The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

He has questions for me? Not Ethan?

I turned back to Ethan, who was glaring at Nox with barely concealed irritation. When our eyes met, Ethan simply shrugged, clearly signaling that it was up to me to decide.

Well, Ethan wasn’t my guardian, so there was no reason to consult him about this.

I tried to gauge Nox’s intentions, but it was impossible to read him. His polished smile gave off the impression of someone who had a hundred schemes swirling beneath the surface.

After a brief hesitation, I nodded.

“Fine. How about you come to my place with Sir Ethan?”

This was perfect. I needed to make sure Nox kept his mouth shut anyway. While I was at it, maybe I could even try recruiting him as a worker.

*****

Nox followed me leisurely as we left the outskirts of Brunel and began climbing the hill.

I introduced the mansion in the distance—a place that looked more like a run-down ruin—as my home.

Nox’s eyes glinted with interest.

The fact that Cherry Sinclair and Ethan Duncan Lancaster, two people who didn’t belong together at all, were walking side by side was already strange enough.

But Cherry Sinclair living in a dilapidated mansion in some rural backwater? That was downright unbelievable.

“Come in.”

I opened the heavy stone gate and gestured for Nox to follow. We crossed the spacious garden, with Ethan trailing slightly behind me.

To outsiders, Ethan’s reputation was that of a wild and reckless madman. After all, he’d earned the nickname Benton’s Mad Dog as a police officer.

Rumors claimed he tore through criminals like a rabid animal.

But in reality, Ethan’s character was fundamentally good—so much so that he’d thrown away his position as Lancaster’s heir out of sheer devotion to justice.

On the other hand, Nox, despite his charming and gentlemanly appearance, was not so virtuous.

If anyone asked whether a doctor could be so cold-hearted, Nox wouldn’t hesitate to say yes.

Whatever Ethan’s reasons for taking an interest in Cherry Sinclair, Nox had his own motivations for finding her fascinating.

A year ago, Nox had been present at the scene of the Westmoor urban legend.

Rumors of human screams and animal growls had spread about an abandoned house, and Elphinus Herbs were discovered there.

At the time, clueless townspeople had asked Nox to identify whether the herbs were drugs—just like today.

Of course, Elphinus Herbs weren’t drugs. But they were rare, difficult to obtain, and even harder to grow.

The fact that they’d been found in abundance at Westmoor Hague’s 10 Notium Street raised all kinds of red flags. Nox had even requested the narcotics division to track down transactions involving the herbs.

“Someone’s been buying and selling Elphinus Herb seeds. The last transaction was recorded at 61 Notium Street in Benton.”

That was what the investigator told him.

And that very day, Nox witnessed something shocking at the 61 Notium Street mansion.

There had been loud commotion inside, and then a man burst out of the mansion’s front door.

Right behind him was a monstrous creature, and then a woman in a hooded cloak followed.

From where Nox stood, he could see her face clearly when her hood slipped back.

Although she quickly pulled the hood back up, Nox’s sharp eyes had already caught the details—wavy pink hair and golden eyes.

It was Cherry Sinclair.

“Aaaah!”

Suddenly, a scream rang out near the gate. A passerby must have spotted the monster.

Cherry rushed forward and swung an axe straight into the monster’s head.

Thwack!

The blade buried itself deep, and a viscous green liquid splattered.

For a moment, Nox doubted his own eyes.

Had he mistaken someone else for Cherry Sinclair?

After all, a noblewoman like Cherry Sinclair had no reason to show up in a slum dressed like that.

Not to mention, rumors said Cherry was weak and often fainted—there was no way she could kill a monster with an axe.

“Get back! It’s dangerous!”

But then he heard her voice.

“Did you see the man who ran out of this house?”

“H-he went that way!”

The conversation that followed made Nox even more suspicious.

The voice sounded far too similar to Cherry Sinclair’s. If he hadn’t seen her face earlier, he wouldn’t have believed it.

Nox also noticed the edge of a box sticking out of her belt bag.

