Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

Everyone held their breath, focusing on the meeting between the two men.The presence of these key figures was overwhelming.On top of that, Edric had once been rumored to be engaged to Princess Delilah, the Crown Prince’s only sister.The princess had frequently visited the Denkart estate before Edric left…Of course, she was visiting to see me

, but the nobles didn’t know that.So when Edric suddenly left, some nobles gossiped about how irresponsible he was. It was obvious what kind of assumptions the nobles would make seeing these two together now.But the two men didn’t give them anything to fuel those assumptions.Crown Prince Louis smiled casually and offered Edric a handshake, and Edric took his hand without hesitation.The up-and-down shake was plain, even stiff.‘…That’s strange.’Watching from behind, I felt a little confused.It was better than when he shook hands with Manellano, but the whole exchange felt formal and rigid, rather than warm or emotional.‘I don’t think it was like this in the original story.’There was supposed to be a hint of tension or sentiment, but the only people feeling tense were the nobles watching—and me.Maybe Edric was angry because of the Denkart curse. If you think about it, all his hardships were caused by the royal family.I was making these guesses, but the two men continued their conversation calmly.“…Thanks for protecting it. I’ll move forward with the deal now. As promised, I’ll see that the law gets revised.”Crown Prince Louis spoke just loud enough for me, standing a step behind, to barely hear.‘What law?’I felt suspicious as soon as I heard it.There was nothing Edric needed to personally request from the Crown Prince.If it was something related to Denkart’s affairs, the Duke or the retainers would handle it.Especially if it was something as important as a legal matter…“That’s no longer necessary.”“…It’s not necessary?”When Edric answered firmly, Crown Prince Louis furrowed his brows like he couldn’t believe it.Then he glanced between me and Edric… Why me?Wait, the Crown Prince knew I was standing behind him? Should I… greet him since we’ve met before?As I stood there, flustered and unsure, he winked at me as if saying hello, then spoke again, more easily this time.“Alright. I don’t know what made you change your mind, but I’ll do as you wish. I’ll send the rest in a letter.”“Yes.”As I had suspected, Edric didn’t seem to hold any resentment toward the Crown Prince despite knowing about the Denkart curse.They talked freely about ways to stay in contact and when they’d meet again.With the unexpectedly easy atmosphere between the two of them, the quiet around us started to lift.‘Hmm… So this is how their relationship develops.’The musicians resumed playing, and the nobles started chatting, gathering around the two men.Nobles who had been waiting for a chance to greet them began approaching one by one once their conversation seemed to wrap up. Edric greeted them smoothly and confidently.Watching his broad back from behind felt strange in a bittersweet way.I was incredibly proud, but it also felt unfamiliar… And that black uniform suits him so well. For some reason, I felt grateful to the Duke who had redesigned the uniforms in his generation.It was quite a while before we finally got the chance to talk to Edric. When he looked at us, his face still held the same polite smile he’d used with the nobles.Actually, it didn’t even feel like he really looked at us.His gaze briefly brushed over Brother Rimson and me before Edric spoke in a low voice.“Rimson, take him to the carriage and wait.”At first, I didn’t think I was the one he meant by “take him.”But when Brother Rimson gently shook my shoulder, telling me to head to the carriage, I realized I was the one he was talking about.‘…Huh?’By the time I snapped out of it, Edric had already turned his attention back to the nobles.For a moment, I felt a bit shocked.‘…I thought he didn’t see me, but he did.’It was clear he knew I was there. But unlike what I had expected, his face didn’t show even a hint of happiness at seeing me.Not even a little bit of friendliness. He didn’t even say my name.I was so caught off guard I couldn’t move right away.I had imagined this reunion so many times, but I had never pictured it going like this.‘He didn’t even greet me, didn’t say my name, didn’t make eye contact… He hasn’t forgotten my name, has he?’As Brother Rimson pulled me along, following Edric’s orders, all sorts of thoughts ran through my head.The cool night breeze brushed against my flushed cheeks, and I finally snapped back to reality.Slowly, the embarrassment started to settle in.Maybe… maybe I was the only one who thought we were unusually close all this time.Thinking about it, it wasn’t that strange. Even I don’t remember people I was briefly close to as a kid.And Edric only spent about a year with me before we were separated for over ten years… Expecting him to treat me the same as before was probably unreasonable.Brother Rimson knew well how much I’d been wondering about how Edric had grown up over the years.So maybe that’s why he tried to comfort me when he saw how down I was.“Don’t be too upset. There’s probably a reason for it. He’s got a lot on his mind.”“It’s fine. There’s no reason to be upset in the first place. It’s a good thing for me, really.”Most importantly, we had our health back, and Edric was about to receive his title.The Crown Prince would ascend the throne soon, and the two of them would find love as the story intended.It was all as planned, and I knew my role as an extra ended here.If it weren’t for the curse, I would’ve left a long time ago… Thinking that, I tried to calm my sinking mood.There was no need to feel hurt by Edric. But there was still something bothering me, so I decided to ask Brother Rimson.The law the Crown Prince mentioned to Edric earlier kept nagging at me.But before I could ask, Brother Rimson suddenly opened the carriage door. I had to shut my mouth without asking.Because standing right outside the open door—without making a sound—was Edric.