I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started Chapter 142

A small crack appeared on the face that had always been calm and gentle. It seemed he couldn’t look at that crack with composure. His green eyes, full of spring, wavered as they held me within them.

And surely, in my eyes, Colin was reflected just the same.

“…”

But the flustered expression soon faded. It took only a few seconds for him to return to the Colin I had always known.

He gave a sheepish little smile and swept his dry hand over his face.

“First of all, sorry for cutting you off. I was just a little caught off guard… I didn’t expect you to bring that up now. Those things I always said without thinking.”

“It’s okay.”

For once, it felt as though I had stolen Colin’s composure, and that alone made me feel strangely at peace.

I lifted the corners of my mouth into a small smile, and Colin gazed at me for a long time.

“So… it wasn’t all just a joke, was it?”

“…”

“Of course, part of it was probably because if I became a rich man’s wife, I wouldn’t have to work so hard as a maid or at other jobs. I get that.”

“…”

“But that wasn’t the only reason, was it?”

The wavering green in his eyes gradually steadied. Then Colin smiled easily, warmly, and looked straight at me.

“That’s right.”

“…”

“The only woman I love is you, Rosie.”

A small laugh escaped his lips.

“But I didn’t even realize it myself. That I make the weirdest jokes in front of the girl I love.”

“…”

“Kind to everyone, yet confusing the one I truly care about, hiding behind jokes because I was afraid of being found out. Like a fool.”

Yes. Colin wasn’t the kind of person to say something he didn’t mean. I had simply realized it far too late.

“At first, I only thought of finding you again, the one who was like family to me. I endured each day clinging to the belief that you were alive somewhere.”

“…”

“And when Daniel finally brought you back… when you and I were grown and we met again, I realized I wasn’t seeing you as just family anymore.”

With a faintly smiling face, Colin’s gaze rested on me.

In that moment, it wasn’t me as I was now, after everything was over, standing here as a tourist in Shamit, that he seemed to be looking at. It was as if he were seeing me again for the very first time, stepping down from a carriage at the Count’s manor.

The elegant ivory manor where two people, changed beyond recognition, reunited.

I had always thought of that moment as a ridiculous reunion between Colin, the polished rich man, and me, a wandering drifter.

But perhaps it had meant something a little different to Colin.

Even my chest ached faintly, as if I, too, had been pulled back to that moment months ago.

Then the sea wind blew from behind again, and I brushed my hair back from my face. In that fleeting instant, Colin’s smile shifted— from relief to a bittersweet light, as though he sensed the end.

I parted my lips in surprise, but Colin spoke first.

“But I just want the woman I love to always be happy. If I could be the one to make her happy, nothing could be better. But even if it’s not me… it doesn’t matter. That’s how purely I wish for her happiness.”

“…”

“Even if it’s not by my side, as long as Rosie can be happy, I don’t care about the outcome. Rosie is the woman I love, but she’s also my family. And I don’t ever want our bond to be broken.”

“…”

“I want to wish you happiness. Always, wherever you are.”

Colin’s hand reached slowly toward me. He brushed back the strands of hair that had fallen across my forehead, then lightly stroked my cheek.

There was so much meaning contained in his words. And in his eyes, deepened, as if he already knew what answer I would give.

Before we could even redefine our relationship, Colin had already come to terms with his feelings.

“Ah…”

I realized it only now, through Colin’s answer.

He had chosen to value our bond over his emotions.

As though to comfort me, he tapped gently against my cheek.

“So don’t worry, Rosie. We’ll always be family.”

In Colin’s eyes, the vast sea and my reflection shimmered together like an afterimage.

In the end, my expression crumbled in sorrow. When I hesitated, then finally closed the distance between us, Colin smiled softly, as though he’d been waiting, and pulled me into his arms.

Holding me tight, without a gap, he pressed his lips to the crown of my head and whispered.

“We’ll always be together. Won’t we?”

From the days we struggled to survive on a single potato, a bowl of rotten gruel, we had always been together. He had been my mental anchor, sometimes like an older brother, always a pillar for me.

To hide the tears that had started to spill, I burrowed deeper into his arms. I chose to respect his decision. And at last, I nodded, forcing out the words in a trembling voice.

“Mm-hm. We’ll always be together. Because we’re family.”

Though we had once been separated in the past, we had always been bound by the ties of family.

In those five harsh years, we leaned on one another, our bond forged through shared struggles and brushes with death.

All of it remained etched across the time we had lived, glittering like starlight.

 

 

***

 

 

The two of them had returned to the hotel at midday for pancakes, then gone back out to the seaside to paint. It seemed they found some fun in sketching just to pass the time, without worrying about skill.

By the time evening fell, the sea shimmered in gold beneath the sunset. Watching the waves shatter into fine fragments from the window, Daniel let out a long sigh.

He’d been juggling both the trial and his business preparations, and the tasks stacked on both sides were a mountain.

At least the urgent trial was over; only work remained.

