The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

I looked back down at the canteen in my hands. It bore the same gentian flower pattern.
This can’t be a coincidence.
Baron Ruskin’s letter to Vanilla about searching for Seagrave flashed through my mind.

The underground passage that may have been built by Baron Ruskin, and the canteen discovered there bearing the Seagrave family crest—could the legendary family be connected to Happy House?
“Cherry, what are you doing?”
Nox entered the room with some of the others. I pointed to the canteen and the rocking chair.

“Don’t you think the person who owned this house before Baron Ruskin might be connected to the Seagrave family?”
Just then, Vanilla came down from the lookout tower and joined our conversation.
“Hm. That does seem strange. I think we need to find the property sale documents.”

“Can you look for them? Right now, if possible.”
Vanilla nodded. “I’ve been so busy with patrols and hunting that I forgot. They’re in my room at the Brunel village inn. I’ll go fetch them.”
Remembering that she had mentioned the documents before, I nodded.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Vanilla left the room immediately, and I turned to the others who were watching me.
“Let’s wait until Lady Ruskin returns,” I said.

Amy, Jose, and Suzanna, who had been observing the situation, went back to their respective tasks.
From what I’d heard, Ethan still hadn’t left his room.
That’s fine. He’s been through a lot lately. He should take this chance to rest.

More importantly, I hoped Vanilla’s documents would include information about the previous owner of this house. That might help clarify some of its secrets.
It even occurred to me that the Seagrave family might not be as mythical as the rumors suggested.
Could this house have belonged to the Seagrave family?
If I could find out who the previous owner was and what this house had been used for, it might reveal more about the underground passage’s secrets.

The passage was still an unexplored and mysterious space for us.
As I mulled over these thoughts, Nox, who had stayed behind, crossed his arms and examined my face carefully.
“Cherry, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. But… how is Sir Ethan?”
Nox’s brows furrowed in slight annoyance at my question.
“Of all people, the first one you ask about after snapping out of it is Ethan?”

Considering he had been checking on my health while I lazed around for two days, his reaction was understandable. I felt a little guilty.
“He’s fine. Still hasn’t left his room, though. Last I checked, he seemed to be asleep.”
Despite his sulky demeanor, Nox answered honestly. Feeling a bit bad for him, I racked my brain for a way to cheer him up.

“Would you like some milk?”
Nox gave me a flat look, his lips tugging downward.
“We already ran out of milk, remember?”

“Oh.”
Disappointed, I licked my lips before suddenly recalling the barn outside Brunel village.
The livestock there might still be alive. In the novel Mangsarang, it was mentioned that monsters didn’t attack animals.

With a spark in my eyes, I lifted my head. Nox, sensing trouble, gave me a wary look.
“What now?”
“We might be able to get milk.”

“Huh? But we already—”
“No, I mean there’s a ranch outside Brunel village.”
“…Do we really need to risk our lives just for milk?”

“If it were candy, wouldn’t Sir Rudfersha be just as eager as I am?”
Nox finally nodded in understanding.
“Well, while you’re at it, we should also bring back a few pigs or something.”

He sighed heavily, as if already resigned to his fate.
Of course, finding out more about the Seagrave family and the underground passage through Vanilla’s documents would come first.
“Oh, Cherry. Remember we talked about looking at the herbal encyclopedia earlier? Should we stop by the village bookstore? On the way, we can check on the Elpinos herbs we replanted in the underground jail beneath the police station.”

I nodded at Nox’s suggestion.
“In that case, we should have gone with Vanilla earlier. Let’s head to the village now.”
We had a lot to do—inspect the Elpinos herbs, find the herbal encyclopedia, review Vanilla’s property documents, and later visit the barn for livestock.

So much for taking a break.
I sighed deeply. Life wasn’t easy, even in the apocalypse.
Nox and I descended to the first floor. As we headed for the underground passage, I glanced at Ethan’s closed door.

Should I let him know we were heading out?
No, Nox said he’s asleep.
Right. Better to let him rest.

Leaving Ethan in the mansion, I exited with Nox to head to the village.
*****
Ethan Duncan Lancaster.

The sole heir to the illustrious Lancaster family. A man poised to become one of the key figures shaping the future political scene, serving as Crown Prince Theodore’s right-hand man.
From a young age, Ethan grew up constantly hearing about how extraordinary his future would be, how much of an impact he would have on the world. These praises were drilled into him to the point of exhaustion.
To him, the Duke of Lancaster was always a figure of pride—a father to look up to.