“Ahem. My stomach hurts, so I’ll go elsewhere.”Seriously, brother…With that ridiculous excuse, Brother Rimson slipped away by himself.The sudden awkwardness left me completely flustered.I mean, he doesn’t even remember my name—what was I supposed to say…?‘Of all days… Why aren’t those other two attendants here today…?’If anyone had set out to make me feel awkward and embarrassed, they had succeeded perfectly.As I stood there, stiff and unsure, Edric stepped into the carriage.Then he sat down right next to me.‘Well, this has always been the spot where he sat before.’I quickly adjusted and sat across from him.Back then, I would’ve stuck right next to him to help with his recovery, but there was no need for that now.More than anything, it felt awkward and embarrassing…Luckily, Edric didn’t say anything else. But his long legs, slightly crossed, kept lightly brushing against mine.As I tried to pull my legs further back into the seat, a sigh-laced voice broke the silence.“I’m sorry, Lobel.”It was unexpected.Edric hadn’t done anything wrong… Wait. He remembered my name?Surprised, I quickly looked up, and there it was—an awkward expression on his face.A bitter smile lingered at the corner of his lips, the kind that tugs at your heart.“Earlier… I was a bit tense, so I couldn’t even greet you properly.”Hearing the sincerity in his words, the hurt I’d felt earlier melted away like it had never been there.Of course…This was the Edric I knew. Always thoughtful, even about the smallest things.I felt embarrassed for even expecting him to acknowledge me in such a formal, public place.Scratching my flushed cheek, I let out an awkward laugh.“Ah… haha. It’s fine. You’ve just gotten back after a long time. That’s understandable.”At that, Edric gave me a soft smile in return.Though things were still a bit awkward, I could look at him with a much lighter heart.But seeing him up close, the changes were truly surprising.First, those broad shoulders and his overall build… This was definitely different from how the original story described him.‘I mean, how were his shoulders ever described as delicate? His arms and thighs are far from slender.’Overall, he seemed much more masculine than the novel had portrayed. His face was the only part that resembled the young Edric I knew, making him feel like a completely different person.Because of that, I found it hard to speak, even though I had so much I wanted to say.The strange tension and awkwardness thickened once the carriage door closed.I couldn’t help but feel a surge of resentment toward Brother Rimson. If only he were still here…‘…Brother Rimson, seriously. You think ditching me fixes everything?’The carriage started moving, and for a while, only the rattling sound of the wheels filled the silence.As I sat there with an awkward smile, Edric suddenly broke the silence.“That’s new.”…What was he talking about?I didn’t understand right away.Just like Edric had changed, a lot had changed inside the carriage too.Was he talking about the embroidered cushions? Or maybe the carpet on the floor…?But then, I noticed his gaze was fixed on my hands, neatly resting on my lap.Following his eyes, I looked down and let out a quiet ‘Ah.’The wristwatch.It was a gift from Evo for my birthday, the first one after he became the head of the trading company.It must’ve been expensive if Edric noticed it right away. As expected, he had a sharp eye for quality.Impressed by Edric’s attention to detail, I spoke, a bit late.“Brother Evo gave it to me as a birthday present. You remember him, right? He stayed with us briefly ten years ago.”“…I remember.”“Yeah. He finally became the head of Hornet Trading Company. Isn’t that amazing? Oh, he was at the banquet earlier too. Did you get a chance to greet him?”“No.”Edric shook his head with a silent smile.I had been excitedly talking since we were both familiar with the topic, but after finishing, I felt a little uneasy.Hornet Trading was an enormous company, and becoming its head was a huge achievement. But Edric didn’t seem particularly surprised.Suddenly, I wondered if maybe Edric already knew that Ivo had joined Hornet Trading.‘Well, with how good he is at gathering information, that wouldn’t be surprising.’I brushed it off easily.“Those glasses—did Manellano give them to you?”“Ah… yes.”Once again, I was impressed by Edric’s sharp eye.He must’ve noticed the initials of the craftsman connected to the Stell family engraved on the glasses’ frame.I silently praised Edric in my heart, thinking, He really is the best, but then he murmured in a slightly different tone.“But… you’re not using any of the gifts I gave you.”“……”“I put a lot of thought into picking them out. I guess you didn’t like them, Lobel.”Before Edric left, he had celebrated my birthday in advance with a pile of gifts—watches, belts, pens, and more.They were all expensive and precious things I could never afford in my lifetime.Of course, I loved them, but they felt too valuable for someone like me, who worked in a basement doing manual labor.Besides, I always felt guilty around Edric, so accepting more gifts felt like adding a rock to an already heavy heart.“Well… I’m sorry. I was saving them.”“I see.”Edric nodded smoothly. A faint smile still hovered on his pale face.But… something felt off.His mouth was smiling, but his eyes weren’t… His gentle voice and soft expression somehow felt… angry.What the…? Was there something wrong with my glasses?