I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started Chapter 140

The temple trial had ended, and I was just about to head back to Roan’s townhouse. Considering the crowd of reporters and people, I turned toward the small garden at the back door when someone called me.

“Rosieta!”

I turned around and gasped, my mouth falling open.

“Lynne?”

It was Lynne, Uncle Hans, and Aunt Marilyn.

Uncle Hans and Aunt Marilyn with Lynne. The three of them stood there, each holding a large travel bag in both hands, as if they had just arrived in the capital. Startled, I hurried toward them.

“How did you get here? Wait—did you just arrive today?”

“Sorry we’re late. We kept thinking we ought to be here too, to attend the trial and support you… so we finally closed the restaurant and came. Looks like it’s all over already, though.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m glad you came.”

I threw my arms around them. The familiar scent washed over me and I felt at peace.

“The trip to the capital wasn’t too hard, was it? Uncle, you still have your illness… And where will you stay?”

“Not yet decided. But we know someone in the capital, so we’ll stay there.”

“Really? If you’d like, you could stay with me—”

“Irene?”

I turned my head and saw Yvette and my parents coming out of the courthouse. Yvette was pushing Father’s wheelchair.

“And those people are…?”

For a moment, Lynne’s family and the Bullosen family exchanged glances. They stared blankly at one another until Uncle Hans moved first.

He took off his worn hat and bowed politely.

“Ah, how do you do. My name is Hans. I run a small restaurant in Danten, and we came up today.”

“Oh my, heavens. So it’s you—the ones who raised Irene for ten years.”

Mother, who had heard of Lynne’s family, exclaimed warmly. Father, too, looked at them with pleased recognition.

“Goodness, we should have invited you first… but we’ve been so distracted. That was our oversight.”

“Oh, no, no. Please don’t say that. We didn’t do anything special!”

“All we did was treat her as our own daughter. We only did what we ought to.”

Aunt Marilyn waved her hands modestly. Both she and Uncle Hans looked flustered at suddenly meeting my parents.

Uncle quickly whispered to me.

“Rosieta, forgive us for appearing so suddenly. You should be spending this time with your parents, not with us barging in… We’ll go. There will be time to talk later.”

“What? Wait. Let’s talk more, just us.”

I grabbed Uncle in alarm.

He must have thought his appearance here would be uncomfortable for me and my parents. That, just as I had found my real parents, having my old family turn up might look bad for me.

At that moment, Mother stepped closer to Aunt Marilyn and quietly took her hand.

“Please don’t say that. I know everything you did, raising Irene as your daughter for ten years. I know how hard it must have been to raise a child who was a stranger to you at first.”

“……”

“What I wanted to say… wasn’t only thank you.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Irene is your daughter too.”

“……”

“Just as Irene is our daughter, Rosieta is bound to you by a parent–child bond as well. We have no wish, nor could we ever hope, to take her away from you.”

“Ah…”

“All I wanted was to say thank you.”

By then Mother was standing beside Father’s wheelchair. Together, they bent their waists in a deep bow to Lynne’s family.

“Thank you for raising Irene safely and loving her in our place. We owe it to your family that we were able to meet her again.”

Uncle Hans stared at Yvette and my parents, looking dazed. Slowly, the tip of his nose reddened, and then tears streamed down his face as he cried out loudly.

“…W-we’re the ones who should thank you, for giving us such a lovely daughter. Rosieta will always be our second daughter! O-of course, she’s also the Bullosen family’s second daughter, but still!”

“……”

“When she found her noble parents, I thought we might never see her again… but hearing you say that—thank you, truly.”

“Of course you’ll see her. Please visit often. It would be wonderful if we could even share a meal together.”

Yvette smiled warmly as she spoke. Uncle, reassured by her words, broke into full sobs—only to be scolded by Lynne and Aunt Marilyn for being ridiculous.

“You’re impossible…”

Lynne clicked her tongue at him as he sniffled.

Taking the handkerchief Lynne handed him, Uncle Hans blew his nose with a loud, rough honk.

 

 

 

****

 

 

 

After escorting Uncle Hans’s family to an inn near the capital, the evening had cooled down a little.

Everything that could be done was done.
Kazan Louis’s sentence had been decided, and the temple trial had ended safely.

Rumiz’s trial still had a bit to go, but since Miss Matilda and Miss Wilhelmina promised to continue helping, there was nothing to worry about.

Watching the sunset stream through the carriage window, I fidgeted with my fingers. Somehow, everything from the past week felt like a lie.

“All the urgent things are pretty much wrapped up now, right?”

It was Lucas, sitting beside me. He glanced at me once, then leaned his head onto my shoulder. The naturalness of it made me chuckle.

I stroked Lucas’s curly hair and said,

“Yeah. The trials ended safely, and public opinion about Deborah has shifted in a favorable direction.”

