Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 120

“You seem perfectly fine for someone who rejected every noble family’s invitation due to ‘severe travel fatigue,’ skipped a celebratory banquet, and ignored both my invitations and letters.”

Manellano walked toward the young master, his voice smooth and composed.

But beneath it, there was clear mockery and resentment.

Especially in his last words—I could feel the frustration behind them.

This time… yeah, I kind of got it.

Being left on read was infuriating. I understood how frustrating that was!

Even so, Manellano still kept his noble facade, flashing a charming smile as he continued,

“But truly, it’s a relief. Everyone was worried about you.”

“There was no need to worry.”

The young master smiled in response.

It was the perfect nobleman’s smile—graceful, polite, and entirely insincere.

“Oh, by the way, I heard the news. I’m glad to hear your engagement preparations are going well.”

His voice was full of fake relief—it was the kind of thing that would annoy anyone.

And then the young master went even further, saying something he normally never would.

“I also heard that you and your fiancée are still getting along. That’s wonderful news. I’ll be sure to send a gift when the wedding happens… Oh, wait. That’s right. You don’t have a fiancée, do you?”

“It’s not that I couldn’t get engaged. I chose not to. And you, of all people, should know why.”

Manellano bit out his response, clearly pissed off.

But the young master just gave him a calm, amused smile.

“Well, I wouldn’t know. I was never interested.”

“For someone who ‘isn’t interested,’ you sure went out of your way to block every visit to Denkart.”

It felt like sparks were literally flying through the air.

Then, the young master shifted his gaze toward the door.

A silent message.

Let’s just ignore him and go inside.

But of course, Manellano was too stubborn for that.

“Oh, Lobel. I saw you wearing the glasses I gave you. I didn’t think you’d still have them.”

…Seriously?

He was still milking that after all these years?

I appreciated the gift, but at this rate, he was going to bring it up at my grave.

Yeah… he was the kind of person who obsessed over one thing forever.

The young master smirked like he was mocking him.

“Yeah, you were useful for a while. But now, completely useless.”

“…And why is something I gave you useless?”

Manellano’s face turned red, like he had personally been insulted.

Seeing that, the young master smiled triumphantly.

It was… honestly, a little mean.

Then, in an infuriatingly cheerful voice, he said,

“Lobel. Take out the glasses.”

I hesitated.

I knew exactly what the young master was trying to do.

He wanted to prove to Manellano that I didn’t use them anymore.

But even knowing that… I didn’t move.

I mean… even I wouldn’t feel great if I gave someone a gift and they never used it.

And Manellano’s eyes—he genuinely believed I still had them.

Not that I wanted his expectations, but… it was a bit much to just crush them outright.

It wasn’t about taking sides—I just didn’t want to hurt anyone.

Maybe I should just say I didn’t have them right now and move on.

“Oh, Lobel. You’re hesitating because you don’t want to pull them out in front of just anyone, right?”

The young master’s voice turned strange.

“After all, people always hide what’s truly precious to them.”

…Had he always been this petty?

I raised him well—so who had he learned this from? Where had he picked up this behavior?!

Then, as if to make it worse, he murmured,

“Lobel always said that people who like each other start to look alike. I guess we really do, huh?”

He smiled brightly.

“You even told me that yourself—while touching me in my room.”

That was… that was just me messing around back then…

The atmosphere became even colder.

No matter how sunny the weather was, the air felt tense.

“You two seem very close.”

Cutting through the tension, a warm, smooth voice interrupted.

“…And seeing that makes me happy too.”

…Great.

Now that I was standing next to the main character, the other leads were showing up like flies.

Coming toward us with his signature dazzling smile—

Was Crown Prince Louis.

“…May the goddess’s blessing be with you, Your Highness.”

Even Manellano, who looked absolutely furious, straightened up and greeted him.

One by one, we all bowed to the prince.

Everyone except the young master.

Instead of greeting him, he simply watched me.

Not just watched—studied me.

Like he was trying to see through my soul.

I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I still felt guilty under that stare.

The prince, however, didn’t seem to mind.

Instead, he just smiled even brighter.

“This seems like it’ll be a long conversation. How about we continue over tea inside?”

At that moment, the young master suddenly grabbed my hand.

