Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

Late at night, the young master summoned me to the parlor.‘This has never happened before… What could it be about?’His face showed visible fatigue, likely from enduring Princess Delilah’s incessant visits.Seated on the sofa, his shoulders and back appeared tense and rigid.This mood of his was something I hadn’t seen in a long time. Lately, he had been masking his emotions, likely due to the heavy responsibilities of being the heir.Just as I was about to speak to him, I froze.I belatedly noticed the retainers standing like shadows against the parlor walls.‘…Who are they?’I had seen carriages carrying retainers arrive earlier today and assumed they were here to consult with the duke.But why would they be here, at night, with the young master? There were no lessons or meetings scheduled at this hour. What in the world was going on?The atmosphere was strange and heavy, making it hard to find the courage to speak. I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, as if being punished.“Lobel.”“Yes, young master.”It was a short call, paired with an unreadable, dark gaze, yet it conveyed a wealth of emotion.The strongest feeling was… resolve. The young master had made up his mind about something.At that moment, Count Clant stepped forward with a peculiar bottle in his hand.It looked similar to the medicine bottles the young master usually consumed, but this one was an unfamiliar silver.As someone who had dealt with more medicine than I cared to remember, I could instantly tell the subtle difference.But that wasn’t the real problem.‘…Ah.’I bit my lip.If they had prepared this bottle, it was meant for someone to drink it—but surely not the young master or the retainers standing stoically nearby.If it were for them, I wouldn’t have been summoned at this hour. That realization sent a shiver down my spine.What on earth was in that bottle?As I stared nervously at the bottle, the young master spoke softly.“You trust me, don’t you?”“……”“If you do, drink this.”“…It’s not poison, is it?”I tried to sound playful, but my voice cracked.The murderous aura filling the room was palpable, even to someone like me, with no expertise in swordsmanship.‘To think this would happen just as my body was recovering…’I steadied my dizzying thoughts and tried to assess the situation calmly.The fact that they hadn’t accused me of crimes like disrespecting a noble or exposing my secret meant that my identity as a woman hadn’t been discovered.If they had uncovered that, they wouldn’t have gathered so many retainers—it would have been a humiliation for Denkart itself.As I hesitated, Count Clant barked harshly, as if my delay had tested his patience.“What are you doing, ignoring the young master’s command?”I closed my eyes briefly in frustration.When I opened them, the young master came into view.His earlier words replayed in my mind.[You trust me, don’t you?]This… was a question I could answer honestly, no matter the circumstances.I did trust the young master.At first, I had approached him solely to heal my illness. But now, I saw him as a part of myself.That was why I had taken risks—communicating through coded messages with the Duke’s falcons and investigating the counterfeit goods circulating within Denkart’s trade network.I wanted to resolve these issues before leaving.These thoughts steadied me.‘Maybe this is all they’ve discovered. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t still be standing here unharmed.’Having learned the ruthless methods of noble families, particularly Denkart’s, I could tell this wasn’t the worst-case scenario.Trusting the young master’s judgment seemed like the right choice.Before drinking, I looked at him one last time.The calm, wise gaze of the now-mature boy reassured me.‘…Alright. I’ll drink it.’Making my decision, I removed the stopper and drank deeply.The thick liquid, with a faint burnt smell, slid down my throat.It hit like alcohol, making my throat and cheeks flush with heat. Soon, my entire face felt numb.‘…A truth serum.’I recognized the taste and effects from Count Clant’s lessons. He had once explained that noble retainers were sometimes force-fed this serum to extract information.‘I never thought I’d be the one drinking it…’Once I finished the bottle, the young master spoke, as though he had been waiting.“Who sent you to deceive me? Confess the truth, and I’ll end it with a single strike—why are you raising your hand suddenly?”“Uh, that’s me!”“…..”“Wow. This truth serum is incredible. Where’d you get it?”…The effects were no joke.It felt like alcohol mixed with something euphoric. My voice grew louder, and heat spread through my body. Why was I suddenly so cheerful?The retainers’ shocked expressions were plainly visible. Even Count Clant seemed to sense something was off.The young master, who had been watching in confusion, asked in his usual sharp tone.“No one sent you. Then this is a personal vendetta. What grudge do you hold against me?”“Grudge? Don’t be ridiculous. I’m here to serve you, young master. I’d die without you anyway.”“…Die? What do you mean?”