Surviving As An Obsessive Servant – Chapter 121

Author: Asternkm

I took in every detail of the lavishly decorated banquet hall.

This was a rare sight—one I probably wouldn’t get to see again.

Meanwhile, Delilah was already acting as the perfect host.

She stood in the center of the hall, greeting nobles alongside her fiancé—a handsome young man with silver hair.

Unlike when she was with me, she carried herself with elegance and maturity.

Seeing that made me proud, so every time our eyes met, I gave her a thumbs-up.

She looked like she was about to rush over, so I quickly mouthed, Later. Let’s talk after this.

Delilah whispered something to her fiancé while pointing at me.

Then the two of them exchanged glances and laughed at some private joke.

Even from afar, they looked completely smitten.

Ah… young love.

Meanwhile, most of the noble ladies in the hall had their eyes fixed on the young master, admiration shining in their gazes.

Seeing that made me instinctively puff up with pride.

Of course, our young master grew up to be the kind of man you’d fall for at first sight.

A few young women also looked at the Crown Prince with lovestruck eyes—

But they quickly turned away.

After all, his fiancée, Uriel Holthausen, was present.

“Cough, cough… May the goddess’s blessing be with you.”

A frail-looking woman with a pale, sickly complexion approached.

The Crown Prince, who had been chatting with Delilah, immediately stiffened.

Before he ever developed feelings for the young master, he had already had a fiancée.

She was his childhood friend, if I remember correctly…

“Uriel, I told you to rest. Our brother was supposed to escort you.”

“I… Cough, cough. I’m sorry.”

“Uriel, if you stay here any longer, it’ll only make things worse. Go get some rest.”

“Yes… Cough, cough.”

Watching her, I started to understand why the Crown Prince had turned his attention toward the young master.

Her thin shoulders, her weary face—

They reminded me of how the young master used to look.

Especially her flushed cheeks, her anxious eyes that flickered with uncertainty—

She looked just like him back then.

The Crown Prince escorted her away, nodding at Edric before leaving.

Delilah sighed, her expression filled with concern.

I stood frozen, watching the hallway where Uriel had disappeared.

“…..”

Before meeting her in person, I had thought of her as just another side character.

But the way she had looked at the Crown Prince…

It made me feel uneasy.

Uriel truly loved the Crown Prince and Delilah.

That’s why she had pushed herself to come here despite her condition.

But her fate was already set in stone.

It’s too cruel… No one should just be expected to die.

Especially someone so kind and delicate.

Clenching my fists, I swallowed back my frustration.

If I hadn’t returned to the past, I would have ended up just like her—

Dying helplessly.

How is that fair…?

Then, suddenly, I overheard something that made me freeze.

“…At least the new medicine was developed in time.”

“Yes, that was a relief. It could have been disastrous otherwise.”

“Right? I heard Lady Uriel is slowly recovering thanks to it.”

A new medicine? That’s impossible…

I was genuinely shocked.

Uriel’s illness was different from mine and Edric’s, but it was still a rare disease.

Since so few people suffered from it, hardly any scholars researched a cure, and no one was willing to invest in it.

In the original story, Holthausen had poured a fortune into research, but nothing had ever come of it.

So why now…?

“I believe the trading company funding the development was called… Elkatan?”

Elkatan.

Even amidst the chatter, music, and chaos of the banquet, that name stood out clearly.

Elkatan was a trading company that had recently partnered with us.

Bigger than Hornet…

But why would they invest in rare disease research?

A trading company’s goal was profit.

And developing medicine for rare diseases wasn’t exactly profitable.

I’m glad Uriel has hope now, but… something doesn’t add up…

Just as I was lost in thought, the nobles around me continued their conversations.

And then—

Another strange detail surfaced.

“I heard the medicine is already circulating in the black market, too.”

“…Really? So it’s been fully developed?”

Wait—what?

I felt my stomach twist.

Why is a newly developed medicine already on the black market?

Something wasn’t right.

And I needed to find out what was going on.

That made it even stranger.

A trading company’s goal is profit.

But developing medicine—especially for a rare disease—wasn’t exactly profitable.

I’m really glad Uriel has hope now, but… something about this feels off…

Meanwhile, next to me, another conversation was happening.

“Um, Young Master, do you have any hobbies you enjoyed while you were away?”

It was less of a conversation and more of a rapid-fire Q&A session.

“What do you like the most? Ah! I remember you were amazing at the hunting festival. Is it hunting, by any chance?”

The noble ladies surrounding the young master looked like they were ready to grab weapons and charge into the forest with him if he said yes.

