Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 157

…Does he really remember just a brief encounter on the ship?

No, could he really be this certain from just a fleeting moment?

Before I could react, Evo answered in my place.

“We must have crossed paths on board. They accompanied me to offer their assistance.”

That was all he said.

He didn’t elaborate.

He didn’t invite him to sit.

He simply met Heaz Rezendar’s gaze with a cold, wordless stare, as if to say that’s enough.

“…I see.”

“…Yes.”

I forced a small response under Heaz Rezendar’s sharp, lingering gaze.

I couldn’t let him remember anything about me.

With the succession ceremony coming up, and who knew what other schemes in play, it was best if we never crossed paths again.

“…I suppose we’ll have another opportunity to meet.”

I held my breath anxiously, waiting for him to leave.

At last, Heaz bowed with impeccable courtesy.

“Then, may your guest enjoy their time here.”

After exchanging brief farewells with Evo, he left.

I turned my head, watching his retreating figure.

Just as he disappeared through the door, another man entered.

Evo’s aide, someone I had seen before.

“I distinctly told you—do not let anyone in when I have a guest.”

“…My apologies.”

Evo’s voice, usually so composed, was ice-cold.

Shocked, I watched the two men’s exchange before lowering my head.

…Evo can get this angry?

Whatever had happened between him and Heaz Rezendar, it had clearly been bad.

Even after the aide left, Evo’s expression remained dark.

I carefully surveyed my surroundings.

…Heaz Rezendar and the aide are both gone.

Only once I was sure did I finally speak.

“Did Lord Rezendar inherit his title?”

“Recently.”

The topic didn’t seem to please him.

Through his glasses, I saw his brows knit slightly.

“…His older brother passed away from complications of an illness. But, Lobel.”

His voice was heavy with emotion—so much so that I flinched.

This had never happened before.

I tensed, waiting for what came next.

And then, Evo asked urgently—

“When are you planning to leave the Duke’s estate?”

“…I already left.”

His eyes widened in shock.

And when I spoke next, he would be even more surprised.

Nervously, feeling both guilty and anxious, I finally confessed—

“I’m sorry. I… I’ve been lying to you all this time.”

“…To me?”

“The truth is… I’m a woman. My real name is Lobelia Flor. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Flor merchant guild from Belican… but I’m the second-born.”

“…I see. So that’s how it is.”

His reaction was calmer than I expected.

So much so that I was the one who ended up startled.

After learning that someone he had known for so long was actually a woman, he didn’t even bat an eye.

He didn’t ask why.

He didn’t seem surprised at all.

That wasn’t like him.

…Something’s wrong.

Come to think of it, he had seemed strange from the moment I arrived.

His exhaustion was one thing, but today, his face looked darker than usual.

An uneasy feeling crept up my spine as I studied him.

Then, I noticed—

His lower eyelid was trembling.

…In the original story, he only looked like this when he gave up on Edric and sided with the Crown Prince.

Was there some kind of deal so important that even my secret paled in comparison?

My nerves tightened as I waited anxiously.

Then, out of nowhere, Evo spoke.

“Lobel. I have something to confess, too.”

Something in his voice made my breath catch.

I felt more tense than when Heaz Rezendar had been in the room.

Then, as if he had been holding it in for a long time, Evo finally said—

“I’ve known about your secret for a while. And I pretended not to.”

His expression was terrifyingly unreadable.

“I figured you had your reasons.”

I couldn’t even speak.

“There’s more I’ve been hiding. I also know that you worked underground, deciphering those stone tablets, dedicating yourself to the Duke’s house. I knew—but I acted like I didn’t.”

“……”

“But, but… I can’t ignore it anymore.”

His voice trembled slightly as he stared at me, his eyes filled with desperation.

“Lobelia. Are you a Dif?”

…You too?

Had he realized Edric’s true identity as well?

No matter how much I trusted Evo, I couldn’t answer that question so easily.

Not when it involved Edric.

His usually composed face was twisted with unease, worsening my anxiety.

To Evo, my gender was less important than whether I was a Dif.

But he didn’t seem like he was trying to use me.

His desperation was too raw.

…Then why?

I needed to understand his intentions before I spoke.

As I hesitated, he pressed me further.

“Are you the one losing something? Or are you the one taking it?”

He was sure I was a Dif.

And he was speaking as if he knew something more—something I didn’t.

His next words sent a shock through me.

“Heaz Rezendar is trying to trap you. We need to leave. If we run now—”

“…Wait. Before that.”

I looked into Evo’s eyes.

He was terrified.

And suddenly, my heart pounded with the same fear.

