I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started Chapter 94

“What?”

I widened my eyes and looked at Daniel.

Just as I was about to ask what he meant, he suddenly grabbed my wrist, his fingers brushing uncertainly through the air before locking around me.

I couldn’t move, as if I had been caught in a trap.

Daniel gazed at me in silence, his expression filled with a complicated mix of emotions.

“You must hate me. You probably can’t even stand the sight of me. I dragged you out of Danten against your will, and because of me, you were bullied by the maids… You even had to reveal your own weakness.”

“…What have you even been hearing this whole time? I never said I hated you. I already told you—it was all inevitable.”

More than anything, it was my debt and my already broken relationship with Angela that led to this situation.

But even as I spoke, Daniel’s expression didn’t ease.

Again.

Again, he was shouldering all the blame himself, acting as if this was his burden to bear.

This ridiculous habit of his—it was going to make me sigh out loud at this rate.

After a brief silence, Daniel ran a hand over his face, his exhaustion becoming more and more apparent.

“As if confessing like an idiot wasn’t enough, I didn’t even realize you were being harassed. Even though we were living in the same estate.”

“Oh, yeah. You definitely confessed like an idiot.”

“…….”

“Sorry. Just joking. Trying to lighten the mood… So stop frowning already.”

I offered him a small, lopsided smile, trying to cheer him up.

But even with my joke and smile, Daniel still couldn’t hide his disappointment in himself.

‘Ugh, this idiot.’

Clicking my tongue internally, I patted Daniel’s back.

 

 

****

 

 

“So now that things have turned out this way, I guess we don’t have to pretend we don’t know Rosie whenever we see her at home, huh?”

By the time I made it downstairs, the maids and Mrs. Rosa had already returned to the quarters. Only Colin and Lucas remained, clearly waiting for me.

As Colin briefly summarized the events that had unfolded in the toilette room, Lucas studied my face and threw out an absurd remark.

I reached out and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Ugh, that’s what’s important to you right now?”

“I mean, not exactly, but…! Since the secret’s out, it’d be weird to keep pretending, wouldn’t it?”

Lucas pouted.

Colin, on the other hand, shrugged and sighed regretfully.

“Sorry, Rose. We wanted to keep our connection hidden as long as possible, but earlier… it felt necessary to make it clear.”

Sitting beside me, Colin lowered his voice.

I quickly shook my head.

“No, there’s nothing to apologize for. We had to make sure Angela and Miriam couldn’t weasel their way out of this. And three months is a pretty long time to have kept it hidden.”

I patted his shoulder reassuringly.

We had already discussed this in our strategy meeting earlier that day.

If it became necessary, I had told them they could reveal our relationship.

Angela would have undoubtedly tried to slip away from responsibility, like the slippery eel she was.

Colin had likely hesitated to reveal that we were friends, considering my situation.

But…

‘Was he upset about something? Or did he just want to make sure Angela had no escape?’

I glanced at Colin, who seemed to be deep in thought, his gaze dark.

After a moment’s hesitation, I asked quietly,

“But… the maids must have been shocked, right? I mean, they’re my friends, and we’ve gotten close.”

I thought of Marie, who had taken care of me since I first arrived, and of Angie and Mika.

I had unintentionally deceived them, only for them to find out in the middle of all this chaos.

Hearing that Mika and Angie had stepped up to expose Angela’s misdeeds made my heart feel even heavier.

They had taken a risk by speaking out.

Sure, it was a chance to finally reveal the truth about Miriam and Angela, but they had still chosen to do it.

“They’ll understand, Rose. Those girls jumped to defend you the moment you were accused.”

Colin’s words were meant to reassure me.

I lifted my shoulders in a half-shrug.

Even so, I couldn’t shake the lingering guilt.

“I’ll have to explain everything to them properly later. Tell them why I ended up here.”

“I hope it goes well. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“Yeah… Thanks.”

Lucas, who had perched himself on the armrest of my sofa, idly played with my fingers.

He, too, seemed a little subdued after everything that had happened.

“So, is Daniel not coming down?” Lucas asked.

I let out an awkward chuckle.

“I think he’s sulking. I made a joke, and he didn’t like it.”

“What kind of joke?”

“Oh, nothing you need to know.”

I quickly brushed it off, not wanting the conversation to shift toward Daniel’s confession.

Fortunately, Daniel had stayed in his room.

“The maid Angela will be sent back to the main estate tomorrow. Mrs. Rosa will make sure she leaves at first light,” Colin informed me.

“I see… Thanks.”

“No need to thank me. But I doubt they’ll kick her out right away. They’ll probably want to investigate how far her bullying went.”

I nodded.

As I absentmindedly squeezed Lucas’s hand, deep in thought, Colin spoke up again.

“So, Rose… what do you want to do now?”