She hurriedly shoved it inside and fastened the buckle, but Nox had already identified it as an Elphinus Herb box.

When the monster was dead, Ethan arrived at the scene.

Apparently, he’d been patrolling nearby when he responded to the report.

Cherry, looking like she had something to hide, clutched her cloak tightly and fled before Ethan could catch her.

In the end, she’d gotten away.

Westmoor’s Hague at 10 Notium Street.

Benton’s Notium Street at 61.

Elphinus Herbs had been found at both locations.

And Cherry had stolen those very herbs—mistaken for drugs even by Ethan—from 61 Notium Street. She was now trying to cultivate them in the garden of that decrepit mansion.

Nox was convinced that Elphinus Herbs were somehow connected to the rumored ‘monsters.’

‘Does she know something too? About the link between the herbs and the monsters?’

That was why Nox was currently gathering information about the monsters.

Moreover, Nox held a critical piece of information. He knew which noble had covered up the discovery of a monster’s corpse at 61 Notium Street.

‘But Cherry Sinclair doesn’t seem to have any connection to that noble.’

Considering that noble’s nature, it was highly unlikely they would entrust a common-born girl like Cherry with such a covert operation.

‘Then why was Cherry there? What was her purpose?’

‘Could she be chasing the monsters too? Did she notice the patterns tying all these incidents together?’

Ever since witnessing Cherry kill a monster with an axe, Nox had stopped trusting the rumors about her.

She could have run away—but instead, she risked her life to protect others.

Maybe Cherry Sinclair wasn’t the person the world thought she was.

For now, Nox decided to watch her. It was best to observe her closely and uncover her motives.

And then there was the matter of her so-called mansion—the suspicious shelter she had bought.

*****

<Cherry’s Temporary Shelter – Happy House>

We entered the lobby of Happy House.

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to invite two of Love in a Ruined World’s main characters—Nox and Ethan—into my home.

Despite the awkward situation, my mind was preoccupied with two things: how to keep Nox quiet and whether I could somehow recruit him as Happy House’s doctor.

…Of course, I knew the chances of the latter were practically zero.

Nox removed his hat, clasped his hands behind his back, and leisurely scanned the lobby.

“Hmm. Is this really the house you’re living in?”

He looked mildly surprised—and who could blame him? The place was a wreck, like it had been attacked at some point.

I’d already questioned Vanilla about the mansion’s history, but she hadn’t known much. Her excuse? She owned too many properties to keep track.

A broken chandelier dangled precariously from the ceiling. The walls were peeling, and although I’d scrubbed the floors, the corroded moldings were beyond saving.

The built-in consoles and other furniture were old, worn, and covered in dust.

Then Ethan spoke up.

“I expected it to be bad, but not this bad.”

It was his first time seeing the mansion’s interior, so he looked around carefully, almost as if he were searching for something.

‘So he apologized about the drug misunderstanding, but he’s still suspicious about illegal firearms. Thorough as ever.’

As I mulled over Ethan’s sharp gaze, Nox stroked his chin thoughtfully and turned to me.

He studied my face carefully before asking,

“Why exactly is a Sinclair living here like this? There must be a reason.”

Would he even believe me if I told the truth?

I stepped closer and lowered my voice.

“Don’t tell anyone that I’m here. If you do, I won’t let you leave.”

It sounded like something out of a horror novel, but I wasn’t joking.

“Just to be clear, I’m serious.”@@novelbin@@

I pressed him again, determined to get a firm answer.

Nox smirked and nodded.

“I’m not the kind of noble to be that petty. I’m a gentleman, remember? I won’t say a word.”

“Thanks.”

“But in return, I want an answer. Why are you really here? What exactly did you do to end up hiding in this place? You can tell me—I won’t breathe a word to Lancaster.”

Nox smiled, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper as he stepped closer.

“Let’s keep it our little secret. I’m sure you’d prefer it that way. Personally, I find secrets… thrilling.”

…What?