Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Paige Summers’s words left Claire Chapman overcome with shame. He couldn’t help but cast aside his reservations and say what was on his mind.

He hadn’t thought much about it at the time. He just figured Shawn Monroe wouldn’t give Paige a hard time right away, while the zombies posed the greatest threat to the city, so he chose to deal with the more pressing matter.

Besides, he never would have guessed that Paige Summers would go into labor prematurely, or that the situation would become so dangerous.

Afterward, he was naturally wracked with guilt. And with Marcus Monroe’s attitude on top of that... he felt more and more like he couldn’t face her.

As Paige Summers listened, she found that it really didn’t bother her as much anymore.

’After all, didn’t she know Claire Chapman’s personality?’

However, reading between the lines of his words, Paige Summers could tell he was truly invested in Southreach. A thought suddenly struck her.

"You and Maisie Joyce..."

Claire Chapman was taken aback for a moment. He then scratched his head and averted his gaze slightly. "She’s... actually pretty great..."

Originally, their engagement was just a strategic arrangement. He hadn’t really thought about what would happen later.

But during this crisis, he found that he couldn’t help but pay special attention to Maisie Joyce.

At times like these, a person’s true character naturally shows.

Maisie Joyce wasn’t soft when she needed to be ruthless, and she was never petty when magnanimity was called for. The chaos in the city was severe. Many people were injured by zombies, and many were dissatisfied with The Government. There were also those looking for a chance to stir up trouble, not to mention the incident at the Hunting Party’s gathering area that caused a commotion among the Superpower Users...

Frankly, even he wasn’t confident he could have calmed everyone down so well. And even if he could, it wouldn’t have been so quick. If those sentiments had been allowed to fester, especially at such a critical moment in the fight against the zombies, the consequences would have been hard to predict.

But Maisie Joyce had done it!

She methodically allocated all available resources, rallied everyone she could win over, and brought the situation under control in just a few days.

He admired her greatly.

No, perhaps it was more than just admiration.

’This,’ he thought, ’is probably the kind of woman I like.’

Strong, independent, and capable!

But she wasn’t just strong-willed all the time. When they were together, she would occasionally reveal a hint of shyness...

He knew it was completely unintentional, because she would always regain her composure quickly, clearly displeased with her own momentary emotional slip.

In those moments, his heart would ache for her.

She was just a young woman, yet she carried such an immense burden.

He didn’t dislike her desire for power, simply because he knew she had the capability to wield it!

’But she must get tired, too.’

’And he wanted to help her!’

Claire Chapman wasn’t clueless when it came to matters of the heart. When a man starts feeling compassion and heartache for a woman, even if he hasn’t fallen in love with her yet, it means he at least has very positive feelings for her.

What’s more, they were already engaged.

There was nothing wrong with letting things take their natural course.

After some thought, Claire Chapman selectively revealed some of this to Paige Summers.

It was enough for Paige Summers to understand that he did have some genuine feelings for Maisie Joyce.

Paige Summers finally felt relieved, and she was also quite happy for him.

’It’s not easy to find someone you like.’

’Feelings need time to grow. The intensely passionate, can’t-live-without-you kind of love just isn’t practical in the current environment. Look at her and Marcus Monroe—didn’t it take a long time for their relationship to blossom?’

Now that she understood the whole story, Paige Summers spoke more relaxedly.

"So your hesitation about returning to the base is because of her? Planning on marrying into the family?"

Claire Chapman froze, a blush slowly creeping onto his face, but he laughed it off to dispel the awkwardness.

"Don’t make it sound so bad! I was born a man of Bloodfall, and I’ll die a ghost of Bloodfall! It’s just that Southreach has been hit really hard, and someone needs to help out. She has too few people she can truly trust. I have no choice! Really!"

Paige Summers snorted with laughter. "Choosing a girl over your friends is one thing, but you’re acting all wronged about it!"

Claire Chapman chuckled slyly, winking. "Don’t tell the guys! I’m afraid they’ll give me hell for it!"

It took Paige Summers a long moment to suppress her laughter.

"Alright, alright, don’t worry. You can stay here with peace of mind. It’s a shame we can’t stay with you. My body... traveling by car will be a bit of a strain, but with Sean Raines here, it shouldn’t be a big problem. The main thing is I’m worried about my mom. I want to bring her back sooner."

"I heard about that from Marcus Monroe. But is it a sure thing? That kid Shawn Monroe is as cunning as they come..."

Paige Summers smiled. "Don’t worry, we decided on it only after confirming it’s foolproof. Shawn Monroe could never beat Marcus Monroe in the past, and it’s the same now. He took a huge blow this time."

Claire Chapman blinked. He wanted to ask if Shawn Monroe really had *those* kinds of feelings for her, which was why he was so preoccupied with her. But after a moment’s thought, he swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.

’Marcus Monroe holds a serious grudge. If Paige Summers lets it slip that I asked something like this, he might find me even more disagreeable. Yep, best not to provoke him!’

’But... there was something else he could talk about...’

After getting everything out in the open, Claire Chapman felt much better, and his usual cheerful personality returned. The two of them chatted for so long they nearly lost track of time, until Sean Raines came to hurry them along, holding the baby.

And just then, Marcus Monroe was about to return.

By evening, everyone had gathered.

Claire Chapman announced to everyone, "I will be staying in Southreach for the time being to marry the City Lord. I’m afraid I won’t be able to return to the base for a while. Therefore, all base affairs will be handed over to Deputy Base Commander Sterling and Captain Monroe. Everyone will follow their orders to protect and develop the base!"

Naturally, the team members had no objection to the transfer of authority.

After all, the Base Chief, the Deputy Base Commander, and Captain Monroe had never disagreed. Their decisions had always been unanimous, so to the team, it made no difference.

What did get a reaction was the news that Claire Chapman was going to marry Maisie Joyce. Hearing it from the man himself, everyone’s faces lit up with suggestive smiles as they exchanged winks and nudges.

"Ooooh, the Base Chief is marrying the City Lord of Southreach! What should we call him now?"

"Idiot. At the base, it’s the same as always, of course. But in front of her family, we’ll probably have to change it. How about... the City Lord’s Consort?"

"Bullshit! The Base Chief’s a man! It should be the City Lord’s... uh... hus-man!"

"Hahaha, be more elegant! ’Hus-man’ is totally crass. How about ’Lord Husband’? That sounds so high-class!"

"’Lord Husband’?! That’s what City Lord Joyce calls him in private! If you call him that, she’ll be furious! Watch out, she’ll kill you!"

"..."

The whispers slowly grew into a loud debate, and they completely forgot that the man himself was present.

Claire Chapman’s mouth twitched. He really wanted to remind these guys that he could get angry too, you know! ’And besides, you’re getting way off topic!’

Sean Raines’s face was beet red from trying to hold back his laughter.

In contrast, Marcus Monroe’s expression was the calmest. He watched Claire Chapman pensively, a glint in his eyes. ’With this kid’s abilities,’ he thought, ’Southreach might just become our territory in a few years...’

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