“Young master needs to breathe for me to breathe too. Edric is my only hope—my lifeline.”It was the truth.The energy of the spirits in his breath was what kept me alive.But as the young master turned his back to me, I noticed something strange—his ears were glowing bright red.He proceeded to ask me a few more questions, skirting cleverly around anything that might incriminate me. His questions focused on assassins, conspiracies, and potential masterminds behind plots against him.‘…Ah.’That’s when I realized it.The young master had deliberately chosen questions that wouldn’t corner me.Finally, he stood abruptly from the sofa, turning to face the retainers.“Lobel poses no threat to me. It’s been proven, so leave.”“But…”Someone tried to protest, but Count Clant shook his head, silencing them.Soon, the retainers began filing out of the room.The young master watched them leave before turning his gaze back to me.His icy expression from earlier seemed to melt away, replaced by warmth and kindness. Seeing him like this calmed the storm of unease in my chest.But as I looked closer, I noticed his lips moving slightly. It was as if he had one last question he wanted to ask me.I could sense it—there was an answer he sought from me.Yet he didn’t ask.Even after going so far as to administer a truth serum, he didn’t push further. Instead, he handed me an antidote.“…Drink.”I nodded.At this point, ensuring the truth serum’s effects were neutralized was my top priority.If the retainers were to storm back in and catch me off guard, I might end up revealing everything—from the fact that I was a woman to the truth about the young master’s lineage.Following his instructions, I drank the antidote in one go. This time, the liquid tasted strongly of peppermint, its coldness filling my mouth.Before the cool sensation even reached my stomach, my consciousness began to blur.  *****  When I woke up, it was morning. Sunlight poured gently into my room.The quiet and peace of my surroundings felt unreal after last night’s chaos.The room was so still that it was hard to believe the commotion from before had ever happened. Even Rimson, who usually lingered around, was nowhere to be seen.My head throbbed from the aftereffects of the antidote, and my body felt heavy, as if waterlogged.Still, I forced myself to sit up.“…What on earth happened?”Even speaking a few words left my tongue tingling.Covering my mouth with both hands, I tried to steady my ragged breathing.From the young master’s kindness, I could infer that the ordeal had been orchestrated by the retainers, likely led by Count Clant.‘…Of course, it was that slimy Count Clant. It’s exactly the kind of dirty work he’s known for in the original story.’Still, I was relieved. At least my secret as a woman hadn’t been exposed, nor had I revealed anything about the young master’s bloodline.But that didn’t mean the danger was over.I could still vividly recall the piercing, suspicious eyes of the retainers who had stood in the shadows, watching me.A chill ran down my spine.‘For now, I need to lay low… and if they order me to leave, I’ll go quietly.’Though my recovery wasn’t complete, and this wasn’t the timeline I’d planned for, I needed to be ready to escape if things got worse.Resolving to prepare for the worst, I dragged my heavy body out of bed and began gathering my belongings.Fortunately, I had always kept myself ready to leave at a moment’s notice, so there wasn’t much to pack: an extra servant’s uniform, a pair of shoes, and a few bandages.“What are you doing? …Wait. Why do you look like you’ve just seen a ghost?”Startled, I spun around to see Rimson standing in the doorway, eyeing me curiously.In his hands was a serving cart filled with dishes, the aroma wafting over and instantly reminding me of the young master.“That’s right… I didn’t prepare the young master’s breakfast.”As I sprang to my feet, Rimson set the cart aside and firmly pushed me back onto the bed by my shoulders.“Hey, hey, hey! Sit back down. You’re off-duty today. Wayne’s covering the young master’s schedule.”“What? Wayne? That opportunistic little snake? Why is he attending to the young master? That’s our job, yours and mine!”“…Well, yeah, you’re not wrong. But…”Despite my dislike for Wayne, I had never badmouthed him in front of Rimson before. I had even begrudgingly admitted that his work ethic wasn’t bad.Wait. Why was I saying this now?Rimson, looking as puzzled as I felt, scratched his scruffy chin before finally speaking.“It’s, uh… by the young master’s orders.”“Did he say anything else? Anything for me?”Frustration bubbled up, spilling into my voice as I pressed him for answers.Rimson, clearly uncomfortable, hesitated before asking cautiously.“…Did something happen between you and the young master last night?”“Well, something did happen! I mean, the young master—!”I stopped mid-sentence, slamming my hands over my mouth.What the hell? How strong was that serum? Even after taking the antidote, it still had lingering effects?If I wasn’t careful, I’d end up spilling everything to Rimson and dragging him into this mess. That couldn’t happen.As I fidgeted anxiously, Rimson stared at me in shock, muttering under his breath.“…Just how far did you two go last night?”