Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

Evo thought Lobel was enjoying a life that couldn’t get any better for a commoner.A trusted personal attendant to the heir of Denkart, with enough favor to potentially rise to the position of a butler one day.The treatment he received was enviable, and Evo couldn’t imagine what more Lobel could possibly want.So, when Lobel had said, “I won’t stay long,” Evo had dismissed it as a joke, even though Lobel had asked him to keep it a secret.“Lobel, when are you coming back?”“I’m fine for now. Wayne and Rimson are doing a great job.”“That’s not the point. What will you do if the year ends and Wayne becomes the favored personal attendant? Your position might disappear.”“That’s fine too. As I’ve told you before, I don’t plan to stay in this job forever.”However, when Evo accidentally overheard Lobel talking with a maid named Tilly in the backyard, he started having doubts.Why wouldn’t someone want to stay in such a favorable position?“Keep this a secret again, okay? Even though I say I won’t stay forever, I might work here for my entire life. Haha. You never know how things will turn out.”Tilly nodded, appearing trustworthy and loyal even to Evo.But separate from that, Evo could see Lobel’s sincerity.Despite his bright smile, Lobel’s eyes were serious, full of conviction that he truly intended to leave.That made it all the more baffling.If he’s dissatisfied enough to want to leave, wouldn’t it be better to discuss improving his circumstances with the young master? As a personal attendant, he surely has that right…Even though questions swirled in his mind, Evo chose not to intervene.After all, he would soon leave with the merchant delegation, and Lobel’s decisions were his own.Turning away from the backyard, Evo left the scene.Later that night, as Evo was returning to his room alone, a group of servants confronted him.“Search everywhere!”“What… are you doing?”The servants, visibly agitated and red-eyed, barged toward his room.Before Evo could react, they stormed past him, breathing heavily as they glared at him.Evo remained calm.He had encountered situations like this before, and his experience told him panicking wouldn’t help. Besides, none of them were armed.“What’s the matter?”“You dare ask that? You stole all our money, you thieving orphan scum!”The servants were clearly too agitated to listen, behaving like someone robbed by a petty thief.Although anger simmered beneath the surface, Evo kept his cool and tried to assess the situation.However, their fury had already spiraled out of control, leaving no room for explanation or dialogue.Pushing past Evo, they forced open the door to his room.“Ugh!”The shove sent Evo sprawling into the hallway. Without a moment to check his bruises, he scrambled to retrieve his fallen glasses.Meanwhile, the servants ransacked the room, overturning everything in their search.“Stop it! What are you doing?!”If this had been his personal space alone, Evo might not have cared as much.But this room was not just his—it had been offered to him by Rimson and Lobel.Angered, Evo threw himself against them, trying to stop their rampage, but two of the servants grabbed his arms and restrained him.“Let go of me!”Though Evo had grown up rough in the capital, he was no match for the strength of adult men pinning him down.The room became a chaotic mess. Even Crimsons’ and Lobel’s belongings were tossed to the floor alongside Evo’s study materials.“You can’t touch those! Stop! There’s no reason to mess with Lobel and Rimson’ stuff!!! LET ME GO!”Suddenly, Lobel appeared at the end of the hallway, his gaze icy as he took in the scene.“What exactly is going on here?”Evo froze. Would Lobel be angry about the state of the room?For the first time, Evo found it hard to meet his gaze.He had already received so much kindness from Robel, yet now he had caused this mess. Even he, with his usual shamelessness, felt unable to lift his head.The servants addressed Lobel in a more respectful but still agitated tone.“We’re here to take back what’s ours. This rat of a thief stole all the money from our rooms!”“Before we hand him over to the city guards, we’re giving him one last chance.”Unruffled, Lobel asked calmly, “When did the money go missing?”“This morning.”“I didn’t do it! I’m innocent!”Evo protested loudly, but no one listened to him.Lobel glanced at him briefly before turning back to the servants.“Are you sure about that? This morning, Evo was with the aides. He didn’t have any time to sneak away to steal anything.”