I Ran Away And The Reverse Harem Started

Chapter 73 I stood in the shadow of a tree, frozen in shock and unable to move.Under the light spilling out from the second-floor party hall, two people stood together. A warm yellow glow illuminated them, and only then could I glimpse Colin and the woman standing opposite him.‘She attended the party… I think I heard she’s the daughter of some noble family.’Hiding behind a thick tree, I peeked at the two.The woman had her deep chocolate-brown hair styled elegantly up. Her yellow dress and white gloves that reached her elbows looked expensive at a glance.‘And she’s beautiful!’The scene of the delicate-looking lady standing with Colin was like a painting.Though the distance wasn’t particularly close, the quietness of the garden allowed me to catch snippets of their conversation.“I’ll be direct. Please marry me, Colin.”“Sophia, please don’t. Didn’t I already give you my answer before?”Colin replied in a calm tone, but the woman, addressed as Sophia, didn’t waver.“Yes, that’s right. I was rejected last time too. I know how disgraceful it is for a lady to propose, yet here I am, doing it twice.”“Then why…?”“Because I can’t understand. I’m one of the most prominent noblewomen in the capital. And yet, you’re rejecting me?”Her response was haughty, but her tone genuinely conveyed her confusion.With her back straight, she continued speaking firmly.“Did my confession sound like I was toying with you? Did it seem like a passing joke? I was serious. If I must marry, I thought someone like you would be a good match.”“Sophia…”“My father wants me to marry a man free from political entanglements. And Colin, you are handsome, brilliant, and work at Holden. You’re the perfect groom.”Sophia spoke as if appraising an item.“And most importantly, I like you. If you marry me, I can give you anything you want. My family and I will live as you wish.”“..…”“If you want, even a title.”“……”“Well, these days, it seems money can buy a title, so maybe that’s not much of an offer.”At that, Colin looked briefly taken aback before faintly smiling. His face seemed to carry a whirlwind of thoughts.Finally, Colin spoke.“No matter how you put it, marriage is about the will of both parties. Even if someone as noble as you says you like me, an orphan…”“……”“Even orphans have their own will.”“That’s…”“I’ve already told you my answer. You know this.”At Colin’s firm words, the woman’s face turned faintly red. Seeing her embarrassment, Colin smiled softly.“It’s not because you’re an orphan that I don’t need your will. And it’s not as if I’m proposing out of pity. I just…”“I understand. Please don’t feel bad.”“……”“You’re perfect, Sophia. It’s just that I…”Colin trailed off.“I have someone I love.”“Ah…”The woman let out a low sigh, nodding as if she finally understood everything.“I’ve been presumptuous.”“No, not at all.”After a moment of awkwardness, Sophia composed herself, regaining her usual expression. Grasping her skirt, she curtsied to Colin.“I’m truly sorry for my behavior. Since you’ve made your stance clear, I’ll give up now. I’ll head back to the party hall first—please come up shortly.”“Of course. Go on ahead.”Sophia walked briskly back to the mansion, her chin held high as though she hadn’t just been turned down.The garden was left in its usual dimness, lit only by the faint glow spilling from the terrace.Silence fell.‘…When should I leave?’I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on such a private conversation. To be fair, I had been here first…But still, I was crouching behind the tree, crammed into its shadow, my legs almost numb.Should I blow on my nose or something? When would Colin head inside?I was clutching the gift box in my hands tightly, enduring the awkward quiet, when…“Rose, what are you doing here?”“Kyaaa!”I let out a shrill scream before I realized it, falling back onto the grass in surprise. Looking up, I saw Colin crouching down with one knee on the ground, just as startled as I was.I clutched my pounding heart tightly.“C-Colin?”