Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

I devoted every moment to serving Young Master.During the day, I assisted him and coordinated his official schedule. At night, I prepared lists of everything he would need upon his return.To ensure he could immediately inherit his title when he came back, I even arranged—through his two aides—for some traditional ceremonies to be performed while he was away.The aides were astonished that I knew such customs.It was only possible because I had attended all of Young Master’s lessons with him.For the first time, I felt grateful to the Duke—because he had given me the ability to help Young Master in this way.Of course… beyond that, he was still a wretched man I would gladly strangle if I could.“You made such a fuss, only to end up doing all this?”Rimson shook his head in disbelief, unable to understand me.And honestly, I couldn’t deny it.Originally, I had planned to cut ties completely once Young Master recovered.The decision I had made now was reckless in many ways.So, I had to be even more cautious to ensure my secret remained safe.Fortunately, no one knew about the “relative’s trading company in a commercial city” I had mentioned to Young Master before.It made sense.When we reunited in our hometown, the coachman was a stranger, and no other servants or witnesses were present.Besides, Young Master wasn’t the type to talk about others unnecessarily.That reassured me. I still needed to be careful, but… at least for now, I was safe.“There’s more to prepare than usual,” I noted.It was late at night, but since Young Master was still awake, I helped him pack.Wayne was in charge of organizing the clothes, so I handled the books and stationery.Despite the preparations, Young Master didn’t even glance at his belongings.No matter how I looked at it, he didn’t seem like someone about to leave.He just sat at his desk, reading.Unlike before, he wasn’t sticking close to me—probably a sign of adolescence.Still, he trusted me completely to take care of things.Determined to meet that trust, I carefully folded each item in his bag… until I remembered something important.“Where should I pack your crutch?”“I’m leaving it here.”“Oh, then I’ll—”I almost said I’d keep it safe, but I stopped myself.Even if Denkart’s curse was broken, unforeseen variables could arise.Rather than keeping it myself—since I planned to escape before my identity was exposed—it would be better left with Wayne or the butler, people who would remain here.I quickly changed the topic.“Aren’t you nervous about leaving?”“…Nervous?”“Yes. You’re going somewhere completely foreign.”For once, Young Master hesitated instead of denying it outright.His eyes, still fixed on his book, wavered slightly.So, he was worried.It was better for him to talk about it now so I could help however I could before he left.I stopped packing and leaned in slightly.“What worries you the most?”“…No, I—I trust everything. Nervous? Why would I be nervous? I’m not nervous at all.”His words were unconvincing, and he fumbled as he turned the page.Anyone could see how anxious he was.But no matter how much I stared at him, he stubbornly refused to meet my gaze.This was his way of avoiding the conversation.In the end, I had to let it go—for now.I’d try again tomorrow.As the sound of slow page-turning filled the room, I continued packing.Then, I suddenly felt his eyes on me.It seemed like he was alternating between reading and sneaking glances at me.If we made eye contact now, he would just get more flustered.So, I pretended not to notice and busied myself, reorganizing already-packed items at a deliberately slow pace.When I finished, I prepared to return to my room.But just as I was about to leave, Young Master grabbed my sleeve.“Sleep in a separate room.”“…What?”What was he talking about?Then, with an expression completely unsuited to his usually elegant features, he scowled.“Don’t share a room with Rimson. Move to the one next to mine.”“…I appreciate the consideration, but…”I trailed off.I knew he meant well, but it felt awkward.After leaving so suddenly, getting special treatment now didn’t feel right.Also… people would talk.“You’re not… disappointed, are you?”“Yes. I am.”Why was the conversation shifting like this?It was strange, but I nodded firmly—because there was no bigger truth than this.Of course, I was disappointed that he was leaving.But at my response, Young Master’s expression twisted with frustration.Then, he let go of my sleeve and turned sharply toward the wall—toward his packed belongings.Even though he claimed he wasn’t worried, his stiff posture said otherwise.After that, he suddenly became unusually chatty, asking where everything was packed and whether he had forgotten anything.It was only after countless questions that I finally managed to return to my room—very late into the night.But even then, I didn’t get to rest immediately.Rimson was there, hastily packing.His back was turned, but his movements carried a sense of firm resolve.…Wait. Why did he have so much luggage?“What are you doing?”“Preparing to go with Young Master. Sir Arif is coming, too.”“……!”I was shocked.Rimson had never wanted to get involved in anything.I had expected Arif to go—he still carried guilt toward Young Master—but this?“I can’t leave him alone. That kid isn’t great with strangers.