I Became The Servant Who Received The Crown Prince’s Obsession

Chapter 16

As Edith covered the written content to prevent it from being seen, Clyde couldn’t help but rise from his seat.

“What’s going on?”

“Just a friend wanting to see me for a moment. He’s nearby.”

“A friend? Which friend?”

He inquired with curiosity evident in his tone.

Edith felt a bit uneasy. Why is he prying into my personal life so much? Despite speaking as if she didn’t have much interest in him romantically.

Last time she asked if he liked her, he positively responded but made it clear he wouldn’t pursue her as a prince consort. At that moment, Edith felt a vague sense of something. As a private person and a close attendant, there was something between them.

But since she had no plans to get deeply involved with Clyde, it was better not to cross any lines.

Holding the note sent by Adrian in her hand, she pondered how to explain it to Clyde without arousing suspicion.

She firmly concealed her intention to meet Adrian by pretending it was just a casual visit from an old friend.

“A friend from the academy. Can I step out for a moment, Your Highness?”

She threw the question hesitantly, waiting for Clyde’s reaction.

“What’s his name?”

Came the straightforward question.

Simply asking for the visitor’s name was quite hopeful.

They were the original couple from the novel. In two years, they would inevitably develop a deeper relationship.

Even if Edith arranged their meeting ahead of time, as the protagonists of the novel, there was a possibility they would be drawn to each other. It was fortunate that Clyde happened to be nearby when the note was handed to her. It was a favorable situation in many ways.

There were signs that things were going well between them.

As Edith hesitated to respond and pondered earnestly, Clyde urged her.

“Why no answer? Surely your friend’s name isn’t a secret?”

Seeing his restless fingers eager to snatch the note, I felt a growing anticipation for the events I would unfold shortly. Edith casually protruded her lower lip and folded the note with no significant content, tucking it into her pocket.

“He’s Adrian Raymond from the Sky Ice Cliff. A friend I call Ati.”

Clyde’s thick eyebrows lifted slightly.

“Ati?”

“Then I’ll be back in a moment.”

Edith stood up hesitantly, glancing around. His expression wasn’t exactly cheerful; it was more like reluctance to see her leave. Hoping it was merely interest in his close attendant rather than seeing her as a romantic prospect, she waited for the right moment to broach the subject.

Clyde’s gaze followed her persistently, and his crossed arms didn’t ease the tension. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to throw the bait.

Edith dangled the tempting bait in front of Clyde, like a worm wiggling on a hook.

“Would Your Highness like to join us? Get some fresh air and greet Adrian?”

“Should I?”

Came the prompt response, as if the decision had already been made without hesitation.

“Lord Raymond is just here to meet me briefly. It’s a good opportunity to have a conversation with him.”

“Is that so? I’m glad to be of help, Your Highness.”

As Edith smiled with a hint of reconsideration, he added some excuses.

“And it’s not good for your health to overwork. The physician has been advising you to take walks regularly.”

A person who exercises every morning for leisure and goes to the shooting range regularly is complaining about a lack of exercise.

“That’s right. Health is paramount.”

She readily agreed.

He decided to take an unscheduled walk and instructed his subordinates to wrap up all remaining tasks. Watching Clyde’s daily routine, I noticed that he was already performing his role as a ruler exceedingly well.

Just today, she had been busy dealing with state affairs since early morning, with various matters being reported to her in the main audience chamber multiple times. Even though she could have easily sent away those who couldn’t see the end of the waiting line until tomorrow, she was never lazy.

If he continued to live like this, even if he became emperor in the future, there would be nothing more to wish for.

Walking side by side with Clyde along the neatly trimmed brick path outside the palace, Edith imagined a novel-like future.

When you think about it, he does have some qualities that could lead him to become a tyrant. He’s proactive in augmenting the military and shows considerable interest in firearms. But when dealing with officials and nobles, he can be terribly sharp. Rumor has it that he shows no mercy to those who oppose him.

“I wonder if Clyde will become more temperamental and outspoken as he ages.”

She couldn’t quite picture him becoming a villain, ruling with tyranny. It would be more fitting if he became a benevolent tyrant who pursued his own desires.

Ignoring public opinion, increasing military strength, and attacking neighboring countries like a tyrant. Enacting overly strict laws and earning the hatred of his subjects like a tyrant.

“Hmm, it suits Clyde well. If I were the original author, I would develop the story with him as a hostile tyrant.”

Then there would be a rebellion. He would meet a tragic end with his head on the guillotine.

Based on the current demeanor of Prince Clyde, Edith found her imagined future quite convincing.

As planned all along, she would retire at the right time to ensure that she and Clyde didn’t end up in trouble. Even if the protagonist somehow managed to survive, secondary characters like herself would likely meet a gruesome death in the middle of the story.

She had already set up Adrian as a companion for Clyde to achieve a dramatic twist.

As her fantasy unfolded, she couldn’t help but feel pleased.

