Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

No… Not now… I finally got a real chance to live properly…!“Hic… hngh…”I had finally managed to spend thirteen years in good health. I couldn’t die like this.Desperately, I rolled my body in the opposite direction of the scorching heat.Sharp and jagged stones scraped against my skin, sending searing pain through me, but I was too frantic to even process it.I barely managed to move, only to hit a solid wall.I couldn’t go any further.“Hah… haah…”Panting heavily, I struggled to move.But my consciousness was fading.I couldn’t even feel my breath anymore.The fear, the pain—it was all slipping away.It felt like every tightly stretched sense in my body had loosened, then snapped completely.“Ah… damn it…”This was all too familiar.And I knew what came next.I couldn’t tell if my eyes were open or closed anymore—everything was just pitch black.I almost laughed at how absurd it was.“So this is it… I didn’t make it past thirteen again.”If I died here, no one would ever know.“Will I… go back again if I die?”Clinging to the last threads of consciousness, I forced myself to think.No… This time, I wasn’t dying from an illness.This time, I might really die for good.Because this was different from every death before.As my mind grew murky, it instinctively moved to the final stage of sorting things out.My parents. My brother. The people in the caravan.And… Young Master.Thinking of him, I let out a bitter smile.I had left his gift and letter under my bed.Someone would find them and take care of them.Even if my body burned away to nothing, I had already written my resignation letter and placed it in my locker.At the very least, no one would think I had abandoned Young Master in the middle of such an important hunt just because I disliked him.That thought was my only small comfort in this unjust death.…No.No, I didn’t want to die.“I really… don’t want to die like this…”That was my final thought as I let go—“Lobel!”  ****  Edric was certain—there was a point where the waterfall connected to the cave.And if that was true, then Lobel might be there.He couldn’t afford to let go of even the slightest hope.Without hesitation, he moved.If he was even a second too late, Lobel’s fate would be sealed. There was no time to waste.Edric had never entered the water in his life.But without a moment’s doubt, he threw himself into the waterfall.And yet—he swam as if he had known how to all along.As if he had been born for it, he cut through the current with unnatural ease.But he didn’t let himself feel any relief. His focus remained razor-sharp.He had to find Lobel.Every fiber of his being was attuned to the faintest trace of air.And his instincts were right.The deeper he went, the more the shadows shifted—until, at last, a passage came into view.It was a wide gap leading into the cave.Edric kicked off and surged forward, slicing through the water with even greater speed.As soon as he entered, complete darkness swallowed him.But he didn’t stop.He pushed through the heavy water, following the faint pull of air.The moment his head broke the surface, he spotted Lobel lying motionless on the cave floor.“Lobel!”Edric scrambled onto the ground, his body dripping wet, but he didn’t spare a second to wipe himself off.Lobel came first.“…….”Edric’s expression darkened with rage.Lobel’s vest was undone, his shoe missing.Bruises, scrapes, and streaks of dried blood marred his exposed skin.Someone had treated him with cruelty.Edric tried to lift him.But his hands trembled so violently that he couldn’t.He tried again. And again.And failed each time.How pathetic.He clenched his jaw, trying to steady himself.Lobel was still in danger.He couldn’t waste another second being useless.The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth—he had bitten his lip without realizing it.The sting jolted his senses back into focus.With new clarity, he moved.He pulled out a dagger and cut through the ropes binding Lobel.The saliva-soaked cloth gagging him fell away.“…Cough! Cough!”The sound of Lobel coughing brought Edric back to reality.Without thinking, he threw his arms around him.Their bodies shivered against each other—not just because Lobel was unconscious.Edric himself was trembling, gripped by a fear deeper than he had ever known.Even after confirming that Lobel was alive, that fear refused to let go.“Lobel, Lobel…”He called his name again and again.Lobel didn’t answer.But holding him like this, feeling his weight in his arms—it was enough to calm the suffocating terror.Yet, Edric wasn’t given a moment to fully breathe.“…Fire?”He had been too focused on Lobel to notice.Fire.The fire had spread, its tendrils licking hungrily toward them.Edric hoisted Lobel into his arms and ran toward the path he had entered from—But it was blocked.Alone, he might have escaped.But with Lobel unconscious, swimming out wasn’t an option.Edric stood firm, shielding Lobel from the approaching blaze.If they died here, so be it.But he wouldn’t abandon him.Lobel had saved him.Because of Lobel, he had learned to live like a person.To leave him behind now? Impossible.The heat pressed against his back, but Edric didn’t yield.He took a deep breath.His mind flashed to Lobel’s words.No matter the situation, you can do it.There had to be a way.More desperate than ever, Edric’s thoughts reached for the past.A quiet afternoon, one of the rare peaceful moments they had shared.Everything that made Lobel comfortable had been there.Lobel sat beside him on the couch.A stack of his favorite books rested on the table.His warm afternoon tea, his usual snacks.That day, Edric had held Lobel’s hand and read him a poem.[The greedy Deep stole beauty and harps from the Elves, water and fire from the Spirits…][So Deep are thieves? But my Young Master isn’t.]“…Maybe…”A wild thought struck him.He had never been in water before, yet he had moved through it effortlessly.Then… what if…?It had sounded like nonsense at the time.But now, he couldn’t afford to ignore even the smallest possibility.Holding Lobel closer, Edric whispered:“Disappear.”The moment the word left his lips—The fire began to vanish.As if obeying his command.Edric stared, stunned.It was real.His desperate gamble had worked.