“Besides, I’ve been on battlefields before. I’ll be fine.”Shoving thick clothes into a travel bag, Rimson glanced at me.“Lobel. Just in case… Let me make one thing clear.”His voice was calm but firm.“I’m going. You stay here and wait for him.”“…Thank you.”That was all I could say.“I’m not saying this because I want to hear it from you. But still… you were my first student, so… hmph. I have to look out for you.”Rimson rubbed the tip of his nose with his finger.He had once said he had only taught me a bit of hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship from his mercenary days before bed, but it seemed he had taken on quite a bit of responsibility.“That’s what loyalty between men is, isn’t it?”Rimson chattered for a while—until suddenly, he let out a loud “Ack!”“What’s wrong?”“Ti—Tilie! I broke my promise to her— Wait! Hold on, I’ll be right back!”He scrambled out, shoving aside the mess of bags on the floor.…Is he going to confess to her again?I had nowhere else to go, so I climbed onto my bed.That’s when something metallic and gleaming caught my eye.…What’s that?Everything else was scattered on the floor, but this round metal box, about the size of a person’s face, was carefully placed on Rimson’s bed.It was so well-maintained that its surface gleamed under the light.…That’s definitely not his.All of Rimson’s belongings were either dented or missing a corner somewhere.And with a luxurious ruby embedded in its lid, it looked like something from Denkart.…I think I saw it in Young Master’s room before.At first, I was just going to ignore it.But since it might get mixed up in the mess, I decided to move it aside.However, the moment I lifted it, I must have pressed something by accident—click.The lid popped open.“……”I couldn’t say a word.Inside, it was filled with things I had given Young Master.Candy wrappers, notes, the sheets of paper I used to teach him how to write… even the cookie bag from Flower Day.I had assumed he had thrown them away long ago.“Wait— I just left it here for a second— D-did you… see it?”At some point, Rimson had returned. He snatched the box from my hands, panicked.“T-this isn’t my doing! Young Master told me to bury it with him if anything happened—”Seeing my expression darken, he realized his mistake and started stammering even more.“I—I mean… Since I’m going with him, I was planning to leave it with Tilie instead…”“I’ll keep it.”I carefully closed the lid and held it to my chest.It was impossibly light, yet my heart felt unbearably heavy.Time passed quickly.Before I knew it, the day of Young Master’s departure had arrived.Thanks to the early morning preparations, everything was ready before noon.At the front gates, everyone had gathered to see them off.Then, suddenly, Tilie burst into tears.She had been holding back, but now she was sobbing uncontrollably.Watching her cry made my own eyes sting.“Rimson! How could you leave me behind like this?!”“Tilie. I’ll come back. I swear I’ll return… and take responsibility.”Then, Rimson pulled out a ring.He inhaled sharply—his face tense and determined, like a man making the most important decision of his life.“Marry me.”As soon as he slid the ring onto her left ring finger, the surrounding men erupted into cheers.The women, however, glared at him as if he were a traitor.Everyone knew how dangerous and reckless this journey was.It would be hard on those leaving, but it would be just as painful for those left behind.Even so, Tilie smiled the happiest smile I had ever seen.Through her tears, she wrapped her arms around Rimson and kissed him.It was a touching moment.But… our Young Master isn’t ready for this yet.I quickly raised both hands, shielding his view.Then, suddenly, my wrist felt warm.Young Master had grabbed it—his grip firm.Slowly, he began lowering my hands.Our eyes met over my sinking hands.The commotion continued in front of us, but Young Master only looked at me.Something about his gaze felt different—deeper, more serious.For once, I couldn’t bring myself to joke.Then, in a quiet yet resolute voice, he said,“…I’ll come back, too.”His grip loosened.As he let go, I raised my hand to scratch my cheek—perhaps out of embarrassment.After witnessing such an affectionate scene, everything felt warm and tingly. Once the chaos settled, Young Master boarded the carriage.After sharing one last deep kiss with Tilie, Rimson followed behind him.Then, just before climbing in, Rimson patted my shoulder.“Lobel. This time, don’t let dust get in your eyes.”His tone was meant to be comforting.…For some reason, even his rough face looked a bit handsome today.With Rimson aboard, the carriages lined up in perfect formation.Young Master’s carriage, the largest, was in the very center.One by one, the others started to move forward.I quickly stepped to the side of the road—where I could get the best view of Young Master’s seat.His carriage hadn’t departed yet.There was still time.I wanted to meet his gaze one last time.But my wish didn’t come true.While I stood there staring at his carriage, Young Master only looked straight ahead.And then, the wheels of his carriage began to turn.Before I could even think, my feet moved on their own.I rushed off the roadside.Shouts erupted behind me.“Lobel, that’s dangerous!”“You can’t just run after them!”But I didn’t stop.I just wanted to see his profile for a little longer.I had never—not in any lifetime—run with such desperation before.