Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

Alexis suddenly lifted his head.Was it because the date of his son’s return, whom he had sent to the battlefield, was approaching?Out of nowhere, he remembered him as a child.[ I will do as you wish. ]

His son’s youthful image glared coldly at the duke.Then, just like on the day he left ten years ago, he repeated the promise he had made in this very spot.[ And I will break the curse that binds our family… So, let me have what I want. ]At the time, Alexis had readily agreed. So Edric endured a sacrifice with no promise of return.He hadn’t told Lobel, but Edric had suffered multiple injuries there, even facing life-threatening situations.And there was something else he hadn’t revealed.‘…….’His eyes, behind his glasses, slowly lowered to the desk drawer.Even without opening it, he knew it was filled with letters. After all, he was the one who had intercepted all the letters Lobel had sent.But this had been agreed upon in advance with Edric.In fact, Edric had asked for it first.He wanted to protect Lobel.[ If Lobel tries to send me letters… intercept them and keep them aside. ]Edric wanted to make it look like his ties with Lobel had been completely severed.If he made a name for himself on the battlefield, the emperor—like an old fox—would become obsessed with keeping an eye on Denkart.Not just the emperor. Countless nobles and enemies would be watching.If that happened, Lobel could become a target. Edric wanted to prevent any trouble in advance.Hearing his son’s request, Alexis had been quite pleased.‘He knows how to think ahead… He’ll grow into someone useful.’The fear and hesitation he had first seen on that young face were gone. Instead, there was confidence—an expectation of his own success.And as it turned out, Alexis’s only child had grown up well.Even beyond expectations, he had achieved such great things that every citizen of the empire held him in awe.But if asked whether Alexis was satisfied with his son in every way, the answer was no.“Hm-hmm… Duke, I’m here.”Crimson stood at the door, looking awkward despite his large build. Ever since he had become the duke’s loyal servant, he had always been like that.At least now, he could manage to meet his eyes.That alone told the duke that his previous orders had been carried out.‘It worked.’Unlike Lobel, who was blatantly shameless, Crimson couldn’t even make eye contact if he failed a task.His strict nature had made it easy to win him over.[ It’s for Edric. ]As expected, those words alone had been enough to make Crimson follow the duke’s orders.After all, he still went around boasting that Edric had saved his life when he was about to be beheaded by a barbarian’s axe. He was simple to control.At least he was better than Lobel, who only pretended to cooperate while scheming with the head of the Hornet Merchant Guild.Lately, Lobel had been making excuses to leave the estate, which was… suspicious and annoying in many ways.Alexis had long tried to uncover the real reason Lobel wanted to change citizenship and move to another country, but even that remained a mystery. It was infuriating.At that moment, Crimson hesitated, then carefully asked, as if still worried about Lobel.“I told Lobel it was an errand for you, so he agreed to help. And I haven’t said anything else, but… Are you really sending him to the capital?”“You saw the invitation with the imperial seal yourself.”“Even so… Is it really safe there?”Alexis silently gave him a cold stare, making Crimson flinch. But he didn’t leave.If left alone, he might say something unnecessary to Lobel.To prevent that hassle, the duke spoke, which was rare for him.“He’s ignored even the emperor’s summons. This is the only way to make him move.”Alexis’s brows furrowed as he spoke firmly.In truth, it wasn’t just Lobel who was troublesome. Edric was, too.It hadn’t been made public, but for years, the emperor had repeatedly summoned Edric.When he couldn’t return, the emperor even sent a decree asking him to stop by the capital to be honored.But Edric never responded. He was deliberately ignoring it. And the emperor, realizing this, was growing increasingly irritated.Finally, a way to break this soul-crushing curse was in sight, but his only son couldn’t even manage to please the emperor…With a look of frustration, Alexis glanced down at the golden letter on his desk.The latest decree was an invitation to a welcoming ceremony.Though disguised as a celebration, it was really a test of Edric’s loyalty.Anyone cursed like them was expected to accept it without hesitation.So Alexis decided to use Lobel.“Send a carrier pigeon to Edric. Tell him Lobel is going to the capital.”If it was her, even a war demon like Edric would move.   ****  After receiving the urgent message, Edric quickly regained his composure.There were only four weeks left until his return.He had endured nearly 520 weeks here—four more were nothing.Besides, handling this situation was simple.He would have his men verify the truth and then check with Lobel directly.And if some fool dared to take his precious servant away, he would deal with them himself.Edric put the matter aside.He was no longer a nine-year-old child. He was the heir of a noble house and the commander of this battlefield.Even with his return confirmed, there were still things to take care of here.He couldn’t lose focus until the very end. That was his duty to the people who had risked their lives alongside him.Seeing his usual reliable demeanor, his men seemed reassured.So, by the end of the day, the urgent message was treated as nothing more than a small incident. Some even found it amusing that they got to see a rare, more human side of their lord.But starting that night, Edric couldn’t sleep properly.  ****   After tossing and turning all night, he finally dozed off just before dawn.And as soon as his consciousness faded, he dreamed of Lobel.It wasn’t unusual.Since he hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in years, he rarely dreamed. But when he did, it was always about Lobel.The Lobel in his dreams was always the same.No matter how much he had grown—tall enough that people barely recognized him anymore—Lobel still embraced and comforted him just like before.In those moments, even the Edric in his dreams unconsciously allowed himself to be childish.But this time was different.Not only did he not seek comfort, but at first, he didn’t even recognize Lobel standing right in front of him.‘……?’Maybe it was because of the height that now reached his shoulder, the long silver hair cascading down to the waist, or the face that had become more slender over the years.Or maybe it was because of the pure white dress, completely different from before.At first, he thought it was someone else entirely.It was only after a while that he realized it was Lobel—thanks to the bright smile that lit up his view.When expressionless, her features had always looked sharp and serious. But now, they transformed into the familiar, cherished face he had missed. Even if her features had changed slightly, she was still the same.And then, he heard the gentlest voice he had ever known.[ Young Master. ]That’s when he knew for sure.‘It really is Lobel.’Seeing how much she had grown made him feel strangely unsettled.It was like a thousand butterflies were fluttering inside him.It had been a long time since he felt this way, but it was a familiar sensation.He used to feel it every night, lying awake and waiting for her to return at dawn. Even when he pretended to sleep under the blankets, listening to her quiet humming, he had felt it.But now, even though this was just a dream, the feeling was stronger than ever.It must have been because his return was so close.Edric awkwardly tried to return Lobel’s bright smile with one of his own.A clumsy expression he would never show to anyone else.But with Lobel, it was okay.However, before he could even say her name, Lobel suddenly spoke.[ I’m getting married. ][ ……! ]That was all. He didn’t even get to see her face again.[ Goodbye. ]She spun around so quickly it felt almost cruel.But that wasn’t the real problem.When he reached out, she had already taken the hand of another man—someone who had appeared out of nowhere.And with the warm, affectionate eyes Edric had once thought were meant only for him, she looked at that man.They even smiled at each other, as if sharing a happy secret.‘No!’Even though he knew it was just a dream, Edric did something foolish.He desperately called her name, begging her to wait, to stop.But Lobel ignored him. The man did too.It was as if they existed in an entirely different world, separate from him.And soon, the two of them disappeared—leaving Edric behind in utter despair.“……”Edric woke up, slowly opening his heavy eyelids.The dark tent ceiling swayed violently in the cold, harsh wind.Yet, despite the chill, his body was drenched in sweat.He didn’t even have the strength to sit up.When he finally managed to lift his arm, his fingers, wet with sweat, were trembling.This was the worst nightmare of his life—one he never wanted to have again.