Surviving As An Obsessive Servant – Chapter 169 – Side Story Chapter 4

Author: Asternkm

Surviving as an Obsessive Servant
Side Story Chapter 4

“What are you thinking about?”

It seemed Edric was getting annoyed by my silence.

Though he had grown much taller than before, his temperament remained as irritable and sensitive as when he was younger.

Not long ago, in this same sharp tone, he had pressed me about what exactly Manellano had said when he came by.

Even though Manellano had claimed he would respect our marriage, he still seemed to be lingering, and Edric clearly didn’t like that.

He had no idea how much I had bragged about our love right in front of Manellano.

Michelle should have passed on that part of the story too, but it seemed she had conveniently left it out.

I stared at Michelle, who was so much like his father, and then spoke.

“I was thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

Edric hastily put down the charcoal he had been holding like an extension of himself and met my eyes.

Then, he even quieted his breathing.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but think once again—ah, I really married well.

Who else but Edric would listen to my nonsense with such seriousness?

That meant I was free to say all the nonsense I wanted.

“Sigh… It’s such a dilemma.”

With a dramatic frown, as if facing the biggest decision of my life, I continued.

“Should I kiss Edric Denkart on the forehead? Or the left cheek? Or the right cheek? Maybe the tip of his nose? Or… his lips?”

“……”

“What do I do, darling? Edric Denkart doesn’t have a single part of him that isn’t adorable, so it’s too hard to decide.”

“……”

Edric stared at me blankly for a moment before speaking in a calm voice.

“Then… why not just do all of them?”

“As expected of my husband. You’re the wisest. Come here.”

As I spread my arms, Edric strode forward and climbed on top of me.

The weight of him had never felt so welcome.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him eagerly.

At the same time, I fell into deep thought.

‘Knowing Edric, he’ll probably keep drawing until just before bed.’

No matter how much I nagged, he would cut down on sleep before cutting down on his drawing time.

As if his body were made of mithril, he pushed himself relentlessly, leaving me no choice but to worry.

As his wife, it was only right that I took care of him.

‘Since he’s still tired from the trip, maybe just a little…’

Should I limit it to just three hours tonight?

Just as I resolved to do so, Edric suddenly bit down on my collarbone.

“Ow! Why are you biting me?!”

Even if I was a Dif, pain was still pain.

It hurt enough to bring tears to my eyes.

As I squirmed and complained, Edric kissed the spot he had bitten and grumbled.

“It’s been so long, and yet you keep thinking about other things.”

“But, my love, I was thinking about you… Don’t you like that?”

“No.”

“…Even that’s a no?”

“Yes. I don’t like it.”

I never thought I’d live to see the day.

Edric had even picked up the habit of responding to my childish remarks with equal childishness.

With a serious expression, he firmly held my cheeks in both hands.

“I’m right here. Think about me when I’m not around. Right now, just focus on the present me.”

“…So I should think about you when you’re not here, and also think about you when you are?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

When Edric shamelessly countered my question, I had no choice but to seriously consider it.

…At this point, isn’t this an advanced case of obsession?

Well, in any case, both Edric and I had picked up some new hobbies lately.

For me, it was admiring and praising the paintings my husband created.

Every time, I found myself amazed that such a joyfully tear-inducing moment could exist.

‘I wonder how beautifully he’ll paint me for my debutante ball?’

Smiling, I kissed the corner of his eye—the one that watched me more closely than anyone else.

How could I not look forward to seeing how my appearance would change as I grew older?

****

……What kind of insane thing is that now?

“Hm, hm, hmm~”

From a distance, Edric spotted Rimson and raised an eyebrow.

It had been half a year since Tilly’s first childbirth, and Rimson, still on leave, seemed to have relaxed so much that he’d completely lost his mind.

Smearing black dirt all over his face and humming a tune—there was no way that was normal behavior.

Still, weird antics were nothing new for him, so Edric was about to ignore it.

“Hey, Rimson. What in the world are you doing?”

“If you don’t know, just stay quiet! This is a precious skincare method from the Eastern Continent.”

