I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started Chapter 110

It was late afternoon when Daniel, having received an urgent telegram, left Roan’s mansion. I squinted slightly at the yellow sunlight pouring through the window. Colin, sitting across from me, reached toward the curtain.

“Should I close it? Is it too bright?”

“No, it’s fine. I just want to look outside.”

The carriage jolted suddenly, probably from hitting a rock. But it was a very sturdy and well-made carriage. The plush seat inside felt just like the ones in the count’s mansion.

Now that I thought about it, I had ridden a Büllossen family carriage once before. At the time, I had been so awkward and suffocated that I couldn’t enjoy the comfort at all…

I glanced at the small window behind Colin. It was connected to the coachman’s seat, and next to the coachman sat a servant from the Büllossen family.

The mention of the Büllossen family suddenly made me uneasy. I stared at the back of the servant’s head.

‘What’s going on? Why would they suddenly summon me to the house…?’

Actually, as soon as Daniel left in a rush after receiving the telegram, a carriage arrived at Roan’s mansion.

At first, I naturally assumed it was one of Roan’s clients. After all, this was Roan’s townhouse, and I didn’t think anyone in the capital would be looking for me.

But the servant introduced himself as someone from the Büllossen family and said his mistress had invited me.

“Lady Yvette has requested that Miss Rosieta come with us.”

“What? Me?”

The servant bowed politely.

I was utterly confused. Yvette seemed to know that I was staying in the capital—at Roan’s townhouse, no less.

‘How did she find out? Could she have heard about my meeting with Madam Büllossen?’

Maybe Madam Büllossen had mentioned me to Yvette while talking about Lucas.

But Yvette Büllossen wasn’t the kind of person who would warmly invite me just because I was in the capital. We weren’t on such familiar terms.

I gulped nervously. I hadn’t done anything wrong, but Yvette suddenly wanting to see me scared me.

Was it okay to refuse this invitation? While I hesitated, the servant spoke again in a clear voice.

“She said there’s a ‘favor’ she wishes to ask you. She mentioned that you’d understand if she said that.”

Ah, the favor.

I recalled my conversation with Yvette before leaving Rewybourn. I had agreed to help her as a token of thanks for stopping Angela. She had said it would be something small—not money, just a few errands.

She had said it so lightly that I didn’t expect her to actually ask. She was a noblewoman with many attendants and far more money than me.

Sure, I wanted to do something for her, but I didn’t think someone like Yvette would go out of her way to ask someone like me for help.

In the end, I had no choice but to take the carriage she had sent. Colin also decided to come with me. He said he was worried about me going alone since I didn’t know the capital well yet. The Büllossen servant didn’t object.

‘I wonder what kind of favor she wants from me.’

I pondered the whole way, but couldn’t come up with anything specific.

It couldn’t be about money, so maybe she really did want me to run a few errands? But in that case, there was no need to send the family carriage.

With a conflicted look, I gazed out the window. The carriage was heading east in the capital, an area I had never visited before.

Eventually, through the thick trees, I saw the rooftop of a mansion rising in the distance.

“That’s the Büllossen family estate.”

“Really?”

Colin spoke familiarly as he closed the book he’d been reading. He said he had visited the Büllossen estate a few times for business.

As the carriage went farther, the dense trees cleared, and the mansion came into view. Soft purple wisteria hung between the neat, pale gray buildings. As we got closer, the scent of flowers filled the air.

The carriage stopped, and Colin got out first. He reached out a hand to help me, in place of the servant.

“Take my hand.”

“Thanks, Colin.”

I took his hand and stepped down the stairs. And there it was—the Büllossen family estate.

“Wow, it’s beautiful.”

Compared to the count’s mansion, it was modest and quaint, but incredibly charming. Something about seeing the Büllossen estate stirred a strange feeling in me.

I felt a sense of warmth toward the pale gray mansion I had never seen before.

Warmth? A country girl new to the capital feeling that way about a noble’s home—it didn’t make sense.

As I stood there, absentmindedly admiring the building, the servant guided Colin and me inside.

“Please follow me to the parlor.”

We crossed the garden and entered the mansion. Up to that point, no one had come out to greet us. Thanks to that, we could look around the mansion freely without worrying about the host’s reaction.

“It’s a very quiet house.”

That was my first impression of the Büllossen mansion—quiet.

Aside from the chirping birds, there was hardly a sound. Maybe it was because I’d been living in Lucas’s noisy home. It was so quiet, even our footsteps seemed to echo.

Colin, walking beside me, shrugged.

“Maybe it’s because of the viscount. I heard his illness has worsened, so everyone’s being extra cautious.”

“Oh, I see.”

Now that I thought of it, Jenny the secretary had said something similar. Yvette’s group had returned to the capital in a hurry from Rewybourn because of the viscount’s illness.

As the servant led us to the parlor, an older butler approached him and whispered something. The servant nodded and went off, and the butler turned to us.

