’s odd, too, that the Grand Duke has refused every proposal for marriage and only taken in an adopted heir.’“What’s that saying? People see what they want to see…”Rimson gave me a horrified look.I wanted to explain that my perspective was shaped by the novels I’d read, which naturally made me see things through a “BL lens.”But he wouldn’t believe me anyway, so I just laughed it off. A few days passed after that.The young master’s attitude hadn’t changed much.He still kept a subtle distance from me, Blivan continued to guard me, and there were no new threats or issues from the retainers.Yet I couldn’t shake my doubts. If the situation had truly been resolved… why did the young master still look at me with those eyes?Around this time, the marks on my thigh—the ones that had plunged my family into despair—completely disappeared as if they’d never existed.Finally, it was time for me to leave.
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