“…If I haven’t lost anything…”

I swallowed dryly, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Then that means Edric—the last remaining Dif—has.”

 

 

 

****

 

 

Heaz Rezendar stood before the grand headquarters of Hornet, a symbol of its prestige.

Inside that building was the one person who had plagued his thoughts for far too long.

And today was no different.

…Looking at me with pity again.

He absentmindedly reached into his pocket, only to remember that the wooden figurine was gone.

The object he had once guarded so desperately was missing—yet there was a smirk on his lips.

He had left it behind, intentionally, so that Lobelia Flor would find it.

Will Evo Martin tell the truth?

Given his rational nature, there was a high chance he would.

But seeing how hesitant he had been earlier, perhaps not.

If Evo refused to speak, then Heaz would tell them himself.

You’re nothing more than a thief who stole your master’s life and power.

And he would make sure Edric Denkart heard every last word.

Just imagining their reactions sent a shiver of delight through him.

They will despair. They will regret everything.

They would beg him for answers, weeping as they slammed their foreheads against the cold marble floors of Rezendar.

Now that—that would be a fitting revenge.

Even more satisfying than when he hunted down and executed Oliver Tudor, the rat who had tried to hide away in the countryside.

But that satisfaction vanished in an instant.

“Ah, pardon me.”

Someone brushed roughly against his shoulder, clearly on purpose.

The offender was none other than the heir of House Stell.

A dark glint flashed in Heaz Rezendar’s eyes.

The man’s golden eyes were filled with blatant arrogance, despite his feigned politeness.

A mere count’s son, acting as if he’s something greater.

What did he have?

Nothing but a stretch of frozen wasteland leading to the northern strongholds—hardly a proper territory.

Heaz inwardly scoffed.

Rezendar, on the other hand, owned the second-richest granary in Terua and the continent’s finest vineyards.

Even now, countless nobles were waiting for him at his festival, celebrating the first grape harvest of the year.

This lowly count wasn’t even worth inviting—he wasn’t worth Heaz’s time, not even for an argument.

With a practiced smile, Heaz turned his back.

By the time he fully turned away, his smile had disappeared.

Watching him go, Manellano entered the Hornet headquarters.

He had come here many times recently.

Yet, not once had he been able to meet with the merchant lord.

But today—

Today, he would make sure it happened.

…Why is everyone so obsessed with those damn stone tablets? It’s getting annoying.

The thought irritated him, but even he had become entangled in it now.

Still, his expression remained serious.

Judging by Evo Martin’s actions, there had to be a reason for all this secrecy.

No matter how much he helped Lobel, Evo wasn’t the type to abandon his duties for this long.

“Lord Martin is currently attending to a guest! Please, if you could just wait a little—”

“Oh? So you’re just going to make another excuse and run?”

Did they take him for an idiot?

Manellano had been turned away too many times under the same excuse.

At this point, he had lost all patience.

He shoved past the merchant aide and barged into Evo’s private office.

And there—

He saw something unexpected.

“…Lobel?”

He recognized her even from behind.

Her silver hair, tied higher than usual, brushed against her shoulders.

She was sitting on the sofa, head bowed low.

Across from her, Evo Martin watched him with a hardened expression.

But that didn’t matter.

“Wait. Why is she crying? Did you make her cry?”

His gaze darkened dangerously as he placed a firm hand on Lobel’s trembling shoulder.

Evo immediately stood from his seat, his face rigid.

He turned to the aide standing outside the open door and demanded—

“Who allowed him in? Get him out.”

“Oh? So now I’m not even noble enough to be acknowledged? How generous of you, Lord Merchant.”

The tension in the room thickened.

Neither man had ever exchanged many words before.

But they had encountered each other countless times at social gatherings and noble events.

And instinctively, they had always known—

They were like oil and water.

Manellano, despite adhering to noble etiquette, was straightforward and unfiltered.

He despised Evo’s polished, diplomatic smiles.

Meanwhile, Evo found Manellano’s blunt nature crude and abrasive.

And now, on top of all that—

The sight of Lobel in tears, the possibility that he had done something to her—

It was infuriating.

Just as the atmosphere grew unbearably tense, Lobel spoke.

“…A carriage.”

Both men immediately turned to her, startled.

Manellano, still gripping her shoulder, leaned in closer.

“Lobel. Are you okay?”

But both he and Evo were genuinely shocked.

Lobel’s pale face was devoid of emotion.

She wasn’t just upset.

She was furious.

They had never seen her like this before.

Her voice was steady, but her words were absolute.

“Prepare a carriage to Bonne. Right now.”

Bonne.

Rezendar’s core territory—

And the largest vineyard estate in all of Terua.