Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

It seemed the servants had placed another silly bet about me, as the central table in the servants’ hall was covered in silver coins.And right in the middle of it, Rimson was busy collecting his winnings while gossiping about me.As soon as I stepped into the hall, the servants began whispering among themselves, most of them looking at me with resentful faces.The only one grinning from ear to ear was Rimson.He was boasting that this money would do nicely as his congratulatory gift, but he only noticed me after making his show.“Yo, Lobel.”He tied the heavy pouch tightly with a leather string, then stood before me and clicked his tongue.“I knew it from the start. There’s no way you’d quit so easily. But seriously, how could you mess with a noble lord not just once, but twice, huh? Thanks to you, everyone got tricked again.”Rimson teased me, accusing me of trying to monopolize the young master for myself.Both his tone and his words were the kind of thing I’d usually laugh off.But this time, I couldn’t.A low, heavy voice slipped from my lips.“Let’s talk. In private.”The lively atmosphere in the hall instantly turned cold.It was the first time I had ever acted this way.No matter what kind of pranks Rimson pulled, I had always laughed them off. Even when others crossed the line, my reaction was never much different.Rimson also looked confused at first, but then, realizing something was off, he hurriedly grabbed his pouch.He followed me, asking what was wrong, but I didn’t say a word. If I opened my mouth now, I knew I’d start cursing.Even when we arrived at the secluded backyard, I simply crossed my arms and stared him down.“…Ahem.”Just like a guilty thief fearing his own shadow.As expected, he must have had a bad feeling because he scratched the back of his neck while sneaking glances at me.He had the exact same look on his face as when he secretly used my belongings back when we shared a room—and then got caught lying about it.He habitually took out a cigarette from his pocket, but then quickly put it back.“So, w-what’s this about…? Why are you being so serious all of a sudden…? If this is about the prank when the young master returned, I already apologized, and you forgave me!”Oh, right.Now that he mentioned it, there was that incident too.Rimson had deliberately left me out when he and the others coordinated the young master’s return, even escorting him to the capital without telling me.When I confronted him about it later, he dodged my gaze and claimed it was just a joke before offering an apology.He insisted it was something he did on his own but had lied to everyone else, saying it was a surprise event planned with the young master.It had been so ridiculous that I had let it go—mostly because I was worried about Tilly and didn’t want to add more stress while he was busy preparing for their wedding.“That’s all in the past, so why—”“Perfect timing.”Just then, another person entered the backyard.It was Arif, whom I had asked a trusted servant to call over.He had likely just returned from another mission, as his usually tidy appearance was slightly disheveled.When our eyes met, he smiled in greeting. We had only exchanged brief nods in passing lately and hadn’t had the chance for a proper conversation.Of course, I was glad to see him, too—but there was something more urgent at hand.I shot a glare at the two of them standing before me.“How could you both… do this to me?”“…Did you eat something bad for lunch?”“What’s going on, Lobel?”Rimson looked at me like I was being ridiculous, while Arif’s expression turned serious.At that moment, I couldn’t hold back my resentment any longer.“The young master! Our young master can’t even hold a spoon properly anymore!!”“…??”“…??”“How could you two keep quiet about how severe his poisoning symptoms have become? If you had told me in advance, I could have at least prepared!!!”That was why I had just returned from requesting the duke’s aides to replace his utensils with ultra-lightweight ones.I had also asked them to prepare several other items requiring minimal strength to use.Denian had been flustered and tried to ask me something, but Benjamin had simply nodded and accepted my request.As expected, Benjamin, who had served the young master for a long time, was different.However, throughout my entire explanation, the two before me had terrible attitudes.Rimson let out an incredulous sigh, while Arif tilted his head up and stared at the bright blue sky.This only made my anger boil over even more.