Surviving As An Obsessive Servant

Lady Sylviet, ever the diligent tutor befitting her role as the young master’s mentor, strove to prepare the lesson perfectly despite the tight schedule.However, there was a problem. While the sprawling and resplendent Denkart surely had plenty of space for dance practice, selecting a partner was a major challenge. Who could possibly serve as the young master’s dance partner? Should they summon a lady from a noble family? Or perhaps leave it to a maid or a servant? And yet, the choice turned out to be me.The opponent became me. Mrs. Sylviet argued that although I was a bit tall, I was nimble and quick to learn dances, making me… a very suitable choice for the young master’s partner (though she conveniently left out my personal opinion in her decision). The expression on her face seemed to say, “You should consider this an honor, you mere attendant.” Sure, the opportunity for free high-class education was appealing, but… I tried to decline,citing my hesitation. Yet the young master’s face darkened. “No, it’s fine. If Lobel doesn’t want to.”His bittersweet smile followed. “Just go, Lobel.” Faced with those words, there was no way I could refuse. I have a particular weakness for that beautiful look of his. Actually, forget me—anyone who saw that expression wouldn’t have been able to say no. So, convincing myself with thoughts like, “I’ve already mastered my tasks here and memorized every corner of this place anyway!” I nodded resolutely. As a result, the situation has led to this point. “Ugh, this is insane. Now you’ve gone so far as to dress like a woman just to impress the young master…” “Ach! Ever heard of knocking? Use your hands for once!” I was inspecting the dress I hadn’t worn in a long time in front of the full-length mirror when Rimson barged in, looking at me as if I were some cross-dressing lunatic. Having almost been caught trying on the dress, I ended up shouting in genuine frustration. But Rimson didn’t seem to care. “Wow… ” He looked me up and down, taking in the modest frilled dress from my neck to my toes as if I were some strange creature. Since Wayne had accompanied the young master earlier in the morning, Rimson didn’t know what was going on and was bound to misunderstand. I actively explained. “Mrs. Sylviet asked me to the young master for his social dance class.” “What? The young master’s learning to dance?” It was hard to believe it. Honestly, I was just as baffled when I first heard it. Rimson’s reaction was perfectly understandable. As I added more details, his expression grew complicated.. “Could this be related to… engagement rumors or something?” I didn’t think that was the case, but I ignored Rimson’s nervous glances and checked the dress one more time. Since the young master had chosen an outfit with frills, I had to wear a dress with frills cascading from my neck to my arms. It wrapped around the body and the upper body was full of frill decoration. Thanks to this, the bandages I used for my disguise couldn’t be seen. Wearing a long-sleeved dress in summer sounded hot and stifling, but the material was so fine that it wasn’t uncomfortable at all. “What’s that smell?” Rimson sniffed the air and looked at me in shock. “Did you… spray perfume?”. “Mrs. Sylviet insisted that even for simple practice, everything must be done properly.” She’d emphasized that since the young master had never interacted with a real lady before, this level of preparation was necessary. “Anyway, I’ll leave today’s duties to you, brother Rimson.” “Leave what to me? Looks like you’ve got it all under control.” Ignored Rimson’s grumbling, and I grabbed the hat. I was wearing a hat and looking at the mirror one more time I heard another voice. “What… are you doing?” Evo, who must have finished his test earlier than expected, was standing in the doorway, his eyes wide with surprise. Naturally he was surprised to see my clothes. I smiled awkwardly, but Rimson jumped in to explain. “He’s standing in as a partner for the young master’s etiquette lessons. You know, noble dances and all.” I smiled in confirmation and tied the hat ribbon tighter under my chin. Evo, who came into the room, glanced at me and muttered in a strange tone. “You seem pretty skilled.” Well, I’d worn hats and dresses like this plenty of times before, so it’d be strange if I wasn’t used to it. But somehow, his comment felt as if he knew my secret—that I was actually a woman. I started to sweat a little, but I hid my unease feeling and replied shamelessly. “Good to know! It means all the practice paid off.” “You’re insane. What kind of guy practices stuff like that?” Rimson mocking me by scratching his arms, saying it was creepy. But Evo remained silent, his gaze calm but piercing. His perceptiveness was making me uneasy. ‘I have to be careful.’ I finally came out of the room, pretending to walk clumsily with the shoes. Now I had to go to the hall to wait. Leaning against the closed door, I let out a sigh, but suddenly a shadow loomed over me. Looking up, I saw the young master. Surprised, I asked, “Why are you here already?” “I just wanted to get everything perfect from the start.” Like a gentleman escorting a real lady, the young master extended his hand to me, his ears tinged red.He seemed genuinely embarrassed. His reaction made me feel shy as well. ‘But I should act naturally to make him comfortable.’ I overlapped my hand over the palm of the young master, as Mrs. Sylviet told me, and he kissed my hand. That action immediately brought back memories of what Manelano had done at the recital. Without realizing it, I muttered darkly, “Manelano…” The young master’s expression sharpened instantly. “Why are you suddenly bringing up Manelano?” “… Just that you’re far more dashing than him, young master. Wow, you look incredible today. Sweeping your hair back makes you look even more handsome!” “…Really?” Even though I hurriedly spoke, the cold air that was in his eyes melted. “Yes, you look like a groom on his wedding day.” Successfully changing the subject, I flashed a thumbs-up, half-joking but sincere. It was half true anyway. Although the young master always dressed impeccably, his formal attire was on another level. As I gave him a thumbs-up with both hands, his cheeks grew redder, and he avoided my eyes, he cautiously asked. “…Do you like it?” Since we hadn’t started dancing yet, I figured it was okay to chat freely. Even though Mrs. Sylviet had sternly instructed me to behave properly, I decided to act as I pleased. “You’ve asked the wrong question. Instead of asking if I like it, you should’ve asked how much I like it.” “…What?” The young master, flustered, ended up joining in on my teasing after so long. “Then… How much do you like? ” As we neared the entrance to the hall, I turned my gaze to him. He seemed more tense than usual, probably because he genuinely thought he was being evaluated by a lady of his age. Watching his slightly stiff expression, I momentarily unlinked our arms. Then, I approached a potted plant that adorned the hallway and plucked a flower from it. “… What are you doing?” The young master blinked in surprise as I handed him the flower. I looked at him, who appeared caught off guard, and spoke with exaggerated sincerity. “If I were a noble lady, I’d skip the engagement and propose to you right away. Over there, that’s our wedding venue. One daughter, one son, and we’ll send them to a domestic academy, okay?” “…What is that supposed to mean?” He muttered in disbelief, glaring at me.Even so, he didn’t throw away the flower I handed him. Instead, he carefully tucked it into the pocket of his jacket. After that, he escorted me to the hall, which I had jokingly called our wedding venue.Though his arm linked with mine felt even stiffer than before, his mood had noticeably improved. The change in his expression was subtle—just the corners of his lips lifting slightly—but I, who paid more attention to him than to myself, noticed right away. Even his lighter steps told me how much better he was feeling. Seeing that made me even more excited.  * * * ‘Hmph, once again, my instincts were spot-on.’ Lady Sylviet, observing Lobel’s arrival, concealed her satisfied smile behind her fan. Long and wide hats covered Lobel’s face and short hair, making him look surprisingly natural as a lady. In addition, it was very well suited to Lobel’s body, even the dress, the shoes and the accessories. Wayne also has a slim physique, but Lobel’s side is much thinner and delicate, giving him the appearance of a tall, willowy girl. It was clear there’d be no issue practicing with him as the young master’s partner. As expected, the two of them looked quite harmonious just standing together. On top of that, Lobel turned out to be an amazing dancer. “So, I just need to do this… and this, right?” “Exactly.” If you tell him the steps, he doesn’t go over twice. His movements were quick, light, and graceful, perfectly aligned with what Lady Sylviet had imagined for him. Most impressive of all, however, was how skillfully Lobel handled Edric. “Please take my hand, young master.” “… Alright.” Edric, who had been watching absentmindedly, snapped back to attention and offered his hand. The two hands, which had briefly separated to learn the steps, came together again. Though they’d already been holding hands on the way to the hall, Edric’s touch was as careful as if he were handling a feather. It’s so delicate that Mrs. Sylviet, who had long known Edric to be as cold and detached as his father, found his gentleness almost laughable in contrast. If Edric treated his dance partner with such dedication and looked at them with those eyes, even the proudest of noble ladies wouldn’t be able to resist. There’s no flaw, so she quietly watched the two people dance. However, when they finally began dancing, Edric stiffened up completely. Unlike before, he moved with a rigid awkwardness, his arms and legs jerking like a wooden puppet. Anyone could see he was overwhelmingly tense. ‘Perhaps, we should take a break for a moment.’ Mrs. Sylviet thought, seriously considering it. But before she could intervene, Lobel abruptly said something completely unexpected. “Young master, I’m pretty, right?”