I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started Chapter 80

Daniel recognized her instantly.

The sight of her soaked red hair, clinging to her pale face, struck him first.

Without a second thought, he ran down to the front gate.

As he reached her, he saw the startled expression on Rosieta’s face—one that mirrored his own shock.

“What the hell happened to you?”

The words left his mouth before he could think.

Where had she been caught in the rain? She was drenched, looking like a helpless kitten that had fallen into water.

Without another word, Daniel shrugged off his thin jacket. Left in just his soaked white shirt, he draped the jacket over her head.

“Were you out on a midnight stroll? Alone? With no sense of danger?” His voice was laced with frustration. “And why do you look like this? Do you enjoy scaring people?”

The roads were dark and empty at this hour, most of them winding through forests. Did she have any idea how reckless this was?

He scowled against the heavy rain, shielding his forehead with his hand as he studied her face.

But Rosieta said nothing.

She just stood there, the jacket covering her head, staring at him.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“…….”

“Even in summer, getting soaked like this will make you sick.”

“…….”

“Are you going to answer me?”

By now, Daniel was just as drenched as she was.

His white shirt clung to his frame, outlining every muscle, but he didn’t care.

What he did care about was the redness around her eyes.

Something wasn’t right.

That was when his frustration turned into concern.

The rain blurred his vision, but even so, he could see the way her lavender eyes glistened—not just with raindrops.

Had she been… crying?

His voice softened instinctively.

“…Did something happen?”

His hand lifted unconsciously, reaching toward her tear-streaked face.

“Daniel.”

Before he could touch her, Rosieta stepped forward—

And collapsed into his arms.

Daniel froze.

For a moment, he forgot to breathe.

*****

The rain, which I thought would pass quickly, kept pouring.

It was as if a hole had opened in the black sky, letting endless water spill down.

Feeling awkward, I hugged my knees and looked up. All I could see was the dark sky and thick leaves above me.

Daniel, sitting beside me with one hand on the ground, stared at my face.

“So, you’re really not going to tell me why you were crying?”

His annoyed tone made me avoid his gaze.

I cleared my throat, but his eyebrows only arched higher.

He looked just as disheveled as me—without his jacket or shoes, like he had been robbed.

My own slippers, soaked with water, were squeezed dry and left to dry against a tree.

And now, I was wearing Daniel’s large shoes.

Inside the oversized leather, my toes wiggled uncomfortably.

“I really was just out for a walk,” I mumbled.

“I got lost in an unfamiliar place. And… I got scared.”

Daniel shot me a sharp look.

“You cried because you were scared of the dark? What are you, a kid?”

His handsome face made it obvious—he didn’t believe a word I was saying.

I shrank back, gripping his jacket tighter around me.

The thick tree trunk pressed against my back.

“Don’t you have things you don’t want to talk about? Maybe you don’t, but I do. It’s called privacy.”

“That’s nonsense.”

I pouted, and Daniel sighed in disbelief.

His frown had softened slightly, but his dark eyes were still filled with doubt.

“Then at least don’t cry in front of me,” he muttered. “You cry like that and say nothing. What am I supposed to do?”

“…….”

“You’re making me worry.”

His words made me freeze.

Crying and clinging to him earlier had been a completely impulsive act.

After talking with Yvette, I had felt so empty, so lost.

And then, as if by some miracle, Daniel had appeared.

Like he was meant to be there, waiting to comfort me.

‘That’s ridiculous, but at the time, it felt like that.’

At the exact moment I had felt completely alone—he had been there.

But Daniel hadn’t known what to do. He had just stood there, frozen, before gently pushing me away.

“Don’t do this. Just go inside and cry there.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

For once, Daniel looked unsure, his hands still lightly gripping my shoulders.

He looked so confused that I mumbled a small excuse.

“If I go inside, you’re the master and I’m just a maid again. I don’t want to go in.”

So, instead of going inside, we sat under a thick fruit tree near the front gate to wait out the rain.

The tree wasn’t bearing fruit yet, so I couldn’t even tell if it was a peach or plum tree.

And now that I thought about it—I was mortified.

‘Fine. I was feeling down, so I cried in front of my childhood friend. I can live with that. But what was that about you’re the master, I’m a maid?’

Why had I said something so emotional?

If the mood weren’t so heavy, Daniel would have laughed his head off at me.

But…

I glanced sideways at him.

He was still watching me.

His face was full of concern, like he couldn’t take his eyes off me.

“Do you want to drill a hole through my face?”

I put my hand over my cheek to block his stare.

But then, he grabbed my wrist and gently pulled my hand down.

“You—” he sighed.

“You show up in the middle of the night, soaking wet, crying so ugly. How am I not supposed to care?”

“Will you stop calling me ugly?” I grumbled.

Daniel snorted.

“Then is it not true?”

“Excuse me? I was considered one of the pretty ones back in Danten!”

Okay, sure, when I stood next to Deborah, I looked plain as a loaf of white bread.

But in a small town, I was decent-looking!

“I even competed for the Walnut Lady title.”

“…What the hell is that?”

“Danten’s main product is walnuts, so we had a pageant. I got second place.”

Daniel blinked, then listened as I explained.

His expression turned skeptical.

“So, the first-place winner was prettier than you?”

“No, actually.”

