The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

‘What the hell?’

Just then, Nox approached me, seemingly passing by.

“Miss Cherry, where are you off to?”

“Kintne Station. Someone’s arriving today, and I need to meet them.”

“Someone’s arriving?”

“Yes, someone. And Mr. Ludfisher, when are you leaving? Can’t you go already?”

“For some reason, the more you want me gone, the less inclined I feel to leave.”

Nox grinned slyly, shrugging his shoulders. It was irritating enough that I started to understand why Ethan despised him so much.

“By the way, Miss Cherry, didn’t you say you weren’t hiding out in Brunel?”

“I wouldn’t call it hiding, but I don’t want people to know I’m here.”

“Oh dear.”

What’s with that reaction?

And Nox didn’t bother explaining it either. Instead, he circled back to my reason for heading to the train station.

“So the trains are still running as usual?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“I heard that travelers heading to the capital by carriage had to turn back because the roads were blocked starting at Westmore Station.”

Roadblocks at Westmore?

There were four stations between Benton and Brunel—Benton, Westmore, Hondorf, and Kintne (Brunel). Westmore, in particular, was a necessary stop before entering Benton.

And now the roads were blocked there?

A sense of unease crept in.

“I haven’t heard anything about the trains being stopped… I need to check right away.”

I quickly bid farewell to Nox and hurried to the carriage rental.

After renting a four-wheeled carriage, I climbed aboard, only to notice a crowd gathered near the rental office entrance.

“What’s going on?”

I asked the coachman as he climbed into his seat. He glanced at the entrance and shrugged.

“Looks like one of the coachmen tried to go to the capital but had to turn back. Seems like something’s wrong there. I heard the roads are blocked.”

That matched what Nox had said earlier.

“Hyah!”

The coachman snapped the reins, and the wheels of the carriage began to roll forward. I peeked out as we passed by the crowd at the entrance.

“Luke, do you think he has a fever?”

“He probably pushed himself too hard and caught something.”

A middle-aged man surrounded by people slumped weakly against a chair, his eyes closed.

That was the last thing I saw before the carriage left the rental yard.

The wheels rattled harshly over the uneven dirt road, making for an uncomfortable ride.

I sat in the carriage, staring out the window and nervously chewing on my nails.

Something felt wrong. There were still ten days left until the apocalypse, so why was I already so uneasy?

And then, upon arriving in Kintne, I finally understood why Nox had asked me if I was hiding.

[Breaking News! Cherry Sinclair’s disappearance explained—linked to Lancaster heir Ethan?!]

[Cherry Sinclair’s secret rendezvous with Ethan Duncan Lancaster in a rural village—high society in shock at the ‘swan and crow’ pairing!]

[Exclusive: What makes Brunel so appealing? Cherry Sinclair’s surprising choice for a vacation spot!]

What the actual hell.

A vacation spot? I came here to survive, not to relax!

And why was Ethan the only one mentioned, despite Nox also being here?

For a moment, I suspected Nox of tipping off the papers, but that didn’t seem likely. As much as he disliked Ethan and had the charm of a snake, he wasn’t the type to stoop to such petty tricks.

‘He’s more the type to make a scene openly.’

What was even more shocking was that the scandal about Ethan and me had completely buried the story about the monster attacks.

None of the papers mentioned the roadblocks at Westmore. Instead, they were all focused on this ridiculous gossip.

‘Someone’s trying to cover up the real incident. But why? What’s happening in Westmore?’

At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if other powerful figures besides Marquis Casey were involved. There was no way he could have pulled this off alone.

Damn it.

Whoever leaked this article better pray for mercy when the world ends, because I won’t be letting them into Happy House.

‘This is a disaster. My whereabouts being exposed right before the apocalypse—everything’s ruined!’

The thought of reporters swarming Brunel made me feel sick. Instead of sending Ethan and Nox back to the capital, I’d attracted even more attention to this place.

‘Harrison, hurry up. I’m seriously screwed.’

I stood anxiously at Kintne Station, waiting for Harrison’s arrival.

*****

At that moment, in the social club located in the capital city of Benton—

People gathered in the salon were engaged in lively gossip.

The topic of the day, which had stirred up the entire capital, was none other than Cherry and Ethan.

“Did you see the paper? Cherry Sinclair and the heir to the Lancaster Dukedom? They don’t match at all.”

“The Lancasters are nobles among nobles.”

Despite his impressive lineage, Ethan had a reputation for his shocking behavior and rough demeanor, which didn’t sit well with most nobles. However, his bloodline remained one of the most prestigious in aristocratic circles.

After all, nobles valued lineage above all else.

Ethan Duncan Lancaster, in particular, was a unicorn among the noble ladies of high society—a rare catch. Meeting him was nearly impossible, and even when spotted, he never gave women the time of day.

At one point, this led to rumors about his sexual preferences.

Now, groups of noble ladies huddled together, flipping through gossip columns and dissecting Cherry’s story.

“Isn’t the Sinclair family just commoners, though? Cherry Sinclair is nothing but a materialistic woman with money. How did she manage to seduce Lancaster?”

“Exactly. Ethan Duncan Lancaster is said to value skill and ability over status…”

“But Cherry Sinclair doesn’t have any skills. Isn’t she just riding on the coattails of the late Sinclair chairman and Harrison Howard?”

“That’s true.”

Aurora, returning from the restroom, overheard their conversation outside the door.

She hesitated, knowing that stepping into the salon would only sour her mood. Especially since the topic was her older brother.

“The Lancasters are nobles among nobles.”

And yet, someone like Aurora—a nameless orphan—had been adopted into the Lancaster family.

Hearing how these people spoke about Cherry made it clear how much gossip they likely spread about her as well. After all, she didn’t belong in the Lancaster family either.

Aurora turned to leave without entering the salon, but then paused when she heard another comment.

“Maybe Lancaster is so embarrassed about the scandal with Sinclair that he ran off to a rural village to avoid attention.”

“That makes sense. Where even is Brunel?”

“One paper says they’re setting up a newlywed home in some abandoned mansion.”

“What, like playing house?”

“In a ruin? That’s ridiculous. That’s not Cherry Sinclair’s style at all.”

“That’s true. Then the only explanation is that Lancaster is just toying with her.”

Her brother… and Cherry Sinclair?

Aurora had already been puzzled when Ethan suddenly left for some rural village she’d never heard of.

She didn’t have any particular interest in Cherry Sinclair, but based on what she’d just heard, Cherry didn’t sound like a good person.

Even so, Aurora had grown tired of dealing with prejudice and assumptions about herself. She didn’t want to judge Cherry by the same standards.

‘I need to go to Brunel and see for myself.’

Fortunately, Aurora had already bought a train ticket in secret, without her father knowing.

Determined, she turned away from the salon and left the social club. But then—

BOOM!

A loud explosion echoed nearby, sounding like a building collapsing.

“What was that…?”

Aurora turned toward the source of the sound, her expression tense. She saw the sign for “Bluewain Street” fly off its hinges.

It didn’t look like the wind had knocked it loose. It looked as if someone had torn it down with brute force.

Screams erupted.

“Ahhhh!”

Panicked people came pouring out of the alleyway.@@novelbin@@