The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

Thankfully, no more monsters were chasing them.

Harrison cautiously approached Jose, who looked worse for wear.

"Are you injured...?"

"Just scratches. I wasn’t bitten."

"I know it’s a bit much to ask, but can I check? It’s best to make sure there are no bite marks."

Nikolai, scrutinizing Jose with a worried expression, chimed in. Jose nodded without hesitation.

After thoroughly checking, Nikolai confirmed that there were indeed no bite marks and finally let Jose go.

"How did you manage to come out of that horde unscathed...? I can hardly believe it."

Nikolai looked at Jose with admiration before posing a question.

"Have you considered coming with us to the capital? I’d like you to join the royal guard. Our goal is to restore the world to its former state. Your skills would be a tremendous asset."

"Not without Miss Cherry and Mr. Attorney’s permission."

At Jose’s response, all eyes naturally turned to Harrison.

"...I’m not your guardian. Why would you need my permission? If you want to go, just go."

"Then I’m not going. I’d rather be a pillar of Happy House."

Jose’s firm answer left Nikolai disappointed, while Amy exhaled in relief, her face visibly relaxed.

Jose shrugged and picked up the rifle he had discarded, inspecting it for damage.

"At any rate, it’s a relief you’re safe."

Harrison patted Jose on the head. The group collectively shared their relief that they had all survived.

Unfortunately, only the two pigs Harrison managed to bring back had been saved.

The unexpected monster attack had caused the losses, but the modest results left everyone feeling downcast.

Harrison offered words of encouragement.

"Didn’t we agree to source supplies from the capital? We never expected livestock to still be in the pens anyway. Don’t let this discourage you—there will be other opportunities."

The mention of restocking supplies in the capital seemed to lift their spirits. If they followed Theodore to the capital, they could replenish their food stores. There was no need to despair.

Harrison’s words seemed to resonate with Amy, who quietly repeated them to herself, as if drawing strength.

The group descended the hill and finally entered the safety of Brunel Village.

"You’re back! Everyone’s okay, right?"

From the direction of the police station, a woman with striking pink hair and dazzling features ran toward them.

It was Cherry Sinclair.

The sight of her immediately eased the tension in the Happy House group. Her presence made their survival feel real, and her being there reassured them that they could finally relax.

"Harrison, I was worried since you didn’t return for so long."

Cherry ran to Harrison and hugged him tightly. The tension that had gripped Harrison’s body eased the moment he embraced her.

He sighed deeply, pulling her closer and burying his face into her shoulder, inhaling her familiar scent.

She was the only person who allowed him to breathe freely.

Whether Cherry realized the effect she had on him or not, she continued holding him as she looked over his shoulder at the others.

"Is everyone okay? Oh, and I heard on the way—Route 8 has been cleared. We can go to the capital now."

Amy, who had been holding back her tears, broke down, sobbing like a child who had just found their lost mother.

"S-sis...! H-heung!"

When Cherry approached her, Amy threw herself into Cherry’s arms, clinging tightly.

Cherry patted Amy’s back, looking bewildered, but her expression shifted to shock when she saw Jose’s state.

"Jose, are you okay?"

"I’m fine. I wasn’t bitten."

After hearing this, Cherry got a full account of what had happened from Nikolai and Harrison. When her eyes landed on the two pigs Jose had brought back, her lips quivered, and she bit down hard on her lower lip, visibly moved.

"You’ve all been through so much. Thank you for surviving..."

She embraced each of them warmly, one by one.

Even Jose, who had been holding back his tears, broke down the moment Cherry hugged him.

"Miss..."

Tears silently streamed down his delicate face as Cherry cupped his cheek and gently wiped them away.

"Don’t cry. You did well."

Jose bit his lip, overwhelmed by her kindness, and tried to swallow his sobs.

Cherry, sensing his bottled-up emotions, stayed by his side, patiently wiping away his tears again and again.

For a while, their quiet sobs were the only sounds that echoed softly through the village.

*****

Central Benton, Blueway 86, Sinclair Hotel Benton Branch.

The location had been under the watchful eye of Prince Lloyd's faction even before the world fell into ruin.

With its unique combination of a mixed-use commercial complex and a hotel, it had the potential to become an excellent survival camp if the building could be fully secured.

Technically, the term "mixed-use commercial complex" was an understatement. Its official name was the Sinclair Department Store.

Two blocks away from the Sinclair building, on the rooftop of the Devonshire Marquis’s townhouse, Prince Lloyd scanned the surroundings through a pair of opera binoculars. He turned to the Marquis.

"How long did you say it would take to reach the palace from here?"

"We would need to cross four more blocks, Your Highness."

"That’s far too distant."

Lloyd muttered a curse as he gazed through the binoculars at the distant walls of the Graydon Palace.

"Damn it! We can’t seize the palace, we can’t seize the Sinclair Hotel, and we can’t even take Nottingham Street!"

At Lloyd’s outburst, the Devonshire Marquis cautiously unfolded a map of the capital.

"But we did secure the Enumps District, where the telephone exchange is located."

