Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 153

Edric stopped walking.

Beyond the window, in the backyard, Lobel’s father was pacing in circles with his hands clasped behind his back.

It was dizzying just to watch.

Even though he had said he was fine, he still seemed troubled in various ways.

‘…….’

After a moment of hesitation, Edric stepped outside.

Hearing the door open, Lobel’s father turned around.

“You came out. You’re up early.”

His middle-aged face, which bore a neat resemblance to Lobel’s, soon wore an awkward smile.

No matter how much he was simply his daughter’s suitor, Edric was still the heir to a ducal family.

Understanding something with the mind and fully accepting it with the heart were two entirely different things, making it difficult for him to act naturally.

Edric understood this well and didn’t take offense.

Instead, he softened his voice to ease the older man’s tension.

“Yes. I rested well, thanks to you. Father-in-law.”

“…Father-in-law?”

Lobel’s father was taken aback, his mouth slightly agape.

Edric was just as surprised.

The title had slipped from his lips—one he had never expected to say in his lifetime.

A strange feeling washed over him.

‘……If not for Lobel, I wouldn’t have gotten married at all.’

Marriage aside, even his survival had once been uncertain.

Caught in the schemes of the duchess, he might have been exiled from Denkart territory and lived out his days in some distant estate, quietly fading away.

Because of that, he couldn’t help but deeply respect the parents who had raised Lobel.

With sincerity in his voice, he asked,

“Yes, Father-in-law. If you permit it, I would truly like to call you this. Would that be all right?”

Having encountered countless people throughout his years as a merchant, Lobel’s father understood the depth of those words.

Something swelled in his chest.

Yes, it had been like this since yesterday.

Though the height difference made him lift his gaze, Edric’s respectful eyes didn’t feel intimidating.

“Hmm, hmm! What a thing to ask.”

Clearing his throat unnecessarily, Lobel’s father recalled the many things his daughter had told him.

That Edric had suffered a great deal.

Unable to stand idly by at the thought, he pulled Edric into an embrace and patted his back.

Edric slowly lowered his gaze.

If he had ever had a real father, would this be what it felt like?

And he felt relieved—relieved that Lobelia had such a family.

As Lobel’s father continued to pat his back, Edric, still wearing a faint smile, asked cautiously,

“Father-in-law. May I ask you something?”

“What do you mean ‘one thing’? You can ask a hundred, and I’ll answer them all.”

His hearty response made Edric’s smile deepen.

This family seemed to have a bold and straightforward nature.

He couldn’t help but feel grateful to be part of it.

Suppressing his smile, Edric asked in a serious tone,

“The first head of your merchant guild, whom you mentioned yesterday—if he had heard harp music back then… I imagine it would have been difficult in the land of Terua. Did he ever say he had entered the Forest of the Gods?”

“Yes, he did.”

Lobel’s father looked pleased.

Despite the first guild master’s remarkable achievements, people had always dismissed his stories as mere exaggerations.

“He ventured into the depths of Dif’s domain and even saw the World Tree with his own eyes. He swore by it.”

Fearing that Edric might doubt him like others had, he quickly added,

“My grandfather also passed down the story—how the broad, round leaves were larger than a person’s body.”

“Did he mention anything else?”

“There’s plenty more… But weren’t you in a hurry to leave?”

“I’m fine. If you don’t mind, I’d love to hear more.”

“Is that so? Then, there’s something I’d like to show you. Something that could be called the roots of our Flor Merchant Guild.”

“I would appreciate that.”

At Edric’s polite request, Lobel’s father led him to a storage room.

He had already suspected that while Lobel had hidden her true identity from Edric, she had also concealed the history of the merchant guild. That made Edric’s interest all the more welcome.

Even in the storage room, Edric could see how much Lobel resembled her parents, beyond just their outward appearance.

Everything was meticulously arranged, reflecting their tidy nature. Despite the room’s old exterior, the inside was spotless and free of dust.

“Wait here.”

Lobel’s father walked to the farthest section of the room and retrieved a thick book from the shelf.

Unlike the surrounding leather-bound books, which were worn from handling and sun exposure, this one was in pristine condition.

Edric took note of the difference with sharp precision.

It wasn’t merely due to careful tanning of the leather.

As Lobel’s father flipped the book open to the middle, his voice took on an excited, almost boyish tone.

“The name ‘Flor Merchant Guild’ was inspired by a flower that the first guild master saw in the Forest of the Gods. Here it is.”

The flower drawn on the open pages was a masterpiece, with intricate lines and detailed shading, clearly the work of a skilled artist.

But beyond the artistry, it was an extraordinary flower.

Even Edric, who had been raised by a florist mother, had never seen anything like it.

It was difficult to call it a single flower—it looked like multiple blossoms bound together in a bouquet.

And yet, its stem was undeniably one.

“Unusual, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“My ancestor saw and sketched it himself. He said that the flowers growing in Dif’s land were far more beautiful than those commonly found in the human world. Their petals shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow.”

