I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started Chapter 123

At the king’s words, Daniel nodded as if he’d expected it, then looked at the king with a calm face, not a single crack showing.

“I see,” he said.

“…”

“So, would you like to pour it now? The temperature is just right.”

At that, the king let out a sharp laugh.

“You arrogant brat.”

“…”

“Next time, bring boiling green tea. This lukewarm black tea won’t do.”

Based on the king’s usual two-faced nature, Daniel thought he might actually pour the tea on his face—but he didn’t. It seemed more like a power play, a threat to rattle him.

Instead, the king took a sip of tea and slammed the cup down loudly. Then, lowering his voice with frustration, he growled,

“You dare stab me in the back after I gave you land and a title? You published that article without even giving me a heads-up?”

There was nothing polite about the king’s tone. Even though he usually maintained a basic level of courtesy, today he didn’t bother. Luckily, the attendants who might have called him out on his behavior were waiting outside.

“How could I possibly betray Your Majesty? I’m just a newly appointed earl—an orphan, at that.”

In contrast, Daniel used the polished tone of nobility. It was the kind of subtle jab that meant: “You’re saying an orphaned merchant like me, who you’ve always looked down on, outsmarted you? Really?”

The king scoffed, clearly having caught the meaning.

“You mean you don’t understand why I’m in such a foul mood after having a bomb dropped on the capital this morning? You basically blew one up in my face.”

“My apologies.”

“You don’t look the slightest bit sorry.”

Well, Your Majesty doesn’t sound like a king either…

Daniel wondered if he should just let his mind wander while the king sat there. Usually, if left to rant for an hour or two, the king would eventually cool off and leave on his own. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the royal palace.

And Daniel had a faint idea why the king was this furious and had barged in around noon.

“I do apologize for releasing the article without notifying Your Majesty. It was a time-sensitive matter. I had to act immediately. The Bullosen family and I had already come to an agreement.”

The king had always hated the temple—no, despised it. To him, in an age of railroads, modern guns, and booming trade, there was no room for gods.

In short, a devout atheist.

And just when he was about to take the throne, the temple had issued a divine prophecy, chosen a saintess, and started rallying more followers. No wonder they were a thorn in his side. He’d probably been waiting for a reason to crush them.

So now that the temple’s symbol—a saintess—had been revealed to be a fake, there was no way he was against that.

‘He’s just mad because no one whispered it to him first. He feels insulted. That’s why he’s throwing his weight around, trying to reassert his authority.’

Daniel had known the king for years.  He was the type who liked playing tricks—but only when he was the one pulling the strings. And now Daniel had stolen that thunder, turning the tables on the temple all on his own.

Daniel was willing to weather the storm until the king calmed down. But then the king suddenly asked,

“So? Who is it?”

“Pardon?”

“The real saintess. Who is she?”

The king now leaned on one arm, his chin resting on his hand, eyes studying Daniel like he was trying to calculate something.

“For you to make such a big deal out of the article, that girl must still be alive. The daughter of the Bullosen family, who was supposedly kidnapped because she was born on the same day as Deborah Louis.”

“…”

“And since it was you who blew open this mess between the Louis and Bullosen families, you must be involved somehow. But you don’t really have any personal ties to either family. You’ve turned down Deborah, and I doubt you’ve fallen for Yvette Bullosen either.”

The king stroked his beard, deep in thought. His mind was clearly lining up various facts and drawing conclusions.

Then, almost offhandedly, he asked,

“Don’t tell me… the real saintess is someone from your inner circle?”

He was sharper than expected.

Daniel stayed silent, his mouth closed tight. But he had no intention of telling the king that Rosieta was the real saintess. This was the same king who had tried to use Deborah and Daniel as convenient political pieces.

He had even seen Rosieta at the royal party.

‘If he tries to manipulate her the way he tried to manipulate me, it’ll be a disaster.’

Daniel stared at the king with a wary look and took a sip of tea to stall for time. The king let out an exasperated sigh.

“You’re still thinking of challenging me? Do you really want to pay the price for stabbing me in the back, Daniel Leandro?”

“…”

“Get a grip, Count Drunia. I didn’t give you that title so you could turn it against me.”

The joking grin on the king’s face vanished, replaced by a cold, dangerous glare. He might act transparent sometimes, but he was the king—one who’d climbed the throne by crushing countless political enemies.

Daniel’s face hardened for a moment under the weight of that pressure. But then—

“Excuse me, I’m coming in!”

A cheerful voice called out, accompanied by a knock that cut through the heavy air.

The king’s face twisted in irritation at the interruption. “I told the attendants not to let anyone in. Who dares—!”

Just moments ago, he had still sounded somewhat playful, but now a vein bulged on his forehead in anger.

The flustered attendant rushed in, pale-faced. It was the same one who had openly looked down on Daniel just a few weeks earlier.

Panting, the attendant stammered an explanation.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty! She threatened me, I had no choice but to let her in! Please forgive me!”

“She threatened you? Someone threatened my attendant?”

What insolent little—

The king’s facial muscles twitched with rage. He turned his gaze sharply toward the door, where a woman stood with her hands clasped.

A woman with wavy, red hair tied in a single braid.

A very familiar woman.