I held back a laugh.

Well, the young master was at the perfect age for marriage.

No official engagement talks had started yet.

He was rich, good-looking, kind, and had the Imperial family’s favor…

Honestly, the ideal groom.

Even a girl who looked about ten years younger blushed like she was seeing her first love.

Setting aside my thoughts on the medicine for now, I instinctively moved closer to the young master.

I wanted to thoroughly examine his potential suitors.

Even if it’s not the Crown Prince, my young master deserves to meet someone wonderful and be happy.

If any troublemakers from the original story—or worse, manipulative schemers—tried to get close, I would make sure to drive them away.

So, I started memorizing the faces and expressions of the noble ladies who seemed interested.

“Hobbies.”

Unlike their excitement, the young master’s response was dry.

He didn’t return any of their eager looks with even the slightest warmth.

I nodded to myself.

Yeah, our young master is a tough one to impress.

Even when choosing his attendants, he had extremely high standards.

And given that he ultimately picked me, it just proved his impeccable judgment—

“Lobel. What was my hobby again?”

“…?”

I was caught off guard.

Barely a few seconds had passed, and suddenly, I realized every noble lady was staring at me with burning anticipation.

Whatever I said next—they were going to believe it wholeheartedly.

I wasn’t sure why I was the one answering, but at this point, I had no choice.

“Ah… Yes. Our young master enjoys transcribing and reading.”

Truthfully, if I had to categorize his hobbies, there weren’t that many.

But from what I could recall, this was one of the few things he actually did frequently.

“He especially liked poetry and history books.”

“Oh my, how sophisticated!”

“And…”

As I spoke, memories of his younger self flashed in my mind, making me smile without realizing it.

I used to catch glimpses of him sitting in the garden after meals, quietly admiring the scenery.

He never admitted it, but he did that every single day.

But I didn’t want to mention that here.

“Swordsmanship. He enjoys training as well.”

That sweet, childhood version of him—that was a memory I wanted to keep just for myself.

“Oh my! He really is perfect, isn’t he?”

“Then… do you still enjoy the same hobbies, my lord?”

Even I couldn’t answer that easily.

People’s interests changed all the time, and I hadn’t seen him in years.

I couldn’t just make assumptions.

While I was carefully choosing my words, the young master suddenly spoke.

“I’m the same as I was before. Oh, and I had a special game I used to play with my attendant.”

Without warning, he grabbed my hand and held it up for everyone to see.

…Wait. What’s he—

Then—

Press.

He kissed the back of my hand.

I was too stunned to react.

“…Huh?”

I couldn’t even breathe properly, my lips slightly parted in shock.

“A game like this,” he said casually.

“……”

Unfortunately, his timing was impeccable.

At that exact moment, the music had paused between songs, leaving the entire hall in complete silence.

In the absence of any noise, the distinct sound of his lips pressing against my hand echoed across the hall twice.

Naturally, every single noble in the room turned to look.

I locked eyes with a few of them—

They all looked completely shocked.

Mouths open. Eyes wide.

Meanwhile, the young master suddenly let out a thoughtful hum, as if he had just remembered something important.

“Ah, Lobel. Come to think of it… You used to do this for me all the time, but lately, you’ve stopped.”

He sighed, as if genuinely disappointed.

Then, in a low voice, he whispered to me,

“No matter how busy you are… make sure you put ointment on me when we get back.”

****

The rumor that the heir of Denkart enjoyed the company of men. And that he had introduced a partner at the princess’s banquet, was spreading across the entire empire like wildfire.

For the vassals of Denkart, it was an absolute disaster.

The prestigious reputation they had worked so hard to maintain was now being tarnished.

Meanwhile, the nobility found the whole situation fascinating.

Some gossipers even speculated that the heir had once harbored feelings for the princess, and upon learning of her engagement, had fallen into such deep despair that he lost himself completely.

Of course, there were nobles who took lovers outside of marriage, but that was something done after an engagement or wedding had been secured.

The ones suffering the biggest headache, however, were the duke’s two advisors.

“We must fix this.”

The scandal had erupted only shortly after the heir’s return.

They had no time to prepare for it.

More importantly, an unmarried heir—who wasn’t even officially engaged—could not afford to be caught up in such rumors.

Adding fuel to the fire was not an option.

So, they needed Edric to set the record straight.

But this was beyond something they could handle alone.

This time, they desperately needed the duke’s authority.

Both advisors turned to the duke, silently pleading for him to intervene.

But as always, his response was indifferent.