If he didn’t want Roan glaring at him, he needed to balance leisure with business.

Still… the past six days, I’ve slacked off too much.

He pressed his fingers hard into his furrowed brow.

Following Lucas’s relentless sightseeing schedule, even twenty-four hours in a day had felt insufficient.

They’d gone to see dolphins by the coast, traveled all the way to a shopping town to eat three meals, even hiked a low hill together.

Not that he had disliked it.

Resting, eating, shopping, and wandering around with the woman he liked—those were pleasant days.

Of course, since that kiss with her back at Roan’s townhouse before the trial, nothing further had happened—no incidents, no intimacy.

Not surprising, considering that Colin and Lucas were staying in the same hotel room with them…

Midway through the trip, they had also spent time with the Bullosen family, who had come to see Rosie.

Since regaining her memories, Rosie had become openly affectionate with her family. She seemed to get along well with her sister Yvette too, as though nothing at all had changed.

And yet…

Daniel let his gaze drift lazily to the letters lying on the table.

Not business documents addressed to him, but letters scrawled awkwardly in uneven handwriting.

To be precise—they were for Rosie, not him.

[This is Rumiz.]

They were Rumiz’s letters. Four of them, already.

Opening the envelopes, he found that Rumiz had been writing for days, claiming she was truly repentant of her crimes.

No doubt, once Rosie made up her mind to torment even Rumiz’s children, the woman finally realized the severity of her situation and humbled herself.

But could a woman who deceived the Bullosen family for twenty years really be sincere in these letters?

Was it not just another lie to save her own skin?

Believing too quickly would be nothing short of foolish.

“I can’t let her be bothered with this during the trip.”

Even if unlikely, Daniel didn’t want Rosie’s heart softening after reading, or worse, reopening her wounds as a victim.

So he slipped the letter back into its envelope and shoved it deep into the bottom drawer. Call it domineering if anyone wished, but for now he only wanted her to enjoy the trip, free of worries.

Right on cue, there was a knock.

“Come in.”

He sat up and turned toward the door. The one who entered was none other than Colin.

“I was wondering if you were still working. You seemed buried in papers since morning. You’re not overdoing it, are you?”

“Overdoing? Hardly. I didn’t touch a single sheet for six whole days, running around with Lucas.”

It wasn’t only Rosie who had collapsed, worn out, after hours of being dragged along by Lucas’s boundless energy like some oversized hunting dog.

“Strange how Lucas is only lively when it comes to playing. As a kid, he was sickly all the time.”

“That’s true.”

At Daniel’s weary sigh, Colin chuckled softly in agreement.

“So why are you alone?”

Daniel’s brow furrowed in mild surprise.

He could’ve sworn he’d seen the two of them painting all afternoon by the cliffs and sea, though he hadn’t looked closely at lunch, busy as he was.

At the question, Colin stayed quiet for a beat, then answered with a sly smile.

“If you’re that curious, why not go check for yourself? Don’t just hole up in here.”

“Huh?”

“She probably went down to the lavender gardens. Said she wanted to see them, not just the roses. I showed her the path down by the cliffs.”

“…Did you now?”

Daniel couldn’t imagine why Colin had done that. Still, his body moved before his thoughts—he rose, stacked the messy papers, and left the room.

Outside the hotel, he was greeted first by the heavy, humid breeze and a sweeping view.

Right in front of the hotel, the sheer cliffs, the crashing orange surf, the sun sinking halfway into the horizon, and roses blooming thick along the vines.

The salty air filled his chest as Daniel stretched his stiff body with a deep breath.

He walked out toward the cliff’s edge, but Rosie was not there. Only wild rose vines, dyed in the colors of dusk, swayed in sight.

He turned his head to the left, spotting a narrow, winding path leading downward.

“The lavender garden, huh…”

The roses and lavender in front of the Shamit hotel were all harvested and sent to Holden’s perfume works. That business was Lucas’s realm, not Daniel’s, so he had never paid it much thought.

He paused by a vine of white roses, inhaled their fragrance, then changed direction, following the winding path down. The breeze wrapped around him, filling every corner of his body.

The lavender fields spread far wider than the rose vines. The vast expanse was drenched in vivid purple— a shade that made him think of someone.

Lavender blooms, round and lush, radiated a fragrance that seemed plucked from a dream.

And naturally, his gaze found her— standing in the middle of that field, bathed in gold and crimson light.

The hot wind set the purple flowers trembling in waves.

And among them stood a woman.

“…”

Whenever Daniel saw her like that—her back turned, standing in silence—he often felt an ache of distance.

Once, that small back had seemed like it might vanish at any moment.

But recently, she had changed.

Ever since she’d regained her memories.

She no longer looked like a dandelion seed drifting, clinging to others to stay afloat. Instead, she seemed ready to put down roots, steady and strong.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling restless sometimes.

He knew the reason.

Because I never got a proper answer…

Daniel moistened his dry lips with the tip of his tongue, then carefully called out to her.

“Rosie… what are you doing?”