The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

Chapter 17



‘Wait, does Harrison know about this?’

Nox was actually related to Harrison by marriage.

Harrison had married a daughter from the Ludfisher family but lost her, and her younger brother was none other than Nox. That made Nox Harrison’s brother-in-law.

‘Ugh, whatever. Let it all burn.’

I was busy enough building a shelter to survive the apocalypse—dealing with the main characters of the novel was just too much. Right now, it took all I had just to focus on saving myself.

“Are you sure these are just herbs? Did you check properly?”

Ethan questioned Nox for the fifth time, his disbelief showing no signs of fading.

‘Seriously. Give it a rest.’

I shook my head and slumped over the table, catching a glimpse of Ethan and Nox talking.

“Then what kind of herb is it?”

“It’s Elphinus Herb. Just a common herb that helps restore stamina. It’s rare, but not unheard of. Still, I didn’t expect to see it here—it’s fascinating.”

Nox smirked as he watched Ethan’s expression sour. It was almost playful, with a hint of mischief.

‘Common herb? It doesn’t look common at all.’

The herb resembled a centipede, making it hard to believe it could act as a vaccine. Honestly, that part still surprised me.

But what really caught my attention was Nox’s earlier comment—“I didn’t expect to see it here.”

I tilted my head, lost in thought, when I suddenly felt the sharp prickle of stares on my back.

‘What the…?’

Turning my head, I caught several people quickly averting their eyes. It was like watching waves ripple through a crowd.

News of my arrest had clearly spread like wildfire, drawing half the village to the police station just to gawk at me.

‘This kind of attention isn’t unfamiliar… It’s been a while, though.’

Smiling, I waved at the onlookers. Go ahead, stare all you want. It’s me—Cherry Sinclair.

The villagers exchanged awkward smiles before quickly looking away as if they’d seen something they shouldn’t have. Guess they were shy.

Before long, their interest in me faded, and their focus shifted to Nox.

“I heard that doctor’s super famous.”

“They say he’s the youngest son of the Marquis Ludfisher. I’ve never seen a real noble in my life!”

‘Excuse me? The guy next to him is a noble too, and he outranks Nox.’**

I grumbled internally as I listened to their chatter.

“The village chief said he’s even more famous than Cherry Sinclair or whatever her name is.”

‘What? Of course I’m more famous! What are they talking about?’

It was the kind of rumor I desperately wanted to correct, but I held my tongue.

Overhearing the villagers’ gossip, I groaned and dropped my head back onto the table.

‘To be fair, Nox really is a well-known doctor in the capital.’

Doctors hadn’t always been treated as prestigious professionals. Without anesthesia, surgeons in particular had been looked down on in the past.

But the Ludfisher family changed medical history by developing anesthetics, elevating doctors into elite status in this country.

So it wasn’t that strange for Nox to be working as a narcotics consultant.

Back in the day, cocaine and similar substances were used as anesthetics, so doctors often experimented with drugs and alcohol.

Even in Love in a Ruined World, Nox played a significant role as a doctor.

In the novel, he saved people bitten by monsters through amputations and performed life-saving surgeries, even delivering babies safely.

‘He’s definitely the kind of talent you’d want in a survival scenario.’

If I offered him a job as Happy House’s personal doctor, he’d probably just laugh in my face. Too bad.

Just as I was lamenting my luck, Ethan finished talking with the narcotics officer and approached me with a grim look.

Sensing the change in atmosphere, the villagers began slipping out of the police station one by one—except for Nox.

Nox stayed behind, sucking on his lollipop and watching us like we were putting on a show just for him.

‘Does he recognize me?’

Anyone who participated in high society would recognize me, no doubt.

‘I’ll have to make sure he keeps his mouth shut.’

But first, I had to deal with Ethan.

I looked up quietly, waiting for him to speak.

Ethan stared at me in silence, his eyes reflecting a tangle of emotions.

After hesitating for what felt like forever, he finally opened his mouth.

“…I’m sorry.”

“What?”

Suddenly, Ethan straightened up and gave me a deep, formal bow. It was flawless—polished and respectful.

“I sincerely apologize, Lady Sinclair.”

Wait, what?

