NOVEL NEXT Surviving As An Obsessive Servant
Chapter 4
He can’t trust anyone in this place. That was his mother’s last will.
Baby—. That’s the only way you can survive—. With a hazy consciousness, Edrick slowly blinked. There was only the faint sound of rain drifting over the lonely surroundings. ‘Again—. It’s a dream about mother—.’ As he sighed, he felt intense thirst and a sore throat. It seemed that it was because he shouted more than usual at his servant ‘—I’m thirsty.’ He awoke with foggy eyes, a result of only getting a few hours of sleep. However, because he had thrown all his things so far, the servants didn’t leave a water bottle in his room. There was a string beside his bed , but he didn’t want to use it. He didn’t want to turn to servants who worshiped the Duchess like a God. He closed his eyes and tried to force himself to sleep. But all that came out of it was the groan coming out of his throat. “Would you like some water?” ‘Now I can even hear hallucinations—’ He let out a sigh at his own weakness. But in a moment, a cold liquid flowed between his lips. ‘It’s refreshing—’ More, a little more—. Instinctively, he opened his mouth wider and tried to drink the water. But the more he did, the more the water flowed in little by little. As he frowned in frustration, he heard a soothing voice. “You can get choked if it’s like that. It’s okay, the water won’t run away. Slowly. Do it slowly.” The voice heard close up was as clear as day. Who is giving him water? He kicked all of the servants out the last time. He lifted his heavy eyelids to see who it was. It turned out to be a skinny boy of the same age as him. As he walked down the bed, his neat silver hair fluttered lightly over the shoulder. “—Rovel?” Rovel recognized the faint sound that may be buried in the sound of rain from time to time. As he was heading to the window, he quickly turned around. “Yes. Rovel is here. How can I help you?” The cheerful expression and the corner of the rolled-up mouth revealed a hint of playfulness. Edrick was embarrassed inside. He reflexively said his name, but no other words came to mind. Even if he was angry as usual, he couldn’t remember the harsh words, most likely because he was half-sleep. When he was silent, Rovel bowed politely as if he knew it. He was still smiling around his mouth. “Please call me if you need anything.” ‘—Are you going to leave?’ It was a relief. Even the most complicated mind will improve if he takes a big breath. However, Rovel stopped in front of a long curtain, rather than outside the door. ‘Why is he—’ Is he trying to clean something up? While looking curiously, Rovel moved. “Have a good night’s rest, Young Master.” After hurriedly and naturally wishing him goodnight, Rovel sneaked into position silently. He couldn’t see a single hair on Rovel, who had hidden. —And he didn’t even come out. Edrick, who was silently looking at the sly behavior, pulled the rope tightly. “Get rid of him.” ****** It rained all night, but the sky cleared up with warm sunshine. The Duchess of Denkart had a smile as bright as today’s warm weather. “It happened all night. I’m proud of it. I’m very glad that Edric is adjusting to Denkart little by little. There is no better news than this.” “It’s all thanks to Madam’s care.” “What else could I have done? That’s all I can do for the successor. If I can’t even do that, I can’t face him and the child.” The old butler looked at her sadly as she drank tea and smiled bitterly. She was the ideal of a saintly hostess. Despite knowing about her husband’s illegitimate child, she went to the slum and took care of him with all her heart and sincerity. The sky was sometimes distressing to the point of hatred. How could such a kind lady not have children? Despite the pitying look, the Madam continued to talk gently and calmly, as she usually did. “Please continue to look after Edrick. Oh, and that servant is also quite special. Did you say he was called Rovel?” “Yes, his name is Rovel.” “Please raise the salary of the child who is trusted by Edrick so that he isn’t disappointed.” “Madam. Even if you didn’t instruct me to do so, I have something to tell you about Rovel.” The butler’s complexion, which had been dark for some time, suddenly brightened. He said enthusiastically this morning as he remembered the boy who had suggested something, “I also heard the news in the morning and checked with Rovel if there was anything he wanted or was uncomfortable with. Then he asked me if I could change the Young Master’s medicine bottle.” “A medicine bottle?” “Yes, it is. If we change the bottle of the medicine we are currently taking with hyderonic acid, it is not easily broken and can be stored for a long time.” “Really?” “Yes, I checked and found that there really was such a medicine bottle. Even if it’s worth a lot, it’s never a loss compared to the medicine that’s thrown away.” Edrick’s prescription bill was