"And what good does that do us! Enumps is the smallest district in the entire capital!"

"We received word from Westmore, didn’t we? A drug to control the monsters is being developed as we speak."

"That crazy scientist finally succeeded? Wasn’t it called Rudbelt or something?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Once it’s complete, the capital will undoubtedly fall under our control."

Lloyd finally calmed down, his lips pressing into a thin line. The Marquis clicked his tongue and returned his attention to the map.

"Ah, Marquis. What about that bear hunt? How’s that progressing?"

"Bear hunt?"

"The so-called ‘bear’ in Brunel who tears apart monsters with his bare hands. Didn’t the Duke of Lancaster say his son couldn’t retrieve him because of that beast?"

"Ah, yes. I heard that Sir Kellion, stationed in Kint, has been deployed to handle it. There hasn’t been a report yet."

"...Could it be that this Kellion fellow is dead and that’s why there’s no report?"

"It’s hard to say for certain. The state of the world makes it difficult to get things done as quickly as we’d like."

Lloyd ripped off his cravat in frustration, flinging it to the side. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he froze.

"Wait, it’s not just Ethan Lancaster in Brunel, is it?"

"Pardon? Who else are you referring to...? Surely you don’t mean Cherry Sinclair?"

Lloyd nodded, and the Marquis scoffed.

"As if that woman could still be alive. Unless that ‘bear’ who tears apart monsters also got annoyed and killed her."

His tone was filled with disdain and dismissal, sentiments Lloyd seemed to share.

"Exactly. I’ve never met Cherry Sinclair myself, but I feel like I know her from how often she appeared in the papers. But Marquis, did you know? There’s a rumor that those who take refuge in properties owned by the Sinclairs have a higher chance of survival."

The Marquis thought of the capital’s remaining survival camps.

Currently, the major camps were Graydon Palace, the Devonshire Marquis’s townhouse, the Sinclair Hotel Benton Branch, the Sinclair factory complex, and Wellington Ford School, a high school under the Sinclair Foundation.

There were unconfirmed rumors about the Sinclair family’s townhouse being intact as well, but that wasn’t verified.

Among these, camps bearing the Sinclair name were especially noted for their formidable defenses.

“Even if you fall into a trap, you’ll survive if you’re with Sinclair.”

What started as a joke among workers had now become a glimmer of hope for survivors.

"If Cherry Sinclair is alive, don’t you think she could be useful? The Sinclair survival camps alone number three. Using her might make it easier to seize those locations. Not to mention, we could uncover hidden resources from the Sinclair family."

The Marquis stared at Lloyd as if he’d been struck by lightning. It was an excellent idea—too good to have come from Lloyd, in fact.

"She’s an airheaded woman, so she’d be easy to manipulate. If she’s alive, that is."

Of course, all of this hinged on the assumption that Cherry Sinclair was still alive.

If the newspaper report before the apocalypse was accurate, Cherry Sinclair and Ethan Lancaster were in Brunel. But whether she had survived or met her end was still unknown.

"Contact Westmore and tell them to find Cherry Sinclair. If she’s alive, securing her along with Ethan Lancaster is imperative. Oh, and make sure to add that she’s to be brought back, even if it means abducting her."

The Marquis hesitated momentarily at Lloyd’s order.

While he agreed with the idea, he thought the chances of Cherry Sinclair still being alive were slim.

Nevertheless, he nodded. If Cherry Sinclair was alive, it would indeed be a fortunate turn of events, so there was no harm in trying.

Not that he expected much.

*****

"Lady Sinclair is not someone who should be hiding her talents in the countryside."

Theodore began yet another round of fervent attempts to recruit me. Now that Route 8 was cleared and it was time to return to the capital, he seemed to be in a hurry.

With the livestock team back, all that remained was for everyone to depart together for the capital.

Squatting in front of the mutant monster, I half-listened to Theodore's persuasion, letting his words go in one ear and out the other.

"Leonardo, paw."

I extended my hand, holding the Elpinos herb.

The creature flapped its short arms furiously but couldn’t reach me. Realizing its arms were too short, it gave up trying to extend them and paused to think.

After staring at the Elpinos in my hand with longing eyes, it turned around and placed its tail neatly into my palm.

I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. The creature was starting to look almost adorable.

"Good job. Here you go."

I grabbed its tail, gave it a gentle shake, and tossed the Elpinos herb. The monster jumped and swallowed it in one gulp.

"Miss Cherry, you could be a monster tamer at this rate."

Ethan came out to call me and witnessed the scene, clapping his hands. His gaze shifted to Theodore, who stood behind me.

"The lawyer asked for everyone to gather in Jose’s room. By the way, Your Highness, do you like Miss Cherry? Why else are you trailing after her like this?"

"Trailing after her? You have no filter, do you?"

Despite his words, Theodore seemed embarrassed, glancing at me before clearing his throat awkwardly.

"I’ll head inside and prepare for departure."

With the plan to leave in two hours, it was true that preparations needed to be made.

After Theodore returned to the mansion, it was just Ethan and me left outside. It felt like it had been a while since we’d been alone together like this.

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