The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

We resumed our search for the herbal compendium.
“The alchemists who frequented the Marquis of Casey’s estate often requested Bardon. They even recruited clinical trial subjects, claiming they were developing a new drug.”
I watched Nox struggle to pull books out from under the wreckage before stepping in. Effortlessly, I lifted the heavy debris for him.

Nox stared at me, dumbfounded.
“Miss Cherry… you’re truly dependable.”
I moved a beam of wood that was as tall as Nox himself onto my shoulder and set it aside, swallowing a lump in my throat. That wasn’t exactly the kind of compliment I’d wanted from such a handsome man…!

As I cleared the debris piece by piece, Nox sorted through the books beneath them, continuing to speak.
“Elpinos was originally nothing more than a weed, but at some point, it began being mass-produced and sold widely. Interestingly, the primary producer and distributor of Elpinos was none other than the Casey family.”
His words piqued my interest. This was new information, even to me.

“And one of their most consistent buyers was the Duke of Lancaster.”
“I suspected the Marquis of Casey was connected to the virus outbreak. You remember how people died of a plague at his estate before the world ended, right?”
Of course, I knew that from the novel Love Amid Despair, though I made it sound like an educated guess based on circumstances.

“Hmm. Now that you mention it, it does seem suspicious. I never linked the virus to them before, but seeing how those viral monsters are drawn to Elpinos herbs… perhaps the Marquis of Casey, and even the Duke of Lancaster, were involved.”
“The Duke of Lancaster too? If that’s true, could Prince Lloyd also be connected? Both the Marquis and the Duke were allied with his faction, after all.”
In the novel, Prince Lloyd dies, but the Duke of Lancaster was never mentioned in connection to those events. The story had been discontinued before revealing what came next. But what if the Duke turned out to be the ultimate villain?

“It’s suspicious, for sure. But the Marquis of Casey is dead, so it’s hard to imagine the Duke of Lancaster survived either…”
“He might still be alive,” I countered. “If he truly was involved in this, he may have prepared for such a situation.”
Nox nodded, agreeing with my reasoning. Just then, he pulled the herbal compendium from the rubble.

Flipping through the alphabetized index, he located the entry for Elpinos.
“Here it is: Elpinos.”
He pointed to a section of the book, and I read aloud.
[Elpinos (Elpinus)]

A parasitic herb that grows on insects. Known for its restorative properties, it also aids with headaches, indigestion, and detoxification. It thrives in the Kingdoms of Graydon and Briwood, as well as the northwest continent. Due to its resistance to sunlight, it can grow in wetlands and dark caves. However, it requires insect carcasses for nutrients and will not grow without them.
Its appearance resembles that of a worm, which has led to its association with the legendary centipede-like monster, Elpinos, from which it gets its name.
“A monster called Elpinos?”

I’d never heard of such a thing. I glanced at Nox, who shrugged.
“Looks like we’ll have to search for books about legendary monsters now,” he said, chuckling in disbelief.
Without hesitation, Nox began scouring for relevant books. Meanwhile, I continued reading the entry.

[In the Kingdom of Graydon, Elpinos is found in the following locations: near the Reed River in the northern capital of Benton, the hills behind Brunel, the Fenzen Caves in southern Rozana, and the Nor Marshes of Silvagon.]
“Wait, the hills behind Brunel?”
Hearing my muttered reaction, Nox looked up and approached to read over my shoulder.

“That would be the mountain behind Happy House. How convenient. Could this really be a coincidence?”
His tone was laced with curiosity, echoing my own suspicions.
The underground passage beneath Happy House, the naturally growing Elpinos in the nearby hills, the Marquis of Casey’s experiments using Bardon derived from Elpinos, and the Duke of Lancaster’s involvement in trading with the Marquis…

“I need to discuss this with Sir Ethan. If it’s his father, he might know something.”
Nox nodded in agreement. “Before that, perhaps we should look for a bestiary. That Elpinos monster has been nagging at me.”
Despite our thorough search of the collapsed bookstore, we found no bestiaries or information about legendary monsters. The mystery of the Elpinos monster remained unsolved.

“There might be a bookstore in Kintner. I’ll ask Nick about it,” I suggested.
“That sounds like a good plan,” Nox replied, nodding his approval.
At that moment, Vanilla appeared from a nearby building, carrying an armful of documents. It must have been the inn, given the location.