“He must’ve slipped away somehow! Lobel, you might not know, but this thief is a known con artist in the capital. Plenty of people have been swindled by him!”Evo’s shoulders sagged as the strength left him.He realized now that even people who had once been kind to him had started whispering about him.Though he felt wronged in this moment, he couldn’t deny their accusations.When he had been in the orphanage, he had been forced into scams a few times under threat.With the meager money he had earned from scams, Evo barely managed to buy medicine. That medicine saved the lives of his orphanage siblings, who were freezing to death on the streets.“So, you’re saying I stole your money?”“That’s right!”“Alright then,” Lobel said, nodding calmly with a smile.“As one of the room’s occupants, I give you permission. Go ahead, search thoroughly.”The servants, who had been ransacking the room moments ago and yelling at Evo to get out of the way, hesitated.“Check under the bed, inside the wardrobe, in every nook and cranny. Don’t miss a spot,” Lobel added, gesturing for them to continue.Just then, Rimson, returning to switch shifts with Wayne, arrived and froze at the chaotic scene.Lobel briefly explained the situation to Rimson, keeping it concise.“Rimson, please fetch the butler, the head servant, and the aides immediately.”One of the servants, who had been the loudest and most aggressive, suddenly looked uncomfortable.“There’s no need to bother such important people over this…”“You’ve falsely accused someone, threatened, insulted, and even assaulted them. Don’t you think it’s necessary to clarify this properly?”Lobel’s words were polite, but his tone was laced with cold anger.Every slow, deliberate word carried an icy weight.“Whether it’s theft or not, we need to get to the bottom of this. If Evo is innocent, you’ll have to take responsibility for your actions.”The unexpected firmness in Lobel’s tone made the servants falter.They had never seen the usually kind and gentle Lobel act this way. Some began glancing around nervously, realizing they might have gone too far.Still, one of them straightened up, attempting to look defiant.“Fine! Go ahead and call them!”A short while later, the head servant arrived, surveying the scene with an exasperated expression.“Didn’t we agree earlier that, due to theft concerns, all valuables in the servants’ quarters should be stored in the safe?”“What? I never heard about that!” one servant protested.“Of course you didn’t. You were too drunk to listen,” the head servant replied, his irritation evident. “But you were given the key. Thomas.”“W-What?!”The man named Thomas flinched as he was called out.“Did you even check your pockets? I distinctly remember you putting the key in your pants pocket that morning,” the head servant added with a sigh.Thomas hastily searched his pockets, and soon, a key fell to the floor with a small clink.Lobel, unsurprised, walked over, picked it up, and handed it to the head servant.The head servant inspected it briefly before clicking his tongue.“This is indeed the key to the safe.”At that moment, the servants who had been restraining Evo released him, their confidence crumbling.As the heavy silence set in, the group of servants began blaming one another.“You idiot! How could you forget about something so important?”“Damn it! I told you I didn’t want to drink anymore! This is all your fault, Loren. If you hadn’t poured drinks down my throat—”“What do you think you’re doing?”Lobel’s voice, now devoid of his earlier polite tone, cut through the argument like a blade.The servants flinched, swallowing dryly as they turned to face him.One of them stammered, attempting to justify himself.“Lobel! This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t brought in some thieving street rat who—”“Why are you trying to shift the blame onto Evo or me for your mistakes?” Lobel interjected, his calm voice sharp enough to make them shrink back.“Before pointing fingers, why don’t you verify your claims properly? Now, stop arguing and leave this room.”Standing nearby, Evo was stunned.Though Lobel’s words remained formal, his tone made it clear: Shut up and get out.“What are you waiting for? Go to the safe and check its contents immediately,” Lobel added, his violet eyes flashing with barely restrained fury.Even the head servant felt the tension and quickly ushered the others out. Rimson followed silently, leaving behind an oppressive quiet in the hallway.With the ruckus gone, Evo stole a glance at Lobel’s profile.Though his expression had returned to its usual calmness, his eyes betrayed lingering anger as they stared down the corridor.Evo could guess the reason.Their shared room had been turned upside down, with both Lobel’s and Rimson’ belongings strewn across the floor.Anyone would be upset.And it’s all my fault, Evo thought grimly.His anxiety grew. What if this incident reached the young master and resulted in the withdrawal of the orphanage’s sponsorship? That would be disastrous.