I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started Chapter 129

“Really? You remember all of that?”

“Of course I do. It was the day you first came into the orphanage with us, Rose.”

The fact that Colin still remembered how gloomy I had been back then made me give a sheepish smile.

“Actually, Daniel told me he remembered the first time he saw me too. But me? I erased that whole day from my memory. I only just remembered it now—myself back then, and you, Colin, who looked after me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. I don’t recall feeling too hungry, but whenever I was unbearably thirsty, you secretly slipped me a glass of milk. Always at just the right time so the director wouldn’t see… I survived thanks to that.”

“…”

“I just wanted to say thank you. Even if it’s late.”

“You don’t have to. It’s nothing.”

A bright smile appeared on Colin’s face.

“Right? You were always kind, Colin. You would have helped anyone who needed it.”

That was why I had liked Colin ever since we were kids. At the orphanage, when life got hard, the older kids would sometimes use the younger ones like servants or treat them cruelly.

It wasn’t because they were born wicked, but because life was so harsh that they wanted to vent their frustrations on someone weaker.

But Colin was different.

“Don’t hit the little ones.”

“Ah… Argh!”

“Even if the director hits them, that doesn’t mean you should. It only leaves wounds.”

Just a few weeks before the orphanage burned down, Colin had scolded boys our age who bullied a seven-year-old.

Older kids hit puberty quickly. The older they got, the lower their chances of adoption, and soon they would have to leave the orphanage. They vented that bitterness on the younger children.

When one boy yanked his wrist free from Colin’s grasp, Colin told him:

“Don’t be violent to others.”

“Colin, you bastard…!”

“I’m saying this for your sake. One day you’ll get hurt too. I know better than anyone that you’re not a bad kid. So don’t hurt others anymore.”

Colin knew how to rein them in. He often stepped in to lead the kids in place of the director.

So when he looked after me, the awkward new girl who had just arrived—it must have been just another piece of that kindness.

“You see? Kind to everyone.”

But something felt strange. Colin, who had been smiling just a moment ago, suddenly grew quiet and looked at me intently.

I expected him to say something warm, like of course I should’ve helped—but instead, he looked a little unsettled.

“Why? Did I say something wrong?”

“Ah… no. It’s just… for a second, I thought maybe I’d been wrong all along.”

I blinked in surprise. Colin covered his mouth with a hand, turning his head away, as if he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or sigh. His voice came out oddly flat, halfway between exasperation and resignation.

“So you thought I was nice to everyone. I guess… I made you misunderstand.”

“Misunderstand?”

Colin stayed silent for a moment, then gave a faint smile.

“I only just realized—being kind to everyone makes it easy to be misunderstood.”

And with that, the space between us shrank. Colin had stepped closer to me.

He slowly reached out his hand, his fingertips brushing against my cheek.

Only then could I meet his gaze. In his green eyes, I was reflected completely—eyes that held a weight I had never seen before.

Not the usual warmth or gentleness, but something different… more serious.

“Would it have been better if I’d wanted more? If I hadn’t joked around about marrying you?”

His words were almost a whisper, but I could hear them clearly—because we were so close.

And hearing them, I finally understood what Colin meant.

Even those teasing words about marriage he had spoken before…

Just before his lips could touch my forehead—his peach-colored lips that had me so dazed I even forgot to breathe—

“…Hey! You wretched girl!!”

A booming voice made both of us jump, snapping our heads toward the mouth of the alley.

Two people stood there—two people I hadn’t expected to see at all.

“…L-Lynne?!”

And both wore furious expressions.

Uncle Hans was frozen stiff in shock, while Lynne’s face was red with rage and betrayal as she glared at the two of us.

“So that’s why you never sent word…”

“Lynne…”

“You were off flirting with some guy?!”

This feels strangely familiar.

Just as we were about to leave Rita after lunch, we ran into Lynne’ s family at the entrance of an alley. Lynne and Uncle Hans had been buying groceries in town, and we just happened to cross paths.

And now, here I was, sitting restlessly at one of the empty tables in their restaurant.

Across from me sat Lynne, her face still stiff with anger. On either side of me were the three men I had come with.

A few months ago, it was only Daniel sitting by my side—now there were three of them, all crowded around me…

Rinne gave the unfamiliar men a disdainful once-over, then muttered under her breath:

“So that’s why this wretched girl hasn’t been in touch lately… I was worried something happened, but—”

“…”

“You were just busy flirting with men?”

“Hey, that’s not it! You’ve got it all wrong!”

I shot Lynne a guilty glance as I tried to defend myself, but she only glared back, clearly unconvinced.

Well, it wasn’t like I could deny it completely. She had walked in on Colin and me standing awfully close in the alley…

And to make matters worse, Daniel and Colin had both chosen to sit on either side of me. This was the second time Daniel had been caught by Lynne’s family too—the first being when he came to fetch me from Danten.

