The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

He must have become a rising figure while studying abroad in the Briwood Kingdom.

Theodore, frowning in displeasure, turned to the next page of the newspaper.

[Mysterious Monster Sightings Reported Nationwide… Police Authorities: “Currently Investigating”]

Another monster incident, it seemed.

“Why are there so many of these cases lately?”

Last year, there was the Westmore urban legend incident. Then, about three months ago, a large-scale funeral was held at the Marquis Casey estate. It was later revealed that the cause was an outbreak of disease.

Due to the risk of spreading the infection, the Marquis Casey estate was immediately sealed off.

Even for food supplies, the gates should have opened at least once. Yet, the doors of the sealed estate remained firmly shut to this day—almost as if they had prepared for this in advance.

Theodore looked at Elderson and asked him as if posing a quiz.

“You know whose man the Marquis Casey is, right?”

“He’s one of the Duke of Lancaster’s subordinates.”

“And the Duke of Lancaster?”

“He’s aligned with Prince Lloyd.”

“Exactly. That’s it. There’s no way those two would sit back and do nothing about what happened at the Marquis Casey estate. Something’s going on.”

Theodore stroked his chin, sinking deep into thought.

An epidemic and monsters. And the involvement of the Marquis Casey, Duke Lancaster, and Prince Lloyd—could all of this really be unrelated?

Pointing to the article about the monster incident, Theodore asked Elderson another question.

“This is related to the 61 Notium Street incident, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It seems to be the same kind of disturbance.”

With growing interest, Theodore rested his chin on his interlocked fingers. Once again, he questioned Elderson as though testing him.

“They found a monster corpse at 61 Notium Street, didn’t they? Elderson, do you know who covered up that case?”

This time, Elderson answered confidently.

“It was the Duke of Lancaster.”

That’s right—Lancaster. No matter how he thought about it, something didn’t sit right.

Unlike himself, who had no real power, Prince Lloyd—backed by Lancaster—was a constant threat to Theodore’s position.

Sighing, Theodore pulled out his fountain pen and scrawled his signature on the document in front of him.

“Conduct a thorough investigation into these monster sightings. Secure witness statements, and from now on, don’t overlook even the smallest details related to these monster incidents. Relay this to the Chief of Police and tell him I need to see him.”

“Understood.”

“And make sure to find out why Ethan and Nox went down to Brunel!”

Theodore reminded Elderson once more, just in case.

“Yes! Of course!”

Elderson responded energetically, but Theodore couldn’t shake his unease. Watching Elderson leave, Theodore continued to regard him with dissatisfaction.@@novelbin@@

It seemed he would have to either hire a new aide or look into matters himself.

*****

Brunel Village Medical Center.

“How long do you plan to stay in Brunel, Mr. Ludfisher?”

“Why do you want to know? Are you interested in me?”

“Yes.”

Nox recalled the words Cherry had said to him just yesterday. She had answered without hesitation when he’d asked if she was interested in him.

Of course, Nox knew that her words didn’t carry any romantic intent.

He had come to this backwater village out of curiosity about the monsters but ended up finding an unexpected source of entertainment.

Hadn’t he also noticed Ethan’s interest in Cherry Sinclair?

‘So what exactly is the relationship between those two?’

Cherry was the scandal-ridden gossip girl of high society, famous for her extravagant lifestyle. She was also a bourgeois who aspired to noble status.

On the other hand, Ethan despised the hypocrisy and extravagance of high society. He was a nobleman determined to dismantle aristocratic traditions altogether.

The sight of those two together—what an odd pair. It was hard to imagine a more mismatched combination. They truly came from completely different worlds.

If high society caught wind of this, they’d gossip about it not just for days but for months.

Did Ethan know? That the woman who appeared and vanished so cleanly at 61 Notium Street was Cherry Sinclair?

Nox hummed a tune, feeling amused.

Interesting. Cherry Sinclair was even stranger and funnier than he had imagined.

