Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 139

The moment the young master began writing, all traces of his fear disappeared.

His elegant script flowed effortlessly, leaving behind smooth trails of ink.

At the top of the letter, he meticulously listed the names of research guilds heavily funded by Elkatan. Below that, he wrote a formal request, urging them to visit as soon as possible for an urgent matter.

The young master was not one to infuse his letters with emotion.

Yet, in every stroke, in every carefully chosen word, I could feel his sincerity—his desperation.

It was as if someone’s life depended on him sending this letter right away.

‘Idiot.’

Watching him, I let out a hollow laugh.

‘That ink dries almost instantly.’

How shaken must he have been to forget something so simple?

Even a man who rarely sweated was now breaking out in cold perspiration.

He acted as though if he didn’t fix this problem right now, he wouldn’t make it through the night.

Meanwhile, the person at the center of all this—me—was completely fine.

Yet the young master was anything but.

I couldn’t wrap my head around the absurdity of it.

It didn’t even feel real.

“So, I’ll send these out and—”

Even as he spoke, he continued moving for my sake.

With his emotions quickly composed, he called for his attendants waiting outside. He issued instructions with precision, ensuring everything was in motion.

I had lost count of how many times I let out a helpless laugh before the door finally closed behind them.

“I should have just wished for you to live a comfortable life on my birthday.”

“……”

“Instead of all this nonsense… Instead of wasting your time every month doing something no one will ever acknowledge.”

Hearing the sound of my laughter deflating like air escaping a balloon, the young master finally turned toward me.

And in an instant, he rushed over.

“Lobel. Are you in pain again?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Then why… why are you crying?”

His hands cupped my cheeks with the utmost care, his eyes brimming with concern.

Not even my parents had ever worried about me this much.

But the more he did, the more disgusted I felt with myself.

“Enough.”

“……”

“I said enough.”

When I swatted his hand away, he simply reached out again, gently wiping the tears from my face.

I pushed him away again.

And again, he brought a handkerchief to my cheek.

This pointless back-and-forth repeated several times.

Becoming a test subject for experimental drugs… That was far worse than this.

Both he and I had suffered enough with sickness to be sick of the very thought of it.

The young master, watching as I barely swallowed my sobs, spoke as if trying to soothe me.

“But, Lobel… It’s not all bad. Have you ever seen the names printed on the medicine I fund?”

“In this situation? Do you think I’d have looked?”

With my tear-streaked face, I shot him a glare.

Then, as if excited, he pulled something from his coat and held it up.

“Look. This is a newly developed drug.”

What could possibly be so important that he had to show me right now?

Wiping my stinging eyes with the back of my hand, I squinted at the small pill in his palm.

Its smooth surface bore the inscription “LB-0029.”

“The medicine I fund—it’s the same quality for nobles and commoners alike. The price, too.”

“……”

“Lobelia. Look. You saved so many lives.”

My chest caved in—not with relief, but with something heavier.

The young master had volunteered as a test subject for drugs that couldn’t even be tested on animals.

This pill was proof of his suffering.

I couldn’t bear to look at it.

Instead, I fixed my gaze on him.

“I… hate it.”

“……”

“I never wanted this. I’m not happy about it. Diffs aren’t immortal. They still feel pain.”

My lips, dry from the weight of my words, barely moved as I whispered my selfish truth.

“I don’t care about saving other people. I just don’t want you to be in pain.”

I grabbed the pill from his hand.

I had half a mind to throw it to the ground.

But in the end, I clenched it tightly in my fist.

This was the result of his suffering, his patience, his endurance.

How could I simply discard it?

“If something this dangerous had to be done… You should have let me do it instead. Why is it always you? Why do you always have to be the one to suffer? What did you ever do to deserve this… when the world is full of worse people than you?”

By the time I finished speaking, my voice had trembled to a stop against his chest.

Without hesitation, the young master pulled me into a firm embrace.

Holding me as if to absorb all my sorrow, he murmured “It’s okay” over and over again.

And even in his breath, I could hear the raw emotion behind it.

But… something was different.

Something felt off.

His breathing, steady against my hair, felt almost excited.

‘…What?’

For a brief moment, the overwhelming flood of anger and emotion inside me froze over like ice.

“What kind of pervert gets happy watching someone cry?”

I shoved his shoulders back and looked up at him.

There he was—biting his lip, his shoulders shaking as he tried (and utterly failed) to hold back laughter.

I glared at him icily, and yet he had the nerve to regain his composure and shamelessly declare,

“You care about me.”

“What?!”

“You care about me way more than anyone else does. Not even comparable.”

“That’s not the point!”

“You know what? You’re so kind that you even worry about the people who hurt you. But this is the first time I’ve ever heard you say that other people don’t matter.”

“…….”

“And it’s all because of me. Just me.”

