I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started

Chapter 61 A few days later, Mrs. Rosa gathered the maids who would accompany the young masters to the summer villa.“Rosieta, Marie, Mika, Susan, Anne, and Angie. While I and these girls are at the summer villa, Miriam will take care of the mansion.”The other maids, except for me, widened their eyes. With Mrs. Rosa joining the trip to the summer villa, it was decided that Miriam, the most experienced maid, would stay behind to take care of the mansion.I kept my lips tightly shut and glanced around at the other maids.‘I did talk to Daniel to get my friends included in the villa group, but… what if the others say something about it?’After all, it’s the seaside. And it’s a famous summer resort at that. What if the other experienced maids question the selection?‘If they complain, asking what right I have to go to the summer villa…’Feeling guilty, I nervously glanced at the other maids. However, the reactions of those who were staying behind were somewhat different from what I expected.“Wow, so we get to work and relax in the mansion without the young masters?”“It’s a bit disappointing not to visit the tourist spot, but… there’s a nice lakeside nearby. Plus, no traders or guests will be coming to the mansion for a while.”“Following the summer villa during the social season is just exhausting, anyway. Especially with all those nightly parties.”They all responded positively, as if they had received paid vacation.‘Is that… a relief?’Well, with villa staff already in place, there wasn’t a need for all the maids from the mansion to follow. That’s why only my three close friends and two kitchen maids were selected as support staff.Even Miriam, who stayed behind, nonchalantly muttered that she’d probably spend her time taking long naps.She seemed to have enough experience working at the Count’s mansion to know the tiring routine of accompanying the summer trips.It was surprising how much everyone preferred to stay at the mansion. It seemed they wanted quiet work rather than following along to the tourist destination.I subtly approached Marie, Mika, and Angie.“Um… does anyone here actually want to stay at the mansion? Is there anyone who doesn’t want to go to the villa?”I asked cautiously. I wondered if they wanted to stay at the mansion but were forced to go to the villa because of my influence.Mika shrugged.“Well, I don’t care either.”“Me too. Actually, I went to that summer villa last year, and there’s so much to see nearby. I kind of wanted to go again,” Angie said with a laugh.I was relieved. If anyone had complained about wanting to stay at the mansion but being forced to go, I would’ve felt a little guilty.However, Marie, who was next to me, didn’t say anything.“Marie, what about you?”I asked while placing my hand on Marie’s shoulder. Marie put her hand on her chest and frowned.“… My stomach feels queasy.”“What? Why? Why does it hurt?”When I approached her in surprise, Marie shook her head, saying that it wasn’t like that.“I, actually, I’ve never been to the ocean.”“What? That’s ridiculous!”Mika, who was standing next to me, was shocked. However, when she saw Marie’s face, which looked like she was about to faint, she realized that she wasn’t lying.“From that brilliant lawyer family, and you’ve never been to the sea during vacation?”“Don’t tease me. My parents were strict mountain enthusiasts.”Apparently, every vacation, her family rented an old villa in the mountains and stayed there. While they weren’t too poor to afford trips, they had no connection to the sea.“Well, that’s perfect. This will be your first seaside vacation,” I said.“Yes. I think it’s a little exciting.”Even though it was her first trip to the beach, Marie seemed nervous.“What if a tsunami hits and we all die?”“Don’t say things like that! It’s a resort city!” Mika shot back, exasperated.“Once, when I was at the mountain villa with my parents, we experienced a landslide,” Marie admitted.“…….”Mika was speechless. I also smiled.“If you’re so worried, you can stay at the mansion, Marie. I’ll talk to the head maid.”As I patted Marie from the side, Angie chimed in, trying to comfort her. Marie glanced between us with wide eyes before finally shaking her head.“…It’s okay. If Rosieta and Angie are going, I’ll be fine. I want to spend time with you two.”“Oh my.”Marie snuggled into our arms. Angie blushed, as if she was touched. It seemed like Angie had been taking care of Marie all this time, but she had finally opened up to Angie.Next to her, Mika opened her mouth and said, “Eh?”“Me? Why am I not included? I’m going with you too?”Marie ignored Mika’s words and hugged Angie and me.Anyway, our trip—half work, half vacation—was set, with no awkwardness among the group! ***** After Mrs. Rosa selected the maids who would accompany her to the villa and left, Angela glared at the four chosen ones. Rosieta, Marie, Angie, and Mika.The four of them were excited to be chosen as the maids to accompany them on the villa trip, and they chatted among themselves.They were engrossed in discussions about the train ride, souvenirs they could buy at the resort, and the list of attractions they wanted to explore during their free time.