“Oh my, isn’t that the lady from the haunted mansion?”

The innkeeper receiving treatment from Nox pointed outside the clinic. Through the wide-open door, bright red hair flashed by—Cherry Sinclair.

She was pulling a cart loaded with weapons—axes, swords, and crossbows—as if she had looted the entire weapon shop in Brunel.

“So it’s the weapon shop this time?”

“She doesn’t stop by my bookstore, though.”

The bookstore owner watched Cherry with disappointment.

“But that lady’s surprisingly strong.”

“Right? Isn’t that heavy?”

“She’s definitely not a noble. Don’t they say noble ladies are all delicate and frail?”

“Oh, please. There’s no way the haunted mansion lady is a noble. She doesn’t even have servants and fixes the mansion herself.”

‘Cherry Sinclair isn’t exactly a noble.’

Still, she lived a life far more luxurious than most nobles, so it was a gray area.

The townspeople’s chatter only piqued Nox’s curiosity further. Hearing about Cherry from their perspective was highly entertaining.

He’d seen her mansion himself just yesterday. The townspeople were right—it was practically a ruin.

Even though repairs were ongoing, it was nowhere near the standard a Sinclair heiress like Cherry Sinclair should be living in.

At that moment, a man in a police uniform appeared. Even from a distance, it was clearly Ethan. He approached Cherry and started talking to her.

Resting his chin on his hand, Nox watched their conversation intently. He was so curious about what they were discussing that he had to resist the urge to run out of the clinic.

The townspeople observing alongside him began whispering.

“I think that policeman has a crush on the haunted mansion lady.”

“He’s been following her around nonstop. He never takes his eyes off her.”

“He even asks about what she’s doing and saying every time she comes to town. Isn’t that obsessive? Should a cop even act like that?”

So, it wasn’t just Nox who thought so.

Nox recalled Ethan’s personality. Once he fixated on something, he latched onto it like a mad dog and wouldn’t let go.

‘Then again, it could be because of suspicion.’

If Ethan thought Cherry Sinclair was connected to the 61 Notium Street incident, it would make sense.

“Assigned to Brunel Police Station? What a joke.”

If Ethan was fixated on Cherry, he must have volunteered for the Brunel post knowing she was here.

Lost in thought, Nox stood up. The townspeople turned to look at him.

“Well, everyone, today’s consultations will end a little early.”

The townspeople let out disappointed murmurs.

But Nox just smiled and cheerfully promised to see them tomorrow before leaving the clinic.

*****

15 Days Until Doomsday.

Today was the day Susanna was supposed to arrive.

Of course, there was plenty to do even before Susanna’s arrival.

First, I bought every weapon I could find in the town’s weapon shop. Naturally, firearms weren’t included. They were illegal, so the weapon shop didn’t sell them.

‘I wonder if Harrison will actually bring those guns. I wish I could at least get him on the phone.’

Pulling a cart loaded with weapons, I resolved to try calling Harrison again today.

As I walked, I noticed the stares and turned my head slightly. The townspeople were gathered near the clinic. Among them sat Nox.

Despite being new to the village, Nox had quickly become popular, especially with the older women. It wasn’t just because he was a doctor—his good looks and smooth personality made him an instant favorite.

‘Well, he is the sub-male lead, nearly as charming as the main male lead, Crown Prince Theodore.’

Ethan didn’t count since he was the heroine’s brother, so he wasn’t even a candidate for the male lead role.

Just then, Ethan suddenly appeared. He walked right up to me and spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Where had he even come from?

“Miss Cherry, what is all this?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Weapons. Don’t worry, no firearms. When you live alone, things like this come in handy.”

“This doesn’t look like it’s for one person.”

Ethan stared at me incredulously. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something but held back.

He probably wanted to ask what I planned to do with all these weapons.

I pretended not to notice and bid him farewell.

“I’ll be off now. Take care.”

Adiós.

I saluted with two fingers from my forehead and turned to leave with a bright smile—but Ethan grabbed my arm.