His green eyes sparkled with an incomprehensible sense of satisfaction. Almost like… excitement.

…Was he happy?

Was he seriously enjoying this situation??

I hadn’t fully grasped it before, but at this moment, it hit me like a brick—Edric Denkart was still just a boy who had barely come of age.

Worse than my family’s greatest troublemaker, Robert Flor.

This Edric Denkart would throw away not just his noble house, but his own life, and still have the audacity to smile about it—just because it was for me.

‘How am I even supposed to have a conversation with someone like this?’

Swallowing down the sharp words that threatened to spill out, I let out a long, exhausted sigh.

And then, it dawned on me—

The weight of my earlier emotions had disappeared entirely.

That’s when I realized.

‘…He did this on purpose.’

The young master, who had long since figured me out, had deliberately lightened the mood—half joking, half serious—so I wouldn’t keep spiraling.

By making himself seem ridiculous, he made it easier for me to move on.

God, he’s so annoying.

He knew I was worried sick about him.

And yet.

Still.

Because of that, I was finally able to say what I had been meaning to say, without it breaking me apart.

“I’m sorry.”

“I told you, you don’t have to be. But since you apologized, I’ll gladly accept it.”

…Should I punch him?

I was seriously considering it.

Before I could act on that thought, I turned my gaze toward the wall and muttered,

“Thanks for forgiving me.”

“And thanks for worrying about me.”

“…….”

“And I won’t do it again.”

Yeah, right.

Based on his track record, there was no way I could trust that statement.

I shot him a skeptical glare, and he flinched slightly before quickly adding in a guilty tone,

“I mean it.”

“If that’s a lie, I swear I’ll never see you again.”

His eyes widened slightly at my sharp warning.

Looking genuinely troubled, he hesitated before mumbling,

“…Let me at least finish what I already started.”

 

 

 

****

 

 

That dawn, for the first time in my life, I witnessed a gathering of physicians so massive it felt unreal.

The former royal physician, hailed as a once-in-a-millennium medical genius.
His most treasured disciple, whom he valued more than his own children.
The current royal physician, who was no less renowned.

And beyond them—dozens of the greatest medical minds from all across the continent, all arriving one after another.

It was absurd.

The young master had insisted that I reveal I was a woman so I could receive a proper examination, but I recoiled in horror.

“Are you trying to make me die of guilt?”

Revealing to the world that the Denkart heir’s personal attendant had been a woman all along?
That was pure insanity.

He had already done more than enough for me—more than I could ever repay, even in a lifetime. I couldn’t cause any more trouble for him.

So, instead, I compromised.

I rolled up my loose-fitting trousers to the middle of my thigh and allowed the physicians to examine me that way.

“Happy now?”

“…Yeah.”

Though he nodded, the young master’s expression was anything but pleased.

Unbelievable.
I was only letting this slide because he was cute.

Outside, carriages carrying the famous physicians of Denkart and beyond continued to arrive at the front gate, their wheels grinding against the cobblestone.

Meanwhile, I sat in an overstuffed reclining chair, sinking into it like I was about to disappear.

Wayne had personally imported this chair with great ambition, and it was, in fact, softer and more comforting than a bed.

But at first, I was too tense to enjoy it.

I was on edge, worried that my secret would somehow be exposed.

Yet, by the tenth round of examinations, I had grown accustomed to it.
I was just tired now.

The young master, however, who had spent the entire day outside, showed no signs of exhaustion.

Like he had taken root behind me, he never once left my side.

And worse—he kept interrogating the physicians.

“Are you absolutely sure she’s fine?”

“…There is nothing abnormal. She is in perfect health. In fact, she is healthier than average.”

At this point, the physicians were beginning to eye the Denkart heir suspiciously—as if they were diagnosing him instead.

As if they were wondering:
“Does the heir to Denkart suffer from a memory disorder that makes him forget things every minute?”

And frankly, I couldn’t blame them.

Even after countless reassurances that I was perfectly healthy, the young master kept pressing them to check again.

“One more time. Do another examination.”

Ridiculous.

I rubbed my weary eyes, sighing at the utter absurdity of it all.

But before I could finish, a large hand cupped my cheek.

“Sleep, Lobel.”

His voice—gentler than usual—brushed against my ear.

“I’ll answer for you.”

The warmth of his palm lingered against my skin.

“I’ll wake you if I need to.”

Even as I listened, I thought it was utterly ridiculous.

Patients didn’t just fall asleep during their own check-ups.

Not when surrounded by dozens of unfamiliar people.

Not when my secret could be exposed at any moment.

There was no way I could possibly sleep in a situation like this.

And yet—

As if his hand were a pillow, as if the warmth seeping from his touch wrapped around me like a blanket—

I buried my cheek into his palm.

And drifted off into the deepest sleep I had ever known.