“I thought I heard some rustling, so I came to check. Turns out it’s you, Rose.”Colin smiled warmly, as if he were glad to see me. I was at a loss for words.What if he thinks I was eavesdropping like a rat? What if he asks how much I heard?If they’d been joking around, it wouldn’t have been this awkward.But of all things, a proposal?Of all the private conversations I could overhear, it just had to be that.Embarrassed, I could only look up at Colin without saying a word. Colin tilted his head as he looked at me crouching on the ground, then sat down beside me.I flinched.“Colin…?”“If I sit here, we won’t be seen, right? It’s dark.”Despite his fine clothes, Colin sat down on the grass like me, curling himself up awkwardly. His body was too large to sit comfortably like that, but still…I stammered incoherently while Colin turned to me with a gentle smile. Now that we were seated side by side, our eyes were level.“Like this, I can talk to you without anyone watching, right?”“Well, I guess…”It seemed Colin was also hiding in the shadows because I didn’t like being the center of attention.Feeling awkward, I hugged my knees while faint chatter and laughter spilled down from above.When I stayed silent, Colin asked kindly, “What were you doing here? Were you looking at the moon?”Does he really think I’m that sentimental?Should I just bluff and say I was counting stars? Pretend I didn’t hear anything?But in the end, I confessed the truth.“Sorry. I was squatting here and overheard your conversation. Not on purpose, though.”I just couldn’t lie to Colin. I couldn’t even feign ignorance.When I awkwardly admitted it, Colin’s eyes widened. Then he gave a sheepish smile.“Really? You heard everything?”“Yeah.”“That’s embarrassing.”“I’m sorry. For eavesdropping. Though, I was here first.”We sat side by side, hugging our knees, staring awkwardly ahead. Colin, just as embarrassed, fell silent. The uncomfortable quiet stretched between us.So, Colin’s already talking about marriage.Still, I wasn’t surprised he turned down Sophia’s proposal.Of course. Colin is supposed to stay single until Daniel and Deborah get married.That was how the plot of The Mistaken Saintess went. Deborah married Daniel unwillingly, and the three men who lived in the same mansion fell for Deborah.So there was no way Colin could get married to someone like Sophia before the original story began.Maybe after the story ends…Sophia was just as beautiful as Deborah, though. Too bad for her.When the story’s over, and Daniel and Deborah are together, I hope Colin meets someone nice too.It wouldn’t be good for Colin to keep pining for Deborah after she’s already with someone else.As I mused, Colin suddenly spoke.“Rose, do you remember that time?”“Huh? What time?”“You know, when you were 13 and I was 15. Lucas was playing with that ball and broke the butcher’s window.”“Oh, right!”Memories came rushing back.That old gray ball we’d stitched together over and over had smashed the window of the meanest man in town. The four of us had been so terrified that we ran for our lives.“At the fork in the road, Daniel and Lucas ran one way, and you and I ran the other.”“Yeah. But then I tripped and fell…”I trailed off, suddenly realizing why Colin had brought this up.“That’s when you carried me on your back.”“Exactly.”“And then it started raining… We ended up taking shelter under that huge elm tree.”Just like now.Drenched from head to toe, we’d huddled under the elm tree to escape the rain. Our clothes were soaked, the air was cold, and the tips of our noses were chilled. Thin and frail from skipping meals, we clung to each other, waiting for the rain to stop.Afterward, Colin had carried me all the way back to the orphanage.“Wow, that was ten years ago…”It was amazing that he still remembered something from so long ago. It had been just a few months before the orphanage burned down and I ran away.It was clear that, for Colin, that day under the elm tree was a precious memory too.How strange. I was so upset earlier about my fight with Angela…But recalling those old memories now, I couldn’t help but smile. Colin’s gaze lingered on me, and when our eyes met, I realized our shoulders were just as close as they’d been back then.“Rose, you said you overheard that noblewoman earlier, right?”“Huh? Yeah, I did.”Caught off guard, I answered reflexively. Colin’s dark eyes, filled with quiet intensity, locked onto mine.After a moment, he asked softly, “Then… did you hear me say that there’s someone I like?”