Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 141

Unexpectedly, instead of Denian, Advisor Lobel prepared the carriage.

‘Did his personality change a bit after staying in the North with the young master?’

Normally, he was a man of few words and maintained a cynical attitude, so I never expected him to show such kindness.

However, the moment I stepped outside the main gate, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

A carriage, the most extravagant in Denkart—one that only the Duke or the young master would use—was waiting.

I looked around just in case, but that was the only carriage there.

“Uh, I think there’s been a mistake. You should probably bring another carriage.”

Worried that someone might overhear, I whispered to the young coachman sitting in the driver’s seat.

Whether it was Lobel, the person who relayed the message, or this coachman, someone had clearly made a mistake.

But the coachman just laughed heartily, making my efforts seem pointless, and replied.

“No, this is definitely the carriage you’ll be taking today.”

“Uh… still, I think it would be best to double-check…”

“Advisor Lobel gave me direct orders. Haha. Just in case, I even risked being rude and asked again, and the Duke himself approved it.”

“…The Duke did?”

“Yes. The advisor made that very clear.”

Lobel wasn’t the type to lie.

‘…Well, if the master says it’s fine, there’s no need for me to refuse.’

Though I was still puzzled, the young master was my priority, so I got into the carriage.

 

 

****

 

 

After that, I arrived at the Cassidy estate.

Maybe it was thanks to this carriage, or perhaps because of the Denkart seal that the young master had given me before.

Either way, I was able to pass through the strict security with ease.

Of course, when I stepped out of the carriage alone, some people seemed puzzled—‘Why is that attendant getting out by himself?’—but they soon looked away.

They probably assumed that the young master had summoned a different carriage to return in.

It wasn’t an unusual practice, after all—many noble youths had a habit of switching between multiple carriages. Manellano, for instance, was said to use a different one for each day of the week.

As I walked through the estate, I felt the eyes of many people on me, but none seemed particularly suspicious.

“The young master is in the garden with the lady.”

Unlike his master, the Cassidy family’s butler appeared polite and kind, informing me of the young master’s whereabouts with utmost courtesy.

After offering a respectful bow, I turned toward the garden—my expression hardening as I did.

‘…The garden.’

Even the word itself felt ominous.

Maybe it was because, in the original novel the garden always carried a certain meaning.

In the gardens were often the backdrop for dirty schemes and political intrigue.

A sense of unease quickened my pace.

However, when I finally arrived at the garden, I was met with an unexpected sight.

‘…They’re alone? Without a single guard?’

Instead of approaching recklessly, I positioned myself behind a large tree and observed the young master.

It felt strange to watch him from afar like this—it was a perspective I had never experienced before.

As expected, he was an exceptional young master to serve.

Not just in appearance, but in the way he spoke, the way he gestured—everything about him was effortlessly perfect.

The only flaw… was the lady standing beside him.

‘What the…? They’re standing way too close.’

“The young master said so? That’s quite interesting to me as well…”

The lady in the pink hat was looking at my young master with a face full of admiration—anyone could see her interest.

And, surprisingly, the young master was responding in kind.

Normally, he would completely ignore even the daughters of the most prestigious families, but with her, he was smiling as he spoke.

Granted, it was just the faintest, most polite upturn of his lips, but still—it was rare.

It was as if he was trying to win her favor…

‘Wait, does he actually like her?’

I anxiously bit my thumb.

‘No way… This is bad.’

It was only a single line in the novel, but I distinctly remembered that Lady Cassidy had a terrible personality.

If she was indeed the daughter of the Cassidy family from the young master’s generation, then there was no doubt—it had to be her.

If he got involved with someone like that, who knew what kind of disaster would befall his future?

‘If the young master is truly interested in her… I have to do something.’

Either I had to stop this, or at the very least, get in the way.

A sinister smile crept onto my lips.

If there was one thing I was good at, it was interference.

Even Manellano, who had nerves of steel, shuddered and took a step back when dealing with me.

‘You’re out.’

There were plenty of ways to go about it.

As I started weaving a web of schemes, I suddenly snapped back to reality.