substantial, regardless of how affluent the Duke’s finances were. Besides, he threw and broke the medicine bottle every time, so even though the Madam didn’t express it, the butler was ashamed. It may become difficult if he continues acting this way in the long term. Even the vassals couldn’t help but be concerned. “How can it be so wonderful? I didn’t even think of that. Please order it without any shortage.” “Yes Madam, we’ll proceed immediately. Then, excuse me.” After the silence, the butler went out. As soon as the door closed, the smile completely disappeared from her face. ****** Even after that, the master still flared his thorns like a hedgehog. But I found a strange depressing aspect of him. ‘Your eyes are swollen these days—. you seem to miss your late biological mother.’ Even in the original, Edrick had a hard time thinking about his mother. Well, he’s only twelve years old. It would be even more strange if a child easily forgets his mother, one who was extremely caring for him. Edrick has no friends or brothers and has only relied on his mother. He thought of a happy idea while trying to use his head to help something. ‘Knowledge is power.’ No matter how much I read the original, there will be more things I don’t know than I do know. So I dug up this and that for friendship and early recovery with my medicine mate, Young Master. As a result, I came across a strange story during dinner. “Is it true? There were rumors that the Young Master’s mother was a crazy witch??” I smiled and wiped the dirt off my face with the back of my sleeve. This servant Hyung sitting across from me is nice and kind, but it would be better if he chewed up all of the bread he ate before speaking. Anyway, even after that, the talk of the Young Master continued. It seems that the high-ranking people such as the butler and the servant chief left after receiving the Madam’s urgent order, and everyone’s normally strong locks on their mouths were loosened. Furthermore, Edrick’s reputation was vicious, so they gossiped without hesitation. In a word, this is the scene the Duchess intended in the original work. “I heard that too. They said that the Young Master’s biological mother was a witch. Furthermore, it is said that the Madam can’t have children because of the witch’s curse.” “Oh my—. The nice Madam has done something good—.” “I heard that the Young Master had inherited the witch’s blood properly.” I tilted my head. ‘But isn’t Edrick more of a beauty than a witch?’ Not that it wasn’t, but the Crown Prince and the other main characters fell in love with him at first sight as well. In reality, despite his crazy nature, none of the witches’ reputations matched him. “Beauty? Can you say that even after experiencing that temper?” Ack. It’s my mistake. I guess I just said what I thought without realizing it. I urgently corrected my words to Rimson Hyung, who looked at me as if I were crazy. “Not a beauty, but a beautiful woman, no. I mean Madam.” “You’re such a fool! Do you think the face is everything? Don’t fall for his face!” I suddenly remembered. Come to think of it, this Hyung met a pretty older sister before who almost robbed all of his fortunes —. “On top of that, they say he’s going to curse. Didn’t you hear that the Young Master is cursed?” “Hyung. By any chance, do you still believe in Santa Claus?” “What? Why do I believe in that kind of path?” “Santa or the witch, that’s what it is. They’re all baseless rumors. No cursed people, no witnesses. I can’t imagine anything.” I spoke in a loud voice on purpose. Even though Edrick has a really bad temper, he doesn’t know about curses. And he doesn’t say anything to everyone. At that time, someone stepped out as if they had been waiting. “No. It’s not groundless at all.” There was one servant with gray hair. Turning toward our table, he said, dropping the water glass. “Since coming to the castle, the Young Master didn’t use a chamber pot, nor did he take care of it. There are a lot of things that aren’t quite clear to me that he handled alone in the room.” “Huh— Well, if that’s the case, then the rumors are true—” Rimson, a selective courageous man who was always dignified while working as a mercenary, trembled. Hyung, let’s stop because it’s ugly—. Anyway, the servants’ guesses were half right and half wrong. Judging from the contents of the ancient stone tablets and the original, it is right not to put it like that. Although he is almost human, the maternal lineage itself is a spirit lineage. There were only tears like dew in the original story— but I didn’t know that was the reason. Whether it was the author’s intentions or not, there are clearly some deep people who were not revealed in the story. ‘Because I, who is now influenced by the Young Master, am solid evidence—’ I pondered the memories of the Diff race that I had read on the slate. It is no exaggeration to say that the now-extinct Diff people were