“It was strange, wasn’t it? Did you read the article carefully? Cherry Sinclair bought a deserted house in such a rural village?”
“That’s right. Sinclair has always had an oddly sharp intuition.”
“Do you think she might have gotten access to classified information about the outbreak? Sinclair’s club has always been a hub for information we could never dream of getting.”
“Maybe. She’s always been well-informed. Any business Lady Sinclair invested in was a success. People looked down on her, but she’s still the heiress of the Sinclair family. Maybe the Cherry Sinclair we knew was just a carefully crafted illusion.”
These were the same people who had gossiped endlessly about Cherry Sinclair before the world went to hell.
Aurora found their sudden change in attitude pathetic as they flipped their opinions about Cherry to suit their convenience.
‘Maybe Lady Sinclair is more like me than I thought.’
Someone who had lost themselves under the weight of everyone’s prejudiced stares.
“And now she’s with Ethan Duncan Lancaster? I can’t help but be jealous... Ow! Did you step on my foot, Lady Cotton? Huh? Lady Lancaster...? Ah...?”
Lady Seymour yelped as Lady Cotton intentionally stepped on her foot for mentioning Ethan. Only then did Lady Seymour notice Aurora’s presence and quickly shut her mouth, flustered.
Aurora’s expression darkened again at the mention of Ethan, her concern for him weighing heavily.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed through the streets.
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
Bang!
Gunshots followed the explosion, ringing through the streets.
“Oh my god! They must have come to rescue us!”
“We’re saved! Oh, thank the heavens!”
The noblewomen clasped their hands together, cheering with relief.
‘What if it’s not a rescue team?’
Aurora was the only one who remained grounded, burdened by the harsh reality of the situation.
The gunfire grew closer, and with every shot, the noblewomen grew more excited, eagerly awaiting their unknown saviors.
Finally, the gunfire stopped just outside the salon. Footsteps pounded up the stairs before the door burst open.
The first thing they saw was the uniform of the royal guard. The soldiers stormed into the salon, guns raised, immediately forming a defensive formation.
Their appearance was anything but clean. Drenched in blood, they looked more like messengers from hell than rescuers.
The noblewomen, who had been elated moments ago, froze in fear at the soldiers’ intimidating presence. Then, a man stepped forward through their ranks.
Black boots, pristine white trousers, and a matching white jacket adorned with golden embroidery and epaulettes.
Aurora’s eyes landed on his face.
Snow-white hair, piercing blue eyes. Every time he moved, the golden earring on his left ear glinted.
Despite the chaos, this man radiated an untainted elegance. It was none other than Crown Prince Theodore of Graydon.
“W-why is His Highness the Crown Prince here...?”
Lady Cotton murmured in disbelief as Prince Theodore calmly scanned the room.
“There’s no time for formalities, so I’ll forgo introductions. I ask for your understanding.”
Unlike Prince Lloyd, Theodore was naturally dignified, polite, and carried himself as a gentleman.
“Of course, Your Highness!” Lady Cotton quickly responded, her voice trembling.
Prince Theodore’s gaze lingered on her for a moment before he surveyed the rest of the room.
“What’s happening outside? Are the monsters all gone?”
“When will the situation be resolved?”
“I want to go home! Sob!”
“You’ve come to save us, haven’t you?”
Normally, the noblewomen would have been too intimidated to speak in the prince’s presence, but fear made them bold. They bombarded him with questions.
Prince Theodore didn’t answer. He wasn’t hostile, but his commanding presence quickly silenced the room.
Then, his eyes landed on a girl sitting quietly among the crowd.
Silvery hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her violet eyes gleamed with mystery. Her features bore no resemblance to Ethan’s sharp and intimidating looks.
Prince Theodore stared at her briefly before addressing the group with calm authority.
“The chaos is spreading across the kingdom. However, there’s no need to worry. The Graydon royal family has declared martial law and is successfully containing the situation. From now on, you must follow the soldiers’ instructions and remain calm. Is that clear?”