“Good day. I’m Sigmund, the butler of the estate. It seems Lady Yvette is handling something urgent. While you wait, may I offer you a tour of the mansion instead of the parlor?”

“Huh? Me? Where is Lady Yvette now?”

“She is in the viscount’s room.”

“Oh…”

“She felt sorry to keep you waiting. If you don’t mind, I’d be happy to show you around the estate and its art collection until she comes down.”

With an awkward expression, I looked between the butler and Colin. Colin gave a small nod.

“If you’d like, go ahead. The Büllossen family has a long history, so there’s a lot to see. I’m sure she’ll come down soon.”

“Is that so?”

In the end, I hesitated but nodded. It seemed Yvette was having a hard time because of her father’s illness. She probably didn’t know how long it would take and asked them to give us a tour of the estate…

Well, admiring art wasn’t exactly in my fate, but in a way, this was an opportunity. The three of us turned away from the parlor and followed the butler. He led us to the terrace and the back garden of the mansion.

After walking along a path lined with wisteria, we also headed down to the underground art gallery.

“These are the art pieces and portraits owned by the Büllossen family.”

The butler pointed at each artwork, explaining them. Among them, what caught my eye was Yvette’s portrait.

‘Wow, that’s when she was really little. So cute!’

A five- or six-year-old Yvette stared straight ahead with a sulky face. Such sharp features even at that age. I’d thought she was beautiful a few times, but that prim expression had been there since childhood.

I almost burst out laughing at her completely unchanged appearance but barely held it in. After all, the person in the portrait was likely struggling now due to her father’s illness.

Ahem, I cleared my throat slightly and glanced at the portrait again.

‘But why did young Yvette look so grumpy here?’

Maybe something had upset her. As I curiously stepped aside, another portrait came into view.

And I began to understand why young Yvette had looked so grumpy.

Right next to it was a family portrait of the Büllossen family. Yvette was wearing the same outfit as in the solo portrait. They must’ve been painted on the same day.

In the painting, Madam Büllossen looked much younger and was holding a child in her arms. Wrapped in a pink blanket. The glimpse of red hair peeking out told me it was their second daughter.

Her face wasn’t clearly visible. The mother was holding the baby protectively, almost shielding her.

I took a closer look at the three Büllossen family members— the viscount, his wife, and Yvette. All three had blond hair and blue eyes.

‘Ah, so she was pouting because her mom had a new baby.’

It didn’t quite match the cool-headed image I had of Yvette, but she was only about five or six here. A cute little girl jealous of her baby sister.

‘I wonder if there are any more portraits?’

I was curious about the second daughter’s face, which I couldn’t see because it was buried in her mother’s shoulder.

I glanced at Colin and the butler, who had walked ahead, then looked around. I was hoping to spot another family portrait.

Just then, a voice called from behind. Along with the sound of slightly ragged breathing, as if the speaker had rushed down.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Startled, I turned around and saw Yvette standing at the entrance to the art gallery. She looked more tired than usual.

“Oh, hello, Lady Yvette.”

I gave her a polite bow, and she nodded in return, accepting the greeting.

“My father’s condition suddenly worsened, and I had to call for the doctor, which delayed me. I’m truly sorry for making you wait.”

“Oh no, of course you should focus on that! We didn’t wait long at all.”

I replied quickly with a sheepish smile.

She must have been tending to her father upstairs. The usually cold and stiff Yvette now had a slight flush on her cheeks.

“Thanks to that, I had a lovely time admiring the artworks. Please don’t worry about it. Really.”

“Is that so?”

At my words, Yvette’s gaze shifted over my shoulder—to the family portraits.

“You were looking at that portrait.”

“Ah… yes. It felt very warm and charming. I couldn’t help but look.”

I suddenly felt a little embarrassed and tried to explain myself. The memory of our moonlit quarrel flashed through my mind. I didn’t want to seem like I was envious of her family.

But Yvette quickly returned to the proud, composed expression I knew and changed the subject.

“Come to think of it, Miss Rosieta, you’ve met my mother, haven’t you? Just a few days ago?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

“My mother told me she saw Mr. Lucas with a young lady at the dessert shop. She also mentioned that you’re staying at Mr. Roan’s townhouse. That’s why I sent the carriage there.”

So it was Madam Büllossen who mentioned me after all.

I nodded, slightly flustered.

“Yes, she asked me to help pick out some desserts for you… I tried to choose things I thought you’d like. I hope they suited your taste.”

“Thank you. They were very enjoyable.”

Though her tone was stiff, Yvette’s expression was a little more relaxed than usual. Maybe it was because we were in her own home.

And with her tension eased, I realized just how much Yvette resembled Madam Büllossen.

‘I hadn’t noticed because of her sharp look, but she seems like a kind person when she’s not expressionless.’

A mother buying snacks for her daughter, and a proud eldest daughter managing the family business. They really did seem like the perfect family in a way.

As I glanced at Yvette’s softened face, she suddenly offered,

“If you liked that painting, would you like to see the other portraits too?”