The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

The monster’s corpse was ultimately burned in the garden of Happy House instead of being moved. For the entire day, thick smoke billowed into the sky. The monster’s body burned for a long time.

A strange atmosphere lingered over the mansion. Vanilla, Ethan, and I stood silently, watching the monster’s corpse burn.

No one dared to speak at first, but then Vanilla quietly broke the silence.

“What exactly was that?”

She muttered as she stared blankly at the rising smoke.

“I don’t know.”

I feigned ignorance for now.

An uncomfortable silence fell once more. Crackle, crackle. The sound of firewood burning mixed with the foul stench of the monster’s burning flesh.

Dark clouds loomed ominously in the sky.

“Before…”

Ethan started to speak but trailed off. His brow furrowed as if recalling something.

“I think I’ve seen something like this before.”

My heart dropped at Ethan’s words. Feigning innocence, I asked him,

“Where did you see it? And what happened to them?”

“There was an incident at 61 Notium Street. I saw something similar in Benton. No casualties, though. The thing died before it could harm anyone.”

“It died beforehand?”

Vanilla asked, her face puzzled. Ethan kept his eyes on the burning corpse as he replied.

“Yes. Some woman killed the monster by herself.”

Then Ethan suddenly pulled a round brooch out of the pocket of his uniform jacket.

“This belonged to her. I didn’t see her face, but I think she knows something about all of this.”

Ethan muttered. The brooch in his hand was far too familiar. It was the kind of accessory I’d rather pretend not to recognize.

Vanilla glanced at Ethan’s face, then shifted her gaze to the brooch in his hand.

“Wait a minute. These initials… Could this be the owner’s name?”

“That’s my guess.”

“These initials match Lady Sinclair’s, don’t they?”

Vanilla and Ethan both turned to look at me. Cold sweat trickled down my back, but I forced a casual smile.

“Huh, that’s odd. I mean, I did… Anyway, I saw the news article too. What could have happened there?”

I swallowed back the words I almost blurted—‘I don’t know how to use an axe.’

Ethan never mentioned anything about the woman using an axe. I nearly confessed the truth with my own mouth.

Ethan stared at me, his expression unreadable. It felt like all the blood in my body had dried up.

Yet, unexpectedly, Ethan didn’t question me this time either. I couldn’t tell if he was pretending not to know or if he truly didn’t suspect anything.

‘This is even scarier.’

Silence fell again. We stared quietly at the flickering flames.

“61 Notium Street… Why does that sound so familiar?”

Vanilla muttered, then turned to look at Ethan and me.

“If that monster showed up at 61 Notium Street too, doesn’t that mean it could appear elsewhere?”

“If what we saw earlier is any indication, there’s a risk of infection. If that’s true, this could be catastrophic.”

Vanilla and Ethan voiced their concerns one after the other. I couldn’t offer them any answers. Sadly, their fears were already too late.

The virus was already spreading, and the end was near.

“Maybe that’s why that woman killed the monster immediately.”

Ethan muttered under his breath. But I heard him clearly, and I knew he was referring to me.

“We should notify headquarters and launch a full-scale investigation. We need to search for more of these creatures.”

Ethan spoke as if talking to himself, though his voice was a little too loud to be a mere murmur.

Vanilla stood beside him, nodding absentmindedly.

The ruined world was too harsh for someone like Ethan—someone willing to sacrifice himself for others.

Ethan was the last person who should be sacrificing himself. His blood was destined to save the world.

‘I really think Ethan should go back to the capital.’

Aurora, as the heroine, was guaranteed to survive, so it’d be better if he stayed with her.

As I said before, if not, I’d have to be the one to protect Ethan.

“If you’re reporting to headquarters and starting an investigation, does that mean you’ll be heading back to the capital?”

I asked Ethan, holding onto a small hope. But Ethan simply stared at me. His expressionless face felt unnervingly cold.

Finally, he answered.

