Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 173 - Side Story Chapter 8

At the private gatherings hosted by the Empress, it was usually the high-ranking noble ladies who came together to enjoy conversation, chess, and card games.

And now, Lobelia Denkart had received a personal invitation from the Empress herself.

Since the Duchess of Denkart had debuted in society, the Empress had made the appropriate move.

The news quickly caught the attention of the noble ladies and the young ladies soon to be wed—they were quite intrigued.

To share their impressions of this new face, every single one of them, save the Empress herself, showed up for the meeting.

And their interest wasn’t just about the Duchess.

“So the former Duke even allowed Duchess Denkart to attend this gathering?”

“As expected of the long-respected Denkart family—they must have such a strong bond between in-laws. It’s nice to see.”

They were impressed by the former Duke’s decision, too.

It was a roundabout way of saying, She really earned his trust somehow.

Since she was born a commoner, she could have easily done something to disgrace the family.

Even if the current Duke had lost all judgment due to his long-standing love for his wife, the former Duke was not someone so easily swayed.

He was known for being incredibly level-headed. He likely let her attend smaller social events first to help her build proper manners and grace.

The noble ladies who hadn’t been at the debutante thought Lobelia must have been quite something to even win over the former Duke.

In any case, the noblewomen were satisfied.

“This is an opportunity for us.”

Even if the current Duke had no interest in politics, the prestige and influence the family had built over the years was immense.

More than anything, Emperor Louis showed particular fondness for Edric Denkart.

He fully supported all of Denkart’s new projects and ventures—including sponsorships—and had never once refused them.

In fact, it was common knowledge that the Emperor would even delay meals when Edric came for an audience.

With someone like that becoming the hostess of this gathering, the group’s status naturally rose too, so the noble ladies were pleased.

However, the ladies who had previously considered Edric as a potential son-in-law felt a sting of bitterness.

Their expressions weren’t exactly warm.

“……”

These prideful women had made all sorts of excuses to send Edric invitations, but he hadn’t even responded properly, let alone accepted.

So, of course, their feelings weren’t all that friendly.

To make it worse, some of the noblewomen who were close with Emily Denkart weren’t thrilled about Lobelia either.

So then, what to do?

Exchanging glances, the members of the gathering lowered their eyes above their fluttering fans.

“It might be nice to start today with a simple card game.”

The card games these noblewomen knew followed aristocratic rules, completely different from the ones commoners played with the same cards.

No matter how much you studied, if you hadn’t actually played before, it was hard to get used to the flow and hands of the game.

Lobelia Denkart might have acted gracefully at the debutante, but that was probably the limit.

The idea was to act like it was all in good fun while quietly overwhelming her, guiding the flow their way.

And then, use her—politically, or however else we can.

That was the calculation the noblewomen made as they strategized.

Finally, the day of the gathering arrived.

“May the goddess’s blessing be with you. I am Lobelia Denkart.”

The women were busy judging the Duchess the moment she stepped in.

Her makeup, accessories, dress, posture, expression, even the pace of her steps—everything was scrutinized with cold precision.

But compared to the noblewomen of the capital, she had not a single visible flaw.

They say she was taught etiquette by Madam Sylviet… I didn’t expect her to be this polished.

Still, they had no intention of letting her rise quickly just because she had the Empress’s support.

The noblewomen exchanged knowing glances to signal the start of their plan.

Then, some of the younger ladies—those soon to be married—spoke up.

“Your Majesty, how about a card game today?”

“A card game?”

The Empress looked at Lobelia’s face for a moment, perhaps out of consideration for her.

The noble rules of card games were different from the commonly known ones, with a separate hierarchy based on card suits.

Even if someone had studied the rules, it was easy to get confused during an actual game.

The kind-hearted Empress surely wouldn’t have overlooked that.

But several older noblewomen quickly chimed in in support.

“My first audience with the former Empress also included a card game. It was such a fun and special memory. I’m sure it’ll be the same for the Duchess.”

“It’s one of Your Majesty’s favorite pastimes, after all.”

Lobelia’s situation was clearly different from theirs.

Back then, they all already knew the rules—but none of them let that show.

And with their kind expressions and sweet voices, their suggestion sounded sincere.

Even so, the Empress—Uriel, who had received help from Denkart in the past—was about to decline the idea.

“I’ll do it.”

But just then, the Duchess smiled brightly.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

Since the guest of honor accepted, the Empress couldn’t refuse any further.

However, before the game began, she personally went over the rules once more, just in case.

The Empress kindly stayed close to her, which only irritated the noblewomen more. Still smiling, they watched Lobelia closely.

As expected, she seemed to be focusing intently, as if she hadn’t fully memorized the rules yet.

