Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 143

“Alright, this should be enough.”

Edric gazed with satisfaction at the warehouse, which was packed full of magic stone tablets.

Even tilting his head back, he couldn’t take in the entire view of the towering piles. Their worth was incalculable.

It had been worth the struggle to secure them before Evo Martin could.

He had barely eaten while running around to gather them, but he hadn’t felt hungry.

Just thinking about how happy Lobel would be filled him with a sense of fullness he had never experienced before.

‘Lobel will like this, won’t she?’

Though the warehouse was dark, its only entrance surrounded by solid walls, Edric’s expression was bright.

He had no idea what Lobel intended to do with these, but if she had planned to obtain them through Evo Martin, it had to be for a special reason.

This was his chance.

Perhaps the last opportunity to win her favor.

Edric still vividly remembered the day Lobel had come to greet him at another noble’s estate.

At first, he thought he was hallucinating because he missed her so much. But it had really been Lobel.

There were plenty of silver-haired people, but none with hair as bright and striking as hers.

Strands of it kept peeking out from behind the tree, swaying slightly—it was impossible to ignore.

If it had been anyone other than Lobel, he would have dragged them out and interrogated them on the spot.

That was how suspicious she had looked.

‘Why on earth… is she hiding like that?’

Lobel rarely let her emotions show, and she had never secretly spied on him before. It was too strange.

But he knew that questioning her too directly might irritate her, so he casually asked instead.

Yet, she had only given him a curt, dismissive response—practically saying it was nothing.

That can’t be right… There’s definitely something.

Edric was curious, but he held back.

And he only found out the real reason once they returned to the mansion.

[Jealousy? Me??]

After those words, Lobel had stood there, stunned, looking utterly dazed—she had even dropped his cravat.

…She’s jealous.

She hadn’t liked seeing him with another lady.

Before he could even think to comfort her, Edric had felt a surge of joy.

Lobel, who hadn’t even noticed when he had burned his own luggage, was now paying attention to his relationships?

He was beyond thrilled.

She was clearly shaken.

For the first time, he had real hope.

He had already waited long enough, letting her complicated emotions settle. Now was the time to act.

He had to push forward.

So, as soon as he was ready, he called Lobel over.

But her reaction was not what he expected.

“All of this… What is it?”

They stared at each other in confusion.

‘…Lobel can’t possibly not recognize magic stone tablets.’

It wasn’t as if the warehouse was completely dark.

The daylight streaming in through the open door was enough to illuminate the area.

To be extra sure, Edric had even conjured two small flames beside her face.

For a brief moment, he wondered if she was joking, but her expression was serious.

“I told you I was getting these for you. Don’t you remember? I mentioned it in the carriage after the Cassidy visit.”

“You said that then? Ah… So this is what you were running around trying to get.”

It seemed she hadn’t been paying attention during their conversation.

For someone like Edric, who listened carefully to every word Lobel said, that was disappointing.

On top of that, she didn’t seem particularly interested in what he had gone through so much trouble to obtain.

‘And… once again, she’s off in her own world, lost in thought right in front of me.’

Edric wanted to question her, but he held his tongue.

A considerable amount of time had passed since she had said she would think about it.

‘If I push too hard now…’

She might make up her mind and leave for good.

Lobel might seem like a soft-hearted person, but once she made a decision, she never went back on it.

She had made exceptions for him a few times, but those were just that—exceptions.

She was the type to follow through with her decisions no matter what.

Edric tensed even more than before, watching her closely.

Then, she suddenly seemed to remember something and asked,

“How did you even know I was looking for these?”

“I had someone follow you.”

“…Wow, you really didn’t have to be that honest about it.”

Once again, her reaction was unexpected.

Instead of being impressed, she barely even glanced at the rare and valuable magic tablets, focusing on something else entirely.

“Anyway… So that’s what happened…”

She didn’t seem particularly excited.

Instead, she just stood there, looking lost in thought.

Did she have something else on her mind?

‘Or… is she thinking about someone else? Or does she just want to go home?’

