Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 125

I couldn’t say anything for a long time.

My lips were slightly parted, but only shaky breaths escaped.

Even though I was living through this moment, I couldn’t make sense of it.

But unlike me, the young master seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

His beautiful green eyes flickered as if realizing something, then slowly curved into a smile.

His lips parted wide in a grin—only to snap shut in an instant.

I was more shocked by his expression than by our too-close distance.

I had seen his face countless times, but I had never seen him look like this before.

He looked… so happy that he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“So, up to this point… it’s okay?”

At some point, rain had begun pouring outside.

The heavy raindrops pounded against the roof and windows of the carriage, sending a sharp chill through my skin.

“Then next—”

That sentence snapped me out of my daze.

I suddenly remembered—

When I was younger, I once played a prank with my older brother, Robert, at the trading company.

We accidentally knocked an expensive fabric onto the floor, then tried to smooth it out and put it back.

But our mother had sharp eyes.

She immediately noticed.

Back then, I ran.

I ran down the stairs from the top floor of the trading house to the ground floor—without stopping for even a second.

And now, I wanted to run even more.

…I need to get out of here.

My mind, which had been in chaos, now had only one clear thought.

“Enough with the jokes.”

I wasn’t sure if my voice cracked or broke when I said that.

It was probably one or the other.

I didn’t remember.

Luckily, the carriage had stopped.

I hated getting wet in the rain, but this wasn’t the time to worry about something like that.

I was about to jump out, push through the storm, and run to the mansion.

I barely managed to get those words out, opened the carriage window, and reached for the door—

But he followed right after me.

“Lobel!”

Then, suddenly—

The rain stopped.

Or rather, it stopped falling on me.

The heavy raindrops curved around my body, falling everywhere except where I stood.

‘Does he even care if people see him using his powers recklessly?!’

Worried that someone might notice, I turned back in alarm—

Only to see the young master, completely unbothered.

Unlike me, who was anxiously scanning my surroundings, he was calmly removing his coat and walking toward me.

His warm coat, still heated from his body, was draped over my head.

His large uniform coat wrapped protectively around my shoulders and waist.

But that wasn’t the problem.

I was utterly speechless.

‘He said he was sensitive to the cold… but he looks perfectly fine.’

His hands weren’t trembling at all.

Everything he said had been a complete lie.

It was absurd.

I never imagined that the young master—the one I trusted most—would grow up to be as shameless as the Duke.

‘No… this might be worse than the Duke.’

At least the Duke was ruthless and cold, but he didn’t play these kinds of childish mind games.

And worst of all—

He knew I hated seeing people in pain… and he still lied to me like this.

That shamelessness made me furious.

My anger and sense of betrayal rose higher than the sound of the rain.

“Why did you lie to me?”

His golden hair was plastered to his forehead, water dripping down his face.

He looked more forlorn than usual.

His shirt was so wet it was nearly see-through, clinging uncomfortably to his skin.

He looked cold and miserable.

But I didn’t dry him off.

I didn’t tell him to go inside.

For once, I just stared at him with cold eyes.

A long silence passed.

But the young master didn’t answer.

He didn’t move.

I had no idea what he was thinking.

And that was infuriating.

Because even in this situation, I was still worrying about him.

I hated myself for it.

I couldn’t stop wondering—

What if he caught a cold?

What if he was forcing himself to endure this weather, even though he always hated cold days?

No matter how furious I was, those thoughts kept poking at my mind.

It was as natural as breathing—worrying about him.

‘Damn it. I’m a fool.’

I was angry at him, but I was even angrier at myself.

My patience finally snapped.

“Why aren’t you answering me?”

“You were speaking just fine earlier, but now you’re suddenly silent?”

I had always hated hurting others.

I also hated being hurt.

And because I knew how sensitive the young master was, I had always been careful with my words around him.

But this time, I couldn’t hold back.

“Do you not have a mouth? Answer me.”

“..…”

“I said, answer me.”

“…Because I was scared.”

I was speechless.

There was no way he was telling the truth.

His expression didn’t match his words at all.

He wasn’t shaking or looking afraid.

If anything—

He looked like someone who had made up his mind and was simply waiting.

“I was so scared of you back then, Lobel.”

That only made it feel like another cruel joke.

‘If you were really afraid of me, you wouldn’t have lied to me.’

Without another word, I turned my back on him and walked toward the mansion doors.

Even as I walked, the world around me was drenched in rain—yet not a single drop touched me.

The only thing that got wet was the coat the young master had draped over my shoulders.

It was his power, effortlessly shielding me as he followed behind.

Even the coat’s inner lining was warm and dry, as if he had used some trick to keep it that way.

But I wasn’t happy about it.

If anything, I was terrified—worried someone would see and figure out what he really was.

But the young master seemed completely unconcerned.

