I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started

Chapter 9 Lucas said and took my hand.I didn’t know how long he had been standing outside, but his fingertips were cold.Suddenly, I was guided by Lucas’ hand and walked out onto the terrace.“Lucas, I can’t do this. If anyone catches me hanging out with you, I’m going to….”“That won’t happen, it’s dark and we won’t be seen. It’s time for everyone to get off work. If you’re worried, we can go to my room and hang out.”I hid the ring in my pocket and looked at Lucas.For some reason, it felt like Lucas’ dark circles got darker in just one day.‘Could it be that you still can’t sleep well?’When I stopped in my tracks and didn’t move, Lucas pouted his lips and made a grumpy expression.“I heard everything from Colin. I heard you washed up in brother’s room? And you can’t even spare a minute for me?”“Well, that’s…! I couldn’t help it because I got wet!”When the story of Colin suddenly came up, I was so embarrassed that I spoke more angrily than necessary.Then Lucas’s eyes narrowed even further.“Hmm.”“Hey, it’s true.”I don’t know why I’m making excuses for this…When I raised my head and glanced at Lucas, he also looked at me blankly and then burst out laughing.“Okay, I got it. Still, give me your time, Rosie. It’s not fair to me if you only hang out with Colin.”Lucas dropped his forehead on my shoulder as if whining.He’s two inches taller than me now, and the way he folds his big body over my shoulder reminds me of when we were in the orphanage.Lucas whined in a tired voice, rubbing his soft golden hair against the back of my neck.“I… can’t sleep, but I think I can sleep if Rosie’s here.”“Is it still bad? Your insomnia. It’s been like that since you were young.”“Yeah, sometimes.”He leans heavily on my shoulder, whimpering, and looks like a big puppy.If Lucas was a puppy when I carried him in the orphanage, he looks like a full-grown golden retriever now.I sighed heavily as I smelled the faint perfume coming from Lucas.If this little boy can’t sleep at night because he has so many things on his mind, I can’t help but feel uncomfortable.I had no choice but to accept it.“… Just a moment. I’ll go back when you fall asleep.”“Yeay!”When I reluctantly answered, Lucas cheered and suddenly gave me a kiss on my cheek.I covered my cheeks in anger.“Hey! You!”“I love you so much, Rosie. Rosie is the best.”Hah. Whether I was upset or not, Lucas seemed ready to dance with joy. His smile sparkled in the moonlight as he snorted with excitement.I swear. I can’t turn him down.We crossed the other rooms through the terrace and entered Lucas’ room.Lucas’ room was no different from Colin’s. A clean, luxurious room with a blue carpet and not a speck of dust.What was unusual was that even though it was now early spring, Lucas put firewood in the stove and started a fire.Me and Lucas sat on the thick carpet in front of the fireplace.Then Lucas lay down with his head on my lap.“You called me for this? To use me as a human pillow.”“I got caught. I can’t fool Rosie.”Lucas closed his eyes lightly and hummed like a very relaxed person.“Rosie used to do this to me when I couldn’t sleep.”“I did. What kind of kid can’t sleep like that?”“When Rosie gave me a lap pillow, I fell asleep easily.”Lucas folded his hands on his stomach and let out a sigh.I looked down at Lucas and reached out and stroked his soft hair.Lucas was the youngest among the child at the orphanage.When I was 8 years old, Lucas was only 3 years old.Lucas was a child who had been living at the Hollis Regional Orphanage since he was very young, probably longer than he could remember.Unlike me, who moved from one orphanage to another when I was 8, that orphanage was like his birthplace and hometown.A child who unfortunately became alone at an age when he should have grown up in the arms of his parents.Lucas, who entered the orphanage early on, was confused and unable to rely on anyone.At that time, Daniel and I would take turns carrying Lucas whenever he couldn’t sleep and was anxious.‘Well, I’m 5 years older than him.’I think I probably did it because I wanted to act as Lucas’ protector. It’s not like I’m in a position to protect anyone.As I watched the fire crackling in the fireplace, I lost myself in thoughts of old times.At that time, I noticed perfumes lined up on the dresser.Another difference from Colin’s room was that Lucas’ room had a lot of perfume.“Lucas, what is all that perfume? Are you using it all?”“Yes. I made it.”“You?”“Yes.”Lucas slowly opened his closed eyes at the perfume question.Deep sea-green eyes looked up at me quietly.“Do you want to smell it?”“Me?”“Yes. I already have a few things I was trying to sell under the Holden name. It’s a sample product.”“Really? Selling, that’s pretty cool.”By the way, was there a setting where Lucas had the ability to make perfume?Lucas quickly stood up with passionate eyes and took one of the bottles lined up on the cabinet.“I’ll spray it.”“It’s not weird, is it?”“No. I sometimes spray it when I can’t sleep.”Well, some people spray perfume on their bedding before going to bed.Did his chronic insomnia lead to his interest in perfume making?I looked at Lucas without question.Lucas looked more lively in the warm light coming from the fireplace, while the shadows on his face became darker, giving it the atmosphere of a man rather than a boy.