Despite how ridiculous our situation was—two adults, drenched in rain, sitting in the dirt—I found myself laughing.

Daniel had been annoyed earlier, but now, he was listening carefully.

Maybe it was the nostalgia, but my mood felt lighter.

“One of the contestants was Julia, the apothecary’s daughter. I was obviously prettier than her.”

“Then?”

“I was sure I’d win. But then, at the last moment, she crushed five walnuts with her bare hands. The judges gave her the highest technical score.”

She had cracked open five walnuts at once, shell and all.

Who wouldn’t pick her as the Walnut Lady after that?

“If they didn’t pick her, the judges might’ve been next.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Funny, right? Anyway, I got second place. Maybe you just have high standards because you’re used to staring at Saintess Deborah all day.”

I joked, but Daniel’s smile faded.

Then, for some reason, he turned his gaze toward the garden.

‘What’s with him?’

Just a moment ago, he had been staring at me intensely.

Now, he was avoiding my gaze.

I tilted my head in confusion, watching him.

Then, he sighed and asked,

“Why did you even enter that contest? Did the restaurant owners ask you to?”

“Not really. I was just bored.”

Well, that and…

If someone had recognized me at the contest, my past could’ve come to light.

“At the time, Marilyn—the restaurant owner’s wife—was really sick.”

“…….”

“She never said anything, but I knew the medical costs were too much for them. They probably couldn’t even afford proper treatment.”

Daniel turned back to me.

Raindrops dripped from his dark hair as he watched me carefully.

“The top contestants got prize money, so I joined. First place would’ve gotten more, but second place still had a decent reward.”

“So, you used it all for medicine?”

I didn’t answer, but Daniel’s face told me he already knew.

I busied myself gathering my wet hair over one shoulder.

The rain had softened to a drizzle.

“I thought I was used to living like this—to always worrying about money. But I guess I’m not.”

“…….”

“I was thinking about it earlier. If my parents had been nobles, if I had grown up in a noble house, I wouldn’t have to worry about these things at all.”

“Hmph. I’ve thought about that my whole life.”

“Well, I guess that’s the difference between us.”

Daniel gave me a questioning look.

“You turned your hardships into motivation. But me? I just ignored mine, pretending they weren’t there.”

I met his eyes.

In the distance, the gas lamps illuminated the beautiful villa.

Daniel’s usual frown softened.

I hugged my knees and smiled faintly.

“I’ve never wondered about my parents before. I spent over twenty years in an orphanage, after all. But tonight… for some reason, I wanted to know what they looked like.”

“…….”

“I wondered what I lost when I was separated from them.”

“…….”

“And you know what? Other than you guys, I lost everything, Daniel.”

Daniel inhaled sharply.

His dark eyes locked onto mine, intense as ever.

I had always been missing something—money, family, stability.

But I had forced myself to ignore it.

“But then I met Lady Yvette.”

And for a moment—just a moment—

I had wished I was their missing daughter.

That thought alone had left me feeling so miserable.

Daniel’s frown deepened as if my words physically hurt him.

Seeing that only made me feel lighter.

Because it meant that, at least, he truly understood me.

I stood up, brushing my damp skirt off my legs.

Then, I looked down at him and smirked.

“Maybe I should marry a rich man.”

*****

Daniel’s expression hardened.

The flickering gaslight reflected in his dark eyes, making them look impossibly deep. His brows furrowed as if he had swallowed something bitter.

“What?”

I stretched, shaking off the dampness from my nightgown, and gave him a half-smile.

“I mean, if I marry you, wouldn’t I automatically become the wife of a wealthy man?”

Daniel didn’t answer right away. He just stared at me—long and hard.

I meant it as a joke, but something about the way he looked at me made my heart pound.

Then, in a voice so quiet I barely heard it over the rain, he asked:

“Are you saying that because you actually want to?”

His gaze burned into me.

I blinked, caught off guard.

“Huh? No, I was just kidding—”

“Rosieta.”

Daniel interrupted me, his voice lower now.

“If you really mean it, say it again.”

I swallowed. The air between us suddenly felt thick.

The rain had softened to a drizzle, and the world around us had grown eerily still.

For a moment, it was just me and him.

His white shirt clung to his frame, drenched from the rain, and his dark hair was dripping wet, strands sticking to his forehead.

He looked… different.

Less like the childhood friend who used to steal my bread at mealtime and more like—

More like a man.

A man staring at me as if he was waiting for something.

“I was just joking,” I mumbled, suddenly flustered.

Daniel let out a slow breath.

Then, without another word, he stood up.

The movement was fluid, effortless.

And before I could react, he reached for me.

His fingers wrapped around my wrist, firm but gentle, and in one swift motion—

He pulled me toward him.

I gasped softly as I stumbled, my wet slippers slipping against the damp grass.

But I didn’t fall.

Because Daniel caught me.

One arm around my waist, holding me in place.

The rain had stopped entirely now.

But my heartbeat—

It was still pounding like thunder.

Daniel tilted his head slightly, looking down at me.

His black eyes, sharp yet unreadable, studied my face as if searching for something.

“Rosieta,” he murmured again.

There was something about the way he said my name.

Something dangerous.

Something that sent a shiver down my spine.

I had made a joke.

But suddenly, I wasn’t sure if Daniel was laughing.