But Edric couldn’t just walk away as planned.

He froze in place upon hearing Rimson’s loud chatter with the other servants.

“These days, even men have to take care of themselves.”

“……!”

“That’s how you become a husband who’s loved by his wife, isn’t it?”

“……!!”

…A husband loved by his wife?

For Edric, whose greatest life goal was “to be loved by Lobelia until death,” this was impossible to ignore.

“……”

As if he had never been walking in the opposite direction, he smoothly turned and made his way toward Crimson and the servants.

His pace was twice as fast as usual, but even then, the road felt anything but smooth.

Then, Rimson’s next words made Edric flinch as if he had been struck by lightning.

“The noble ladies, young misses, and even noblemen these days—this is so popular that it’s hard to get. With debutante season coming up, everyone’s going crazy over it! I barely managed to get my hands on some.”

“……!!!”

Everyone… had already been preparing for this?

A wave of confusion and shock hit Edric all at once.

Perhaps an even fiercer battle than before was unfolding in the capital.

He had heard that the capital’s aristocrats were extreme about their appearance, but he had never realized they put this much effort into skincare as well.

Truthfully, Edric had always been indifferent to such things.

He never cared much for noble customs, and lately, he had been too busy negotiating a new agreement between the Crown Prince and the Dif Forest to pay even the slightest attention to the capital.

Of course, he had brought in famous musicians from the capital for Lobelia’s sake and held private discussions to ensure she had everything she needed…

But he had never imagined that the noblewomen, young ladies, and even young men would go to such absurd lengths just to make their debutante a success.

“You can never let your guard down, even after marriage.”

……!!!!

Those words pierced straight into Edric like an arrow of truth.

Naturally, Edric, who was fastidiously clean by nature, already maintained proper grooming—shaving, staying fresh, and all the basic hygiene noblemen prided themselves on.

However, the thought of the capital’s already extravagant nobles making an even more concerted effort to outshine each other filled him with an inexplicable sense of crisis.

‘For the debutante… everyone is going to show up even more polished and decorated than usual?’

His already pale face turned completely ashen.

A sudden realization struck him—Lobelia’s preferences.

Lobelia liked things that were both elegant and luxurious.

Growing up in a merchant family had refined her taste, but beyond that, she had a subtle fondness for eye-catching things.

‘And… Lobelia has always adored children.’

He had seen it from the terrace.

Even amid her busy schedule, Lobelia had always taken the time to care for the servants’ children.

Even though there was no financial gain or benefit, she still helped them, earning their affection.

The younger Edric had found it infuriating.

Now, of course, he understood exactly why he had been upset back then, but his immature past self had reacted differently.

Lobelia had returned to her room that day, only to find Edric sulking under the covers, leaving her completely clueless about why he was acting that way.

And when he thought about how she had been especially kind to Delilah…

Edric’s expression hardened.

Just the thought made his insides boil.

Even now, he amazed himself with his patience for not tearing apart those nauseating letters that arrived regularly, starting with “To my dearest first love♥.”

“It cost a fortune. I waited forever to get my hands on it. Heh. Since we’re planning for a second child next year, I had to invest properly.”

“How’s Tilly doing?”

“She’s fine. Actually, she was the one who insisted on having kids close in age, so after a lot of discussion, we decided—next year, we’re just gonna… AAHH!”

In the middle of his sentence, Rimson caught sight of Edric’s chillingly blank expression and let out a scream.

The rest of the group followed, their cries echoing through the estate.

They probably wouldn’t have been this startled even if they had seen a ghost.

After all, ghosts couldn’t cut through mithril with a sword.

“W-what are you doing?! I nearly had a heart attack!”

“Hah, Hah…!”

Ignoring the gasping, pale-faced servants, Edric silently stared at the dried, cracking mud plastered to Rimson’s face.

Other than his teary eyes, the rest of his face was already flaking off into a fine powder.

Feeling guilty for some reason, Rimson shouted in a hoarse voice.

“W-why are you looking at me like that?!”

“……That.”

Was he about to scold them for slacking off during work?