“No. I’m staying here.”

“Why? Why?”@@novelbin@@

I stammered, clearly flustered. Ethan raised an eyebrow, looking displeased.

“Because the monster appeared here. We need to investigate locally as well.”

Damn it. I felt despair creeping in at Ethan’s words.

‘There’s still a bit of time left…’

I started calculating the remaining days once again.

*****

Ten days remained until the end of the world.

Happy House was beginning to take proper shape as a shelter.

The kitchen was neatly stocked with food and cooking tools, and the water tanks were filled to the brim.

The banquet hall looked ready to host guests at any moment, and the torches and chandeliers lining the corridors had been replaced with new ones, leaving the space spotless.

The catapult on the roof, prepared for an attack from monsters, was fully installed.

Upstairs, the rooms had been turned into storage spaces, packed with enough supplies and furniture to last the three of us comfortably for two years.

Just then, Susanna came down the lobby stairs.

“The second floor is all organized. You cleaned it so well that I didn’t have anything left to do.”

She walked over to me, her eyes bright.

Thanks to consistent cleaning since the mansion’s purchase, it was in surprisingly good condition despite its age. Holding a broom, Susanna looked at me with admiration.

“I had no idea you could clean this well. Is there anything you can’t do, my lady?”

Once again, Susanna proved she was an angel. I rushed over and clasped her hands tightly.

“Susanna, you’re the best!”

She smiled shyly and nodded. I patted her head before opening the front door and stepping outside to check the garden.

On the right side of the garden, I had planted rows of Elphinus Herb seeds, marking the area with a sign to keep them separate. The left side, reserved for other crops, had already been fertilized and was ready for planting.

Beyond the garden was the chicken coop, and next to it, a small shed filled with tools, weapons, and gardening supplies.

The mansion’s walls, reinforced and thickened, now towered higher than before. Barbed wire lined the top, making it difficult for monsters to climb over.

Looking at the completed shelter, I felt tears welling up. The hardships I’d endured flashed through my mind like a slideshow.

‘Money really is the best.’

Having built and customized this place with my own hands, I’d grown attached to it. I even found myself joking about living here until I died of old age.

It was practically an independent home—something I had never achieved in my previous life. I had finally realized the dream of owning my own place!

‘You did great, Cherry. Seriously, well done.’

As I praised myself, I glanced toward the main gate. Susanna, who had followed me outside, pointed at the gate and spoke.

“The gate isn’t hard to open or close, but the latch is too heavy, my lady.”

She pointed to the massive latch standing next to the stone gate.

“We won’t need to go outside much anyway.”

Of course, Susanna didn’t understand what I meant.

‘Now we just need Harrison to arrive.’

Today was the day Harrison was supposed to travel from the capital to Brunel. I prepared myself and stepped out of the mansion.

Police officers were patrolling the outskirts of the village and the area around Happy House from early morning.

As Ethan had mentioned, the investigation was underway. They weren’t just patrolling but also examining the scene of the incident.

I took my cricket bat and briefly checked the area with them, but as expected, we found nothing.

“I’ve been searching since morning, but there’s no sign of any beasts or nests. Did those monsters really exist?”

One of the middle-aged officers, sporting a stylish mustache, muttered as he poked through the bushes. I quickly agreed.

“Exactly. There’s no way more of those things are out there. I think we’ve searched enough.”

Unless the apocalypse had sped up, there wouldn’t be swarms of monsters yet. Even if they did appear, the ones showing up now would still be weak—easy enough for me to crush with a single swing of my bat.

Still, I appreciated their efforts and walked around the area a bit longer before bidding them farewell.

“I have some errands to run, so I’ll head off now. Thank you for coming out today, officers.”

With that, I hurried out of the forest.

‘So much to do.’

I needed to meet Harrison, so I’d better head to the train station quickly.

When I arrived in Brunel village to rent a carriage, something felt off.

The townspeople whispered and stared at me as I passed by.