loved abundantly by God. Their origin is the Forest of the Gods, which had three cassia trees that no human may enter. In addition, they were born from the flowers of the world tree and breathed in air rich in magical power. Furthermore, they had a strong affinity for nature and a variety of abilities, and they freely handled the ancient language known as the language of the Gods, allowing ancient civilizations to develop. ‘They were the only ones who left traces until the end, even though they were extinct—’ It may be revealed slowly in the future, but most of them have no idea right now. It took me a long time to figure out how to understand the slabs that were put out piece by piece since they were nearly cryptic. Even the slabs I had were not all of the traces they left, nor did I grasp all of them. “Let’s go, Rovel.” While I was thinking, the meal of trivial stories was over. We headed to the room. The end of the second floor of the annex was our room, so we could arrive quickly. But as soon as he crossed the threshold, Rimson closed the door and frowned. Apparently, he’s going to start nagging again. “You— What’s wrong with you and the Young Master?” His voice is so serious that it’s burdensome. As expected. But the content is a bit strange, isn’t it? “People will misunderstand if they hear it. I’m the one who’s always craving it, isn’t that right?” “No, that’s not what I mean. Why do you— why do you— keep obsessing over the Young Master’s story— you make me think weirdly—.” He was thinking strange thoughts, so he didn’t even make eye contact with me. I wondered what the weird ideas were, but Hyung stuttered and continued to talk. “I just— when I see you— I keep thinking— strange. There are a few guys like you in the mercenaries—. Tsk. Nevermind. What am I talking about with a child?” He scratched the back of his head as if he was annoyed. Somehow, there was an optical illusion of white things falling between the brown hairs. I took a quick three or four steps back. “Ugh. Dirty. Scratch a little away.” “What do you mean dirty? You even lick the Young Master’s carpet—” —Lick? Wait. I asked him, who said it and closed his mouth to see if he was perplexed, “What were you going to say after lick?” “….” “What is it? Tell me honestly.” Upon my interrogation, he opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind. “Okay. I’ll say it without hiding anything. You also only tell me without hiding, too.” “What do you mean only tell Hyung? I’m listening to everything here right now.” I looked around the spacious room as if it were the residence of a family member of a great aristocrat. First, the servants, who had returned from eating and were resting, were quietly paying attention to us. The atmosphere had already become very strange. Rimson kept hesitating whether he was worried about bringing it up in front of them. Ah, really. I’m so frustrated. “It’s fine, so tell me.” “Well, then— I’ll say it. Hey, Rovel. You— why did you lick the Young Master’s carpet on the first day? Did you— perhaps— have any unusual hobbies— or any preference—?!” I sighed as I stared at Rimson Hyung pointing. ‘What were you trying to say? Was it just this?’ On the first day, the discarded drugs were so wasteful that I licked the carpet. Anyway, the Young Master or other people didn’t step on it, and it’s just for ornamental purposes. ‘I told the other servant that laundry was my hobby, and after I got it, I secretly took care of it— someone must have seen it.’ As expected, there must be no secrets in the world. —Wait. What if I get caught being a girl soon? With this much information, it is not difficult for rumors to spread. ‘I’m suddenly nervous—’ However, while I was distracted for a while, Rimson Hyung’s speculation was becoming a fact. “It’s okay—! It can happen! Hyung will understand everything!! If it’s a dignified man, it’s possible!!” “Yeah! Rovel!! The Hyungs can understand all of it!!” Some older servants jump out of bed and clench their fists, and say ‘A brave man can do it! It’s nothing to be ashamed of!’ Stop it, people. The bed will collapse. Anyway, everyone except me understood me. “That’s not a shameful taste! It can happen!” “He’s not licking our wooden scaffold, is he?” “Please bear with me—I have an athlete’s foot from generation to generation! My great-grandfather didn’t even wear shoes that were gouty!” These people really. Sitting crookedly on my bed, I said with a straight face. “I don’t use what Hyungs give me because it’s dirty.” “Hey, ours is dirty and the Young Master is okay?” “Of course, the Young Master’s is okay.” I replied immediately. Athlete’s foot VS cure, isn’t it the second one? But everyone looked at me with a more strange look at my immediate answer. In particular, Rimson covered his face with both hands and murmured hopelessly. “I’m in trouble, this is a big problem—”
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