Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 178 - Side Story Chapter 13

Edric’s eyes moved quickly outside the carriage.

Summers in Bellican were especially hot and noisy.

Merchants dripping with sweat as they moved materials and goods to the top floor, carriages rushing through the streets and minor to major carriage accidents, and loud shouting ringing out everywhere as if auctions were happening.

Though he enjoyed quiet contemplation, whenever he came here, he tried to remember every bit of the chaos with a happy heart.

Just thinking that young Lobelia once played somewhere around that little corner gave him a strange feeling.

And imagining their children growing up and leaving new footsteps on the ground she once walked made his heart race.

‘…It would’ve been even better if Lobelia had come with me.’

Thinking of his wife, Edric smiled softly.

This morning had been just an ordinary day.

The only special thing was that Edric had been planning since the day before to ask to visit his father-in-law.

But that plan hadn’t been easy.

Even by noon, Lobelia still hadn’t gotten out of bed, and Edric had been nervous watching her.

It was always nice to see her sleeping peacefully, but he couldn’t help but worry something might be wrong, so he stayed by her side.

Later, when she finally stretched and got up, he carefully massaged her hands and legs. But still uneasy, he called the family doctor.

The physician calmly examined Lobel, looked at her with a hint of envy, and said just one thing.

[ She seems hungry, so perhaps you should bring her a meal. ]

Edric kept asking if she was really okay, but that was the full extent of the diagnosis.

Even during the meal, Edric couldn’t bring himself to suggest going to Bellican.

Her face had recently looked full of fatigue, and it kept troubling him.

There was so much he wanted to ask his father-in-law, but Lobel was the most important.

‘…Should’ve asked when he visited last time.’

Back then, he hesitated so many times, not wanting to burden his father-in-law, and ended up saying nothing.

But perhaps sensing his inner struggle, Lobel casually asked,

[ Is there something you want to say? ]

[ …Well, it’s just… ]

Hesitating, Edric finally answered honestly.

Then Lobel clicked her tongue and said he shouldn’t have been so worried about something like that. She even got the carriage ready for him to leave.

Even as he struggled to get in, she cheerfully told him she had gone out alone just last week too, so he could stay as long as he needed.

‘Still… I should head back soon.’

He’d already ordered Lobel’s favorite snacks, the ones only sold in Bellican, through his attendant—he planned to pick those up and return by evening.

Even Dif’s help couldn’t solve everything.

Lately, Lobel not only felt tired but her body swelled easily too, so Edric had to take good care of her.

But that determination faded the moment he arrived at Lobel’s parents’ home.

“You’re here!”

Even before he got there, his father-in-law had been waiting at the door and greeted him with a smile.

Seeing him through the carriage window, Edric was startled.

Despite the heat, his face, neck, and the backs of his hands were all sunburned, showing how long he’d been outside.

Yet his father-in-law didn’t show any sign of discomfort.

As soon as Edric stepped down from the carriage, he patted his back and shoulders, saying only how glad he was to see him.

‘…There’s no way I’m leaving today or tomorrow.’

Once inside, Robert, who had been awkwardly leaning against the wall, greeted him with a strained smile.

But then, noticing how their father wouldn’t let go of Edric’s hand, he grumbled about not knowing who the real son was.

Then a kind face popped in beside them.

“Edric, you’re here?”

“Yes.”

Lobel’s mother had also started speaking informally to him at some point.

Edric gave the kindest smile he could muster—a smile just like Lobel’s.

In truth, he had been trying to imitate their expressions lately.

He wanted to show such smiles to their future children. He believed that would help them feel safe and happy, always.

Just like how he felt when he saw them.

“Lobelia is doing well.”

Edric sat with the in-laws in the living room and gave a report on his wife’s daily routine.

She usually got up around lunchtime, dozed off after meals while he read to her, napped again on the sofa…

Then, once awake, she’d take a short walk, eat again, get a massage, and fall asleep once more.

“Thankfully, there’s no severe morning sickness or symptoms yet.”

Edric’s expression was as serious as a commander reporting from the battlefield.

Lobel’s parents struggled not to laugh, and Robert looked at him in disbelief.

But Edric didn’t notice. He was too busy feeling relieved that Lobel was okay.

After the lavish meal, Edric went out to the backyard with Lobel’s father.

The sound of insects chirping in the dark now felt familiar. And the small swing seemed even more endearing.

He’d seen it before but paid it no mind. Now, knowing they were expecting a child, he couldn’t help but focus on it.

Perhaps sensing his gaze, Lobel’s father—his hands behind his back and eyes on the night sky—spoke up.