By the time the steam from the tea had faded, she smiled—that meant she was ready.

“Shall we begin?”

Lobelia didn’t seem nervous at all, which seemed to reassure the Empress.

Sensing the shift in mood, the Duchess of Kessen smiled gently and made a suggestion.

“Your Majesty. How about placing a small bet today?”

“A bet?”

“Yes. Even a modest one makes the game more exciting. What do you think, Duchess Denkart?”

“I agree.”

Got her.

The noblewomen sneered inside.

Soon enough, they’d see her falter, overwhelmed by defeat—they were sure of it as they laid down their cards.

But that was a complete miscalculation.

Lobelia had already mastered the rules—and more importantly, she was a natural in real games.

Her betting was flawless to the end, and her calm, smiling expression made her unreadable. No one could guess what hand she held.

This was her first real match, and yet she wasn’t flustered at all…

As the tension built, Lobelia slowly scanned the room.

Her gaze was sharp like a predator locking eyes on its prey and the women couldn’t help but flinch.

 

 

***

 

 

“Are they seriously trying to rig the game that obviously?”

Do they think I’m stupid?

I was annoyed on the inside.

So I quietly used Deep’s power to switch my cards and even peeked at all of theirs.

Of course, no one noticed—and today’s winner was me.

The noble ladies stared blankly at the pile of chips stacked in front of me.

Only the Empress, despite losing, beamed with joy.

“An unbroken winning streak has always been the noble symbol of Denkart. Truly fitting. Since you’ve won the bet, name your reward.”

“Since everyone participated in the bet, I’d like the others to honor it as well.”

Everyone looked uneasy, probably thinking I was about to make an unreasonable demand.

Some even snuck glances at the court historian recording everything.

If I made a request they couldn’t fulfill, it’d surely become a disgrace.

Just making a promise you can’t keep was already embarrassing enough.

But I quickly eased their worries.

“I’d like each of you to bring me a stone from your estate.”

“…A stone?”

“Yes. Since I’ve had the honor of meeting the mistresses of each estate today, I’d like to keep something to remember it by.”

The tension that had filled the room began to ease noticeably.

They must’ve been super tense thinking I’d ask for something outrageous.

And really, I could’ve just sent a maid to find a random stone in the capital—no need to get one from their estates.

Maybe sensing those thoughts, the Empress chuckled and added:

“Very well. Make sure the palace maids personally confirm that the stones come from each of their estates.”

After that, I kept winning at these gatherings, attending every social event without fail.

Sometimes people would make snide remarks, but I always had the perfect way to shut them down. Thanks to that, I was able to cement my place in high society.

Not everyone was hostile toward me, though.

There were a few who were genuinely curious or even liked me—especially since my marriage was for love, which was rare.

To build stronger bonds with them, I spoke up:

“Would it be alright if I invited you to Denkart?”

“Us… to the Denkart estate?!”

They all admired Denkart, often called the paradise of the southeast, but very few nobles had visited recently.

Especially among noble ladies, aside from Madam Sylviet, who attended my wedding, no one else had been there.

So I chose the right time to send out invitations, and Edric even joined us for the formal dinner.

Though he agreed readily, I had been a bit worried—but he acted completely at ease throughout the meal.

He even went the extra mile and brought out some luxurious wine.

He said it was the first time his wife had officially invited her own guests, and he was truly happy.

That smooth line genuinely startled me. He wasn’t acting like the Edric I used to know.

…Wow, impressive.

The noble ladies had already been touched when he showed up in simple attire—but that comment touched them even more.

“W-We’re really your first guests? What an incredible honor…”

That’s not true, I insisted silently.

What about Marnell and Ivo, then?

I’d always invited those two—so their reactions made me feel a bit… weird.

But I dropped the thought to enjoy Edric’s charming smile.

“It means a lot that you made time despite your busy schedule. If you invite us to the capital next time, I promise I’ll come with my wife.”

He even added ‘promise’? That’s kind of a lot…

Still, I seemed to be the only one who found it strange.

The noble ladies were absolutely thrilled with Edric’s warm attitude.

“You’re lucky to have such a sweet husband. Was he like that from the very beginning?”

“…H-Haha. Yes, that’s right.”

Even I could tell how awkward my laugh sounded.

Our first meeting? He told me to get lost.

He threw things, smashed stuff, shouted…

I sneaked a glance at him—Edric was now slicing meat so elegantly, like the very picture of noble manners.

A sight I could never have imagined back then.

What are you thinking?

As I absentmindedly sipped my wine, Edric looked at me with a question in his eyes.

His gaze had that same unrelenting persistence as always, and it made me laugh.

Some things never change.