The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House

"Honestly, the chairman's secrets or even yours aren’t what’s important to me," Harrison said, his vibrant green eyes shining gently.
"I’m always on your side, Miss. Please remember that I’ll always be behind you."

"Harrison..."
My chest tightened with emotion.
Harrison had always been like this—a steadfast support, a pillar in my life. He was the only family I had left.

"So please, share your goals with me. What do you envision for the future?"
"G-goals?"
"If you don’t have one, you need to create one. Maintaining an estate like this in a ruined world requires a clear objective."

I had been planning to tell him about the cure anyway.
Harrison was someone I could trust completely. If I didn’t share it with him, who else could I tell?
But even so, telling him about the novel The Love of a Doomed World seemed too far-fetched, too unbelievable. It would likely sound absurd and lack credibility.

So, I had to explain it in a way that was realistic and grounded.
"I’ve mentioned this before, right? My original goal was just to survive by hiding here. But now I realize that simply staying hidden isn’t enough to survive."
Even while I stayed in Happy House, the villagers of Brunel had come to take my mansion.

And shortly after the world fell apart, a pack of wolf monsters had stormed in and ravaged our food stores.
Even if I had been alone in the mansion, I would have eventually had to venture out for food as supplies dwindled.
In this chaotic and unpredictable world, simply hiding wasn’t a viable survival strategy.

So, while the protagonists were saving the world from the capital, I needed a Plan B.
I needed a backup plan to ensure my survival in any scenario.
And honestly, I didn’t even know the ending of this unfinished novel. That meant I had to imagine every possibility and prepare for them.

"For now, uncovering the world’s secrets, exposing the culprits behind this disaster, or rebuilding the ruined world—those aren’t my roles."
"Miss, I think you’ve misunderstood me. I wasn’t suggesting you set some grandiose goal for the greater good..."
"I know, Harrison. Not for some lofty cause, but for survival. And I’ve thought about it. Right now, the best thing I can do is work on developing a cure."
"A cure? How would you even develop a cure? Who’s going to do it, and how...?"

"Doctor Nox. He’s the one who said he’d try to create it."
"Are you referring to Nox Cornell Ludfisher?"
At Harrison’s question, I nodded.

"He has experience developing new drugs and anesthetics, and he’s conducted various medical research experiments. He thinks it’s worth attempting."
Nox wasn’t just an important supporting character for no reason. He was a highly capable elite doctor and researcher.
"That’s why I need your help, Harrison. To develop the cure, we’ll need materials. Gathering them might be dangerous."

"Miss... you’ve really grown up."
"Seriously, Harrison. I’m an adult."
Harrison, only half-listening, still looked at me with a wistful expression.

Honestly, this man acted like he was my real father or something.
"My only concern is how I can best support you in what you’re doing," he said softly, gently running his hand over my hair.
"Do you know how much I care about you?"

"Of course. I know."
"No, Miss. You don’t."
His tone was so firm that I couldn’t help but press my lips together awkwardly.

Harrison’s expression was unyielding. Then again, now that I thought about it, he was always like that—his face rarely gave anything away.
"For now, I’d like to remain the person closest to you. I’m not ready to let you leave the safety of my nest just yet."
If my father were still alive, he would have been the one to say that, not Harrison.

The look in Harrison’s eyes was warm. If gazes carried warmth, his felt like a hearth on a cold winter day.
How could such a vivid green be so warm?
"And grow stronger. Strong enough that I don’t have to worry. A world without you is meaningless to me."

Harrison’s words made my chest ache. He, who had once worried over me as if I were a child left on a riverbank, had changed too.
I reached out and grasped his hand tightly.
"We will survive, together."

Alone, it would mean nothing. Harrison had to be there by my side.
*****
That evening, everyone in Happy House except Ethan helped Cherry clear out one of the second-floor storage rooms to set up a laboratory for Nox.

As they moved through the second-floor hallway, muffled shouting echoed from one of the rooms.
“Mmff! Mmmf mmmf!”
It came from the room where Charlie Green and Kellyan were confined. No one paid it any mind.

Unlike Harrison, Jose was deeply skeptical about the idea of making a cure.
‘Still, since it’s the young miss’s decision, I’ll follow along.’
Jose carried a desk with Nox, occasionally stealing glances at the man. He couldn’t help it; he had too many negative memories tied to doctors.

