I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started Chapter 107

Then, Viscountess Bullosen widened her eyes slightly.

“Oh? Were you acquainted with her?”

“Yes, a little.”

“Ah, if I had known she was someone you knew, I would have treated her more warmly. She was such a lovely and familiar-looking young lady.”

As she watched her mother’s brightened expression, Yvette parted her lips slightly, then closed them again.

The woman her mother mentioned was most likely Rosieta Jensen.

As soon as Rosieta’s face came to mind, Yvette’s mood sank even further.

Memories of the many days she had encountered that woman flashed through her mind. Then, suddenly, another thought struck her.

Yvette abruptly grabbed the viscountess’s hand and asked,

“…Did you just say that woman is in the capital right now?”

“That’s right. I heard that the two of them are staying at Roan’s estate. Apparently, they came to visit the capital.”

Viscountess Bullosen had heard rumors about the connection between Roan and Holden, but to Yvette, a different fact was far more significant.

Suddenly, her blue eyes gleamed with realization.

 

 

***

 

 

 

Daniel didn’t return until evening.

Roan’s townhouse was one of the grandest in the capital, and naturally, the dining hall was just as lavish. The pale ivory walls were adorned with gold embellishments, adding to its grandeur.

The head chef was a former royal palace cook, and Roan had mentioned that he had prepared a splendid feast just for the three of us.

However, despite the rich aroma of butter filling the air, my mind was elsewhere.

It was because of Viscountess Bullosen, whom I had encountered earlier that afternoon.

When we ran into her in front of the dessert shop, I had assumed we would part ways quickly. Instead, we ended up helping her with her purchase.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been somewhere this crowded. I’d be grateful for your assistance.”

At her words, Lucas and I readily stepped back into the dessert shop with her.

Since it was a place highly favored by young nobles, it was likely a difficult place for her to navigate on her own.

Lucas and I picked out an assortment of treats that Yvette might like—sweets with just the right balance of sugar.

Just before paying, I turned to look at the viscountess and was startled to see how pale she had become amidst the crowd.

It shocked me.

Her expression resembled the one she had worn when I first saw her at the royal palace party.

The same woman who had smiled warmly at me and spoken first in a quiet alley now looked visibly drained standing in the middle of a shop filled with nobles.

‘Why?’

No one had been paying her any special attention.

The other nobles were too busy enjoying their ice cream and macarons to take notice.

Yet, Viscountess Bullosen anxiously glanced around, as if expecting someone to drive her out of the shop at any moment.

The image was burned into my memory, still lingering before my eyes.

Why would a distinguished noblewoman be so afraid?

‘Could she have a fear of crowded places?’

I tried to reason it out, but I couldn’t fathom what an older noblewoman could possibly be so afraid of.

As I absentmindedly pushed my potage around my plate, Roan, seated at the head of the table, glanced at me.

“Miss Jensen, why aren’t you eating? Does it not suit your taste?”

“Ah, no. It’s delicious. I was just lost in thought. Don’t mind me.”

I responded vaguely.

“Rosie, eat up. You must be hungry after all that walking today.”

Lucas, sitting across from me, chimed in.

I nodded and reluctantly picked up my spoon, but just then, the dining hall doors opened, and Daniel entered. He must have just returned from the temple.

Roan, still seated at the head, wiped his hands and muttered sarcastically.

“At least you made it before the main course was served. Quite the elusive guest, aren’t you?”

Daniel, apparently accustomed to Roan’s jabs, merely shrugged in response.

He had come in straight upon arriving at the estate. Casually, he removed his coat and handed it to the butler before taking the seat next to me.

As soon as he sat down, the kitchen maids began serving the main dishes.

I glanced at Daniel as the maids bustled around, setting the table. His face looked strangely weary, prompting me to ask,

“So… did you have a good talk with Deborah?”

“Yeah.”

Daniel answered shortly, still lost in thought.

I wanted to ask what had kept him talking so late, but the complicated look on his face made it difficult to start a conversation.

For a moment, he seemed absorbed in his own thoughts. Then, without hesitation, he quickly cut into his steak.

I watched him slice through his meal when, suddenly, he switched his neatly cut steak with mine.

I blinked rapidly in surprise.

“Hey, I can cut my own meat, you know?”

“Who said you couldn’t? I was cutting mine anyway, so I did yours too.”

Instead of making a fuss about it, Daniel shot me a sidelong glance and huffed as if it were no big deal.

From the head of the table, Roan looked as though he wanted to whistle at the exchange.

I scowled slightly and picked up a piece of steak, only for Daniel to suddenly lean in close and whisper,

“Meet me in the garden after dinner. We need to talk.”

…Talk?

Instinctively, my shoulders tensed as I looked up at him.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

“…Deborah might not be the Saint?”

It was the back garden of the mansion, cloaked in darkness.

I had unwittingly raised my voice and, startled by my own outburst, quickly glanced around.

Fortunately, Roan’s townhouse garden was dimly lit, and there was no one around to overhear our conversation.

Still, the shock lingered. The story Daniel had just told me was beyond astonishing.

Deborah might not be the Saint? That was entirely different from the plot I knew.

Daniel, arms crossed, looked equally displeased.

“Deborah’s father—Baron Louis, kidnapped another girl who was born on the same day as Deborah and had her sent away somewhere. From the beginning, there were two girls born on the day the divine prophecy was given.”

