I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started

Chapter 44 ‘Marie, who fantasizes about giving to someone like that, might be a kinder child than me.’ It was a time when I was so embarrassed that I kept my mouth shut. “Now that I think about it, I heard a story while I was cleaning the stairs earlier.” “What kind of story?” Marie said, wiping the sauce from the corner of her mouth. “They say there will be a birthday party for the first master of this house in a month.” “Aha, Col….” Colin’s birthday party? I tried to say Colin’s name without realizing it, but I covered my mouth with a baguette. “Hmp.” “What are you doing?” Only after swallowing the bread that came into my mouth did I awkwardly correct my words. “Nothing. Ah, the first master’s birthday party is being held in a month…” “Yes.” Ah, I see. Now that I think about it, Colin’s birthday party. You might ask, what kind of birthday party does an orphan have? However, Colin entered the orphanage at a late age. The memories of his mother and father remain intact. According to the original, Colin even remembers the time when his parents prepared him a birthday table. Sometimes in the monologue, they recalled their love for their parents and their own circumstances that forced them to abandon themselves. Colin’s parents were commoners, and it appears that they left him in an orphanage due to difficult family circumstances, but there was no story where he met his parents until the end of the novel. ‘Anyway, it was designed so that the heroine could embrace even the painful family situation and help the relationship develop.’ Although the other two male protagonists are also orphans, Colin suffered a greater wound from being abandoned by his parents than the other protagonists. ‘But it’s unexpected. I thought it would bring back more painful memories if you gave him a big birthday.’ It seems that Holden’s company became wealthy, and because they often bumped into nobles by holding various parties, they decided to hold a birthday party as well. “It’s going to be busy. Birthday parties for wealthy people or nobles are not usually held in a smaller way.” “I know. Only people like us suffer.” I sighed and looked at the setting sun. * * * Still, since it’s a birthday party, shouldn’t I at least get a birthday present? Of course, I know how formal it would be to have a birthday party for a grown man, or even for a child. Finely dressed nobles would come and leave with huge gifts. No matter what gift I give Colin, it will be no match to that. But, that doesn’t mean I can’t just go off on my own, right? I’d like to give him at least a small gift. “The party’s a month away. Then, shall I take my time and choose a gift?” Now that I think about it, it’s his birthday party after 10 years of separation. Without realizing it, I remembered the day I celebrated Colin’s birthday when we’re young. “What’s this? Blueberries?” “Yes, It’s Colin’s birthday.” Daniel and I remembered the date of Colin’s birthday. With no money, we’d gone on a wilderness hike to gather blueberries in the mountains. Most of them had been picked by commercial pickers, but if we went far enough, we could get a decent basket. “Don’t give it to anyone, it’s just for Colin. Because it’s your birthday.”  “But it’s different now. I have money. Money to buy him something nicer than wild blueberries!” I think this is truly the taste of adulthood. I’ve earned money so I can buy my friend something nice and expensive. I think it would be a good idea to discuss the gifts with Lucas and Daniel. I remembered that I wasn’t able to go out to the Gerbera garden because I was busy with work. I was also busy helping Marie. While I was in the middle of thinking about the birthday present, I headed to the mansion’s kitchen. “Angela? What are you doing here?” I saw Angela standing in front of the cupboard where the tea utensils were placed. I provided the tea in the morning meeting. We haven’t even had lunch yet, so it’s not the time for afternoon tea. Angela took out a teapot from the cupboard and was making tea. “Are you practicing?” Angela looked at me with a sulky face. “Yes. I think I need some practice.” “I see.” She turned away and clumsily poured herself a cup of tea. Now that I think about it, she showed interest in helping me serve tea last time, so I guess she was planning to practice hard and be able to serve tea. “Fermented teas like green tea must be brewed immediately with boiling water.” “I know. Can you please stop meddling?” I’m sure she didn’t know, but somehow her sharp tone returned. Have you still not resolved the argument you had with me the other day?Angela was now completely absorbed in making tea with her back turned to me. ‘Mrs. Rosa isn’t there yet, and it’s quite a tricky job, so I thought I’d teach you.’ When she comes off that way, it’s hard not to want to do her a favor. “Yeah, sure.” I scratched my cheek and slipped out from behind Angela, figuring I had nothing to do but sweep the garden until lunchtime. * * * Angela eagerly poured the tea, even after Rosietta had packed up the broom and left. I tried tasting the tea I poured several times, but I couldn’t tell how different the taste was from my taste buds. From how to store tea leaves, to how to brew them, to water temperature and quality, there were a lot of things that had to be adjusted, and it was difficult. Mrs. Rosa hasn’t returned to the mansion yet, so there’s no one in particular to ask, and it’s unclear whether she’ll look favorably on me serving tea. “Can’t they just have a drink? They’re not even a real noble.” I didn’t think it was a big deal so I volunteered, but I had so many things to think about that it was almost annoying. Angela, who had been tasting the tea for a while, sighed and put down the teacup. Then, she glanced back and found the maids gathered in the kitchen resting before preparing lunch. Angela glanced in the direction of Rosietta’s exit, then turned to the maids in the kitchen. As long as Miriam wasn’t around, Angela could easily talk to the other maids. To the other maids, it seemed like she was taking on the role of leader here without Miriam. Angela kept looking at the two maids who were talking while trying to avoid her gaze. “Excuse me, guys.” “Huh?” The two maids looked at Angela in shock. The two weren’t that close to Angela. But they knew there was a reason why Angela suddenly acted so friendly. “These days, Rosieta and that girl named Marie. What do you think of them?” The two maids widened their eyes at the unexpected question.Angela slowly started gossiping. “No, you know because I’m close to Rose, Rosieta. But I’ve been around her, and she’s a bit of a prude.” “… Really?” “Yeah. Plus, she was acting so busy. Even when I ask her to go to the shopping market and have fun every weekend, she stays in and doesn’t go out… I wonder if she has a boyfriend in the village around here, and that’s why she pretends to be busy?” The two maids exchanged glances. Among them, a tall maid retorted. “I heard that Rosieta is from the countryside, far from the count’s estate, so I don’t think she has a boyfriend, at least not in this part of town.” “Really? But I don’t know, we never knew.” When the two maids spoke as if they were protecting Rosieta, Angela immediately cleverly changed her words. “I mean, I’m not saying she’s bad. Something is a little strange.” “What’s so weird?” “The way she keeps staying in the dorm every weekend. And isn’t that sleepwalking actually a lie?” “What?” “That’s right. When we were there, we never saw her moving around in her sleep.” The two maids’ expressions grew increasingly unhappy, but Angela didn’t notice the change. “Rosieta would never lie about something like that for her own good, and she keeps her wrists tied to the bed for fear of wandering outside, so that’s why we haven’t seen her.” “Uhm…” “And if she was lying, she wouldn’t be bullied by Miriam.” At this point, Angela realized something was odd. Usually, the other maids would give their approval to the gossip, even if they were uncomfortable with Miriam and herself. They’d usually agree with her, saying something along the lines of, ‘Maybe she’s weird.’ But now the two maids were strongly taking Rosieta’s side. Angela, who just wanted to lighten her mood by gaining sympathy for a moment, looked at the two people with a hurt expression. “When you say that, it seems like I’m insulting Rosieta. I know because I’m close to her, but I’m saying this because there’s a strange side of her?” The two maids frowned slightly at Angela’s explanation. Mika and Angie now glanced at Angela warily. Angela felt even more embarrassed. “Angela, I don’t know how you view her, but I don’t think Rosieta is a bad person. at least not bad enough to go talk behind her back like this.” Angie spoke cautiously. It was a few days ago that when she was suffering from menstrual pain, Rosieta willingly changed her shift.Moreover, Rosieta even personally brought her a sandwich and hot tea as she lay in bed all the time due to severe pain. Next to her, Mika crossed her arms and said with a stubborn look on her face. “Yeah, actually, she’s not at the level of being a bad person. She just suffered because she was wrongly taken by Miriam. She’s the victim.” Angela looked at Mika in surprise. “… Can you say that in front of Miriam too?” She asked back in disbelief. Mika hesitated for a moment at those words, but did not back down. “Angela. I’m giving you advice too, don’t stay around Miriam too much. I’m telling you this because I’m worried about you.” “What?” “It’ll only give you a bad side. No, I think you’ve already been.” Angela pursed her lips at the unexpected words. Her face turned red, as if she had suffered an unimaginable humiliation. “Are you saying I’m like Miriam now? How can you say me and her are the same? I don’t go out and bully people like Miriam!” All the other maids were afraid of Miriam. Miriam was intimidatingly tall and had a strong mind, and she never forgot the humiliation she suffered. If there was a maid who was annoying, she would harass her persistently and force her to leave the mansion on her own. And she did it cleverly without Mrs. Rosa knowing, for several years. Angela had benefited from Miriam’s presence early on. Whenever Miriam would step up and bully someone, like when she was trying to get Marie to go away, Angela would also be there. “Angela. You came to the Count’s residence at the same time as me, but you. You’re not the same. You’ve changed so much.” “What on earth has changed? Don’t talk nonsense!” Angela always drew appropriate boundaries while keeping Miriam by her side. She reassures herself that no matter what she does, she’s not as bad as Miriam. But she’s similar to Miriam. That mean girl and herself? “You’re not a direct bully like Miriam, but you’re actually worse than her. You go from one kid to the next, spreading gossip, and you think they don’t notice?” “…….” They knew, but they pretended not to, because they didn’t want to get involved with you.”