The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

1.  I Was Reincarnated Into a Novel Doomed for Destruction

Three Weeks Before the Incident.

This is my story.

I died after being hit by a car and reincarnated into a novel.

When people think about reincarnating or transmigrating into a novel, they probably imagine wearing glamorous dresses, being surrounded by handsome men, and living a luxurious life as a noble lady.

I lived a life somewhat like that too. Until recently.

This world resembled industrialized 19th-century Europe—a place with social hierarchies, salons, and extravagant parties.

But it was doomed to collapse. Because of a virus.

I was reincarnated into a B-grade apocalypse survival romance novel called Love in a Ruined World.

And not as the heroine—but as Cherry Sinclair, an annoying supporting character who endangered the second male lead’s life and then died.

I realized this fact during the early spring of my nineteenth year.

Three years ago, my parents died in an accident, leaving me alone in the world.

I wasn’t lonely. The enormous inheritance they left behind kept me company.

‘Money is the best. Seriously.’

I wasn’t a noble, but I was born into the bourgeoisie and had more money than most aristocrats. My life was happy and carefree.

I could waste money and play around like a spoiled brat all I wanted!

“Wrap this up too. And that one as well.”

That day, I splurged at a shoe shop. Then, humming proudly, I strolled through the busy streets.

Behind me, my maid Susanna struggled to carry all the shopping bags. It was an ostentatious display designed to draw attention.

I heard noble ladies whispering nearby.

“Isn’t that Lady Sinclair?”

“Who designed the dress she’s wearing today?”

“That hat is gorgeous.”

Hmph. I swept my hair back and smiled smugly.

I wasn’t a noble, but the nobles all admired me. It was thrilling and satisfying.

I was constantly called a reckless heiress in the newspapers, but I didn’t mind. I took it as proof of their interest in me.

Back then, I lived without a single worry—completely unaware of the dark clouds looming over my future.

“Miss, please wait a moment.”

After finishing my shopping, Susanna loaded the bags onto the carriage. My steam-powered car didn’t have enough space for all the luggage.

I stood by and watched as she struggled to lift the heavy boxes filled with shoes.

‘She looks like she’s struggling.’

I checked to make sure no one was looking, then effortlessly lifted the boxes and stacked them inside the carriage.

“Wow… Miss, you’re so strong.”

Susanna clapped her hands, looking amazed. I shrugged nonchalantly. She was right—I was stronger than most people.

But I wasn’t born this way. As a child, I had been frail. Then one day, my parents brought me a mysterious medicine. After taking it, I gained this strength over the years.

Still, brute strength wasn’t considered a virtue for upper-class women. Since I was just a silly girl who dreamed of becoming a noble, I worked hard to hide it.

“Huh?”

As I climbed into the steam car, a sudden chill ran down my spine.

Susanna, already halfway inside the car, turned back to look at me.

“Miss? What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just…”

‘What is this ominous feeling?’

An inexplicable sense of dread washed over me.

I shook it off as paranoia and tried to step into the car again—only to lose my balance and fall.

Thud!

I hit the ground hard.

Ugh. The pain was so intense I couldn’t even scream.@@novelbin@@

Susanna’s panicked voice rang out as she rushed to help me.

It felt like my skull had been split open with an axe.

And through that crack, memories suddenly poured in—like a flood.

Memories that felt both mine and not mine.

Memories so vivid, they could’ve happened yesterday.

‘What the hell is this?’

That’s how I realized—

I had a past life.

And this world I had reincarnated into was a novel I’d read before.

Love in a Ruined World.

Are you fucking kidding me? What kind of ridiculous plot twist was this?

I remembered a line from a survival novel I’d read before: life always comes at the worst possible time.

“Miss? Are you crying?”

Susanna, sitting beside me, looked concerned and offered me a handkerchief.

Leaning against the seat, I quietly wiped away my tears and replied,

“No, it’s just sweat.”

“…What?”

Susanna looked at me in disbelief.

I took the handkerchief and wiped the tears streaming down my cheeks.

No. I wasn’t sad. These weren’t tears.

Why the hell did I have to reincarnate into Love in a Ruined World? Why did it have to be an apocalypse?

Fuck. Why is this happening to me?

*****

The Capital City of Benton in the Kingdom of Graydon

The Sinclair family’s townhouse, located in the heart of the city, was nothing short of extravagant.

White marble walls adorned with gold-carved statues boasted the mansion’s grandeur, and its roof was covered with lavender blooms.

It was clear that the owner of the house valued flashiness over harmony.

On the third floor of the mansion, there was the largest room—complete with a walk-in closet.

A three-tiered tray filled with desserts always sat on the table, and the air was scented with floral candles.

Next to it stood a bed decorated entirely in gold. I was lying on that very bed.

I hadn’t even eaten after returning home. I just lay there, completely drained.

I wanted to deny this absurd reality!

I had been a unicorn—a rare case who’d never even needed a PCR test, even when COVID-19 swept across the world. I’d felt lucky and thanked God for it—only to die suddenly in a car accident.

And now, I’d been reincarnated into a novel world doomed to destruction because of a virus? The difficulty level had just skyrocketed.

‘So that’s why God spared me earlier—just to throw me into an even bigger pile of shit.’

—If the world were ending tomorrow, I would plant an apple tree today.

Yeah, there was a famous quote like that.

But Cherry Sinclair, in this world, had no loved ones to mourn. Her family had died not long ago, and she couldn’t care less about apple trees or whatever.

Thanks to my parents’ business ventures, I had spent my entire childhood traveling the world. I never made friends or even had cousins to rely on.

‘Ah. Except for Harrison.’

Harrison Howard.

The Sinclair family’s legal advisor.

He wasn’t my biological brother, but we’d grown up together, and he felt like one.

Aside from the household staff, the only person I had any attachment to was my maid, Susanna.

As I lay there crying, Susanna entered my room.

“Miss Cherry. Here are the newspapers you requested.”

She held a stack of papers dated over several days. I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and took them from her.

“Thanks.”

I immediately began skimming through the pages.

After flipping through articles for a while, I finally found what I was looking for.

[An In-Depth Analysis of Cherry Sinclair’s Spending Habits! Just How Far Does This Spoiled Heiress’s Extravagance Go?]

Ugh, not this.

The article detailed my spending patterns and even listed the dresses I’d worn.

Whenever my outfits and jewelry appeared in newspapers or magazines, they became instant hits.

‘They all love to criticize me, yet they can’t stop paying attention.’

I shook my head and continued reading the articles below.

[Massive Funeral Held at the Marquis of Casey’s Estate! The Family’s Spokesperson Claims the Deceased Were Servants Suffering From an Infectious Disease…]

This was it.

Just as I remembered from my past life, something suspicious was happening at the Marquis of Casey’s estate.

‘This is insane. Does this mean my memories from my past life were real?’

The tragedy in this novel began with the Marquis of Casey’s shady experiments.

Alchemists sponsored by the Marquis had conducted unethical research, ultimately releasing a devastating virus.

To cover it up, the Marquis concealed the experiments, blaming the outbreak on unrelated causes.

In the novel, the world collapsed exactly three months after this article appeared in the newspapers…

I quickly checked the publication date.

It had already been two months since this article was printed!

“What the fuck? Are you kidding me?!”

That meant there were only 21 days left until the world ended. Not even a full month!

“Shit! Twenty-one days is way too short!”

I grabbed my head and groaned.