“Oh. Did you really think I’d fall for such a sloppy excuse, Cherry? Then how do you explain this mansion?”
“How could I stay in the capital after seeing something like that? The letter said the monster was contagious. Honestly, I wasn’t sure at first.”
I shrugged and kept talking. Ethan didn’t seem to care how sharp my tone was.
“I told you, didn’t I? The only thing I have is money, so I wanted some excitement in my life. Even if the letter turned out to be fake, imagining a disaster and building a shelter seemed fun. But then I saw the farmer transform after I got here, and that’s when I was convinced. I don’t know who sent the letter, but everything in it was true. See? The world ended because of contagious monsters.”
“And you didn’t bother to find out more about the sender?”
“Of course I tried. But think about it. When did the incident at 61 Notium Street happen? How much could I have found out in such a short time?”
Ethan fell silent. He had nothing else to say, narrowing his eyes as he studied my expression.
It seemed my excuse had worked—at least partially. He didn’t press further. I hadn’t actually committed a crime, after all. I just looked suspicious.
“So that’s why you told people not to touch the monsters? Because you knew they were contagious?”
Ethan nodded as if he really believed me. But his eyes were still as cold as ever.
‘That’s not the look of someone who’s convinced...!’
I couldn’t think of any other explanation that might satisfy him. Honestly, there were still a lot of things I didn’t understand myself. I couldn’t even convince myself, let alone him!
And the real problem was Ethan’s lack of trust in me. No matter what I said, it felt like it wouldn’t be enough.
In the end, I decided to give up on convincing him. Maybe knocking him out really was the answer...
“So you’re not planning to tell me the truth.”
Ethan’s words cut through my thoughts. But seriously, I didn’t know the truth either!
Giving up on explanations, I decided to ask something I was genuinely curious about.
“By the way, did you ever find out who sent that letter to your sister? I’m curious about that too.”
“All I know is that it suddenly appeared on her desk in her bedroom.”
Ethan ran his hand through his hair in frustration. It was clear he was just as annoyed about not solving the mystery as I was.
But his answer left me feeling uneasy. Aurora’s bedroom desk? That meant someone had managed to sneak past the Lancaster estate’s strict security to deliver the letter directly to her.
“So it’s probably an inside job.”
Ethan nodded. It seemed he had already considered that possibility.
But he didn’t offer any further explanation. What the hell? Who was the person who sent that letter to Aurora?
The whole situation was too strange—luring her to 61 Notium Street under the pretense of revealing a secret about her birth.
‘Whoever sent that letter must’ve known about the monster at 61 Notium Street.’
As I was lost in thought, a shadow fell over my face. Ethan had stepped closer.
I looked up and met his eyes. He stared at me silently for a long time.
His icy blue eyes were turbulent, like towering waves—cold and violent. It was a look I could never hope to imitate.
“I already told you, Cherry. I’m repaying a favor right now.”
What the hell does that mean? Explain it so I can actually understand! I glared at him, demanding answers with my eyes.
But Ethan just kept staring at me, studying my face. He knew I wanted an explanation, yet he stayed silent.
The tension in the air was so thick it felt suffocating. Ethan was weighing something—calculating, or maybe even testing me.
Just as I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore, Ethan finally spoke.
“Your excuse was terrible, but I’ll let it slide for now. We have bigger problems.”
Right. There were more urgent matters we needed to deal with first.
Ethan clearly believed I was hiding something else.
And he wasn’t wrong. But what was I supposed to do—tell him this world was the setting of a novel called Love in a Ruined World?
If I tried to explain that, he’d react even worse than when I mentioned the letter.
Before I could respond, a heavy thud echoed against Happy House’s front gate.
Thud—!
It was probably the monsters gathering outside.
Deciding the conversation had gone on long enough, I tossed out a snide remark.
“Oh, thanks so much for your mercy.”
The words came out sarcastic without me even thinking about it.
It felt like I’d lost this argument. No. I didn’t lose. I let him win. If things turned against me again, I’d just knock him out next time...
“Don’t think I trust you completely,” Ethan said, cutting off my thoughts. “Even if I let the 61 Notium Street incident go, there’s still too much about you that doesn’t add up. I’m not the type to trust people easily.”
I snapped out of my thoughts about knocking him out and looked up at him again.
Ethan was looking at me with a calm expression, completely different from his earlier hostility.
Honestly, if he had pushed further about the mansion, I wouldn’t have had much to say.
Even I wouldn’t believe that the Cherry Sinclair came all the way to the countryside and spent a fortune building a mansion like this just because of a single letter.
“So why the sudden politeness? Is flipping between moods a hobby of yours?”
“You said you preferred this—formalities. I think this level of distance suits us.”
Ethan replied in a cold, detached voice, as if all the turbulence from earlier had disappeared.
I thought we’d gotten a little closer, but it felt like an even thicker wall had been erected between us.
Still, I couldn’t deny that his words made sense. Yeah, this was better. I wanted that kind of distance too.
“Do you not like it?”
“No, I agree. Let’s keep things formal. But if you change your tone and start talking down to me again like earlier, I won’t let it slide next time.”
I answered like I was humoring a sulking child.
But Ethan, who had been the one to suggest keeping his distance, now looked strangely unsettled by how easily I accepted it.
‘Geez, he’s so hard to figure out.’
Letting me off the hook because he was “repaying a favor” didn’t feel like something Ethan would do. What was his real reason for going easy on me? The more smoothly things seemed to go, the more uneasy I felt.
But whatever his motives were, we didn’t have time to waste. Ethan and I finished preparing as we tidied up our gear.
I went up to the second-floor storage room, grabbed several empty bags, and handed them to Ethan. I spoke casually, as if none of the tension from earlier had ever existed.
“We should bring some empty bags. If we find more food or supplies, we’ll need to stockpile them.”
Ethan glanced at me but took the bags without hesitation.
“You’re quick to assess the situation.”
“Spend just one year in high society. It’ll sharpen your instincts.”
“Hmph. I still don’t understand why people thought you were a useless socialite.”
I didn’t have a good response to that, so I just scratched my cheek. It wasn’t like I could tell him I wasn’t the real Cherry Sinclair.
“Do you need more medication? If you don’t want to go to Ludfisher Hospital, I can find another place for you. Honestly, I think you should just check yourself into a hospital and rest for a few days...”
Even Harrison had told me to see a doctor, so it wasn’t surprising Ethan would say the same thing.
I didn’t answer, but Ethan didn’t seem to care whether I responded or not.
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
‘I’ll just keep pretending I don’t know anything.’
With that thought, we worked out our watch shifts.
*****
Ethan went up to the watchtower first, while I returned to the bedroom to get some rest. We agreed to switch shifts in about two hours.
The mansion was pitch black and silent. With all the torches extinguished, the only light came from the moon filtering through the windows.
The mattress was soft, and the new blankets were warm and cozy. Lying in such a comfortable bed, it was hard to believe the world had ended.
Awooooo—
Aside from the occasional distant howls of strange creatures, it was eerily peaceful.
But I couldn’t relax. My nerves were on edge, and my mind raced with terrible thoughts.
‘How am I supposed to sleep when the world is like this? Damn it, how can I be so carefree?’
The carefree person, of course, was me.
I didn’t even realize when I’d fallen asleep, but when I opened my eyes again, the sun was already rising.
Damn it. I’d screwed up.
Without bothering to fix my messy hair, I wiped the dried drool off the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand and rushed up to the roof.
Ethan was sitting alone in the watchtower, staring off into the distance.