I lifted my head.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well, like Lucas said, now that everyone in the mansion knows you’re not just an ordinary maid, it won’t be long before word spreads to the main estate.”

“Ah…”

“From now on, you won’t be able to keep working as a maid here.”

Colin’s eyes gleamed under the lamplight, calm yet resolute.

He was right.

Now that people knew I was friends with the masters of the house, the other maids—especially those at the main estate—would never treat me the same way.

It would be impossible for me to keep working here and receiving wages like before.

“…So should I just go back to Danten, then?” I asked.

From what Lynne had told me, the renovations on the inn were still underway.

But if not Danten, where else would I go?

I could always stay with Lynne until the inn was complete.

Colin reached out and gently patted my shoulder.

“No need to rush. Get some rest first. We’ll be returning to the main estate in a few days anyway.”

“You’re not staying here longer?”

“This much of a break feels like enough.”

“Well, if you say so…”

With Angela’s mess and my true identity revealed, it seemed unlikely that they’d want to extend their vacation here.

“And if you want, you don’t have to go back to the estate right away.”

“…Leave?”

I looked at Colin in surprise.

He merely tilted his lips into a small smile.

“You’ve spent three months working in the mansion, constantly watching your back. If you go back now, it might bring back unpleasant memories. If you’d rather take some time away, I can talk to Daniel for you.”

“Oh, Colin. There’s no need for you to go that far for me.”

It was oddly similar to Daniel’s concern.

Did they really think I hated the idea of returning to the estate?

Or worse—did they believe this was all their fault?

Before I could respond further, Lucas suddenly clasped my hand tightly, seizing the opportunity.

“Then how about this? Rose and I should go visit the flower farm! It’s up north, past the capital. We can stay in a fancy hotel, relax, and just enjoy ourselves!”

“You’re not even pretending to hide your true intentions, are you, Lucas?”

I gave him a flat look.

Lucas just pouted again.

“Oh, come on! You love making money and having fun just as much as I do. Just this once, indulge me!”

Okay, sure—he was right about that.

But somehow, the way he said it made it sound like an insult.

As Lucas and I bickered, Colin sat back with his hands loosely clasped together, watching us with amusement.

“Honestly, Lucas has a point. The two of you going on a short trip could be a good idea. By the time you return, things at the estate might have settled down.”

“I mean… I guess that’s true.”

Lucas was clearly set on dragging me to the Holden family’s flower farm.

He clung to me like a stubborn child, eagerly awaiting my answer.

I sighed, pushing him off.

“…I’ll think about it, okay?”

 

 

****

 

 

Early the next morning, just as Colin had said, Mrs. Rosa and Angela left Rewybourne first.

By the time I woke up, Angela’s room had already been completely emptied.

Mrs. Rosa, too, had left after entrusting everything to the villa’s butler.

Apparently, she had been unaware of just how serious the situation was until the last moment. And once she realized that Miriam and Angela had made a fool of her as well, she was absolutely livid.

Thinking about it, it made sense—those two had acted like queens in a den without a lion.

Because of them, even Mrs. Rosa’s name had been dragged through the mud.

So in her own way, she must have felt just as wronged.

As for Angela’s final moments here…

I had no idea.

No one had bothered to tell me how she had looked when she left.

‘Well, of course. There was a much bigger shock yesterday.’

My secret.

More shocking than Angela’s misdeeds was the sudden revelation about me.

Because of that, everyone had been too shaken to even speak to me.

Let alone tell me what happened to Angela.

I passed by Angela’s now-empty room and walked through the narrow hallway.

At the end, I found the shared kitchen used by the maids.

Sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast, was a familiar face.

The unusually quiet atmosphere made me hesitate for a moment, but then I reached out and tapped the maid’s shoulder.

“Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but do you know where Mika and Angie—”

“Kyaaaah!”

The maid, who had just been eating her bread, turned to see my face and let out a scream, nearly toppling over.

Startled, I blinked in shock.

“W-Why are you screaming like that?!”

Did I look like a ghost or something?

My heart pounded from the unexpected shriek.

The maid jumped up from her chair, backing away cautiously.

“I-It’s just that you… you startled me…! W-Why did you talk to me—wait, no, why… why are you talking to me?”

Now that I got a good look at her, I realized—ah.

It was Anne.

One of the maids who had come from the main estate, the one who had experience working at a hospital.

She had also been somewhat friendly with Angela.

Her complexion had turned deathly pale, as if she had just seen a ghost.

“Why are you suddenly speaking so formally? Just talk the way you normally do, like back at the estate.”

I grew even more confused.

Had my words made things worse?

Anne’s face looked like she was about to collapse.

Like she was overwhelmed with guilt.

“…How could I possibly speak casually to you? Lady Rosieta, please speak comfortably with me.”

She gave me a nervous, anxious look—adding an awkward ‘Lady’ to my name.