‘He’s grown up. This boy.’As I looked at him with a little pride, Lucas sprayed perfume on his wrist a couple of times and stretched out his hand towards me.Then he lightly pressed the nape of my neck with his wrist.“Oh.”“Even if it tickles, endure it.”It was the first time someone pressed the back of my neck so intimately.But before I even had time to feel any strange feelings, Lucas’ hand slipped away.And slowly, the smell of perfume began to waft away.“Do you know what it smells like?”I opened my eyes and looked at Lucas.“Uhm…”I wasn’t exactly into perfume.Well, since I’ve been busy making a living for the past 10 years, is there any reason to buy expensive items like perfume with my own money?However, because Lucas was looking at me expectantly,it was a little hard to say I didn’t know.I sniffed my nose, taking in the scent carefully.“Hmm, it smells like flowers…?”“That’s right.”Lucas closed the cap of the perfume and smiled.“It smells like roses.”“I see. It smells really good.”I nodded, smelling the scent again and again.Since it was a rose scent, I thought it would be heavy and flashy, but a refreshing citrus scent came out at the end.It was a cute scent without being overwhelming.“I haven’t decided on a name yet.”“Really? But if you want to sell it, shouldn’t you decide quickly?”I don’t know much about perfume, but I really liked the perfume that Lucas made.When I looked at Lucas with a more relaxed face, he also smiled.“I’ll do it later.”“Do you have something in mind?”“Hmm…”Lucas seemed to think for a moment and then looked at me blankly.The warm light from the fireplace made Lucas’ eyes glow amber.“I’ll tell you later.”Lucas rolled his eyes and smiled deeply. * * * ‘I ended up getting a bottle.’On the way back to the accommodation.I frowned and pulled a small glass bottle out of my pajama pocket.Lucas had given it to me before I left his room, saying it was a sample of the perfume I smelled earlier.The perfume I smelled earlier was flowing from a small pink bottle that was about the size of two fingers.I refused to take it, but he insisted on giving it to me as a reward for playing with him.And what did he say?“… Did you say you were going to name your perfume after your favorite person?”Lucas is eighteen and officially an adult now, so, yeah. He’s going to name his perfume after his favorite person.“Damn, that’s pretty good.”After wiping my nose, I returned to the maid’s quarters.It was already late morning when I entered the dorms.“As expected, all the lights are off.”There was no light in any of the rooms, let alone the communal kitchen that the maids shared.It was clear that the senior maid who had sent me on the errand must have fallen asleep first.‘You asked me to run an errand for you and then you slept soundly.’I placed the ring on the communal kitchen table and headed to my room, fiddling with the small bottle of perfume I felt in my pajama pocket.It reminded me of the time when I celebrated my coming of age at Lynne’s house.Uncle Hans and his wife once bought gifts for Lynne and me.Was it 5 years ago?When I opened the packaging, I found a bottle of perfume that I used to sell in a clothing shop in a small town next to Danten.Uncle said that when you come of age, you’re supposed to get roses and perfume.However, I, who was receiving a salary at Lynne’s restaurant, jumped when I received the gift.“No, perfume doesn’t cost a penny or two, and I don’t wear it anyway, and I’m not even supposed to be able to see it!”Then, in a fit of rage, I immediately went to the city, returned the product, and used the money to buy beef.It’s funny, but at that time, I thought Lynne would really like it if I exchanged perfume for meat.No matter how well Lynne’s business was, it was rare for them to buy beef with a large quantity.But Aunt Marylin looked at me with a dark face, and Lynne clicked her tongue as she looked at me.More accurately, they looked like they were going to throw up their hands in frustration.Thinking about it again, it was quite embarrassing.‘Uncle… What kind of expression did Uncle Hans have?’He probably didn’t have a good expression. It was bought by a person who had a chronic illness and was trying to avoid movement as much as possible.When I thought about that time, my heart strangely sank.I entered the room with a depressed heart, forgetting that I had left the door open. Then I immediately lay down on the bed.I took out the perfume bottle I had been fiddling with from my pocket.The pink glass bottle sparkled like a jewel in the moonlight.“… This should never happen.”Because Lucas gave me his first creation as a gift.I burst out laughing as I remembered the blond-haired boy who was a snobbery when I was at the orphanage.“You’re all grown up, you’re all grown up.”After looking at the perfume for a while, I snuggled into the blanket. And with my wrists tied to the string connected to the bedpost, I fell into a sweet sleep. * * * The next morning, the new task assigned was to organize the empty rooms on the third floor.Summer would soon be upon us, and like it or not, nobles would be coming to the Count’s estate frequently during the social season, and we’d have to give them tidy rooms.Yeah, well. Fine. It’s nice to have a clean room, but why….‘Am I doing it alone this time?’