"I’m going to be a great family head like my father."
The Duke of Lancaster never showered Ethan with affection or overt kindness, as other fathers might. However, he fulfilled his role as a father diligently, occasionally showing moments of gentleness.
Ethan found that sufficient. He believed it was simply because his father was an essential and remarkable man in this world. In fact, Ethan strived to emulate him.

So, when he first enrolled in Graydon Royal Academy and later in Rubridge Benton College, Ethan was full of determination. He felt like he could achieve anything.
That is, until he appeared.
It was the night before the year-end exams at Rubridge Benton College, a late hour.

Ethan was studying in the Royal Academy’s library in preparation for the tests. There were no other students in the library aside from him.
It was always like that. No one ever stayed in the library later than Ethan. That’s why the top spot always belonged to him.
As he focused on his studies, someone sat down in the seat next to him. A stack of thick books landed on the desk.

Glancing over, Ethan caught a glimpse of the titles:
What Do People Immune to the Virus Have in Common?
The Secrets of the Seagrave Family
Connections Between Seagrave and Ancient Civilizations
Alchemists Researching Immortality
Research on the Mixture of Bardon and Elpinos.
The books had absolutely nothing to do with the upcoming exams.
Ethan couldn’t help but find it strange. During exam season, it was incomprehensible to him that someone would read so many unrelated books.

Then, the person sitting next to him spoke.
“Lancaster?”
Ethan finally turned to look at the student beside him.

The first thing he noticed was red hair. Then, the glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. Behind them were striking blue eyes, with two teardrop-shaped beauty marks beneath the right one.
The man’s face was eerily devoid of expression, cold and sculpted like porcelain. Sitting slightly askew in his chair, he was staring directly at Ethan.
Ethan frowned and asked, “Who are you?”

“You wouldn’t know even if I told you.”
This wasn’t a student. Despite looking around Ethan’s age, the man wasn’t wearing the Rubridge Benton College uniform. Instead, he was dressed in plain clothes, his expression as unreadable as ever.
“Nice to meet you,” the man said nonchalantly.

“I asked who you are. Introducing yourself first would be polite, wouldn’t it?”
At that time, Ethan was a model student, strict about etiquette. To him, the man’s behavior was deeply unpleasant.
The man raised one eyebrow slightly, as if in thought, before responding.

“Ezra Dante Rudveldt.”
Rudveldt? Ethan’s frown deepened. From his middle name, it was clear Ezra was a noble, but Ethan had never heard of a family named Rudveldt.
“I’ve never heard of the Rudveldt family.”

“That’s because I haven’t been awake for very long.”
Ezra’s reply was calm, almost leisurely.
"What the hell does that mean?"

Ethan couldn’t make sense of his words. And with Ezra’s impassive expression, it was impossible to discern what he was thinking or what his intentions were.
“How much do you trust your father—the Duke of Lancaster?” Ezra asked, his tone measured and composed.
“I trust him more than anyone in the world. I’ve never met a man as admirable as my father,” Ethan replied firmly.

Ezra let out a scoffing laugh. The sound was dripping with derision, and Ethan’s face twisted in anger.
“Are you laughing?”
“Your father is about to bring a child into your family. A girl younger than you.”

Ezra began speaking unprompted, sharing bizarre details.
“He’ll introduce her as your new sister, saying she’s to be adopted.”
And as Ezra continued, his words became increasingly harder for Ethan to believe.

“He won’t tell you exactly where he found her. Naturally, because she was kidnapped. Her parents were killed.”
The absurdity of it all made Ethan’s face contort in fury.
“Don’t insult my father. What do you know about him to tarnish his honor?”

“Honor? Does he even have any left? You don’t believe me? Just watch. There won’t be any,” Ezra sneered again.
Ethan glared at him with nothing but hostility. If duels were still in fashion, Ethan would have thrown a glove at him on the spot. But challenging someone who likely didn’t even know how to wield a sword wasn’t exactly honorable.
Unconcerned with Ethan’s thoughts, Ezra continued.

“Your job from now on is simple. Protect the girl who will become your sister.”
“Why should I? And how do you even know that? Why should I trust you?”
“I have to find the spring now,” Ezra said as he stood up. Gathering the books he had stacked on the desk, he cradled them in his arms.

Ethan grabbed Ezra’s arm in haste.
“Where are you going? Answer my questions before you leave!”
“There’s someone else who drank from the spring,” Ezra said, ignoring Ethan’s demands entirely.

“And I need to find that person too. They might be useful to us.”
With that, Ezra walked away, leaving Ethan behind, still reeling from his strange encounter.