Surviving As An Obsessive Servant Chapter 186 - Manellano (IF) Side Story Chapter 1

For a commoner, getting into Terua Academy was like plucking a star from the sky.

The astronomical tuition fees and the demanding entrance exam were difficult even for most nobles to handle.

But breaking that precedent, Lobelia proudly entered the capital’s academy.

[ Our child has received the goddess’s blessing to experience many lives—how right the priest’s words were! ]

Her father was overjoyed, even bringing up an old prophecy.

That priest—he might have been remarkable in the past, but nowadays he was rather senile.

Anyway, back then she thought her future was nothing but bright.

Since she had entered as the top student, she planned to graduate well and secure a position within the imperial household.

Of course, there would be some contempt or bullying from nobles, but since everyone was busy competing and studying, she was confident she could overcome it.

That’s what she believed.

But it was only her delusion.

Nobles or not, the jealousy and bullying from her peers were more childish than she expected, and they got in the way of her studies.

Today was no exception.

“You don’t know any manners?”

Lobelia sighed as she looked at the tall boy standing before her.

A delinquent aura, an annoyed expression, a tone that nitpicked for no reason…

The only difference from the usual bullies was his rare gray hair and unusually handsome face. Everything else was the same.

He picked fights for no reason, disrupting her studies.

‘If these high-and-mighty nobles are so great, why don’t they try being top of the academy themselves?’

Annoyed inside, Lobelia quietly tried to step aside.

It was the wise approach she had learned over the past semester.

No matter what she said as a commoner, they never listened—so it was better just to move on silently.

But this boy was worse than the others.

Whenever she tried to sidestep, his shiny shoes blocked her path with a sharp tap.

“When someone talks to you, you should listen.”

She was speechless.

‘Who’s the one that should be annoyed here?’

Lobelia’s eyes sharpened.

Normally, she would ignore it, but this was too much.

Still, she had to keep herself in check for the long academy life ahead…

The tuition her parents had barely managed to scrape together flashed through her mind.

And with the penalty points she had already piled up from past fights with nobles, another incident could be dangerous.

‘I… just have to endure.’

Pressing down her rising anger, Lobelia asked:

“Is blocking someone’s way the proper manners you’re talking about?”

“If you hadn’t ignored me, I wouldn’t have. Did you think I wouldn’t notice you’ve been deliberately ignoring me all week?”

“Oh really? Then what’s this great matter that made you search for me the whole week?”

As she spoke, Lobelia made up her mind.

If he admitted he was bothering her, she’d humiliate him in some way.

For a noble who lived and died by honor, to wait around and chase after some lowly commoner all week just to harass her—that was more pathetic than any commoner.

But all her long thoughts ended up useless.

The boy ignored her intentions entirely and just asked what he wanted to know.

“What’s your name?”

“…That’s not the right order, is it?”

Shouldn’t he answer first before asking questions?

She already knew he was selfish, but this boy was utterly self-centered.

He might’ve been the best-looking person she had ever seen, but he was also the most unpleasant type.

When she looked at him with disdain, he bared his teeth in a grin.

“Manellano Stell.”

Truly self-centered…

Thinking this would go on forever at this rate, she let out a sigh and gave an answer.

“…Lobelia.”

Here, take this, now just go away—that was her attitude.

But he wasn’t done.

“Why do you stop halfway when speaking? You’ve got no basics. You should say your family name too.”

Seeing the bronze badge on his uniform jacket, she realized he was also a first-year, just like her.

So, they were the same age.

Yet he acted like an adult trying to lecture her, which was downright ridiculous.

If he weren’t a noble, she really would’ve smacked him.

‘Manellano Stell. Just wait until I become an imperial official—you’ll see.’

It felt childish to say it to herself, but that was the only thought that came to mind.

“…Lobelia Flor.”

“Ah, Lobelia Flor. That name really suits you.”

“…”

The fact that he could make even a simple introduction feel insulting was almost a skill.

Unable to hold back her annoyance, Lobelia glared at the floor of the hallway.

Manellano shrugged and said:

“This is just how I talk. You’ll have to endure it until you get used to it. Anyway—”

What strange thing was he about to say now?

He was harder to deal with than the others.

