The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

That afternoon, at the Brunel Police Station.

I didn’t even have time to travel to Kintne, so I had no choice but to use the station’s telephone. Whether Ethan was here or not, I couldn’t afford to care.

When I stepped inside, I saw a group of townspeople huddled together, chattering.

Ethan was interrogating some man by yanking his ear when he spotted me and greeted me.

“Miss Cherry, thank you for letting me stay at your place last night. I didn’t get to properly thank you earlier.”

The lively station immediately fell silent.

He’d said it quietly, but apparently, everyone had been eavesdropping on us.

I felt a sudden urge to bolt out of the building, but I forced myself to respond casually.

“Oh, don’t mention it. It was nothing… Anyway, I’m here to borrow the phone.”@@novelbin@@

Ethan’s face twisted in disbelief.

“I appreciate you letting me stay, but this is a police station. We can’t just let anyone borrow the phone.”

What a stickler. After all, I had let him sleep at my place, and now he was nitpicking about a phone? Despite acting like a thug, Ethan was surprisingly rigid about rules.

Shrugging, I asked him, “Why not? I borrowed phones all the time in Benton.”

In the capital, there were dedicated phone centers, but it was also common to pay for phone access at public facilities like hotels, train stations, and post offices.

‘This world really needs public phones. I think Count Lutens mentioned working on a project for that.’

If the world weren’t ending, I would’ve jumped into that business myself.

Meanwhile, Ethan gave me a look that screamed, What am I supposed to do with her?

Glancing at the other officers, he leaned closer and whispered, “That was allowed because you’re Cherry Sinclair.”

Oh. I didn’t know that. But I still needed to make a call.

“Aren’t I still Cherry Sinclair now?”

I whispered back, meeting his gaze. Ethan hesitated, unable to come up with a response.

I knew it was an imposition, but this was urgent. I had to confirm when Harrison was coming to Brunel.

“Ethan, it’s fine. The townspeople borrow the phone here sometimes too.”

The man who seemed to be in charge calmed Ethan down.

Reluctantly, Ethan stepped aside and handed me the phone. For someone so by-the-book, he gave in surprisingly fast.

“The inspector says it’s fine, so go ahead.”

Oh. So that man was the inspector?

Watching Ethan obey him so respectfully made me wonder—what was Ethan’s rank? Probably a lieutenant?

‘Yeah, that’s it. The chairman’s son starting as an intern.’

Even if Ethan refused to inherit his title, he was still a Lancaster.

The Duke of Lancaster might have disapproved of Ethan becoming a cop, but his well-known love for his son suggested he was just waiting for Ethan to quit and take up his role as heir.

‘So why did Ethan become a cop in the first place?’

Not even the novel had explained that.

Anyway, I thanked them and dialed Harrison Howard.

Rrrrr—

Click.

[Harrison Howard speaking.]

“Harrison! Finally, I got through to you.”

[Miss?]

“What’s going on? I called because I wanted to know when you’re coming to Brunel.”

[Ah. It’s taking some time to gather the supplies you requested. I’ll leave in four days.]

“Four more days?”

I responded with obvious disappointment. Harrison chuckled on the other end.

[Just wait a little longer. I’ll inspect the mansion as soon as I arrive.]

“Inspect? Do I look like a child to you?”

[To me, you’re still the girl who ran away and sailed across the ocean on a yacht—]

“Harrison!”

[Hahaha!]

Harrison burst into laughter. After laughing for a while, his tone suddenly turned serious.

[By the way, what’s going on with that 100-million-gold loan?]

“Well, about that, Harrison…”

[Let’s discuss it in Brunel. It’s not urgent right now.]

Harrison cut me off before I could make excuses. Damn it. He already sounded intimidating.

‘But once he sees why I took out that loan, maybe it’ll be fine.’

Harrison then added another note.

[Also, about the person you mentioned earlier—it’s difficult to handle. That situation is dangerous to meddle in.]

He didn’t name names, but I immediately knew he was talking about Ethan.

It was his response to my question about whether there was any way to send Ethan back to the capital.

“I figured. I was expecting that answer.”

[Still, I’ll be careful. Thanks to you, I can head to Brunel well-prepared.]

“Alright, Harrison. Be safe.”

[By the way, I sent a weapons expert your way. Have they not arrived yet? The instructor who’s supposed to teach you how to use them.]

“What? No, no one’s come looking for me.”

I’d completely forgotten about that. Right. Harrison did say he’d send me a trainer. Honestly, it might be better if they never showed up before the world ended.

Then I heard Harrison grumbling under his breath on the other end of the line.

[That bastard, again…]

“What? What did you just say?”

[Nothing. Stay safe, Miss. I’ll see you soon.]

“You too, Harrison. Don’t skip meals.”

[Yes. Goodbye.]

Click.

Beep, beep, beep—

I set the receiver down and turned around, feeling somewhat relieved. At least I had managed to reach Harrison.

That’s when I noticed Ethan standing nearby, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“Harrison Howard?”

“You know my lawyer?”

“Who doesn’t know Howard in the capital?”

“True. Harrison’s pretty competent.”

“Is Howard coming down to Brunel? Why?”

Ethan’s barrage of questions made me frown.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Can’t I be curious?”

“It’s my personal business.”

My answer seemed to leave him at a loss for words, and he didn’t press any further.

Feigning ignorance, I gave him a polite nod and left the police station.

Capital City of Benton, Lancaster Townhouse.

“How could she not even give me her name?”

Aurora rolled around on her bed.

The savior who rescued her during the 61 Notium Street incident—it had been a woman.

The problem was that no matter how hard she searched, she couldn’t find a single trace of her.

“She must have been such a cool older sister.”

After dwelling on her mysterious rescuer for a while, Aurora looked up as her maid entered the room.

“Where’s my brother, anyway?”

“I heard he was assigned to Brunel Police Station.”

Aurora shot up from the bed.

No wonder he hadn’t been around the mansion lately.

Of course, since he became a cop, he’d spent most of his time at the station rather than at home.

“Brunel? Where’s that?”

“It’s supposed to be near Benton, but I’ve never heard of it before.”

Brunel? Aurora tilted her head in confusion before letting out a sigh.

“I just can’t figure him out.”

Ever since she was adopted into the Lancaster family, Ethan had always been like that—impossible to read.

Sometimes he acted overprotective, and other times, he’d become completely fixated on something and refuse to let it go.

‘I heard he wasn’t like this before.’

People said Ethan had changed after Aurora was adopted.

She didn’t know the exact reason, but it had always left her feeling guilty.

“Maybe I should visit Brunel.”

Just to see what he’s up to—nothing more.

But the day Aurora went to buy a train ticket, Duke Lancaster called for her.

“Did you hear that your brother’s been assigned to Brunel Police Station?”

The duke asked while sipping tea in his study.

As always, he studied her expression closely. Her adoptive father often did that—watching her more intently than his own son, Ethan.

Aurora gently set her teacup down and nodded.

“Yes, I heard.”

“Do you know why he’s suddenly acting out? At least he’s always cared for you.”

“Sorry? Hasn’t he always been rebellious? It’s strange hearing you worry about him, Father.”

Aurora looked at the duke with wide, innocent eyes and asked.