In the end, I couldn’t take it anymore. I spun around mid-step and shouted.

“Stop it! Ah… seriously. Ugh! I told you to stop using that power!”

But this time, he pretended not to hear me.

Instead, he shamelessly said whatever he wanted.

“I told you I’d hold an umbrella over you.”

“And what did I say? I said no! Didn’t I?”

“And I said no to you, too. You expect me to just stand there and watch you get drenched?”

I gritted my teeth in frustration.

‘Since when did he start ignoring everything I say? He used to be an angel… Who ruined him like this?’

It wasn’t Rimson or Arif, that was for sure.

Were there weirdos at the garrison??

Cursing some unknown culprit in my mind, I turned back to him, my voice dripping with irritation.

“I quit. I’m done being your attendant.”

“Alright, let’s do that.”

“…?”

I froze.

That wasn’t the reaction I expected.

I turned my head, only to find him completely serious—not a hint of a smile on his face.

Standing at the entrance of the mansion, rain dripping from his golden hair, he shook off the water carelessly and said:

“I never liked it either.”

…What?

Was he insulting me right now?

Did he know how good I was at my job?!

I glared at him, but he boldly continued.

“Why should you serve anyone, Lobel? If anything, you should be the one being served.”

I had been his attendant all this time, yet somehow he looked wronged.

His expression twisted in frustration, as if he was the one who had suffered.

He even went as far as to scold me, telling me to never do such exhausting work again.

And then—just like that—he started following me up to the second floor.

What was he even doing?

How had he changed this much?!

“Butler, you heard that, right?”

Then…

Tracy.

That was his name, right?

“Our lord has declared that Lobel is to be served.”

A knight who had been following like a lost puppy spoke from behind us.

He was clearly speaking to Wayne, who stood by the entrance, but his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

The young master included.

I didn’t even have to turn around to see his reaction.

I felt it.

“…You’re saying you’re going to assign someone other than me to stay by Lobel’s side all day?”

Tracy, sensing the shift in mood, subtly clasped his hands behind his back and lowered his head toward the floor.

It was a habitual movement, as if he had done this many times before.

I watched the scene unfold, my thoughts jumbled.

Just then, one of his men approached him.

“My lord, we’ve found it.”

“…”

The young master’s gaze lingered on me, lost in thought.

Then, as soon as the report ended, he turned to me.

“Rest for now.”

And with that, he left—not returning for the rest of the night.

And I… was left running in circles inside my own mind.
At first, I wondered, why is he acting like this?

Then, I blamed my own carelessness.

Because in the end…

I was the one who approached him first.

I was the one who treated him differently.

So it was only natural that he misunderstood our relationship.

Even my older brother, Robert, had thrown tantrums as a kid, refusing to be separated from his childhood friend.

So, in a way, it made sense.

But regardless of the reason—

I was grateful he was out tonight.

He might return late, but if he was exhausted, he’d go straight to sleep.

That’s why I quietly asked Fedric for help and began my final preparations.

To be honest, I had been getting ready for this for a while.

There wasn’t much left to pack.

I lifted my gaze.

Two small travel bags sat before me.

 

 

 

****

 

 

Edric’s lips twisted as he finally grasped the clue he had been searching for.

“…A marriage, you say.”

In his hand was an Imperial Relocation Application—one that Lobel had prepared in advance.

Lobel had lied, knowing full well that the truth would come out eventually.

For the past twenty years, Edric had investigated every person who entered the empire from Wins and those who had traveled to Velikan.

But not a single person around Lobel’s age had matched.

Lobel had planned to leave the country completely, using some ridiculous excuse that wasn’t even true.

As if running away after committing a crime.

It was nothing like Lobel.

‘And this… what is this?’

One of his men had taken a letter from Fedric yesterday.

It was a list filled with names of noble ladies.

Most of them had their full names written, but if the name was missing, then at least their family crest or signature outfit was noted.

At first, he hadn’t understood what it was.

But then he realized—

It was a list of women he absolutely must not marry.

The moment Edric saw it, he nearly burned it on the spot.

If Lobel had something to say, he could have handed it to him directly.

Why on earth had he given it to someone with a name similar to his instead?

When Edric asked if Lobel had held hands with that bastard while giving him the letter, his subordinate swore that wasn’t the case.

But judging by the way the guy looked flustered, they must have spent a long time together, talking in close proximity.

Edric clenched his teeth.

‘Lobel… you care about me too. You want to stay by my side.
So why… why do you keep trying to leave me?’

It wasn’t just him who needed to be honest.

Lobel did too.

That he was actually a woman.

That for some reason, he had been forced to hide his identity just to serve him.

That truth was something he deserved to hear.

‘How far are you planning to lie…?’

But before he could say anything, Lobel threw fuel onto his already burning fury.

“A carriage is scheduled to depart tonight under the servant Fedric’s name, heading for the border.”