Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 174 - Side Story Chapter 9

“You did a lot to welcome the guests.”

“Not at all.”

Edric replied calmly.

Seeing how mature he’d become made me feel even stranger.

Come to think of it… didn’t I do something amazing?

It felt unreal that one person could change someone this much.

‘And there’s even an original story.’

I was feeling smug and proud when Edric hugged me from behind and asked,

“Lobelia. I don’t have to go to the capital for a while now, right?”

Thinking he was joking, I answered, “You have to go every day,” but the arms wrapped around my waist didn’t let go.

There wasn’t even a hint of loosening.

No, this felt like… a rope cursed to never come undone for life.

When I turned my head, I saw Edric wearing a gloomy smile.

“You don’t like those women more than me, right?”

He didn’t even try to hide his feelings.

His immaturity was so obvious that I let out a dry laugh.

He always wants to show his skin off, but why does he still act like this?

Edric couldn’t even hold back for that brief moment.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

“When did I avoid answering?”

“You just tried to brush it off with a laugh. You think I wouldn’t know? Lobelia Denkart, you’re great, but sometimes you have this bad habit.”

Edric tried to make a threatening face, but it didn’t work.

It was just for a split second, but I saw him pout.

He’s not even a duck, so why is he so ridiculously cute?

So I couldn’t help myself and gave him a kiss with a loud mwah.

Edric’s eyebrows furrowed even more.

“…I’m not an idiot. Who would get over something like this so easily—”

Chuu, Chuu.

“I would never…”

Chuu, Chuu, Chuu.

“…”

Chuu, Chuu, Chuu, Chuu.

“You’re… really mean.”

Edric finally admitted defeat with a sigh that sounded like a groan.

This time, I didn’t even need to kiss him again.

Edric gave me a long kiss and then said,

“If you’re not trying to drive me crazy, just go to the capital once every four weeks. No more than that.”

His voice sounded like he’d been holding it in for a long time, mixed with lingering resentment.

…This was kind of scary.

When I said okay, he suddenly spoke again as if something occurred to him.

“No invites either.”

“…Wait. Rose said she was coming too?”

Rose Cassidy was a noble lady who’d gotten close to me since the last debutante ball.

At first, I thought it was just because of the debutante schedule, but she kept writing letters to me.

So I ended up seeing her whenever I went to the capital, and I even stayed at Cassidy for a while…

‘Back then, when I sent her sister’s hat flying, I had no idea things would turn out like this.’

Just like that, Edric narrowed his eyes again and asked,

“When did you start talking informally with that girl?”

“Recently… I mean, Rose is way younger than me. It’s natural to speak casually in private.”

Actually, Rose had asked me to treat her like a little sister, with sparkling eyes.

Her eyes were so bright that I had no choice but to nod…

Since I grew up with just Lobel and my older brother, I had a soft spot for the idea of a younger sibling.

But Edric’s face only grew more suspicious at my answer.

Of course, Edric wasn’t someone who would break a promise just because of personal feelings.

He didn’t look happy, but he nodded anyway.

And not long after, Rose Cassidy arrived at our Denkart estate.

Aside from Manellano, it was the most chaotic visit from a noble ever.

“Lady Denkart, it’s such an honor to be invited!”

“Oh my, you didn’t have to bring all this yourself.”

I looked at Rose Cassidy, who was holding loads of picnic baskets in both hands, with surprise.

We’d had many nobles visit, but she was the first to bring everything herself instead of letting a maid carry it.

They looked heavy even at a glance. How did she carry them all with those delicate arms?

‘…Is she just full of youthful energy?’

Maybe she noticed my worried expression, because a nearby servant came over to help her with the load.

“These are things for tomorrow’s picnic!”

We have picnic supplies at Denkart too…

But the excited look on her face made it clear these were special new things with a girlish charm.

“Um, Lady Lobel.”

She asked me shyly.

She’d asked in letters before if she could use a nickname, and I smiled gently to show my approval.

Rose looked at me with eyes full of emotion, and I had to half-hug her to calm her down before she burst into tears.

Even so, I started sweating nervously and glanced around.

‘…Edric’s men are all out, right?’

Her visit today was more pleasant than usual.

