Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

‘…Where am I?’I blinked, my eyes dry and sluggish.The ceiling above me was painted in vibrant colors—definitely not my room.And it wasn’t Young Master’s room, either.For a brief moment, I wondered if this was heaven.But when I turned my head, I saw a familiar face.Young Master.I tried to call out to him, but my throat felt like sandpaper, cracking with dryness.I hadn’t even made a sound, yet he was already holding out a cup of water.“Drink.”His eyes were sunken, as if he had stayed up all night.The clothes he wore were the same as when I last saw him—stained with blood in several places.And beneath his lower lip, that same dried scab remained.Had he been hurt?Or… had he been kidnapped too, after I lost consciousness?Even in my muddled state, worry crept in.Noticing my gaze, he spoke in a quiet, steady voice.“Rest here for now. There are clothes, medicine… everything you need.”Sure enough, on the table within reach, there were fresh clothes, bandages, medicine, and a water bottle neatly arranged.Even after saying his piece, Young Master stood there, staring at me for a while longer.Then, without another word, he left the room.I stared blankly at the closed door.He could have asked about the kidnappers or the fire, but instead, he had been considerate of me.Maybe… as a participant in the hunting festival, he had just as much on his mind as I did.‘…I was careless. I should have been more aware of my surroundings.’I let out a small sigh of relief.At least I was alive.And it seemed my plan to escape hadn’t been discovered.‘I survived again… My lifespan is surprisingly long, after all.’I tried to laugh it off, but the truth was, I couldn’t.Just remembering the moment I was trapped in that fire sent a cold shiver down my spine.Even after experiencing death multiple times, fear never became familiar.But still… I didn’t regret following Young Master.He was the one who had saved me—someone who should have died long ago.If I could do at least one last thing for him before I left, it would be enough.Even if this incident had cost me my life, I wouldn’t have regretted it.Because Young Master had saved me countless times from pain, from suffering, from an existence worse than death.‘…The weather is really nice today.’Despite everything that had happened, the world outside was so peaceful.The sky stretched endlessly, and the sunlight was warm.Beyond the window next to my bed, the temple grounds gleamed in pure white.Just looking at them seemed to wash away my unease.My tense body slowly began to relax.‘…For now, I need to focus on recovering.’And so, I did.After half a day of rest, I was finally able to sit up.I examined myself in the mirror as I applied the medicine.It stung, like pouring fire over an open wound.But it worked.The pain faded quickly.I later learned that this was a room in the central temple of the imperial capital—a place renowned for healing.And I hadn’t discovered this on my own.“I also stayed here once when I had a stomachache as a child.”Princess Delilah, who had been visiting frequently under the guise of checking on my condition, proudly shared the fact.She even declared that once I was better, she would take me on a tour of the capital.While others were restricted from visiting for the sake of my recovery, no one had dared to stop her.And she was quite pleased with herself for it.“Thank you, Your Highness. Allowing someone like me to stay in such a place—”“No, no! NO!! It wasn’t me!!”“……?”“It was your master! He used Denkart’s heir seal without permission to get you a room in the Grand Temple!”The princess, looking oddly aggrieved, stomped her foot as she explained.I was genuinely shocked.According to Count Clant’s lessons, the last time the heir’s seal had been used… was nearly a century ago.Denkart had always avoided giving the imperial family any leverage over them.They came and went in the capital quietly, without leaving traces.“Don’t worry, Bell. Next time you get hurt, I’ll use my authority and let you stay here for a whole year!”“…I’d rather not stay here even for a day, Your Highness. I don’t want to get hurt again.”I shuddered and added sincerely, “This time, I really thought I was going to die.”Of course, Princess Delilah wasn’t my only visitor.The hunting festival had apparently already ended, and Manellano had come as well.Unfortunately, I had caught a fever that morning, so I couldn’t even greet him properly.‘…He could’ve let me rest.’Still, I did feel a little guilty.I had ignored him completely the last time we met, when he had greeted me so cheerfully.I couldn’t just throw out a guest who had come all this way, so I forced myself to sound at least a little polite.“Young Master has been busy lately, so he hasn’t been able to visit.”“I know.”…Wait.Manellano had just come from finishing the hunt.How did he know?‘Is he… spying on Young Master?’I looked at him suspiciously.He didn’t like that.With a scowl, he dragged a chair closer to my bed and sat down with all the arrogance of a noble.