“What are you laughing about?” Clyde turned his head, his dark eyebrows agile like wings.

She didn’t confess that she was running a happiness loop, thinking about turning your tragic ending into a happy ending. That would make her look foolish.

“I find it intriguing that Ati and Your Highness are meeting together.”

She had never actually attempted to change the original work, but just meeting them this time was already halfway to success. Once she grasped the evidence that the timing of the protagonists’ first meeting had changed, she could devise another plan that might not follow the original story exactly.

In the serialized story, Edith appeared sporadically as Clyde’s confidante, and in the flow of the narrative, it seemed like she would be used up until her death, whether she survived the upheavals or not. It’s just too sad that her fate is always that of a laborer.

As she eagerly connected them and flattered Clyde, she had to tear into the royal management support funds, and then quit her position as a courtier. As she envisioned her future where she could do as she pleased, a brighter smile bloomed on her face.

Clyde’s footsteps led through a garden maze past beds of blooming spring flowers.

“Come to think of it, it’s the first time we’ve met since receiving New Year’s greetings from Lord Raymond.”
“Well, Ati doesn’t have many opportunities to step into the palace.”

Adrian, being from an immigrant family, was marginalized in central power. As a result, generations of his family avoided politics, preferring to operate businesses and enjoy accumulating wealth.

“Are you two close? His nickname sounds quite friendly.”
She couldn’t admit that she approached him because of her.

“Well, sort of. We often called him that at the academy.”

He complained about calling him Ati, saying it felt too intimate, suggesting that his full name might be better.

The maze garden, dense with emerald trees, was a prominent landmark and pride of the palace. Tall trees, trimmed into slender candle shapes, reached nearly five yards high, piercing the sky. The narrow gaps between the trees seemed so tight that one would have to be prepared for their clothes to get damaged if they attempted to pass through the walls.

At the entrance of the maze, where the trees were trimmed like gateways, Edith paused for a moment.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Ati? We might miss him if we enter the maze.”
“I’ve instructed him to meet us at the southern point.”

He instructed the attendant to guide Adrian and then passed through the entrance himself.

The maze garden was vast, making it almost impossible not to get lost. Whenever the palace held events and opened this place to the public, there were always people who couldn’t escape and ended up in trouble. To prevent such incidents, there were flags marking the way throughout the maze.

There were many shelters along the way. The place where Clyde led Edith was a bench called the southern point.

“Wow, it’s amazing.”

Edith exclaimed in admiration as she saw it for the first time, prompting Clyde to turn back with a puzzled look.

“Well, I don’t really know. This was a playground for me since I was a child.”

“Well, then I’ll never get lost with you guiding me.”

Her statement was met with a gentle laugh in response.

Near the entrance, the path was wide, but as they turned corners, the width of the path narrowed abruptly. Edith’s cuff got caught on a branch.

“Oops.”

“Wait. It might tear.”

He took her wrist and delicately removed the twig caught on her sleeve.

“You shouldn’t walk around with that hanging.”

The kind gesture never left Edith and seemed to protect her like a fence.

A warm hand hovered over her shoulder, slowly descending as if asking for permission before making contact.

“I need to be this close.”

Wide arms wrapped around her shoulders. It felt comforting, like wearing a sturdy cloak.

A voice urged her to come closer, tickling her ears and stirring her heart. The solid weight of the man’s arm provided reassurance, and her own hair danced faintly with each breath he took.

“There’s no need to be this close…”

They continued walking together, matching their steps. As Edith stepped forward with her right foot, he extended his right shoe in a similar stride.

As they turned the second corner, a protruding branch suddenly appeared.

Startled, Edith was pulled towards Clyde.

Now they were in a completely embraced pose. His armpit was snug against Edith’s shoulder, fitting perfectly into the curves and crevices.

“Look at this. You need to be closer.”

The warmth extended all the way to her back. Clyde’s large hand and muscular arm enveloped her entirely.

Trying to remain composed, Edith glanced up at him. Their eyes met, and sparks seemed to fly between their locked gazes.

Somewhere, it felt like a movie OST would start playing.

It wasn’t the right atmosphere. Lightning should strike between Adrian and her, not her and Clyde. No, maybe it was just a misunderstanding. They only made eye contact.

For now, she tried to react as calmly as possible, showing no signs of emotional change.

“The path is narrow.”

She applied pressure to his shoulder where her fingers were resting. The touch felt intense, as if five strands of electricity were coursing through her.

Hot. His body heat and her own skin.

“Narrow in a way that I like.”

Their slow-paced walk gradually came to a halt. They weren’t far from the main gate of the garden. They had only turned two corners from the starting point of the maze.

Clyde bent his elbow, causing Edith’s direction to swirl towards him. Their gazes were locked, as if chained together, and neither could break free. Her lips froze, unable to form any words to dispel the awkward tension.

The shadow of the tall man loomed over her forehead, casting a shadow.