I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started Chapter 83

The smooth feel of silk wrapped gently around my palm. A pleasant scent of perfume lingered in the air.

“Thank goodness. I was worried the footprints would leave a stain.”

I had secretly been concerned that the fabric might be ruined or stretched, but now I could finally relax.

For a moment, I completely forgot about the exhausting incidents and emotional turmoil that had plagued me all day yesterday. Instead, I smiled happily.

“Are you really that glad?”

“Of course! It’s a rare gift from you. Do you have any idea how heartbroken I was, thinking it was completely ruined? Seeing it perfectly cleaned puts my mind at ease.”

Colin chuckled as he took the handkerchief, then neatly folded it with precision.

“Since it’s from Rose, I’ll treasure it.”

He carefully tucked the handkerchief into the front pocket of his vest. The cool blue silk peeked out from between the soft gray fabric, complementing his outfit perfectly.

“I’ll put it to good use. Thanks for the birthday gift and for celebrating with me.”

“Ugh, you told me already yesterday.”

“I could say it a hundred times and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

Colin lightly brushed the silk handkerchief with his fingertips. Then, he smiled—brighter than any flower.

Like a child who had just received the greatest gift in the world.

****

“Thank goodness. Colin likes it.”

Ever since I saw the freshly washed handkerchief in Colin’s room, I had been overwhelmed with an uncontrollable sense of happiness.

More precisely, it was a feeling of pride.

The pride of working with my own hands, earning money, and using it to give a high-quality gift to a childhood friend I had grown up with.

And whether it was because Colin was handsome or because the handkerchief was expensive, the blue silk suited him exceptionally well. I imagined him attending a party with the handkerchief neatly tucked into his pocket.

‘Other gentlemen will probably ask where he got it. And if he says it was a gift, they’ll want to know who gave it to him.’

Maybe at that moment, Colin would think of me—as a thoughtful and stylish friend who gave him such a fine present!

The thought made the corners of my lips curl up unconsciously.

I was humming to myself while sweeping the hallway, holding onto my cleaning tools.

BANG!

A door suddenly slammed open somewhere nearby.

Before I could even turn around, someone grabbed my arm and yanked me into a room.

“Huh? Huh?”

It all happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to scream.

“Ahhh!”

As if I had fallen into a well, I was pulled inside in an instant, and the door slammed shut behind me with a loud thud.

Dazed, I found myself standing in the middle of the room, my mind reeling.

‘Wait… this room is…’

In front of me stood Daniel, looking extremely displeased. At least twenty times more irritated than usual.

And the one who had just pulled me in—was Daniel.

****

The moment I saw Daniel’s face, I nearly screamed again. I had completely forgotten that I ended up in Colin’s room just to avoid him. The relief I felt after seeing the handkerchief intact had made me let my guard down.

I looked at him, utterly dumbfounded.

“…What do you think you’re doing? Why are you dragging people into rooms like this? What if someone saw?”

“Hm. What do you think I’m doing?”

Answering my question with another question? I was at a loss for words and could only glare at him. It was probably an unthinkably rude look for a servant to give his employer.

But Daniel didn’t flinch under my glare. Instead, he crossed his arms and looked down at me.

“You’ve been avoiding me, haven’t you?”

Gasp.

My stern expression crumbled in an instant. Daniel clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“…I knew you were bad at hiding your emotions, but do you have to look like you’ve been stabbed?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I hurriedly covered my face with my hands. Not that it mattered—Daniel went on anyway.

“The moment you heard I was looking for you, I could hear you pacing upstairs, mumbling, ‘What do I do?’ And then, poof, you disappeared. I wondered where you had gone.”

A wicked grin spread across Daniel’s face. It was the kind of smile that said he already knew everything.

“And then I saw you coming out of Colin’s room.”

He saw that much?

I felt utterly baffled, embarrassed, and frustrated all at once. Daniel studied my face intently, as if trying to read my thoughts. His dark, obsessive gaze made a cold sweat break out on my back.

Then, his smile vanished. His eyes narrowed.

“You and Colin… Is there something going on?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course not. We’re just friends.”

Daniel’s eyes narrowed even further. He muttered, “Just friends,” in a way that made it sound like he didn’t believe a word of it. His dark pupils stayed locked onto mine, as if searching for the truth.