“Why would he do such a thing? Kidnapping a baby girl? He’s a noble, isn’t he?”

“He probably wanted to make his daughter the Saint to gain some advantage. Baron Louis is exactly the kind of man who would do that—at least, that’s what the Saint herself said.”

At Daniel’s words, I finally remembered what kind of person Deborah’s father was.

In the original story, there had been an episode where Baron Louis verbally abused Deborah and pressured her to marry Daniel.

‘I knew he was a terrible man, but this is beyond what I imagined.’

For a noble, his actions were no different from those of a lowly criminal.

What made him think he could just abduct an aristocratic girl so boldly? The sheer audacity of it made my face pale.

And hearing that Deborah was deeply troubled by her father’s actions made me feel even worse.

Given her kind-hearted nature, she was probably blaming herself for it.

Suppressing a sigh, I carefully spoke.

“That girl… could it be the second daughter of the Bullosen family?”

“Yeah.”

“Was she… killed?”

If Baron Louis had truly wanted to get rid of the kidnapped girl, the logical course of action would have been to kill her immediately. Daniel seemed to be thinking the same thing, his expression turning grim.

“That’s possible, but nothing is confirmed yet. It looks like he didn’t handle it himself—he involved someone else.”

“Someone else? Who?”

So, he didn’t want to dirty his own hands and instead paid someone to do it.

Daniel rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“There was a letter sent to the baron from someone named Rumi. It detailed how they kidnapped the child in exchange for money. It didn’t say whether that woman killed the child, but she was definitely the one who took her.”

“Ah…”

“Deborah suspects that Rumi was a maid she knew. She seems to have a lead. For now, she’s hiring a guild to track her down. If the maid is still in the capital, it won’t be long before we find her.”

Deborah had said she would meet with the guild using the funds Daniel had provided. But something about this was bothering me.

‘Rumi… Rumi…’

Something about that name felt strangely familiar. I murmured it under my breath, testing the pronunciation.

Just then, Daniel let out a quiet sigh.

“We need to inform the Bullosen family as soon as possible, but Deborah is hesitating.”

“Why are you suddenly bringing up the Bulllosen family?”

Daniel, who had been running a tired hand through his hair, shot me a sidelong glance.

“Because the missing daughter of the Bulosen family is the girl Baron Louis kidnapped—Irene Bullosen.”

“That’s…”

“But until we have undeniable proof, I have to be cautious.”

Daniel lowered his voice.

“I’m helping Deborah because our goals align, but at the end of the day, I’m just an outsider to this twenty-year-old kidnapping case. If someone needs to tell the Bullosen family the truth, it should be Deborah herself.”

“…”

“She said she won’t tell Yvette Bullosen until she finds that maid and gets her testimony.”

Daniel had worked with the Bullosen trading company for years. He knew how much they had suffered while searching for their lost daughter, how they had clung to hope for so long.

At the same time, I understood Deborah’s hesitation.

Confessing to the family she had relied on like her own that her father was responsible for their daughter’s disappearance was something that required immense resolve.

Revealing her father’s crime would ruin Deborah’s reputation. Worse, she might be cast out by the very people she considered family.

That was likely her greatest fear.

That was why she wanted to secure undeniable proof before revealing the truth.

As outsiders, it wasn’t our place to pressure her into speaking before she was ready.

“Knowing her, she won’t let this matter rest. When the time is right, she’ll tell the Bullosen family the truth. No one understands better than her that they’ve waited long enough.”

“Yeah… I suppose so.”

Noticing the concern on my face, Daniel spoke reassuringly.

I knew Deborah wouldn’t just ignore the truth.

After all, she was even willing to expose her own father as the true culprit.

For a brief moment, I thought of Yvette, who had declared she would stop searching for her sister, and the Viscountess Bullosen, whom I had seen earlier that day.

Would revealing the truth finally bring peace to their hearts?

Since Daniel was secretly supporting Deborah, the maid would likely be found soon.

As I was deep in thought, Daniel suddenly reached out, his fingers brushing against my hair.

He had stepped closer.

“What?”

That was when I noticed something unusual—Daniel was hesitating.

He still had something left to say.

Sure enough, his dark eyes held an unfamiliar depth, and after a brief pause, he finally spoke.

“…If Deborah isn’t the real Saint, and if the true Saint is actually the daughter of the Bullosen family…”

I blinked and looked up at him. Behind him, the dark foliage and the night sky stretched endlessly.

Under the starlit sky, Daniel’s face was faintly flushed.

The same Daniel who had been speaking so matter-of-factly now had a slight tremor at the end of his words.

“If Deborah steps down from the position of Saintess, then I’ll be free. Once the temple’s figurehead is gone, the king will have no reason to keep the temple in check anymore.”

“…”

“And he won’t try to force me into a marriage for the sake of political legitimacy.”

His lips parted slightly as if he were nervous.

In that moment, his expression felt strangely slow and vivid in my eyes.

“Ah…”

That was when I finally realized why Daniel had chosen to tell me all of this.

The truth about Deborah’s birth. The truth about the Bullosen family.

“That means I won’t have to marry Deborah. Like you said…”

“..…”

“No one will be able to tie me down with marriage ever again.”