I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started Chapter 119

After hearing the entire story, all color drained from Yvette’s face. She clutched at the hem of her skirt tightly. Her fist trembled.

She felt like pointing out every single part.

That she had stabbed the very family who had once shown her kindness, all because she was drunk on her own misery. That she had made up a fake name out of fear that someone would find out Irene was alive. That she had abandoned a three-year-old child in an isolated place and returned to the capital alone—everything!

Yvette believed she had held herself back well enough. She felt like calling the constables right this second and having the woman detained—maybe that would ease her fury, even a little.
A violent part of her wanted to slap her across the face.

But the next moment, Yvette’s thoughts came to a halt.

It was because Rosieta, sitting beside her, gripped the back of her hand.

“Why…”

“I thought you might bleed.”

Only then did Yvette look down. Her nails had dug into her skin from how tightly her fist was clenched. Taking a deep breath, Yvette finally released her grip.

Their eyes met in the empty air between them.

“……”

No words came out.

In the end, Rosieta really was her younger sister. The second daughter their family had spent so long searching for.

Irene Bullosen.

Yvette didn’t know how to feel as she looked at her. There had been no miracle between them—no spark of recognition, no instinctive certainty that this was family.

No mysterious sensation or fateful connection. They had only come to know each other through the words of a kidnapper.

Even their mother had looked at her own daughter and merely said, “What a lovely young lady.”

And Yvette, belatedly, realized—

She had lived all her life determined to find her younger sister… but had never once imagined how it would feel to actually meet her.

Should she be overwhelmed? Or should she grieve and ache for the years that had vanished?

Even now, the two of them stared blankly at each other as if still strangers, even after learning the truth.

Baron Lewiz and Rumiz had stolen all the time and emotion the family should’ve shared. What they took wasn’t simple—it was everything.

It was heartbreaking. Rage boiled up.

Then, with a soft drop, a tear fell from Yvette’s eye. Every moment she had unknowingly shared with Rosieta flashed through her mind.

Days she’d been too foolish to realize, even though they’d been near each other. Times she’d stubbornly denied and dismissed her presence.

Even today, in the hydrangea garden, hadn’t they nearly hurt each other over that rude request?

If Yvette had insisted, and Rosieta had forced herself to agree…

Just imagining it made her eyes clamp shut in horror.

“I… I…”

With her head bowed low and her face pale, she spoke in a broken voice.

At that moment, Rosieta squeezed her hand even tighter.

Rosieta was speechless too. She wanted to tell the crying woman it would be okay, but… What exactly was okay? Was anything really okay in a situation like this?

No, how could anything be okay?

If Daniel, who had been standing behind her, hadn’t stepped forward and gently held her shoulder, Rosieta might’ve sat there with her mouth open for hours.

Rosieta lifted her head and locked eyes with Daniel. She had forgotten to breathe, but seeing those dark eyes, she finally exhaled.

“It’s okay.”

“……”

“Say what you need to say.”

He spoke slowly, as if he understood. Then, his fingertips gently tapped her cheek. Like a warm cup of tea in the cold winter, that simple gesture melted the stiffness in her body as if by magic.

Meanwhile, Rumiz stared blankly at her former master, who had suddenly burst into tears. Her gaze shifted to Rosieta, seated beside her. Her mouth fell open as if something had just dawned on her.

“Then you… you’re…”

“Yes. I suppose so.”

Rosieta muttered flatly as she stared at Rumiz. Rumiz’s face grew paler by the second. She murmured something like, “I didn’t think it was really…”

“I think I’m the child you abandoned 20 years ago.”

“Ah… ah…”

Rumiz stared at her in shock. It was only natural—she had thought the girl was dead, and now here she was, alive and well.

Rosieta finally lifted her hand and placed it on Yvette’s back. Then, casting a cold glare at Rumiz, she said:

“And as for the rest of the details—let’s save that for the trial. I think we’ve heard enough.”

 

 

 

****

 

 

There was no more room for conversation with Rumiz. As much as I wanted to dig into every question I’d held for so long, Yvette, sitting beside me, was clearly in emotional agony.

What’s more, not everyone involved was even here. Madam Bullosen was outside the café, and the viscount was bedridden.
And neither of them even knew yet that I was their biological daughter.

“My secretary’s going to request a formal trial and head to the capital’s biggest newspaper. By sunrise, this story will be out as a special report, plastered across the kingdom. It’s important to make a big move before the king or the temple tries to suppress it. Yvette Bullosen agrees that it needs to make a big splash—so don’t worry.”