I hadn’t expected him to admit his mistake and apologize so easily. It caught me completely off guard.

Watching him bow like that, an idea struck me.

Wasn’t the power dynamic reversed now? At this moment, I was the one in control.

Quickly shifting gears, I leaned back against the table, draping one arm over it to strike a casual pose.

“And what exactly are you apologizing for?”

Ethan looked momentarily flustered, clearly unprepared for my unexpected question.

“Oh dear, oh dear. You can’t act all startled now, as if you weren’t expecting this. After all, you dragged me here and accused me of drug smuggling without a shred of evidence.”

I had no intention of letting him off the hook easily. Honestly, I’d already been annoyed by the way he’d kept looking at me with suspicion.

‘Sure, Sinclair has done plenty of things to deserve suspicion, but come on! Normally, cops just look the other way when it comes to the Sinclairs!’

Spouting shameless thoughts in my head, I fixed Ethan with a stare.

He stayed silent, likely trying to figure out how to respond.

“I told you before, I’m often misunderstood. But this time, it was really upsetting. Do you realize you dragged me in without even verifying the facts first?”

I added one more jab, hoping to make him feel just a bit guiltier.

Ethan looked unusually haggard but still managed to apologize again, his tone steady.

“I sincerely apologize. I misunderstood you, Miss Cherry.”

His apology was so formal and genuine that I couldn’t refuse it.

“Hmm. Well, I’m glad you finally realized it.”

Of course, I didn’t expect his distrust of me to disappear entirely overnight. But at the very least, I was sure he wouldn’t jump to conclusions or drag me away without proof for the time being.

Thinking about it, this might actually turn out to be an advantage.

“If you’re really sorry, why don’t you help me out?”

“Excuse me?”

Ethan raised an eyebrow, clearly baffled. He looked at me as if to say, What on earth could you possibly need my help with?

‘Oh, there’s plenty you can do.’

Since things had already turned out this way, I might as well make good use of him before the world ended. I had more tasks than I could count.

“I’m in the middle of repairing my house, but I’m short on workers. And thanks to you dragging me here, I’ve fallen behind schedule.”

That part was true. I didn’t have a single hour to waste right now.

“If you don’t help, I’ll report this to the newspapers. ‘Ethan Duncan Lancaster arrested an innocent civilian without a warrant.’”

“Innocent civilian…?”

Ethan looked at me, clearly at a loss for words.

“Cherry, weren’t you hiding out here?”

“Who said I was hiding?”

Sure, letting people know I was here wasn’t ideal. But I was betting on the fact that Ethan wasn’t the kind of guy to alert the press about my whereabouts.

“People are very interested in me, you know. If I file a report, things will escalate quickly. Don’t you think?”

I stared him down confidently. After a moment, Ethan sighed and nodded.@@novelbin@@

“Fine. It’s my mistake, so I’ll take responsibility as a police officer.”

“Great! Let’s go, Mr. Worker.”

“...Don’t I get paid extra for being a handsome worker?”

“Excuse me? Don’t try that nonsense.”

“Hey, it seems to be working. Think about it.”

We were trading quips and about to leave the station when Nox suddenly stepped forward, stopping us.

Turning around in surprise, I saw him smiling brightly—almost too brightly.

“Now, now. Ignoring me like this is just hurtful.”

Oh, crap. I’d been so caught up dealing with Ethan that I’d completely forgotten about Nox.

How could I forget someone with an aura as intense as his?

Maybe I’d gotten too absorbed in my plans to get back to Happy House and continue working.

Facing Nox, I saw him extend his hand smoothly, like a predator closing in on its prey. His every move exuded the confidence of someone who had never tasted failure.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Sinclair.”

“Likewise, Mr. Ludfisher. But I’d appreciate it if you called me Cherry. The villagers don’t know my full name.”

I placed my hand lightly in his, and he brushed a soft kiss across the back of it.

The gesture made me suddenly recall Ethan’s earlier handshake. ‘Yeah. This is what normal etiquette looks like.’

“I’m curious about your story, but asking too many questions would be rude. Very well, Cherry.”

I nodded, slipping my hand out of his. Then Nox got straight to the point.

“I have a few questions for you. Would you be willing to spare a moment to talk?”


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