The king’s eyes lit up.

“Oh? You’re that young lady…”

“Rose.”

Rosieta’s name burst out from Daniel’s mouth in surprise.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation. I had something urgent to tell His Majesty, so I slightly threatened the attendant. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“Slightly? Threatened?”

“I said if he didn’t move out of the way, I’d run straight to the temple at the end of the street.”

Just as the king’s face began to twist in confusion, Rosieta smiled brightly in front of the frozen attendant and the king.

“Because I’m the real saintess who was kidnapped.”

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

So I sat beside Daniel and sipped my tea.

It was a new pot of hot black tea. As I took a few sips and casually picked through the sugar cubes, the king—sitting across from me with his legs crossed—let out a loud cough.

“So, you’re telling me that the young lady who is Count Drunia’s childhood friend is actually the real saintess and the long-lost second daughter of the Bullosen family?”

The king had heard a general summary of what happened the previous night. While mentally organizing the story I had told him, he shot me a sideways glance, looking somewhat annoyed.

“Yes. I was born on the same day as Deborah Leweez, and I was one of the candidates for saintess. Strictly speaking, Deborah wasn’t fake either. It’s just that there were two possibilities.”

“What do you mean?”

“The temple only announced that a girl of noble birth was the saintess. Deborah is the daughter of Baron Louis, and I’m the daughter of the Bullosen family. So we both met the requirements. Deborah was an illegitimate child, so she wasn’t a perfect match, but she wasn’t completely ineligible either. She wasn’t a fake—just not the only option. I was the other.”

“Hm.”

“People tend to think in black and white, all or nothing, me or you…”

“…”

“Anyway, the real issue is that someone deliberately got rid of me, one of the potential candidates. Because of that, Deborah, her family, and the temple are now on the verge of losing public trust.”

The king glanced at me with clear distaste as I spoke so freely. I ignored his gaze and took another sip of my sweetened tea.

“Of course, I did threaten the chamberlain earlier. Told him if he didn’t open the door, I’d go to the temple and announce to the whole world that I was the real saintess.”

“…”

“I figured Your Majesty wouldn’t like it if I caused a stir before meeting with you.”

If I had run to the temple and told the gathered journalists and believers that I had been one of the saintess candidates…  If I had declared that I was the lost noble daughter from House B…

Surely the king wouldn’t be pleased. He’d be shoved out of the spotlight—and worse, I’d fall directly into the hands of the very temple he despised.

As I smiled brightly and said all the right things, the king just glared at me like he’d bitten into something sour. Apparently, he didn’t even feel like pretending to smile at me anymore.

Even Daniel, sitting beside me, didn’t look particularly comfortable. His face had gone a little pale, like he was sitting next to a ticking time bomb.

“So, what’s the real reason you wanted to see me?” the king asked.

“I thought Your Majesty might blame my friend for what happened today… So I came to ask that you don’t.”

“Haha! You think so little of me, young lady!”

The king tried to lighten the mood with a laugh before his expression could crack. But I’d already read The Delusional Saintess. I knew his personality inside and out.

No hearty laugh could cover that up.

A brief silence passed, and the king’s tense face gradually began to loosen. He looked at me carefully, then put down his teacup and said,

“You say it doesn’t matter who’s real or fake… but I don’t quite agree.”

“…”

“Deborah Louis’s mother was a courtesan, as you know. You, on the other hand, are a legitimate daughter of the Bullosen family. If both of you had shown up at the temple 20 years ago, the high priest would’ve declared you the true saintess chosen by prophecy.”

“That’s probably true.”

I admitted it without resistance. The king’s eyes gleamed coldly, like he was seeing straight through me.

“And while Deborah’s time as a saintess is now over… your potential still remains. Am I wrong?”

I narrowed my eyes slightly and looked at the king. Leonid III. I could see what he was thinking.

Apparently, so could Daniel, because he suddenly leaned forward in agitation.

But the king spoke first.

“If the temple were to admit its wrongdoing and accept you as the new saintess, what would you do? Would you go back and become the true saintess? That’s what I want to know.”

He was asking if I would take Deborah’s place. If the temple tried to save face by appointing a new saintess, it might be able to regain some of its power.

Which meant that my stance must’ve seemed very important to the king.

Ah… so that’s why he came looking for Daniel.

It wasn’t just that his pride was hurt. The king wanted to destroy the temple completely—so he needed certainty. He didn’t want to leave even a sliver of possibility alive.

Daniel grabbed my hand and whispered urgently.

“Just tell him no. Don’t hesitate. That kind of life… you’ve never even imagined it.”

He was right. I was just a former restaurant server who used to plate up chicken steaks. But instead of outright rejecting the idea, I tilted my head as if considering it.

“Well, the role of saintess is quite honorable. Even with the world moving forward—railways expanding, the nation advancing—faith still shines brightest in critical moments, right? If I became the saintess, the Bullosen family’s reputation would rise too. Don’t you think so?”

I didn’t feel like giving the king the answer he wanted for free. So even though I knew exactly what he wanted to hear, I dodged it instead.

“Hah. Bold, aren’t you?”

The king curled his lips. I watched, amused, as the cracks began to show in his carefully worn mask.