Lobel’s father straightened his posture proudly.

“The Flor Merchant Guild has grown to what it is today thanks to his adventurous spirit and courage.”

“…I see.”

“Our Lobelia takes after the first guild master in many ways. She never let go of this book, even when she was just a baby. She wouldn’t cry if we gave it to her.”

Edric gazed at the open book for a long moment before asking politely,

“May I take this with me to read?”

 

 

 

****

 

 

“I’ll be looking forward to it. I’ll dress up prettier than anyone for the succession ceremony.”

Lobel whispered confidently and pressed a kiss to Edric’s cheek.

With her parents watching from behind, Edric was caught off guard, but Lobel didn’t seem to mind.

Rather, she gazed at him openly, her joy and affection unhidden.

“I’ll be looking forward to it. See you then.”

After bidding a final farewell to Lobel’s parents, Edric stepped into the carriage.

Even as he took his seat, he continued exchanging glances with them until the carriage completely departed.

Once it started moving, Edric slowly closed his eyes.

‘…….’

A cold sweat, which he had barely managed to suppress, trickled down his forehead.

Wiping it away with the back of his hand, he lowered his gaze to his lap, where the book rested.

The sight from earlier that morning resurfaced in his mind.

Beneath the fine fabric of his trousers, there was a faint, ink-like stain.

He knew exactly what it was.

It was a symptom of Pherus.

Edric slowly closed his eyes again.

A memory from long ago surfaced…

His mother’s birthday.

[ Baby, it would’ve been better if you had taken after him in this regard, not me… ]

Edric, who had dozed off while waiting for his mother late into the night, suddenly snapped awake.

When he opened his heavy eyelids, he saw his mother, who had emptied two bottles of wine, staring at him with sorrowful eyes.

‘…Why is Mother like this?’

He hesitated, unable to hand over the flower bracelet he had made that morning.

Her face, flushed with intoxication, was filled with an unusual melancholy as she spoke of her past.

[ Edric, birthdays were never special to me. ]

[ ……. ]

[ My mother would gather anything and everything that was good for my health. She took care of me so well all the time that my birthday never felt particularly different. ]

Edric was surprised.

He had always been curious about his maternal family, just as much as his father, but he had never dared to ask, sensing the unspoken sorrow behind his mother’s bright smile.

She would go into great detail about the places where she found beautiful flowers and the people she traded with.

Yet, she never spoke of her family.

Instinctively, Edric had sensed that it wasn’t a pleasant topic.

But tonight was different.

For once, he had a chance to hear about them.

‘Maybe… maybe I have more family out there.’

A grandfather, a grandmother, cousins…

Even if life was difficult for them, perhaps they were people with whom he could share laughter and daily life.

[ I was frail from the moment I was born. ]

His mother’s voice trembled with sorrow as she continued.

It was unexpected.

Given how she now roamed the mountains and fields, collecting flowers and medicinal herbs, it was hard to believe.

[ My mother told me that all her sisters passed away young. She swore again and again that she would never let me meet the same fate. ]

And just as she had promised, she had gathered every remedy possible for her daughter.

But as the daughter grew stronger, the mother’s health declined rapidly.

In the end, she passed away.

And when she was gone, Edric’s father couldn’t endure it either.

[ That’s why, in the village where I used to live… they called me a witch who devoured her parents. ]

She spoke bitterly, downing the last of her wine.

The rest of the story wasn’t much brighter.

Unable to withstand the villagers’ scorn, she had left as soon as she became an adult.

Fortunately, her skill in identifying flowers and herbs, inherited from her mother, allowed her to secure a position at a florist shop in the capital.

[ And then, one day… I saw a nobleman passing through the capital and fell in love. ]

She spoke as if in a dream, tears slipping down her face.

Edric remained silent.

Back then, he didn’t understand the meaning of her tears.

And later, when Lobel helped him receive a noble’s education, his mother’s choices had seemed reckless.

Count Clant had firmly stated that the perfect history of Denkart must never again be tainted by an illegitimate child.

Lady Silviet, though more cautious in her words, had made it clear that relationships between nobles and commoners always had a predetermined end.

Even the upright Duke Ajeton had warned him that in Denkart, noble marriages were strategic political transactions.

As he grew older, Edric realized that their words had been mild compared to the brutal reality his mother had likely faced.

The prejudice, the hardships—everything must have been far harsher.

And worst of all, she had loved a man who did not love her back.

[ …Why did you make such a foolish choice, Mother? ]

Edric could never understand why she had clung to the duke, despite knowing the suffering that awaited her.

He loved her. He was grateful to her.

But at the same time, he couldn’t shake the thought that she had brought her misfortune upon herself.

Today, for the first time, he understood every bit of her heart.

She had loved the duke.

Loved him so much that she had been willing to lose herself for him.

And that choice… was no different from Edric’s own.