I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started – Chapter 82

Author: Asternkm

“Good morning!”

Early in the morning, when the dew was still fresh, Mika entered the kitchen cheerfully. I glanced at her with dark circles hanging under my eyes.

“Not a good morning for me…”

I mumbled.

“What’s up with you? You look exhausted. Did you not sleep last night?”

Mika pursed her lips and looked at me before pulling at my cheeks with her long fingers.

“What did you do all night to miss sleep? Everyone else was out cold from exhaustion, but you… Were you having some inappropriate thoughts? Hm? Hm?”

“Ugh, Mika—”

“Mika, you’re suffocating Rosieta!”

Angie, freshly washed, smacked Mika on the back. Mika yelped and reached behind her.

“Ack! You little brat, you really know where to hit so I can’t reach!”

“It’s all about technique.”

Angie smirked triumphantly, then turned to me with concern.

“Oh dear, your face looks terrible. Rosieta, did you not sleep at all?”

“Not completely… I think I got an hour or two.”

“Why?”

“Hmm, I just had a lot on my mind.”

There was no way I could tell them that I couldn’t sleep because of Daniel’s confession.

I had spent the whole night tossing and turning before finally dozing off at dawn.

‘Well, at least my mind is less occupied with Yvette Bullosen now…’

And it was all because Daniel had completely thrown my thoughts into chaos.

He had dropped a bomb in my head.

As I groaned and held my head, Mika chuckled and slung her arm around my shoulders.

“You must not have worked hard enough. If you were truly exhausted, you’d have knocked out instantly. Guess we should pile more work on you!”

“Mika, stop teasing Rosieta. She already does half your share of work too…”

“Excuse me? Are you saying I just slack off?”

“I didn’t exactly say that.”

Marie, who had just finished brushing her teeth, chimed in.

“Oh, you little—!”

As Mika’s attention shifted to Marie, I quickly moved closer to Angie.

When I leaned against her, Angie gently patted my cheek.

“At least today, we only need to help in the kitchen for the morning. You’ll have time to rest in the afternoon. Take a nap then, Rosieta.”

“I will. Thanks, Angie.”

All of us gathered cozily in the kitchen, and I felt like I could fall asleep right there.

Half-asleep, I watched Mika and Marie bickering like a comedy act when I suddenly felt someone staring at me.

I turned my head slightly and saw Angela standing in the hallway.

With her arms crossed, she was glaring at me with clear discontent.

“What’s her problem?”

I blinked at her, confused.

The moment our eyes met, Angela turned and stomped back into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

“What’s with her?”

Mika, who had been stretching Marie’s cheeks like dough, scoffed at the closed door.

I stared at it for a moment before shrugging.

“Who knows.”

I wasn’t particularly fond of Angela either.

After all, we had gotten into a fight last night, and we had been caught in the act.

And thanks to Yvette immediately reporting it to Lucas, Angela had been put under house arrest for the rest of the trip.

Judging by her expression, she probably blamed me for it.

‘Well, at least this means I won’t have to run into her outside.’

Since she wouldn’t be leaving the dorm, I wouldn’t have to deal with her.

I didn’t really care either way.

*****

Early in the morning, while the other maids went to clean the ballroom, I was assigned to clean the mansion. Angie had arranged this after hearing that I hadn’t slept well.

‘She swapped tasks with me… I should buy her a dessert as a thank-you when we go out later.’

Holding a broom, I walked through the mansion’s halls. I had already swept the staircase, so now it was time to clean the rooms.

‘…I wonder if Daniel is awake by now?’

Judging by last night, it seemed like he had traveled all night by train.

Maybe he was still sleeping late after such a long journey.

‘Even so, I can’t clean his room right now… How am I supposed to face him after what happened?’

Even I wasn’t shameless enough to go clean the room of the guy who had just confessed to me.

‘Right, I’ll ask someone else to handle his room. I’ll just clean the other ones first.’

As I made up my mind and moved forward, I suddenly heard a familiar voice from the landing below.

“C-Count?”

I gasped softly and carefully peeked down the stairs. From my angle, I could only see two heads—one belonged to Marie.

Marie, holding a broom, asked, “Are you looking for something?”

Daniel’s voice was calm as he replied, “I’m looking for a red-haired maid.”

“Oh no!”

It wasn’t just that he was asking about me—it was the fact that he was looking for me outright!

I quickly pulled back from the railing. Footsteps echoed as someone started climbing the stairs. Daniel was definitely coming up to find me.

“W-what do I do?!”

How was I supposed to face him after that? I wasn’t ready at all!

Panicking, I looked around and, without thinking, yanked open the nearest door and slipped inside. I quickly shut the door before Daniel could see me.

Pressing my back against the door, I strained my ears, but thankfully, his footsteps faded in a different direction.

“I-I nearly had a heart attack.”

My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might jump out of my throat.

Still gripping the doorknob, I let out a deep sigh of relief—until a strange feeling crept over me.

Wait… this room…

“…Rose?”

I turned around and met Colin’s surprised eyes.

He was staring at me, looking more startled than usual, as if he hadn’t expected someone to barge in without warning.

He was sitting by a table, holding a teacup, with the wooden terrace doors wide open.

It seemed like he had been enjoying a peaceful tea time.

“S-sorry! I came into the wrong room by accident!”

I quickly stepped back, but Colin waved his hand.

“It’s fine. You look troubled. Why don’t you rest here for a bit?”

“…Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

Setting his teacup down, Colin smiled.

“Actually, I was hoping to talk to you. I heard from Lucas and Yvette Bullosen about what happened yesterday.”

“Ah, so you heard…”

That was unexpected. I stared at him, my hand still on the doorknob.

“…It already reached your ears?”

“Of course. I was shocked when I heard. That maid harassed you, didn’t she?”

“You don’t have to worry. It was just a small fight. Yvette found us before anything serious happened.”

For some reason, I felt guilty, as if I had been hiding a big secret from him.

Colin stood up, his expression full of concern.

His brows furrowed slightly.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I had no idea there was tension between the maids.”

“It’s really not a big deal. The other maids are nice, and I’ve already made three friends. Besides, I won’t be running into that maid again—she’s under house arrest.”

Colin’s green eyes darkened with thought. Even though I was explaining, he still looked downcast.

“Still… I feel a little hurt. I had to hear about your troubles from someone else.”

“…That’s exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”

I sighed and patted his arm.

First Lucas, now Colin—they were both treating me like a fragile child.

“Did everyone forget that I used to be a little troublemaker at the orphanage? Even if there was a fight, obviously, I’d win!”

I puffed out my chest playfully, making Colin chuckle in defeat.

“Still, if something like this happens again, tell me right away.”

“I will, I promise.”

Since I had already made a deal with Lucas, I had no intention of keeping anything from them in the future.

As I nodded brightly, Colin’s expression finally relaxed.

I was about to lower my gaze when something on the table caught my eye.