“…….”The fire that had once raged now left behind only smoldering embers and smoke.He watched for a long time, unable to believe it.Then, slowly, he turned his gaze downward.Lobel was still breathing, though faintly, his chest rising and falling in weak gasps.‘I need to get him to safety.’For the first time in his life, Edric knelt on the ground without hesitation.He cupped his hands and scooped water from the cave floor, bringing it to Lobel’s lips.Over and over, until his breathing finally steadied.Edric exhaled shakily.Then—he noticed something.Before, he had been too frantic to see.Now, he realized—Lobel’s body had been handled roughly.Thin branches and thorns were embedded in his scraped skin.And then… there was the wound.The wound Lobel had always hidden beneath bandages.Edric had always been careful never to pry.But now, as his gaze lowered—A loosened bandage peeked out from the gaps of his half-unbuttoned shirt.And beneath it…“…….”Edric’s breath stopped.Because he had just uncovered the truth.And it was more shocking than he could have ever imagined.  ****  Ah… I must have really died this time.[Lobel, wake up. Lobel…]Every time I lost consciousness in the past, my family had called out to me like this—so desperately, so full of sorrow.It was as if the gods, in their last act of mercy, allowed me to hear their voices before I completely departed from the world.This time, it was different.This time, I only heard his voice.Young Master’s voice never ceased, lingering by my side.‘Still… it wasn’t such a bad life.’I let out a small smile.As I had expected, he had come for me.Maybe his timing was off, but… this was enough.I didn’t know how he had managed to get through the raging fire, but the fact that he had come for me, truly—That was enough.If I return again… will I get to meet him in my next life, too?But if he forgets me… if he doesn’t recognize me… I wouldn’t know how to face him.Even as I lay dying, that thought made my heart ache.I had planned to watch over him from afar, even after leaving his side.I had prepared myself for that.But the idea of him forgetting me completely… that, I had never considered.“Lobel, I’m sorry. Because of me… I’m really sorry.”‘…Why is Young Master apologizing?’Even in my final moments, that made me angry.‘After everything he’s done for me…’If not for him, I wouldn’t even be able to walk properly right now.I would still be sick, wasting away.This was the first time I had ever been this healthy at the end of a life.And besides, the ones who did wrong weren’t him.He had only ever been the one suffering at the hands of others.Not the one causing it.I tried to open my mouth to say something, but all that came out was a hoarse, broken sound.“Ugh… ngh…”…Wait.That was my voice.…What?Does that mean—I’m not dead?Desperately, I forced my tightly shut eyelids to open.“L-Lobel, Lobel! Are you awake?”Through my blurred vision, I saw Young Master’s face twisted in panic.Both of his hands held handkerchiefs—one was wiping my eyes, the other dabbing at my lips.For a moment, I was too shocked to do anything.Here I was, receiving the utmost care from the heir of a grand duchy.Flustered, I stammered, “I… why… am I not dead…?”“What kind of nonsense is that?! Why would you die?!”I couldn’t tell if he was scolding me or if he was just that worried.The carriage was sturdy and well-built, befitting Denkart’s wealth.Not even the rain could seep through its walls.But something warm and wet dripped onto my face.Young Master’s eyes were red, swollen.His lower lip was tattered, torn from being bitten over and over.Dried blood crusted the edges.That beautiful face—what happened to it?I instinctively reached out to touch him, but my body refused to move.I vaguely remembered being thrown around, hitting things—now my entire body stung, ached, burned.“Don’t. You can’t push yourself anymore. Just stay still.”My clothes were tattered like rags, but at least there were no signs that anyone had tampered with them.Still, I couldn’t afford to let myself lose consciousness again.If I passed out now… with Young Master’s personality, the moment we arrived at the capital, he’d probably call the palace physicians.And that was just one of the problems.If I left the hunting grounds now, I wouldn’t be allowed back in.I forced my fading vision to focus and spoke.“You… can leave me here. I’ll be fine alone. Brother Rimson is outside, and… you need to finish the hunt.”I slurred my words, my thoughts sluggish.But I remembered those noble boys, the ones who had mocked him.If it was Young Master, he would crush their pride completely.Yet, instead of answering, he just stared at me with an unreadable expression.And then—“I’m not going.”Short, firm, absolute.It was the most unwavering thing I had ever heard from him.Even more so than when he was striving for the Grand Duke’s approval.The way he cared for me—it filled me with gratitude so deep, I wanted to look at him properly, to thank him.But my eyes… they kept closing.I fought against it with everything I had, but I was at my limit.Sleep was creeping in.No.No, I couldn’t fall asleep.If a physician examined me… if they found out…I struggled to keep my consciousness and muttered, “Young Master… when we reach the capital… please wake me up.”“…….”“I get embarrassed easily… You know I always bathe separately, right?”“…….”“I’m not hurt that badly… I want to apply my own medicine… Please let me do that… And you, too—you need medicine for your wounds, Young Master…”Somewhere between waking and dreaming, I thought I heard his voice.“I’ll do everything exactly how you want… So sleep. You don’t have to worry about anything anymore.”His words wrapped around me like warmth.And for the first time in a long, long while—Even in a moving carriage, even after all the pain and fear—I slept deeply.As if I had finally returned home.