"The road to Notium Street—when it will be cleared, or even if it exists at all—is still uncertain... Though I suggested it, we must prepare for the worst-case scenario."
"Traveling above ground isn’t any easier in the current situation. And now that we know Prince Theodore has Aurora with him, there’s a bit less to worry about."
To get from Brunel to Benton, one must pass through Kintner, Honderp, and Westmore.
Even if they managed to safely navigate Kintner and Honderp, there was no telling what might happen in the perilous Westmore. Furthermore, Benton, the capital, would undoubtedly harbor even more monsters given its vast size.
All things considered, finding a way to move through the underground passages was the safer option.
Of course, as Cherry had mentioned earlier, knowing that Aurora was with Theodore gave them some peace of mind.
"You trust His Highness Theodore quite a bit, don’t you?"
At Cherry’s comment, Ethan nodded without hesitation. That was how much faith he had in Theodore.
"He’s a capable man. He’s maintained his position as crown prince all this time, despite having no supporters to back him."
At least the Theodore Ethan knew would do everything in his power to protect Aurora simply because she was his sister.
Even back in their days at the royal academy, Theodore had been that way. He didn’t particularly like the Duke of Lancaster, who was an ardent supporter of Prince Lloyd.
In such circumstances, it wouldn’t have been surprising for Theodore to hold a grudge against Ethan, the Duke’s heir. Yet Theodore hadn’t done so. He was someone who assessed people not through prejudice but by seeing them for who they truly were.
That was why Theodore had been Ethan’s only friend during their time at the academy. Of course, Nox had often been by Theodore’s side back then, turning their relationship into a bitter one.
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"But more importantly..."
Ethan quietly studied Cherry’s face. A small cut marked her cheek.
"What happened to your face?"
"Oh, this..." Cherry answered nonchalantly.
"I tripped."
"Where?"
"Over there earlier."
Cherry gestured toward the vegetable garden. Ethan frowned and took in her appearance. Now that he looked closely, her dress was unusually dirty and disheveled today.
"It stings a bit now that I’m conscious of it," Cherry muttered, raising a hand to her wound. Alarmed, Ethan grabbed her wrist. Cherry, startled in turn, looked up at him.
"It’ll get worse. Don’t touch it."
Ethan carefully held her chin and inspected the injury. Her breath brushed against the tip of his nose, tickling him.
Realizing how close he was to Cherry, Ethan slowly lifted his gaze. He met her shimmering golden eyes. The more he became aware of the proximity, the more vividly he thought he could smell her characteristic sweet scent.
Trying to shake off his sudden embarrassment, Ethan lowered his gaze again, only for it to land on Cherry’s slightly parted lips. She seemed about to say something, her small lips moving faintly.
Then, she said the most unexpected thing.
"Could you punch me in the face?"
Ethan froze, staring at her in disbelief, unable even to rise from his crouch.
He couldn’t help but laugh, though it was tinged with exasperation. Honestly, he was a little dumbfounded. Cherry’s words had a way of flipping everything upside down.
Before the world had collapsed, the boundaries between criminals and police officers had been clear. Now, those lines were entirely blurred.
"What on earth are you talking about?"
"It stings so much that I thought I might distract myself with a bigger pain."
"..."
"I’m joking. I’m not an idiot. Don’t look at me like that."
"I’m a police officer, not some thug who hits ladies. Besides, pain isn’t something that has to be overcome with more pain."
"Then are you saying there’s another way?"
Ethan’s eyes briefly flicked to her red lips. Since she had startled him with nonsense, he figured he might tease her in return.
But when he looked back at her, Cherry reacted in an unexpected way. Her face turned as red as an apple when their gazes met.
She slowly opened her mouth.
"Looking at me like that..."
Looking at her like what? What kind of nonsense was she about to spout now?
Ethan waited, watching her lips part again, expecting another remark.
"Ah! You startled me! There’s a kid here, so be careful where you’re doing this. Is this place for your exclusive use?"
Suddenly, Amy burst into the lobby, shouting as she caught sight of them. Cherry and Ethan both blinked in surprise and turned to look at her.
"It’s not you I’m scolding, Sugar Star. You know what I mean, right?"
Amy gave Cherry a playful wink.
Cherry and Ethan finally pulled away from each other, realizing only then how close their faces had been, so absorbed were they in their conversation.
Ethan, feeling a bit self-conscious, rubbed the back of his neck and stepped back a couple of paces. Cherry, however, wasted no time, as if the redness in her cheeks had never been there, urging him forward.
“Let’s go already. You said you found Path No. 2, didn’t you?”
