I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started

Chapter 52 “A daughter of a noble family? Dream big, Mika.” Angie chuckled at Mika’s delusion, but Mika stood tall, her chest puffed out with confidence. “Come on, everyone’s thought that at least once when they were little, haven’t they? Wondering if maybe they weren’t their parents’ real child!” “Well, I’ve thought that too, but…” As we walked back to the dormitory, Mika suddenly stopped, spun around in place, and flared out her skirt. Then she began an exaggerated performance that had Angie and me laughing uncontrollably. “Thank you for attending my birthday banquet. Although I’ve spent twenty-five years living as a commoner, I’m actually of noble blood, so please address me as ‘my lady.’” “Stop! I’m dying!” Angie laughed until tears fell, and then finally calmed down and said, “Still, I like my family. All eight of us bustling around together.” Mika snorted playfully. “The kids take turns getting sick, and the routine of fixing five people’s hair every morning, It’s better than being the daughter of a noble family?” “Yeah! No matter what, we are family!” “Who knows? Maybe one day, some guy will show up, promise to treat you like a princess, and you’ll run off with him in the dead of night.” “Mika! Watch what you say!” Angie pinched Mika’s nose, clearly used to her teasing. Still, Angie blushed and looked back at me, probably because she was embarrassed to be ridiculed for her devoted love for her family. “What do you think Rosieta?” “Huh? Me?” “Your circumstances probably weren’t that great either, right? You left your home and came all the way here.” I blinked a couple of times without saying a word. Angie asked seriously, as if she was recommending a very important choice. “Do you think it would be better to continue living like you are now, or would it be better for your noble father to suddenly appear and take you away?” A nobleman suddenly appears and says I’m his child. Somehow, it felt like the kind of tired cliché I’d heard countless times before. “Uhm, I don’t know.” Mika and Angie leaned in closer, eyes sparkling with curiosity as they waited for my answer. Flustered, I stammered. “Hm, Is this even something to think about? Of course, wouldn’t it be better if the noble father showed up and said, ‘you are my daughter and I’m incredibly wealthy,’ and asked to live together?” Mika raised her voice as though the answer was obvious. Angie, however, crossed her arms and huffed. “Mika, nothing in life is easy. Some people, like you, might care about money, but others, like me, think family is more important.” “What is something like me?” Angie then smiled and narrowed her eyes. “A pervert with materialistic personality!” “You saw it right, girl.” Mika flicked Angie on the forehead, and Angie rubbed her head with a scowl. But soon enough, the two turned their gazes back to me. “So, which one do you like Rosieta?” “After all, a noble father, right?” “Oh, that’s….” Do I have to answer? I began to wonder why I had to worry about such nonsense and something that would never happen in my life. But the two people were looking at me so intently that I felt like I had to answer something. What is better, the people you thought of as family all this time or the rich aristocratic father who appeared overnight? I thought of the Lynne family, who had taken me in for ten years. Then I thought of the three young masters in this mansion. Neither of them was related to me by blood. But there was something far more important than blood connecting me to them. I scratched my cheek and smiled awkwardly. “I think I like things the way they are now.” “What?! No way!” Mika argued, saying she didn’t like it. Angie smiled triumphantly. I also had excuses. “My life is hectic enough as it is. Adding another family would just make things even more complicated.” “Another family, you say?” “Yeah. I also have a pretty big family.” I pursed my lips and chose my words. To me now, the family of Lynne who remained in Danten and the orphanage kids I’d survived near-death experiences with, were my familyp. If I added some long-lost noble family to that mix? Just imagining it gave me a headache. Not that it would ever actually happen. “Dreaming about something so unrealistic would just make real life feel even more bitter, don’t you think?” “That’s the charm of it! Sweetness you can’t find in reality.” “Anyway, I like it now.” I had long since given up thinking that I was someone’s lost daughter or that my parents would come to the orphanage to look for me. A noble family now, of all times? ‘It’s overwhelming for me just to have the three male protagonists come back.’ Now that I think about it, weren’t those noble “family” the very same people who owned this mansion? It gives me headaches every day! As I thought about the three of them living in the ivory-colored mansion, I let out a deep sigh. Angie, oblivious, linked arms with me with a satisfied smile. Together, the three of us returned to the dormitory.  * * * “Thank you for spending time with me today, Saintess.” The square bathed in the glow of the setting sun seemed as if its long shadows were hosting a grand ball. After an early dinner together, Yvette personally escort Deborah to her carriage.When the coachman tried to get off to open, Yvette stopped him with a simple hand gesture. Yvette opened the carriage door, and Deborah got into the carriage and sat down in a familiar manner. For the two of them, every action was as natural as flowing water. “I really enjoyed today, Yvette. The dinner we had at the restaurant we went to together was also very delicious.” “I’m glad you liked it.” Yvette, who had been expressionless the whole time, just raised the corners of her mouth and smiled. Deborah, catching the rare moment, laughed delightedly. “Please come visit again when the business slows down. You’ve been so busy lately. You need to take care of yourself.” Then the corners of Yvette’s mouth, which had been slightly raised, went down again. She turned her head at an angle and spoke in a dry tone. “My father’s illness has worsened. Managing the business while traveling between home and the shop has been… taxing.” “Oh no. I will pray for Viscount. Don’t worry too much, Yvette.” Yvette nodded as Deborah sighed. “By the way, I heard you’re visiting the Count’s estate soon?” “Yes. I have some matters to discuss regarding the construction of the new café in the capital.” “Then you’ll meet Miss Rosietta, won’t you?” At those words, one of Yvette’s eyebrows rose. That meant who it was. Deborah laughed softly as if she couldn’t stop her. “Don’t you remember? The maid you saw just non, with red hair.” “Ah, yes.” Yvette pretended to remember only after hearing the her explanation.Though she could vividly recall the maid’s red hair and eyes, everything else about her was blurry. Some part of her had been intrigued, but Yvette no longer allowed herself to harbor even the faintest hope when meeting women she didn’t know. “If you see her, please be kind to her. She’s a close acquaintance of mine.” “I will.” “Miss Jensen is a lively and friendly person, so I’m sure she will get along well with Yvette.” Yvette found Deborah’s comment puzzling. What use would getting along with a maid from the Count’s estate serve her? About to respond dismissively, Yvette furrowed her brow instead, her interest piqued by something unrelated to the maid’s personality. “…J ensen, you said?” “Yes?” “Is the maid’s last name Jensen?” “Uh… yes, why?” Deborah looked at Yvette curiously. “Do you know her?” “No, it’s nothing like that.” Yvette, who was lost in other thoughts for a moment, said it was nothing and waved her hand. Rather than press further, Deborah tactfully shifted the conversation to a new topic. “By the way, when will we meet again? You’ve been so busy; it’s rare to see you these days Deborah said regretfully. When we met today, it was the first time we saw each other in almost three months. It was Yvette’s fault because she was busy running a business. Yvette was lost in thought for a moment. Finally, she raised her gaze and looked at Deborah. “You said there was a birthday party at Count Drunia’s house.” “Yes, it’s Sir Colin’s birthday.” Yvette nodded. “Then I’ll see you soon.” “Oh my goodness.” Deborah covered her mouth and rejoiced at those words. It won’t be long until our next meeting. After saying a short goodbye, Yvette closed the carriage door and set off. Deborah’s carriage left the square. She walked while looking at the long shadows cast by the setting sun. I remembered the time I met a young saintess at a temple. At that time, Deborah was a lonely girl who had separated from her parents at an early age and lived alone in the temple. The girl looked up at Yvette with her purple eyes. “Why are you so nice to me?” The girl asked Yvette, who deliberately made time to visit the temple every day. Yvette, who was also a young girl, looked at Deborah’s eyes for a moment and then just patted her head in silence. Why had she cared for and looked after Deborah so diligently? Why had the girl lingered so vividly in her mind? Even now, she couldn’t bring herself to answer. Year after year, their relationship grew closer, until now, it had reached this point. “It’s already been 20 years.” It had been almost twenty years since Yvette had grown close to Deborah—and almost twenty years since she had lost her younger sister, who bore such a striking resemblance to her.  * * * About four days have passed since I returned from buying Colin’s birthday present at the square. During that time, my daily routine had remained as monotonous and predictable as ever. I spent my days serving tea, tidying up the garden with Marie, and occasionally having my time commandeered by Lucas or Colin, who always seemed to find ways to keep me occupied. In the meantime, Marie met Mrs. Rosa, and fully embraced her responsibilities as a new maid, managing her tasks with remarkable efficiency despite her tight schedule. Mrs. Rosa was quite taken with her, praising Marie’s competence and quick wit, calling her a maid with a good sense of work. Mika, Angie and Marie. And since the four of us have become close friends, even the difficulties we have at work have disappeared. “This might be the perfect job,” I mused to myself one day. “The pay is great, and I’ve even made friends… now if only that pesky hierarchy in the dormitory could disappear…” Fortunately, Miriam seemed to have lost interest in me and Marie these days, she would barely even glance in my direction, her expression vacant as though I no longer existed in her world.To be precise, it was the look of someone who had grown utterly bored with my presence.