Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 144

Edric had given a strict order: no one was to set foot on the second floor.

It was a short command, but the weight behind it was immense.

However, Arif was the one person who couldn’t obey it.

‘This… This is mostly my fault for speaking so carelessly.’

He anxiously paced in front of the closed door.

It had seemed like things were going well after he had spoken honestly with Lobel, but evidently, that wasn’t the case.

The two of them had returned from the warehouse with serious expressions.

Lobel, in particular, had kept her head low, her steps heavy.

Her face was flushed, her eyes red and swollen from how much she had cried.

Her lips were torn, as if she had been biting them too hard…

The moment Arif saw her, he was certain.

‘They… fought.’

And with that realization came the heavy weight of guilt—he had been too rash, thinking he was helping them.

No matter how much they had grown outwardly, to him, they were still like reckless children near deep water.

Especially Edric.

Arif had seen many nobles since his time in knight training, but Edric was different from those raised in nobility from birth.

He had almost no attachment to the honor and pride that nobles usually held.

Yet when it came to Lobel, he harbored emotions so deep it was unsettling.

He was intensely sensitive and easily thrown into despair over her. It was similar to watching a younger sibling struggle through adolescence, yet different—more volatile.

If Lobel had provoked him in any way… there was no telling what Edric might have done.

Arif blamed himself.

‘It’s because I brought it up… I caused them to fight. I owe Lady Lobel an enormous debt.’

Because of that, he couldn’t bring himself to step away from the door.

Then, Lobel’s sharp voice rang out.

[No, what is this?]

Even Arif, with his broad back, felt himself stiffen at the sheer intensity of her tone.

He was taken aback.

‘…Was Lobel always capable of sounding this furious?’

She was usually much gentler with Edric.

Just how angry was she to be speaking like this?

[Why is something like this in your desk drawer?]

[This…! This was left behind by that bastard Sion! I didn’t buy it!! Don’t look at me like that, Lobel. I just… You said you needed it, and I suddenly remembered that he left it behind…]

‘…Sion?’

The name felt oddly out of place in such a heavy situation.

Arif was even more confused.

Sion had been nothing but trouble, causing problems whenever they moved between strongholds in the North.

But as far as Arif knew, he had little connection to his lord.

To him, Sion had always been a useless, foul-mouthed lowlife, constantly pestering him to visit some seedy pleasure district whenever they were in the capital.

Arif, whose life revolved around training, had found him intolerable.

[It’s the truth… Please believe me, Lobel.]

…Had his lord made some grave mistake?

What could he possibly have done to be apologizing so desperately?

Arif racked his brain, recalling Edric’s usually impeccable personal life.

Then, suddenly—

Something was thrown.

With his finely tuned knight’s senses, he caught the faint rustle of fabric hitting the floor.

‘…Wait.’

His pupils dilated.

‘Did he… just throw off his coat? Is he really about to fight her?’

Having spent a lifetime among battle-hardened men, Arif knew the signs.

Men only tossed their coats like that when they were preparing for a serious fistfight.

Then came another sound—something heavy being shoved aside.

A chair? A table?

Furniture scraped against the floor, followed by another dull thud.

‘Lord Edric… He’s not normally this aggressive.’

If things had escalated this much, then it truly was because of him.

Lobel had only cried once before—when he had revealed the truth about Edric to her.

‘I was too careless. A knight should know when to hold his tongue…’

Arif clenched the hilt of his sword, his self-reproach reaching its peak.

‘If he raises a hand against Lady Lobel… No. I will offer my own neck first.’

He trusted Edric deeply, but with how heated things had become behind that door, he couldn’t be completely sure.

If necessary, he was willing to restrain Edric himself.

With unwavering resolve, he reached for the door handle.

‘I can’t let this go any further. I have to take responsibility and calm them down.’

But just as he was about to push the door open—

He heard a strange sound.

[Ah…]

At first, it had sounded like a quiet sigh from Edric.

That’s what he thought.

But something felt… off.

He hesitated, then listened more closely.

And what he heard next—

‘…!’

His entire body went stiff, the hairs on his arms standing on end.

He had never—never even imagined hearing such a voice from his lord.

Then, Lobel’s trembling voice followed.

It sounded almost like… a whimper.

The hushed sound of breaths intertwining—

It was unlike anything Arif had ever heard before.

His innocent knightly mind processed it all at once—

And his face turned scarlet.

[Arif.]

A cold, lethal voice snapped him out of his stunned state.

Never had he heard Edric sound so furious.

[Get lost.]

The sheer menace in his tone was sharp as a drawn blade.

If Arif didn’t obey immediately, he might actually get cut down.

For the first time in his life, sweat beading on his forehead—

Arif fled.

