~I left Jooheon's cave before he woke, since I wanted to be back with my family. The last thing I needed was for them to think that he'd eaten me or something else completely horrible before he had a chance to prove to them that he behaved much less monstrously than his appearance had led them to believe.

It was a blessed relief to breathe in fresh air again, and I basked in the light of the dawn that covered me in its warm glow as I walked back to the cottage. I had thought to bring my family to my rose in the pasture. After all, it was my father who'd plucked it in the first place, and I was certain that he would like to see how beautifully it grew against the tragedy of its death at his hands.

Once I'd returned, opening the door quietly so as not to wake anyone, I took some of the bread that had been left over from dinner the night before, As my family slept I toasted it next to the fire that was cheerfully burning in the hearth. The smell of the cooking bread drew them out of their slumber slowly, and by the time it was ready all of them were mostly coherent.

"I've got breakfast ready! Wake up!" I said feeling unbelievably happy that we all were together again.

"Since when were you an early riser?" Iris groaned. She was sharing a bed with Lily, and took that moment to roll up into all of the covers, leaving the younger with none for herself.

Lily, clearly feeling more than a little chilly practically growled in protest and shoved Iris out of the bed, claiming the blankets for herself again.

"Very ladylike," I chastised, placing the toast on a clay plate with a dish of butter and some sort of berry preserve that Talia had brought over before I'd been taken back to Fiore.

We all sat down to a leisurely meal, and I had to admit that it was quite nice spending such time with my family again.

"This jam is simply divine! I've never tasted such berries before!" My father exclaimed excitedly.

"That's because you've never had anything so fresh," I answered happily, helping myself to another slice of the toast before the rest of my family gobbled it all up. When I'd finished I cleaned the dishes using water I fetched from the lake, something that could never have been done in Fiore. All of the water we got came from deep underground, and was not safe to use without boiling first. It was apparently constantly filled from an underground spring which explained why it also tasted so much better than what we had to use in Fiore.

I could sense my father watching me as I worked, and eventually he spoke up a little wistfully.

"You seem quite at ease here Rose."

"Well I should be. I've lived here for a while now, though it wasn't as easy at first. I actually had to sleep in the middle of the pasture," I answered, recalling my first night in the wilds and how angry I'd been at Jooheon's treatment of me.

 It made me wonder what exactly had prompted us getting along better in the first place, and thinking back I figured it must have started when he'd saved me from the creatures in the wilds.

I must have had a strange look on my face while I reminisced, since my father chuckled a little.

"I was wondering if you'd all like to see what I've been working on since I starting living here?" I asked them, thinking that I could show them the rose while I went to check on it.

I'd hoped that it had been growing well in my absence and that it would be able to impress them. I had doubts that anything wild in nature would manage to appeal to my sisters, but if anything could I was certain that it would be a rose. So, with nothing better to do with their time my family agreed to accompany me to Kyungsoo's pasture.

The pasture was the same as I remembered, except of course for my rose, which had grown taller and stronger in the time that I'd been imprisoned.

My father, ever curious, bent down to examine it further, as well as the bud that had formed at its top. I could see then that it would be as crimson as the one he'd picked so long ago, and it was almost like he recognized the flower as being of the same stock.

"Tell me, did this grow from the one I plucked child?" he asked, bewildered.

"Yes father. I didn't know such a thing was possible but it seems to have worked quite splendidly. It looks like it will bloom any day now!" My father beamed at the news.

"Then that means that you will be free to return home to us at last," he exclaimed happily. I admit I'd barely remembered Jooheon's words from so long ago, that when my rose finally bloomed I would be allowed to leave the wilds are return to Fiore with my family.

"Would that not make you happy,Rose? I'm certain once all of the trouble with the Duke blows over Taehyung will let us go back to our old home again," Iris said, putting her hand on my shoulder.

I slumped on the grass, keeping my gaze fixed on the flower so I didn't have to face any of them with my next words.

"I've been thinking that I might wish to stay here," I muttered quietly. My sisters could hardly contain their shock at my words, and my father looked positively distraught.

"Why in Stone's name would you want to do that?" Lily said, and I wasn't sure how to make them understand. I wasn't exactly sure I knew all of the reasons I'd made such a decision either, so explaining my choice was going to be difficult.

"It's just I feel more comfortable here than I do in Fiore. I fit in better than I ever have among your parties and ball gowns sisters. You know I've always been so awkward in such social situations, but here I'd never have to feel that way!"

"And what of us? You'll just abandon us?" Iris demanded, eyes narrowed.

"With the problem between Fiore and the wilds solved I'm certain we could still see each other all of the time," I reasoned, fair