Jose knew Cherry was a good and admirable person, but developing a cure was a separate issue.
If creating a cure could restore the world to normal, then it was the right thing to do. Jose genuinely hoped for that outcome.
But the odds of success were uncertain, and the cost of the experiments would be high.

Cherry herself would have to venture back out into that hellscape to gather materials.
‘Efforts like that would be better spent ensuring survival.’
While Jose admired Cherry, he thought her decision was wrong this time.

To be precise, he didn’t trust doctors.
Even though Nox was an essential member of their group, Jose couldn’t shake his distrust. The doctors he had encountered in his life had mostly been eloquent frauds.
"There’s no doctor who knows this disease better than I do. So administer this medication. The cost will be..."

"Miss Galloway needs immediate surgery. The surgery fee is..."
Countless doctors had passed through the Galloway estate, where Jose’s youngest sibling lay ill.
They all demanded exorbitant fees, but none could cure the illness.

In the end, Jose’s youngest sibling died due to the reckless treatment of one of those doctors.
‘Even if it’s prejudice, I can’t help it. I still can’t trust doctors.’
They say there’s a fine line between doctors and scientists. Shouldn’t this kind of work be left to scientists instead?

To Jose, Nox shared many similarities with the quack doctors he had known—smooth-talking, self-assured, and seemingly always in control.
‘Cherry’s too kind-hearted. What if that doctor cons her?’
Jose cast a worried glance at Cherry, who was standing close to Nox and chatting with him about something.

“Mr. Ludfisher, while we’re at it, why don’t you properly learn how to use a weapon?”
Cherry’s words to Nox reached Jose’s ears.
Startled, Jose straightened up from sorting a cabinet in the lab, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Jose, could you teach us how to use weapons?” Cherry asked, extending her hand toward him. Her “us” clearly included Nox.
Despite feeling uneasy about Nox, Jose nodded. For Cherry’s sake, he would do it.
“Of course, miss. It’s too late to start today, but I’ll begin teaching you properly tomorrow.”

But things didn’t go as Jose planned. The next day, there was no opportunity to teach Cherry and Nox how to handle weapons.
Because Ethan woke up.
*****

Ezra wiped the sweat trickling down his temple and focused all his attention on his fingertips.
A sharp scalpel sliced through the sinews of a monster. He spread the cut open with tweezers, meticulously examining the insides when someone entered his lab.
The man was clad in black work clothes that covered every inch of his skin. His hood was pulled low, and he wore a mask, gloves, and boots. Every step he took rustled noisily as his clothes brushed together.

The man stopped in front of Ezra and placed a transparent glass bottle on the lab table.
“The master has sent a fresh supply of spring water.”
Ezra scowled at the bottle, clearly displeased.

Inside the bottle, a translucent substance thrashed about violently, as if it were alive.
“How much longer does he plan to keep me trapped here?” Ezra asked, pulling off his gloves and shoving the bottle into his pocket. The man gave no reply.
“This experiment can’t be completed anyway. The most important antibody carrier is missing,” Ezra said bitterly.

“The master only asked me to inform you that this is the last batch of spring water for the month. If the spring dries up, there’ll be trouble, won’t there?”
With those parting words, the man left the lab.
"If the spring dries up, there’ll be trouble."

They knew full well that phrase would keep Ezra in check.
Ezra ground his teeth in frustration. Damn bastards.
He tore off his sterilized gloves and rummaged through his pocket for a cigar.

Lacking a lighter, he lit the cigar with a match, counting how many matches he had left. Not many.
Standing by the window, he gazed outside.
The cityscape of Westmoor spread out before him, enclosed by towering walls so high they obscured what lay beyond.

"When will I be able to send another letter?"
Smoking his cigar, Ezra thought of Aurora—the silver-haired, violet-eyed woman.
"Come to 61 Notium Street. I’ll reveal the secret of your birth."

That day, Ezra had failed to meet Aurora. Instead, he was abducted to Westmoor.
"Someone who drank the spring water was supposedly a girl about Aurora’s age. What was her name again?"
Sinclair.

He could only recall the family name, not the first name. It was unusual, but it escaped him.
"...She must be dead by now."
Ezra was certain. No ordinary human could survive drinking that.

But at the moment, Ezra had bigger concerns than a girl whose face and name he didn’t even know. He gazed out the window, his expression tired.
"How the hell am I going to escape from here?"