“He’s been having constant headaches! And he said he feels cold, even in this warm weather!!”After hearing that his hands trembled and lost strength, I had asked if there were any other side effects out of concern.The young master had gone quiet, thinking for a moment as if he wanted to explain things properly, then admitted he frequently felt headaches and chills.Back when I first saw him, I had thought it was strange how someone coming straight from the battlefield to the capital was wearing such extravagant layers of clothing—but now, I finally understood.My heart ached even more.The young master hated wearing restrictive clothes… How uncomfortable and stifling must it have been for him?So, I had immediately summoned a reliable tailor.If we could replace his layered outfits with a single coat lined with thick insulation, daily life would be somewhat easier for him.But of course, even that was far too late.I should have prepared for this before the young master arrived… No matter how I tried to brush it off, I couldn’t help but feel bitter.Even though Rimson had given me a vague warning about the aftereffects, I had no idea there were so many symptoms.“You had plenty of chances to tell me properly after returning to the capital…!!!”I glared at him resentfully.Having once suffered from an illness that left me unable to walk properly, I knew all too well how frustrating and painful it was for a healthy person to suddenly become ill.And since hands are used even more frequently than legs, it had to be even worse.I swallowed my frustration for a moment before getting to the main point—what mattered now was finding a way to help the young master recover.“Either way… things are as they are, so we need to deal with it. Do either of you know about any other side effects?”“Uh… Nope. No idea. I really don’t know anything anymore.”Rimson’s response was so utterly drained of energy that it was hard to tell if he was talking with his soul intact.“I also… haven’t heard anything.”Arif, looking just as troubled, apologized sincerely.Seeing these two—who were supposed to be among the young master’s closest aides—reacting so indifferently, I buried my face in my hands.They didn’t seem particularly worried.Considering the young master’s personality, it made sense.‘He must have been suffering in silence, keeping his mouth shut and enduring it alone… Just like he always did when we were younger.’That was why these two didn’t grasp the seriousness of the situation and were acting so relaxed.At that moment, perhaps feeling guilty, Rimson patted me on the back in encouragement.“Hang in there, Lobel.”But then, as he continued patting my shoulder, his large hand suddenly twitched.Something about it felt strangely familiar, so I looked up.Both Rimson and Arif were staring in the same direction.Following their gaze, I turned my head as well—toward the second-floor terrace.To be exact, toward the young master, who stood there watching us.I let out a sigh the moment I saw him.“He really shouldn’t be out in the open air like that…”The young master was lightly dressed, wearing only a shirt and pants.At least earlier, I had made sure to tuck a blanket around him, but now he was outside in such thin clothing.If he stayed like that, he’d get cold.Just a while ago, when he was explaining his chills to me, he had smiled bitterly and admitted, “It’s still a bit chilly for me right now.”“I’ll go first.”Leaving the two grim-faced men behind, I headed straight up to the second floor.When I entered the room, I ran right into the young master as he was coming in from the terrace.“You’re just getting here? I went outside because I was feeling cooped up.”Unlike the other two, the young master was highly perceptive and thoughtful.It was as if he had anticipated my concern and was offering an explanation in advance.“But… I can’t seem to find my coat. I looked around, but it’s nowhere to be seen…”“What about Zeran and Nos?”“They came by, but I sent them away. You know… given my condition. If you tell me where it is, I can find it myself. I can’t always rely on you being by my side, like just now.”His words stung too much for me to respond, so instead, I quickly pulled a coat out from the drawer beneath the couch.The young master looked genuinely surprised. “That was there?”He then stood quietly, waiting for me to help him put it on.As I dressed him, I noticed something odd.‘Strange… Why is there dust on his clothes? And some loose threads too…’These were newly tailored garments, and the meticulous maids would never make such mistakes.I found it odd but prioritized tidying up his appearance.As I brushed off the dust from his sleeves and broad shoulders and smoothed down the loose threads, his previously flawless image overlapped faintly with the frail and sickly figure from his childhood.For the first time, I felt a little less awkward and more like my old self.Maybe the young master felt the same because, as he bent slightly forward to make it easier for me, he spoke gently.“This reminds me of the old days. Don’t you think?”“Yes. I feel the same way.”Although his appearance had changed significantly, the pure light in his eyes as he looked at me remained the same.As I readily agreed, the young master’s beautiful green eyes curved sweetly.“Yeah. Just like before, nothing has changed. As long as I have you, Lobel, I think I’ll be fine until the day I die.”It was a touching compliment.It meant he trusted me that much.And yet… for some reason, I didn’t feel entirely happy. There was a strange sense of unease.Maybe I was just more sensitive to the mention of death after experiencing it so many times myself…?A chill crept down my spine.