Instead of interrogating me about what I had been doing in Colin’s room, he tilted his chin up slightly.

“Anyway, you did avoid me earlier, didn’t you? Because you feel awkward around me.”

“……”

He could’ve just asked about Colin, but no—he went straight for the question I really didn’t want to answer. How annoying.

With no excuse to offer, I clamped my mouth shut and met his gaze in silence.

“You’re not going to answer?”

“…You’re overthinking things. I wasn’t avoiding you.”

I barely managed to force the words out.

Daniel looked at me smugly. I tried my best to appear unfazed, staring back at him with as much composure as I could muster.

I refuse to let him see that his confession had thrown me off.

I mean, he was the one who confessed. So why was I the one running around, trying to avoid him?

Seeing how casual and indifferent Daniel looked now, I almost wondered if his confession last night had been a dream.

“Oh? So I was just imagining things?”

“Y-yeah.”

I clenched my jaw so tight I felt like a walnut shell. I would not let him see me waver.

“For a second there, I thought you were avoiding me because of my confession.”

…And just like that, I was speechless again.

“I did tell you, last night. That I like you.”

“…….”

“That if you need to get married, you should marry me.”

“Stop…”

“I told you I like you, didn’t I?”

“Enough, already!”

Daniel was rambling on like he had a hole in his mouth, while my face grew hotter and hotter with embarrassment.

‘Who confesses like this?!’

He spoke so casually, like he was simply commenting on today’s lunch menu. He wasn’t even blushing—so I was the one feeling secondhand embarrassment for both of us.

I pressed my hands over my cheeks, feeling the heat seeping through my palms.

“Just stop! I heard you last night! I remember, okay?!”

“Then why won’t you answer me? Why are you avoiding me?”

“Answer? What answer?”

“I confessed, didn’t I? You should give me a response.”

Daniel looked at me steadily before letting out a quiet sigh. Then he muttered something about how he hadn’t planned on making his confession this unromantic.

And that’s when I noticed—his ears were faintly red.

A strange feeling tightened in my chest.

‘So… he was serious.’

I stared at him, dazed.

Daniel was supposed to like Deborah.

But instead, he had confessed to me.

Honestly, last night had been so sudden that I thought I might have dreamed it. After all, this was the same Daniel I had spent five years bickering and fighting with in the orphanage.

“…Do you really like me? Me?”

I asked before I could stop myself.

“Yes.”

“What do you even like about me?”

“…….”

This time, Daniel was the one at a loss for words.

After being so shamelessly confident with his confession, now he could only open and close his mouth without saying a thing. His slightly flushed lips moved, but no words came out. He sighed a few times, then finally scratched at his reddening neck.

It was clear he wasn’t going to answer anytime soon, so I prodded again.

“…The restaurant owners told me something once. That men are very weak to visual appeal.”

Daniel looked at me like he had no idea where this was going.

Feeling slightly awkward, I cautiously lowered my hands from my face and looked at him.

“You’ve had Deborah by your side for years. And let’s be honest—Deborah is stunning. But even with her around… you’re saying you still like me?”

Even in plain clothes, Deborah’s beauty was undeniable. Her looks played a big part in why the entire kingdom adored her.

She was the kind of woman anyone would admit was beautiful.

And yet, Daniel liked me more?

Even when, if he just kept quiet, the king himself would probably arrange a marriage between him and Deborah?

Even when the entire kingdom expected them to be the most dazzling couple?

Even I had once thought that they made a perfect match.

Daniel didn’t answer immediately. I pursed my lips, glancing down at my hands as I absentmindedly fiddled with my nails. Then, hesitantly, I lifted my gaze back to him.

“Hey… just out of curiosity.”

“……”

“In your eyes… do I look prettier than Deborah?”

I asked the question before I could second-guess myself.

Maybe his aesthetic sense—or his eyesight—was just messed up.

I mean, it would make sense. He had spent countless late nights working under dim candlelight. Maybe he’d unknowingly ruined his vision over time.

Or maybe I was just struggling to believe his confession.

I felt like I should pinch my cheeks just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

Feeling awkward and a little embarrassed, I scuffed the tip of my shoe against the floor and sneaked a glance at him.

And that’s when I noticed it—something flickered across Daniel’s expression.

“…….?”

Did I just see that wrong?

I blinked, staring at him.