“Oh? You’re all out here,” she said, walking toward us.
“What are you two up to?”
“We were looking for an herbal compendium,” I replied, holding up the book.

My gaze shifted to the papers in her arms. “Are those property contracts?”
“Ah, yes. The café terrace at the inn is still intact. Shall we talk there for a bit?”
Vanilla gestured toward the inn’s ground-floor terrace, which seemed untouched by the attacks.

I remembered Victor, Emma, and Amy mentioning that they and the villagers had hidden in the inn’s second-floor rooms during the chaos.
“Sir Ethan and I used to have coffee there before everything went to hell,” I said, recalling how much of a nuisance he had been back then, tailing me like a detective on a case. It felt surreal how distant those memories seemed now.
“Recollecting fond memories of Sir Lancaster? As someone who poured my heart into teaching you first-aid techniques, I must say I’m feeling quite neglected,” Nox quipped with a cheerful smile. His friendly tone carried an unsettling chill.

“O-Of course, I haven’t forgotten your help, Mr. Ludfisher,” I stammered.
“Hmm.”
Nox gave me a smile, one that carried a hint of disapproval, as though my response wasn’t quite satisfying. The ambiguity of his expression somehow made it even more unsettling.

“Hello, Miss!”
“Our lady!”
As we headed toward the inn’s café terrace, villagers passing by greeted me enthusiastically. They always seemed eager to acknowledge me, whether I was with the Happy House residents or alone.

“You look stunning today!”
“Thank you,” I replied, offering them a warm smile. Well, I was looking particularly good today. After all, I was wearing the new outfit Emma had made for me.
Riding pants, a crisp shirt, an ornate jacket paired with a cape, and even a cocktail hat. My thigh-high boots clicked against the ground as I strode confidently.

“Miss Cherry was always renowned for her beauty. A true trendsetter,” Nox remarked.
“I heard Miss Sinclair was quite a prominent figure in the capital,” Vanilla added as she opened the inn’s door. Seeing this, Nox quickly interjected, letting out a theatrical “Oops!” as he moved to hold the door.
“Ladies first,” he said with a sly grin.

Vanilla and I exchanged a glance before stepping inside.
The café on the inn’s first floor was eerily quiet. It was only natural—this place had been abandoned for some time.
We sat down at a table, facing one another.

“Did you check?”
I didn’t specify what, but both Vanilla and Nox understood. Vanilla placed the documents she’d been carrying onto the table.
“It doesn’t seem to have any connection to the Seagrave family,” she said.

I scanned the documents she laid out. Among them were the property sale contracts—one signed by Baron Ruskin and the updated one now under Vanilla’s name.
The key was the contract signed by Baron Ruskin. As Vanilla said, there was no mention of the Seagrave family anywhere.
The name listed as the seller was Philip Montaigne Rudveldt.

“Have you ever heard of the Rudveldt family?” I asked.
Both Nox and Vanilla shook their heads. If even Nox, who was well-versed in noble lineages, didn’t recognize the name, it had to be a very minor family—or one intentionally hiding its existence.
Still, something about the name Rudveldt felt oddly familiar.

“Was it in Love Amid Despair?”
It teased the edges of my memory. I couldn’t recall anyone significant by that name, but it lingered, just out of reach.
“I thought we’d learn something, but it seems we’ve hit a dead end,” Nox said, giving up on placing the Rudveldt name.

“We’re no closer to understanding who built the mansion or why they constructed the underground passage,” Vanilla sighed.
“Rudveldt… Rudveldt…”
I was on the verge of remembering when a sudden realization hit me, and I sprang to my feet. Vanilla and Nox looked at me in surprise.

“What’s wrong, Miss Cherry? What did you see?”
Nox stood and scanned the room, while Vanilla quickly reached for the shotgun resting on her chair.
Flustered, I waved my hands to calm them down.

“Sorry! I just—something about the name Rudveldt came to me, and I got startled.”
“So, did you remember? Do you know them?” Nox asked, his curiosity mirrored in Vanilla’s gaze.
But I couldn’t tell them. Scratching the back of my head, I forced an awkward smile.

“Not quite. It’s right on the tip of my tongue, though…”
Disappointed, they both sat back down. I followed suit, feeling slightly guilty. I couldn’t reveal the truth—that the name came from the novel Love Amid Despair.
Ezra Dante Rudveldt.

The future scientist who would create the virus cure.
It was impossible to tell them that.