Even Uncle Hans, who had once looked kindly on Daniel, now wore an irritated expression as he glanced at the two of them.

This feels just like when Julia, the apothecary’s daughter, got caught kissing her boyfriend by her father and ended up grounded…

Of course, Colin wasn’t my boyfriend, and we hadn’t even kissed—but the situation felt eerily similar. Julia had also been forced to sit across from her parents with her boyfriend beside her, facing the music.

The only one unbothered by the heavy atmosphere was Lucas, who sat ramrod straight at the far end of the table. He kept darting his eyes around the restaurant, looking both curious and wary.

It must have felt strange for him—this place that had been my home for ten years.

“So this is where Rosie lived all those years…”

Lucas’s voice came out low and oddly chilling.

“…I’m jealous!”

“What on earth is wrong with him?”

“I wanna live with Rosie for ten years too!”

Lynne muttered in disbelief at Lucas’s sulky face.

Behind him, Uncle Hans gave a loud, deliberate cough before settling into the seat beside Lynne.

“Well then, Rosieta. What have you been doing that brought you here to Rita all of a sudden? You used to write to us every single week, but then you stopped without warning. We were worried something might’ve happened… But seeing you look well is a relief.”

“I’m so sorry, Uncle. I’ve just been so busy that I couldn’t send letters.”

When I answered, Lynne’s eyes immediately shifted to Daniel, her tone sharpening.

“You call yourself her friend, but you couldn’t even pass on a single message?”

“…You’re right. I have no excuse. My apologies.”

Daniel had glanced suspiciously at Colin and me earlier when Lynne mentioned a ‘boyfriend,’ but now he turned toward her and bowed his head in apology. I waved my hands frantically.

“Lynne, this isn’t Daniel’s fault! The truth is, something big happened in the capital, and I’ve been completely overwhelmed. That’s why I couldn’t write! You don’t need to apologize for me, Daniel.”

“Something big? What kind of ‘big’ thing? You were so diligent about sending letters every week, and then suddenly nothing. I thought maybe there’d been an accident!”

Lynne rarely raised her voice at me—but now she was scolding me outright. My mouth snapped shut.

This girl… pretending otherwise, but she must’ve been waiting for my letters every week.

Now that I thought about it, since arriving in the capital I had been swept up in one crisis after another, leaving no time to write to Danten. Which meant I hadn’t told them I was a daughter of the Bullousen family… nor that I was about to stand trial.

Maybe they’d read in the papers that a scandal was unfolding—but they could never have guessed that I was the one caught up in it.

How on earth am I supposed to explain this…?

After much deliberation, I realized there was only one thing I could do.

When Aunt Marilyn returned from next door, I sat all three of them down and began, carefully, from the very beginning.

I told them about the house where I had grown up, and why I ended up at the orphanage. How I had endured those dark days.

And then, about the scandal in the capital involving the false saintess—and how I was entangled in it.

By the time I finished, evening had already fallen. Having come from Rita to Danten, we decided to stay for dinner before setting out again at night.

Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Hans, and Lynne listened quietly through the entire story. Every so often, Aunt Marilyn would lightly squeeze my hand, and that small gesture was enough to ease my heart.

“Ahem… I’ll, uh, go prepare dinner.”

Once I was finished, Uncle Hans hurriedly excused himself and headed to the kitchen.

I had noticed his eyes looked swollen, but pretended not to. He clearly wanted to hide it. He was far too softhearted for his own good…

“So you were caught up in that whole affair the papers were buzzing about.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, Auntie.”

“Oh, don’t apologize. I’m just glad we could see you before the trial. You must have suffered so much, Rosieta…”

She held my hand for a long while, and beside her, Lynne let out a faint sigh.

Uncle Hans soon returned with dinner—a hearty lamb stew and freshly baked bread for the four of us.

“Don’t worry about the trial right now. Eat well and rest plenty. A full stomach keeps the mind sharp and the heart steady.”

“Yes, and please eat with us too, Uncle.”

“Of course, of course. I just hope the food suits your tastes. Still, I’d say I’ve got a decent touch in the kitchen—good enough for even fine company.”

“We’re from the same orphanage as Rosieta. We’ll eat gratefully. Thank you.”

Colin chimed in with a flawless, gracious smile, and Uncle Hans chuckled heartily at his charm.

Just earlier, he had looked ready to collapse when he saw me and Colin in the alley—but now that Colin was acting so polite, he seemed rather pleased, even twitching the corners of his mouth in approval.

Meanwhile, across from me, Lynne nudged my foot with hers.

“What…?”

When I looked up, she gave me a pointed look that said, Are you sure there’s really nothing between you two?

Hey, you’ve got the wrong idea…

Really, there was nothing between us. If anything, the one who’d actually touched my lips wasn’t Colin on my left, but the one on my right…

But if I brought that up, Lynne really might explode. She’d accuse me of going to the count’s estate just to fool around in romance. So I kept it to myself.