Even when I pinched his earlobe and cheek with the hand that had been petting his hair, Lucas just closed his eyes with a satisfied look.

“That’s good.”

“Hm?”

“Nothing bad will happen to you now, Rosie. You’ve been through every kind of trouble already.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. From now on, only happiness is left.”

…Really?

I fell into thought at Lucas’s words. When I turned my gaze forward, I saw Colin and Daniel sitting across from us.

They sat at either end of the bench, watching us. Then, as if agreeing with Lucas’s words, they slowly closed and opened their eyes.

Relief came over me at last, filling my chest. At the same time my eyes burned hot, but I forced my lips into a smile.

“Yeah, you’re right. Since we’ve cleared away the urgent things, why don’t we go on a trip?”

“What? Really? Where to?”

Lucas, who had been leaning lazily against my shoulder, sat bolt upright. His sunset-colored eyes sparkled. I narrowed mine and smiled at the sight.

“That place you’re always singing about. Up in the north of the capital.”

“The Wild Rose Farm!”

“Exactly.”

Lucas, who understood my words instantly, shouted in delight.

“When should we go? Huh?”

“Well, we need time to prepare for the trip…”

As Lucas and I chattered on about little travel plans, the carriage rolled up in front of Roan’s townhouse.

Having come and gone so often over the past few weeks, it almost felt like home.

“First let’s go inside, check everyone’s schedules, and then book a hotel near the farm. For a few weeks, we’ll just relax and sightsee without thinking about anything!”

Lucas hopped out of the carriage first, cheerfully taking my hand to escort me down.

Just as we were about to head into the house, a familiar man stood waiting at the entrance.

“Huh?”

It was Dan, Roan’s secretary.

He was standing at the entrance as if he’d been waiting for us, and at his feet were piles of unfamiliar luggage.

“What’s with all the bags?”

Even Colin and Daniel looked puzzled as they stepped down. Dan cleared his throat and spoke.

“Lord Roan asked me to deliver this message as soon as you returned.”

“What message? And it’s too hot out here—can’t we go inside and talk?”

Lucas, who had been soaring with excitement just moments before, grumbled. But Dan was firm.

“You cannot go inside.”

“What?”

“Here is a letter the master left.”

Leaving the four of us baffled, Dan unfurled a piece of parchment decorated like an official decree. Our jaws dropped at the sight.

Dan read the parchment aloud.

“I can no longer tolerate my house being turned into a hideout for foolish kids. I endured strangers coming and going every day, but I cannot endure reporters camping outside night and day and gathering at my door. Therefore…”

“Therefore…?”

Sweat trickled down Dan’s temple as he met our eyes. But then he hardened his expression again, straightened his back, and conveyed Roan’s words.

“Therefore, quit dawdling, pack your things, and get out of my house, you troublemakers. This is a warning!!”

“……”

“…That is what he said.”

“What? Right now?”

“Heh…”

I jumped in place, while Daniel ran a palm over his face, as if he had expected this. Clearly, the eccentric man in his forties didn’t like us occupying his house and using it as we pleased.

“Looks like he told them to move all our stuff out while we were at the temple trial.”

Colin gave a faint, wry smile, as though he too had seen it coming. Dan bowed his head apologetically.

No wonder that iron gate was firmly shut, and all those bags were piled up at his feet. It looked like everything we had been using was crammed into those bags.

“As a final act of mercy, he said he’ll lend you one carriage. Use it, and disappear from his sight at once.”

“I’m so touched I could cry…”

I glared past Dan at the luxurious townhouse behind him, eyes burning.

“Still, isn’t it too much to kick us out without even letting us say goodbye?”

“My apologies…”

“Not that it’s your fault, Mr. Dan. I just… feel a little sad.”

I looked at Dan sweating nervously, then softened my gaze and gave him a small smile.

“Please tell Mr. Roan we’re grateful for staying here these past weeks. And let him know I’ll repay him later. As for us, well, we can just head back to the county estate…”

“We could just buy a house nearby.”

Daniel, standing behind us, tossed the words out casually. But since I’d expected that sort of response, I shot back right away.

“Even if we bought a new townhouse in the capital right now, when would we hire staff, and when would we buy and move in all the furnishings? We’d have to fill the place, wouldn’t we?”

“We could just stay in a hotel while it gets furnished. Or lean on the Bullosen family…”

“But the Bullosen house will be crawling with reporters too.”

It wasn’t that I disliked staying with my parents and Yvette, but right after the trial, the media’s attention was burning hot.

And besides, while I was at Roan’s place, the attention was at least spread out. If Deborah and I both stay at the Bullosen house together…

Just imagining all the reporters crowding the gate already gave me a headache.

“Ah.”

After a brief thought, I turned to the others and said,

“Let’s just move the trip up right away!”