If it was the latter, he had no choice but to let her leave immediately.

Edric clenched his jaw.

He had been the one to offer that she could leave.

Desperate to hold on to something, he was about to ask if there was anything else she needed when she spoke first.

“Young Master. May I check them?”

“Of course.”

As if he had never been disappointed just moments ago, Edric answered eagerly.

Edric felt pathetic for being disappointed so soon.

Of course, Lobel was a polite person.

Since the magic stone tablets were quite expensive, she probably didn’t want to accept them outright and wanted to check them first.

Lobel would immediately recognize their quality and value just by looking at them up close.

Then, maybe… she would react the way he wanted.

‘…Maybe she’ll even compliment me for once?’

As he grew hopeful, Lobel asked him to close the door, seemingly to focus.

He obliged without hesitation and even conjured a larger flame above her head to help her see better.

The once-dark warehouse brightened.

But… something was off about Lobel today.

‘Normally, she’d scold me for using my magic. Why isn’t she saying anything?’

It was as if she had no room in her mind to worry about such things.

Edric looked at Lobel.

Lobel was looking at him too.

In her sharp eyes and tightly pressed lips, he could see the traces of a firm decision.

It was so unlike her usual demeanor that it unsettled him.

And then, something even stranger happened.

‘Just now… on my cheek…’

It had been brief, but there was no mistaking it—her lips, which he had always found beautiful, had touched his skin.

Edric felt a shock unlike anything he had ever experienced—even greater than the time an enemy’s axe had nearly taken his head.

“Your cheek… seems fine.”

Lobel murmured to herself.

Then, she placed her hands on both of his cheeks and pulled him downward.

Even in that moment, Edric couldn’t believe what was happening.

“And this…”

As her familiar scent suddenly filled the space between them, Edric forgot how to breathe.

It felt as if Lobel was taking everything from him—even his very breath.

“…”

As the last descendant of the Dif bloodline, Edric had been born with an exceptionally keen sense of smell.

But there had been very few times in his life when he had actually appreciated that gift.

As a baby, he had caused his mother endless trouble.

If her scent faded even slightly, he would wail until his voice gave out, leaving her helpless.

Though she later joked about it when he was older, Edric had always carried a deep sense of guilt about it.

And as he grew up, that sensitivity only made his life harder.

The rotten wood of the floors and ceilings, the mold creeping along the walls of their rundown home—

Every breath he took in that place had made him nauseous.

Enduring it had been agonizing.

Only when his mother brought home wildflowers, their gentle fragrance filling the house, had he found relief.

But when even that wasn’t enough, he had wished he could trade his ability to smell for anything else.

There were countless days when he wished that instead of being unable to walk, he had been born unable to smell.

Even after arriving at Denkart, it hadn’t gotten easier.

The overwhelming mix of people’s body scents, perfumes, and spices often gave him headaches.

He never told anyone, but there had been many moments of silent suffering.

But today was different.

“Ah…”

For the first time, he felt grateful for this cursed ability.

It was as if his heightened senses had existed solely to let him experience Lobel’s scent in its entirety.

Just the simple touch of her lips made him feel euphoric.

If this was a dream, he would take enough sleeping pills to return to it—no matter the cost.

It felt too good.

Maybe he had even whispered those words through the small space between their lips.

Because when she pulled away slightly, Lobel spoke.

“…I like you too.”

Her voice was small but honest.

“I like you, Young Master.”

As she spoke, she looked straight up at him.

And in that moment, Edric, who had spent his entire life resenting and cursing the world, felt grateful for everything.

For the legs he had once hated so much—punching them in frustration, wishing they didn’t exist—because now they allowed him to stand before Lobelia.

For the eyes that let him look at her as she shyly confessed.

For the ears that let him hear her words without missing a single one.

For the hands that could wipe away her tears if she ever cried.

And even for the mouth that could speak these words.

“What should I do? I don’t like this.”

“…What?”

As Lobel reeled in shock, Edric leaned in and kissed her.

And for the first time in his life, he spoke the most genuine words he had ever known.

“I love you, Lobelia.”