Edric was impatient and clumsy.

And the one who suffered for it was Lobel.

“Young Master, I think my front tooth is loose from hitting you. Can you check it for me? It’s not wiggling? Huh, that’s strange. It has to be….”

“Why are you bragging about your high nose? My nose is hurting from being pressed against yours. I think I might get a nosebleed like in the warehouse.”

“At this rate, my neck is going to snap. Please, have some mercy….”

“M-my arm! I still haven’t gotten my arm out of my shirt yet!! Agh!!!”

It was pure chaos in the middle of the night.

Even warzones weren’t this hectic.

Edric was completely overwhelmed.

He let out a long sigh, looking down at Lobel, his hands planted firmly on either side of her head.

From the warehouse until now—six hours.

Aside from the moments when their lips were touching, Lobel had been complaining the entire time.

She flinched at his heavy silence.

Even though she was lying on the finest bedding crafted by Terua’s most famous artisan, she looked deeply uncomfortable.

“I… ruined the mood, didn’t I? You’re mad, aren’t you?”

Edric slowly shook his head.

“No. I’m mad at myself.”

“You’re mad at yourself?”

“…Yeah.”

“Why?”

Edric clearly didn’t want to answer, but Lobel wanted to hear it.

She hoped they could start being completely honest with each other.

So, she kept pressing him until, avoiding her gaze, he finally mumbled in a sulky voice:

“You know everything… from beginning to end….”

“…”

Lobel stiffened.

She immediately understood what he had realized and what he was upset about.

Unlike him—who was fumbling even with something as simple as unfastening buttons—she was too skilled.

It was only natural that she was good at adjusting clothes since she had attended to him as a servant, but it wasn’t just that.

‘…Should I have pretended to be clumsy?’

She let out a small, awkward laugh and reached up to cradle her overly sensitive lover’s face with both hands.

She had already kissed this face multiple times in the warehouse.

And yet, Edric’s mood wasn’t improving so easily.

“Unlike you, I have no idea what I’m doing….”

It wasn’t resentment toward her experience—it was frustration with himself.

Edric wanted to impress Lobel. No, more than that—he wanted to make her happy.

It was only natural that a first kiss wouldn’t be perfect, but he had wanted to make it good for her.

And somehow, that desperate sincerity had seeped through their contact, making Lobel’s heart waver.

‘He’s really… still the same.’

She suddenly felt as if she were back in her childhood, standing in front of the young master from those days—clumsy, inexperienced, and eager to do his best.

Even though he had grown, he still felt that way to her.

It was endearing.

Beautiful.

Adorable.

“I’ll be honest. My teeth, my head, everything hurts right now.”

She hated how his gaze kept darting away, so she made him focus entirely on her.

And suddenly, a strange thought struck her.

She hadn’t expected to feel so comfortable being this close to him.

But all the worry and hesitation she had felt before now seemed meaningless—because she liked this distance.

“But I still liked it.”

And getting even closer—

Was even better.

It was a realization she hadn’t had until she experienced it herself.

“No matter what you do, I like it, Young Master. I really do.”

“But… I…”

Watching Edric sweat nervously as he struggled to hold back gave her an unfamiliar feeling.

She had never been this affected by someone’s simple actions before.

Lobel gazed up at him for a long moment, then suddenly reached out and tugged his very well-shaped nose.

“Do you really have time to hesitate, Edric?”

“…!”

“Hurry up.”

She teased, smiling playfully.

And right before her eyes, the green pupils staring down at her darkened.

Lobel held her breath.

‘…Did I provoke him too much?’

It had been a short time, but she had already learned—firsthand—how her lover changed when he lost control.

Her neck and collarbone still felt sore.

For a brief moment, she regretted her words.

But before she could pull away, her lips were devoured.

Edric wasn’t hiding his desire anymore.

It was as if he wanted to feel every last strand of her—

His damp forehead brushed against hers, his hair clinging to his skin as he pressed in closer.

He nibbled at her lower lip, murmuring between heated breaths.

“I love this… I love this so much… It feels like a dream. What if it is…?”

The heir of Denkart—who already had everything—was afraid of something as trivial as a dream.

Lobel found his foolish, irrational worry both ridiculous and endearing.

Smirking, she whispered,

“Then wake up and do it again.”

To be honest, if she had it her way, she would’ve passed out a while ago.

She was keeping her eyes open through sheer willpower.

It was probably best to stop and get some rest.

Just as she was about to blink sleepily and persuade him, his voice dropped.

“Lobel.”

A shiver ran down her spine.

His tone was dangerous.

Sensing something was off, she slowly lifted her gaze—

And froze.

“It doesn’t have to be just one more time, does it?”

His eyes were completely, utterly gone.