Probably because she genuinely liked me.

Especially when I looked into her sparkling eyes, I was reminded of Edric’s childhood.

He, too, used to focus all his attention on me just like she did.

It wasn’t rare for me to think about Edric’s childhood, but it always filled my heart.

“Lady Lobel, are you happy about something?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“Miss Rose is here. How could I not be happy?”

“…”

Her pretty eyes widened at my reply.

Then she blushed shyly, and my smile deepened.

“I’ll tell you about today’s schedule after lunch. We even have Denkart’s famous turkey dish, so look forward to it.”

“Can’t I hear about it before lunch?”

When she showed such pure curiosity about me, it made me feel even more affectionate.

I’d always liked honest people like her, so I spoke gently.

“It’s faster to see than to hear.”

After a pleasant meal and conversation, I led her to the gallery.

Rose saw the walls filled with paintings in the giant hall and gasped in awe.

She didn’t even think to cover her mouth with her fan.

“G-goodness… They’re all the Duchess!”

Then she practically ran around the gallery like someone who had discovered treasure buried in some remote place.

“Oh my! This one, this one!! The Duchess as a child!!! And this one is when you were a maid!!!!”

…She was almost crying at this point.

I was exhausted trying to calm her down as she asked who the painter was and how much the paintings cost.

Delilah too. Maybe capital girls are just extra energetic.

“Here, drink this water and take a breath.”

Sniff, snff.

There was a couch in the middle of the gallery for sitting and viewing.

I often sat there alone to enjoy the art, but today, Rose was with me.

Even as she drank water, she couldn’t take her eyes off the paintings.

She must really love them.

‘Yeah, no one but my husband could bring out the soft charm of oil paintings like this.’

I felt a bit proud inside.

Even though I was a little embarrassed since they were all portraits of me, I still wanted to brag.

‘My husband is this talented, you know.’

And I hoped the noble ladies would spread the word about our loving marriage.

Especially those girls who stared at my husband at the last debutante ball—and those suspicious men…

But when I told Rose who the artist was, she was startled.

“…T-the Duke?”

“It’s hard to believe, but yes.”

“Whew… So you need to have that level of skill to earn Lady Lobel’s love…”

Rose mumbled as if she’d just realized something deep, dabbing her eyes carefully with a handkerchief.

As I watched her profile, which looked oddly sad, I firmly denied it.

“No. Edric—I mean, I loved him even before he painted. I would’ve loved him just as much without the art.”

“…”

“Edric has always been lovable, just the way he is.”

Anyone in Denkart who remembered Edric’s childhood would agree.

That’s why whenever he went somewhere, people would double-check the carriage and ask me about his well-being.

But only after I said it did I realize it sounded like a love confession.

“…I guess I got a bit carried away.”

I rubbed my burning cheeks and smiled awkwardly, but Rose shook her head firmly.

She looked even more moved than before and gazed around with sincerity in her voice.

“I’m jealous.”

Really, the more I saw Rose, the more adorable she seemed.

After a while of quietly admiring the paintings, she suddenly let out an “Ah!” as if she remembered something.

“I brought it.”

There was a luxurious velvet pouch tied around her dress belt.

She handed it to me as is. But even as I thanked her, she asked nervously,

“Is this really enough as a token of thanks?”

“Of course it is.”

I told her not to worry and untied the pouch.

Inside was a stone from the Cassidy estate.

 

 

****

 

 

 

That’s how it ended up being a stressful time for Edric lately, but I did gain something from it.

I gathered the stones I’d gotten like trophies through the noble ladies I met at this social gathering and made up my mind.

‘I’ll make earrings for Edric.’

I couldn’t help but hum to myself.

According to the copy of Vibon that Evo had lent me, if you combine a condensed magic orb with the power of the Terua land, you can create an item with protective effects.

It might just be a superstition, but since Edric had recently gotten quite into accessories, I wanted to make him a cool gift—preferably one with meaning.

However, I needed Evo’s permission.

Even though he’d allowed it once before, I had tried not to use Vibon’s contents unless truly necessary, so I wanted to ask him again.

‘If he says no, I’ll just make the earrings some other way.’

So I sent him a letter…

And to my surprise, Evo came to see me the very next day.