I quickly changed into the clothes Emma had mended for me and returned to my room. Though, technically speaking, I’d left my perfectly functional room to change somewhere else.
It was clear—I needed to move to another room. Knowing there was a suspicious passageway by my bedside that connected to who-knows-where, I couldn’t rest easily. On top of that, as a passageway, it inevitably attracted foot traffic.
I glanced around at the people gathered by the fireplace. Among them, I noticed Jose, who had finally come down from the roof after what seemed like ages. Harrison was standing in for him.
Apparently, Jose had begged for the switch, whining that he’d practically grown moss on his body from being up there so long. Well, Harrison, who handled a crossbow as a ranged weapon, was also well-suited for standing watch.
In any case, my room had become a chaotic hub, crowded with guards, a doctor, and even the people tending the garden.
Ethan stood by the door, waiting for me.
I grabbed his wrist and pushed through the throng, making my way to the fireplace. I noticed Nox staring at our joined hands with an odd expression, but I ignored him.
“We’re heading out,” I declared solemnly.
Then, turning coolly, I headed toward the fireplace, only to trip over my own feet and stumble forward. Ethan quickly caught me by the waist.
“Careful, Miss Cherry.”
Flustered, I straightened up and nodded.
“L-let’s go.”
The unexpected contact made my waist feel almost startled. Like a creaking tree, my joints protested as I awkwardly stepped into the underground passage.
There was no denying it now—Ethan and I were partners. And a surprisingly well-matched team at that.
What I didn’t notice was the way Nox watched us from behind with a quiet, calculating gaze.
“Where do you think Path No. 2 leads?”
I asked Ethan as we pressed on, lighting the iron torch sconces on the walls.
To be honest, I was equally curious about Path No. 3, which supposedly led to “the spring.” What could “the spring” possibly mean?
“...I hope it connects to the capital,” Ethan replied in a steady voice, but I could sense the underlying mix of worry and hope.
From everything I’d observed about Ethan’s demeanor, it seemed his feelings were split—half wanting to leave, half reluctant to go.
And the latter... Well, it almost seemed like he didn’t want to leave at all.
Why was that?
Because he liked the Happy House?
No, that couldn’t be it.
While life at the Happy House had become more bearable with the growing number of people and the recaptured Brunel, it wasn’t enough for someone like Ethan to stay behind and forget about his sister.
Could it possibly be... because of me?
He’d often said recently, almost like a habit, that without him, no one would stop me from being reckless.
Was it really that? Was he worried about me? Or... was there another reason?
I had to admit, Ethan and I had grown much closer.
It was inevitable, really. From the suspicious days when he first watched me with wary eyes in Brunel, to the post-apocalyptic world where we’d been confined together in the Happy House, we’d spent a lot of time alone.
In the pre-apocalypse world, even if we’d been engaged, we wouldn’t have seen each other every day like this. But Ethan and I had been together from morning to night.
So much so that even I had grown attached and found myself hoping he wouldn’t leave.
But...
“You said it yourself. This distance, this formality—it suits us. Keeping things just like this.”
Ethan had once said that to me. That this level of distance suited us.
Right. Get a grip, Cherry. There’s no way Ethan would stay just because he’s developed feelings for me. That’s ridiculous.
Don’t overthink it. This is just self-centered nonsense.
I shook off my pointless thoughts.
*****
Path No. 2 was even longer than Path No. 1. It seemed to lead to an area even farther away than Brunel.
Ethan allowed himself a faint glimmer of hope—what if this path really did lead to the capital?
His gaze settled on Cherry, who was lighting another iron torch sconce along the wall. She seemed entirely focused on the task.
Looking at her like this, she was far removed from the image of a pampered princess raised in the Sinclair family.
She never expected others to handle things for her.
That was why she always took the lead, trusting only in herself. She had a tendency to overestimate her own strength.
To be fair, she had the capabilities to back it up. In terms of sheer physical strength, Ethan was no match for Cherry.
But it was precisely that overconfidence that made her the most vulnerable. While she acted like she’d do anything to survive, she never hesitated to put herself in harm’s way to protect others.
That’s why she’d so easily suggested taking Kintner by force.
Ethan agreed that taking Kintner was necessary. Cherry’s plan wasn’t to control all of Kintner as they did Brunel, but to eliminate the threat posed by Elliot Ready Vernonham.
From what Ethan had heard, Elliot was far too dangerous to leave unchecked.
“The path is getting more complicated. There’s another fork,” Cherry’s troubled voice broke Ethan’s train of thought.
He quickly moved to her side, standing before the unmarked fork in the path. Together, they deliberated for a moment.
“This really is built like a maze.”