The rest were ignorant and dull; if she slouched her shoulders or looked downcast, they’d think she was cowed and just back off.

But this one never did.

Tensing up and fixing her gaze, she was startled by the unexpectedly fresh words that followed.

“See you.”

“…?”

The boy flashed a confident smile at the bewildered girl staring back at him.

“Let’s meet again tomorrow.”

 

 

****

 

 

 

 

Even after the girl disappeared, Manellano Stell kept staring endlessly before finally turning away.

A pleasant smile spread across his smooth lips.

“Ha ha.”

From the way she had gripped her book just moments earlier, if she had been a commoner, she probably would have hit him.

But true to her unusually patient nature, she had pressed down her anger with a sigh and soon walked off.

‘Lobelia Flor.’

To be honest, he already knew her name. She was a famous figure, though in a different sense than Manellano himself.

Something about being the freshman representative.

A mere commoner who had entered the nobles’ academy as the top student, she was already attracting resentful glares.

So, Manellano couldn’t help but hear her name constantly. Most of the time, it came in unpleasant voices.

Even though the academy boasted distinguished professors and placed great importance on etiquette and dignity, there were still blind spots.

From what he had gathered, she was often called here and there, constantly dragged into bothersome situations.

By nobles, classmates, even upperclassmen and professors. Even fellow commoners supposedly envied her.

‘And the whispers all around…’

If it were him, his ears would ache and he wouldn’t even sleep well at night.

Then, he had first seen her by chance in the courtyard.

Yawning away his drowsiness, stretching, when a group of boys all turned their eyes in one direction at once.

Then they cracked their necks left and right, bones popping, and spoke to Manellano:

[ You see that? That long-haired girl is the arrogant top student. ]

The arrogant top student.

His first impression? Well, he thought that description suited her rather well.

When he carelessly lifted his head, his eyes met hers.

It was the look one might give a disgusting, pitiful insect.

‘…Huh?’

Having never once in his life received an insult, let alone a single unpleasant glare, Manellano was utterly dumbfounded.

Of course, these trashy idiots stank with their words, but strictly speaking, none of it was his fault.

He simply felt wronged, as if he were being cursed at just for standing near them.

Feeling both aggrieved and strangely unsettled, Manellano turned to the fools babbling at his side and said:

[ Your breath stinks. How about shutting that mouth? ]

[ Uh, uh, s-sorry. ]

Watching them stammer so pathetically only made his irritation worse.

‘Is she blind? Why lump me in with these guys?’

But there was no way to clear up the misunderstanding.

Perhaps not wanting to get caught up in the commotion, the girl disappeared from sight.

‘…Why does she walk so fast?’

Her long silver hair swayed behind her as she walked away, and something about her back looked oddly familiar. He frowned, trying to recall.

But no matter how many days he thought about it, no answer came.

What he did realize, however, was that Lobelia Flor was not only the fastest girl he had ever seen, but also the most ill-tempered and grudge-bearing.

Whenever they happened to pass in the hallway, her violet eyes would narrow just slightly.

Apparently, her memory was just as sharp as her intelligence.

So, under the pretext of introducing himself, he approached her.

Partly, he wanted to leave her with the impression—unlike the others—that he was actually courteous, befitting his position as the face of high society.

‘With brains like hers, she could be useful in some way down the line.’

Manellano was no fool like the other boys, who acted purely on emotion.

Crown Prince Louis was bent on reforming Terua’s outdated, rigid laws, and was determined to recruit outstanding talent regardless of social class.

So if that girl someday secured a place as an imperial official, it would do him no harm.

Yet, she failed to recognize even this rare goodwill of his.

At the mere attempt to take a single step closer, she would fix him with eyes full of suspicion.

Manellano was dumbfounded.

‘What have I done?’

Even thugs from the back alleys of the marketplace wouldn’t look at him like that.

‘What’s the use of studying so well, then?’

Unfortunately, though she excelled in learning, the girl clearly had no idea how to read people’s hearts.

And she knew even less about Manellano’s own nature.

Sadly for her, she didn’t realize that this only stirred his stubbornness all the more.

‘Quite entertaining, actually.’

As he strolled through Terua’s garden, ablaze with flowers of every kind, a smile blossomed on his face.