“Do I look like an idiot? After the disaster he caused, how could I not know?”   *****  Edric had not used Denkart’s authority to place Lobel in the Grand Temple just for her recovery.It was for Lobel safety.The temple was a sacred space where weapons and poisons were strictly forbidden, guarded by holy knights. At the very least, nothing dangerous could happen to her there.And while Lobel rested, there were things Edric needed to take care of.No one was without skeletons in their closet—not even the family of the Grand Duchess.Edric revoked every privilege that her family had once received from Denkart.But he didn’t stop there.He uncovered and reported every single corruption case involving the Grand Duchess’s relatives directly to the Duke.“If you go against the Madam’s family…”“Count Clant, poison was found among that servant’s belongings. I’m sure you do understand what that means.”Count Clant had no rebuttal in the face of Edric’s cold fury.Edric had ordered the capture of every servant who had participated in the hunting festival.And with uncanny precision, he had singled out the arsonist among them.At first, many doubted him.But during interrogation, the servant not only confessed but even led them to the location where sleeping drugs and poison had been buried.When they identified him, he turned out to be the servant of the heir to a barony—one with deep ties to the Grand Duchess’s maternal family.The nobles were at a loss.If Edric chose to escalate this, things would become much more complicated.Yet, strangely, he didn’t act on it immediately.Which meant—for now—it was best to back down.“Step aside. I need to attend the closing ceremony.”Count Clant moved aside without further protest.After all, Edric was the winner—he was expected to be there.At the ceremony, Edric lifted his head.Displayed prominently on the podium was the silver deer he had hunted.The blood had been completely wiped away, its fur groomed to perfection.Even the fatal wound through its throat was barely noticeable.People marveled at the rarity of the silver deer.But Edric felt no joy.Because he had broken his promise to Lobel.According to tradition, dead one could not be brought into the temple.Even as a high noble, Edric could not break that rule.So he lowered his gaze and made a silent vow.Next time, he would make sure Lobel saw a silver deer with her own eyes.While the emperor delivered the closing speech, Edric was already planning next year’s hunt.Then, his eyes caught the figures seated beside the emperor.Foreign nobles, clad in elaborate robes, their features distinctly different from those of the empire.…Them.A memory surfaced.In the outskirts of certain kingdoms, there was a tradition.Men disguised themselves as women to avoid being conscripted into war.And in some places, women were hidden away or even dressed as men to keep them from being sold.That thought led him to a realization—Could Lobel have been disguising herself as a man for a similar reason?But… it didn’t quite add up.Lobel had the skills to secure her survival in ways far beyond servitude.She was too rational, too strategic, to have simply stumbled into a noble household as a servant without understanding the risks.She must have known the dangers if she were ever caught.So then…Why?Why had Lobel willingly chosen to take on that risk?“Edric Denkart.”The emperor’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.Edric rose to his feet.The same noble boys who had mocked him earlier were still trembling in disbelief.Some even clenched their teeth in frustration.But Edric didn’t care.He stepped forward, taking the beautifully curved white dagger in both hands.And as he held it, he thought only of Lobel.It didn’t matter if he was confused.It didn’t matter what her reasons were.It didn’t even matter what her gender was.Lobel was simply Lobel.…But he did need to know the reason.The veins in his pale hands stood out as he tightened his grip on the dagger.  *****  After that, Manellano continued to bring me news from the capital whenever he had the chance.He told me that the downfall of the Grand Duchess’s distant relatives was entirely because of Young Master.As it turned out, the servant who had kidnapped me was connected to them.I had already suspected it, but now it was almost certain—the Grand Duchess was behind it.“I didn’t think he had it in him, but he’s completely merciless.”Manellano eyed me carefully, as if he had figured out that Young Master’s cold ruthlessness had something to do with me.I wanted to ask Young Master about it myself.But he never came.‘…He must be really busy.’At first, I had been worried.If I had to undergo a medical examination or have my bandages removed, I didn’t know what I would do.But it turned out to be an unnecessary fear.I had worked myself up over something that never even happened.And now, all I felt was a bit embarrassed for making such a fuss over nothing.And… maybe a little hurt that Young Master hadn’t visited me.Every night, I worried about him.I just wanted to go home.My emotions were a mess, tangled and confused even to myself.