At Daniel’s words, I stood blankly for a moment before nodding.

Now, on the second floor of the café, it was just the two of us. Yvette, having pulled herself together, had gone downstairs to share everything with her mother. The guild members had taken Rumiz away.

It felt like something had been resolved, but I still felt stifled. I let out a long breath.

“They say I’m their real daughter, Daniel.”

“……”

“I mean, I did wonder. There were a lot of things that lined up between me and their missing daughter.  Still, I tried not to get my hopes up too much. The more you expect, the bigger the disappointment, right?”

“So, how do you feel?”

“I don’t know.”

“……”

“I really don’t.”

I shrugged.

“To be honest, even when I was at the orphanage, I didn’t long for my parents that much. Unlike Colin, I had no memories of them.”

“……”

“But… I feel like something was stolen from me.”

“That makes sense. If Rumiz hadn’t reached out and taken you, you would’ve grown up as the cherished daughter of a noble family.”

I let out a short, dry laugh at that. Daniel stared at me for a moment, then dropped into the seat where Yvette had been sitting. The sofa sagged under his weight, and my body leaned slightly toward him. He met my gaze.

In his dark eyes, I could see my own face clearly. Undeniably, I was making the dumbest face of my life.

“You found your parents—just later than most. But you’re still you.”

“……”

“You can still live however you want. Don’t forget that.”

“…Yeah.”

“I mean, shouldn’t you be happy? You met parents you thought you’d never see. And not just any parents—noble ones…”

“……”

“Ah—never mind. Forget I said that. You don’t have to be happy. It’s okay not to be. Just pretend you didn’t hear that. That wasn’t something to joke about. I take it back.”

“I didn’t say anything. Why are you acting like that?”

Maybe he noticed my reaction, but Daniel quickly backpedaled. Then he narrowed his eyes slightly and started watching me, subtly.

The almighty Daniel, reading my expression—it was so strange and awkward that I couldn’t help but laugh, even in the middle of all this.

At my laugh, Daniel blinked and fumbled with his lips before letting out a sigh.

“Right. As long as you eat well and laugh like that, that’s enough. The rest… the Bullosen family and I will handle.”

Daniel relaxed a little, seeing me smile, and let the tension in his shoulders go. I looked at him for a long moment before shaking my head.

“It’s my problem now too. I need to do something about it.”

“You have something in mind?”

I nodded without hesitation.

“Yeah. I’ve been thinking— we still don’t know who set the orphanage on fire. I’m pretty sure it was intentional. I almost died back then.”

Daniel flinched.

“You think someone set it on fire on purpose?”

“Yeah. Someone attacked me while the orphanage was burning.”

Daniel’s expression hardened, like he was piecing things together.

I remembered someone attacking me during the fire. There had been thick smoke, and I was terrified—I didn’t understand at the time.
But it was intentional. The person who attacked me must have been the arsonist.

“Rumiz said it wasn’t her.”

“It was probably Baron Louis. Maybe he ordered someone to do it.”

“I’ll have someone look into it. I knew it was an arson attack too.”

“And…”

I trailed off and lowered my head.

There were still things left unresolved.

Why had Rumiz decided to confess now of all times? What was this “conscience” she claimed had driven her?

Why had she continued working for the Bullosen family even after abandoning me? What was she afraid of? Did Baron Louis order her to keep watch on the family?

Maybe that’s why Rumiz’s testimony left me feeling unsettled instead of relieved— because there were now twice as many things left to uncover.

And I still have to figure out who I was in my past life.

My memories before the age of eight were fuzzy. All I knew was that I was an extra character from The Delusional Saintess who had lived in several orphanages since childhood.

Of course, memories of my previous life were just as vague. My parents, my life, my friends from before—I couldn’t remember any of it.

The image of my younger self in a dream floated before my eyes.

Daniel reached out his hand to me and said,

“Let’s go down. It’s getting late.”

We walked down the stairs and stepped out of the café. The moon was full and high in the sky, and a cool breeze was blowing. At the end of the café’s long string lights stood four people.

I saw Yvette and Madam Bullosen first. Yvette stood beside her mother, who looked pale, but Yvette herself seemed a bit more composed than earlier.

And as Daniel and I approached the carriage, Madam Bullosen’s eyes met mine. She stared at me, covered her mouth, and muttered:

“…Irene? Is it really you, Irene?”