“That swing was loved much more by Lobelia than by Robert. It took a lot of effort to build it strong, but I’m glad I did. The grandkids will get to play on it too.”

Overjoyed by the news of the grandchild he’d dreamed of, Lobel’s father spoke in a bright voice, even without a drop of alcohol.

Listening to him, Edric decided he’d personally make swings all over their estate.

And he thought he should come back tomorrow morning to copy that design exactly.

But a swing alone wasn’t enough.

He had to fulfill the real reason he’d come here.

“Um, Father-in-law.”

As Lobel’s father glanced toward the door, signaling they should go inside, Edric called to him.

His tone was unusually serious, and when Lobel’s father blinked at the change, Edric quickly said,

“I need your advice.”

“Advice… from me?”

Lobel’s father was taken aback.

The young man before him was none other than the head of the Denkart family. With so many capable people around, why would he be asking him for advice?

Judging by the mood, it didn’t seem like he was asking again if there were any of the thugs who used to harass Lobel still lurking in this city.

…Then what could it be?

For a merchant, trust was more important than life, and it was better not to make promises one couldn’t keep.

He didn’t know what kind of advice Edric was after, but seeing how difficult it was for him to even bring it up, it must have been something very serious.

While he pondered with a troubled expression, Edric, perhaps growing anxious, finally spoke.

“May I ask?”

Even so, it wasn’t easy to turn down someone pleading so earnestly.

In the end, Lobel’s father gave a heavy nod.

“…Go ahead.”

“Father-in-law. I want to become a good father like you.”

“What? Ha ha!”

As if he had never been tense at all, Lobel’s father burst into hearty laughter.

To set the mood like this and then try to score points all of a sudden?

As expected, this young man had a surprisingly pure and whimsical side to him.

But when the next words came, filled with a note of unease, he had to change his mind.

“What should I do to become like you? Honestly… I don’t even know where to start fixing myself.”

The furrowed brows and trembling gaze were serious to the point of concern.

‘Hmm… This doesn’t seem like a joke.’

Facing the solemn Edric, he felt sorry for having taken it so lightly at first.

No—more than that, he couldn’t understand why Edric was being so remorseful. The child hadn’t even been born yet.

After considering several things, Lobel’s father recalled Edric’s difficult childhood.

Having grown up without knowing a father’s love, he likely didn’t know how to give it himself.

Instead of offering comfort or an immediate answer, Lobel’s father opened the door.

“Follow me.”

They walked together to the room at the very end of the first-floor hallway.

The entire walk there, Edric—feeling gloomy—noticed how light his father-in-law’s steps seemed, and his eyes widened.

He hadn’t realized it before, but even this kind of detail seemed to be inherited.

If that were the case, then their child might walk astonishingly fast too… Edric firmly resolved to never lose sight of the child, no matter where or when.

In the meantime, his father-in-law opened the door.

This room, like all others in the Flor household, was neat and well-kept.

Most of the items appeared to be storage boxes for clothing, and among them, Lobel’s father smoothly pulled out one box.

“Here, this is it.”

“…?”

Edric blinked his green eyes as he looked inside the box.

For an answer to his question about becoming a good father, the contents seemed oddly off-topic.

Most of the items were clothes made from yarn.

“These are the scarf and gloves I made when Robert was born…”

Lobel’s father smiled contentedly as he explained each item, clearly happy just to take them out again.

Then, as if each piece were a treasure, he gently pressed them to his lips one by one.

Sitting quietly on the floor beside him, Edric came to a realization.

‘…He made these for the children himself.’

Yes. No matter how noble one might be, making something by hand for your child would be cherished and remembered.

This was just like Lobel’s father—showing such an important truth not through words, but through actions.

But something seemed odd. The sweater stored deepest in the box was far too large to belong to a child.

As Edric looked at it curiously, Lobel’s father gazed at it with even more affection in his eyes.

“My Fabiana wore that. Doesn’t it look like it’d suit her?”

“Yes.”

“Heh heh. I thought so too. Fabi really loved it.”

Fabiana Flor was his wife—Lobel’s mother.

As he spoke of how beautiful Fabi had looked wearing that, his face—wrinkled with age—shone like a young man deeply in love.

Maybe loving and cherishing one’s wife was the most important quality of a father.

That way, children could learn how to love and care for others by following their father’s example.

Watching him quietly, Edric eventually smiled as well.

“Thank you for the advice.”

“To be honest, I don’t really know how to be a good father either. But love comes first. Children can pick up on that very quickly.”

More than anything else, Edric agreed with that last statement.

It was because he had felt the sincere love from Lobelia in the past, and that’s what had allowed him to open his heart.