“Anyone watching would think they’re going on vacation, not going to work. How shameless.”Angela felt her anger boiling as she watched them.After all, she had been looking forward to the summer trip to the villa with the young masters herself.“Two of them are even newcomers? And not me?”She had naturally assumed she would be chosen. She had a long career, though not as much as Miriam, and she thought she was pretty good at her job.Yet even the kitchen maids were chosen over her.Once Mrs. Rosa left, Angela, still glaring at the four maids, turned to Miriam.Miriam, seated at the dining table with a bored expression, was inspecting her fingernails. Her leisurely demeanor made her look like the mistress of the house, which irritated Angela, but Miriam was the only one she could talk to about her frustrations.The other maids had distanced themselves from Angela after her argument with Mika.Apparently, their loud shouting match in the kitchen had become a widely discussed rumor among the staff.Still, Angela comforted herself with the thought that if she stayed close to Miriam, the most influential among the maids, no one would dare look down on her.“Hey, Miriam,” Angela began.“What?”Despite Miriam’s harsh reaction, Angela forced a friendly smile.It wasn’t easy to manage Miriam’s ever-changing moods, but Angela had spent enough time around her to know how to navigate them.She carefully avoided stepping on any landmines.“Are you okay with not going on the summer trip?” Angela asked cautiously.“Why wouldn’t I be?”Miriam’s indifferent response made Angela break out in a nervous sweat.“Well, you know… If you go to the resort, you can relax by the sea during your free time. You’d get paid while having fun. Don’t you feel like you’re missing out?”“What are you trying to say?”Miriam crossed her arms and glared at her as she spoke in circles. Angela tried hard not to let her smile fall.“Don’t you think it’d be nice if the two of us went to the villa too? They already have staff there, so there wouldn’t be much work…”Miriam raised an eyebrow.“So, you want me to persuade the head maid to let you tag along to the villa?”“Well… I mean, the head maid likes you more than me, so maybe you could talk to her… Don’t you care that those newcomers are going to the villa to slack off? Isn’t that annoying?”Angela fumbled, trying to provoke Miriam with the mention of the newcomers. But Miriam remained unbothered.That was the problem with Miriam—she quickly lost interest in things and moved on.Unless Rosieta or Marie did something to get under her skin, Miriam would probably never give them another thought. At least not until another newcomer joined the household.Angela forced a composed smile, though she was growing anxious. Miriam, now visibly annoyed, shifted her gaze away and began cleaning her ear with a finger before snapping irritably.“If you want to go so badly, talk to the head maid yourself! Stop bothering me. You’re so annoying.”“W-What?” Angela stammered, her face flushing red with embarrassment.“How can you say that? Aren’t we friends?”Angela deliberately showed her frustration. When she did that to Rosieta and the other weak-hearted maids, they would feel uncomfortable and comfort her even though it wasn’t their fault.But Miriam genuinely laughed at her. Standing up as if to leave, she flicked Angela’s forehead sharply with her finger.“Friends? You’re just my maid, Angela. You should know your place.”“Friends? With you? Don’t kid yourself, Angela. You’re just a maid I let hang around me. Know your place.”Miriam smirked mockingly.“If you want something, do it yourself. Don’t try to cling to me. You’re such a bother. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about that villa. You’re the one who’s desperate.”“You… you…” Angela stammered, her voice trembling with rage.“You know I’m the one in charge while the head maid is away, right?” Miriam interrupted coldly.“…….”“If you want to get through this safely, keep quiet. Okay?”Miriam threw one last condescending smirk at Angela before stretching with a yawn and sauntering off to her room, leaving Angela standing frozen in the kitchen, her face burning with humiliation.Angela clenched the hem of her skirt tightly, her hands trembling. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red, consumed by shame and anger. ***** Not long after, a package arrived for me. It was two days before the summer villa trip.The soft sunlight that had been gentle all day turned intense by the afternoon. The weather had fully transitioned into the perfect early summer.After a meal of blueberry pie and milk, I returned to my room and opened the package.There were two packages in total addressed to me. One of them included a letter, which turned out to be from Lynne’s family.As soon as I unfolded the stationery, the sharp tone of the writing stood out.[Are you planning to send letters every week until the inn is completely built? Rosieta, the innkeeper Jensen?]