‘…Wait, what the hell? I sound so petty and creepy right now.’

Like a minor villain who would get killed off early in the story…

No, not even a proper villain—

‘…I sound like a third-rate goon who gets instantly eliminated while trying to interfere with the protagonist’s love life.’

The sudden realization made me pause, but I quickly shook it off.

For the sake of the young master’s bright future… well, this much was just part of my duty as his attendant.

I was merely being professional.

I bit my lip and steeled my resolve.

‘If anything strange ends up in the young master’s food like in the original story… I swear, I won’t let it slide.’

Of course, he would probably purify it with his Dif power, but still—I had to prevent any potential accidents.

‘…That hat. It’s in the way.’

The lady’s hat had an absurdly wide brim, blocking my view.

‘…Could she be hiding something under it, preparing to do something suspicious?’

I needed to see what was happening to react accordingly, but I had no way to get a clear view.

I briefly considered stepping in and interrupting their conversation, but that was out of the question.

I had no idea what they were talking about, and it would be rude to intrude without reason.

And if—by some small chance—

This lady was genuinely interested in the young master in a pure, innocent way… then stepping in would be unnecessary interference on my part.

But then, something strange happened.

The hat—Lady Cassidy’s hat—suddenly flew off into the air.

‘…Huh? Huhhh??’

…Why is that flying away???

Even though there hadn’t been any wind just moments ago…

“Kyahhh!”

As she screamed and stared in horror at the hat now tangled in a tree branch, the young master stepped forward, as if intending to retrieve it for her.

Why was he being so unnecessarily kind? There were plenty of gardeners and servants around for that…

I gripped the tree bark so tightly that my nails dug into it.

‘What the hell…? Why are you smiling while handing it back to her?’

Seeing the lady clasp her hands together as if in prayer—clearly touched by his gesture—made the situation all the more aggravating.

At this rate, their families might start pushing for an engagement. It was obvious that she was completely smitten.

‘Are you an idiot? What if people get the wrong idea?’

I watched anxiously, but aside from being infatuated with him, the lady didn’t seem to be acting suspiciously.

Once I confirmed that the young master had returned her hat, I turned away.

It was probably best to just wait at the carriage.

There wasn’t really anything left for me to do as an attendant…

And, aside from my personal feelings, the atmosphere between the two of them had actually been quite nice.

I just needed to step aside.

“Lobel.”

But before I could leave, the young master had somehow caught up to me, blocking my path.

“Why did you come all this way just to leave without saying anything?”

His smile was completely different from the one he had shown the lady earlier.

The gleam in his eyes and the curve of his lips left no doubt that he was in a good mood.

But after all the mental stress I had gone through to get here, I found that I wasn’t particularly pleased by that.

“It must have been tiring to come all this way.”

“…Oh. Well, I suppose.”

“Come back with me in my carriage.”

“…Fine, I guess.”

“…?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Even I could hear the irritation in my voice, and the young master tilted his head, puzzled, before shaking it off.

On the way back, he spoke to me about something, but I responded with nothing more than vague nods.

By the time I came to my senses, we were in his room.

Almost out of habit, I reached to undo his cravat—but then I felt a strange gaze on me and looked up.

The young master was watching me with a dissatisfied expression.

“What? Do you have something to say to me?”

“…I think you’re the one with something to say, Lobel.”

He sounded hesitant, as if he was afraid I might get angry.

That, in itself, was suspicious. Had he done something he felt guilty about?

I could understand.

Even if we had agreed to confirm our feelings, it was possible for him to be interested in someone else in the meantime.

At his age, emotions could change in an instant.

If that was the case, I was ready to step back without hesitation.

“Are you going to meet her again?”

“…Who?”

“Who else? Lady Cassidy.”

His expression made it clear—he had no idea why I was asking.

But I had seen their conversation firsthand.

“If you like her, just say so. If you’re interested in someone else, there’s no need to continue this confirmation nonsense. It would be a waste of time.”

“…Lobel.”

“What?”

“Why are you so mad?”