Then, with a firm voice, he finally greeted the prince.

“Edric Denkart and Lobel greet His Highness the Crown Prince.”

I flinched for a second.

…Wasn’t having one person greet royalty on behalf of another something only married couples did?

Even though I was thrown off, the Crown Prince didn’t seem to mind.

“Haha. You’re still the same, I see. Well then, let’s go inside.”

He laughed brightly and walked into the waiting room first, as if completely expecting us to follow.

He had instantly taken control of this entire mess—something I definitely couldn’t do.

I had to admit… he really was the main character.

Manellano, who had been grinding his teeth in frustration, turned to me with a villain-in-a-third-rate-play expression and glared, as if silently saying, “See you next time.” Then, he stormed off.

Thankfully, once we entered the room, the chaotic energy settled down.

To my surprise, the young master and the Crown Prince immediately started discussing business.

Most of it was about trade, so I could understand some of it… but some parts were way over my head.

I also kept hearing words that made me wonder if I should even be listening to this conversation.

Things like exclusive trading rights.

Is that why even Arif got sent away…?

Even the royal guards had been dismissed, meaning this was a confidential discussion.

Should I step out under the pretense of preparing tea?

But before I could even move, the young master spoke.

“Lobel, stay here.”

It was like he knew exactly what I was thinking.

“Yes, Lobel.”

The Crown Prince also called my name in a warm, understanding tone.

For some reason, the young master’s expression immediately turned colder.

But the Crown Prince didn’t seem to notice and continued the conversation.

I soon realized why the young master was so quick to pick up on my reactions.

Until now, I hadn’t noticed, but the entire time they had been talking—

He had been watching me.

Closely.

This feels like being monitored…

It was so intense that even after over eight years as a servant, I was struggling to act natural.

Honestly… standing in front of him was harder than dealing with the Duke at this point.

Though, it wasn’t as bad.

Because no matter how overwhelming he was, he was still my young master.

Meanwhile, the conversation didn’t last too long.

The Crown Prince brought up an issue, and the young master answered immediately.

…So this is what they call ‘perfect chemistry?’

In the original story, these two had so many scenes together, but never one like this.

It felt strange to watch.

Still, I felt a sense of pride—because the young master wasn’t just being dragged along.

In some parts of the discussion, he had the upper hand.

He handled every negotiation with flawless skill.

If he weren’t a noble, I would have hired him for our trading company in an instant.

It was an absurd thought, but I still found myself imagining it for a moment—

The young master working under me, learning the business. That would be adorable.

But before I could laugh at the ridiculous image—

His sharp gaze snapped toward me, as if silently demanding, “What’s so funny?”

I had been caught daydreaming at work.

So I quickly lowered my head in guilt.

And yet… for some reason, my scalp still felt like it was burning.

Of course, the young master would be strict even about this.

As expected of someone who managed his subordinates well…

After wrapping up business, the final topic of discussion was Delilah.

“Shall we head to the banquet hall now? She’s been looking forward to it.”

The Crown Prince’s words sounded like an invitation, but the way he spoke… it felt more like an order.

That was natural.

He had spent his entire life giving commands.

I silently prayed that the young master wouldn’t blindly follow along.

But instead of looking at the Crown Prince, he was looking at me.

The way he stared was so unusual that I actually flinched.

It was like he was searching for something in me.

…Why is he looking at me like that?

Just as we were staring at each other with completely different thoughts—

The Crown Prince took a sip of tea, then spoke.

“Hm. Lobel.”

“Ah, y-yes, Your Highness?”

I answered belatedly, making him chuckle.

Thankfully, he didn’t seem offended.

In fact, he looked thoroughly amused.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you for a favor. Would you accompany Delilah?”

“……”

“You already heard yesterday, didn’t you? She won’t be here for much longer.”

“…Ah. Yes, of course.”

With the Crown Prince personally requesting it, there was no way I could refuse.

Besides, I had no issues with the royal siblings.

Though I was slightly concerned about the young master’s reaction…

You’re okay with this, right?

I tried asking him with my eyes.

But he didn’t answer.

He simply stood up and started preparing to leave for the banquet hall.

And yet… his back looked different than usual.

It reminded me of the time he had left for the Northern Three Strongholds.

Like someone who had just made up their mind about something.