Of course, the claim that the situation was under control was a blatant lie.
The truth was that they had failed to contain the virus, and the kingdom’s military structure was in shambles. The soldiers accompanying Theodore were his personal guards from the royal palace.
But they couldn’t reveal any of that. Keeping the nobles calm until they could be moved to safety was the top priority.
“Y-yes! Of course we’ll follow!”
“You’ll save us, right? We’re all going to survive, aren’t we?”
“Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you for saving us!”
The noblewomen burst into tears, repeatedly expressing their gratitude to Theodore. Theodore turned to the military commander and gave him a nod. The commander stepped forward and addressed the women.
“Please come this way in an orderly manner.”
The noblewomen hesitated briefly before rising from their seats, gathering their belongings, and following the commander’s instructions.
During the commotion, Theodore slowly approached Aurora and greeted her.
“I’ve been looking for you, my lady. It’s been a while. I believe we spoke briefly at the Lubridge Benton College graduation ceremony.”
Theodore gave her a warm smile. They had indeed exchanged brief pleasantries at Ethan’s graduation when Aurora had visited to congratulate him.
“Ah. I-I remember, Your Highness.”
“Sir Ethan once asked me to protect you if a situation like this ever arose.”
“My brother did?”
Aurora asked in surprise. Theodore recalled Ethan’s words from that time.
“There might come a time when I can’t protect Aurora myself. If that happens, please look after my sister.”
“What’s with that dramatic request? Aurora’s safe at the Lancaster estate. And what situation could stop you from protecting her?”
“There’s something our father isn’t telling us about Aurora’s adoption. I don’t know the details.”
Of course, Ethan hadn’t predicted the apocalypse when he’d made that request.
But now, with Ethan’s last known whereabouts being Brunel, it was Theodore—not Ethan—who was in a position to protect Aurora.
“You must miss Ethan, don’t you?”
“I-I do! Is my brother safe?”
“I’m curious about that myself. I need to find him and ask him something important. That’s why I’m about to start looking for him.”
Theodore extended his hand to Aurora.
“So, what do you think? Will you come with me? It might be dangerous. Right now, I can’t even guarantee my own safety.”
Aurora stared at Theodore’s large hand for a moment before nodding firmly and taking it.
“I’ll go. I want to find my brother.”
To do that, she had to go to Brunel.
*****
I carried large stones to the lookout point to load into the catapult.
“If the rocks are too heavy, they won’t fly far. We need ones that are the right weight. We’ll have to gather more later. At this rate, we’ll use up everything I’ve prepared today.”
I muttered to myself as I placed a stone onto the catapult’s sling.
Since it was my first time using it, I was bound to fail a few attempts. Worst-case scenario, we’d run out of stones without hitting the statue.
‘No, don’t think like that.’
We didn’t have a Plan B. We had to hit the statue, no matter what.
“We can think about that after we make another supply run to the village. If we reestablish contact with the capital, we might not even need this.”
If we reestablish contact with the capital.
Ethan sounded hopeful. Not wanting to crush that hope, I kept my mouth shut.
Hadn’t I already said it? We needed hope to keep ourselves sane.
I silently checked the condition of the rubber bands and adjusted the catapult’s position. In the distance, the statue of the girl was barely visible—tiny and far away.
‘I sure talked big, but...’
What if I missed?
Brunel was a small village, and while I could see the square clearly from Happy House, the catapult wasn’t particularly accurate. Its range was only about 200 to 300 meters at best.
‘But I have brute strength.’
The catapult worked by pulling back the arm and releasing it to create force. That meant the stronger I was, the more power and range I could achieve, even if my aim wasn’t perfect.
“Wait, did something just move over there?”
I squinted toward the statue and saw something shifting behind the trees in the square.
Beside me, Ethan immediately raised his binoculars and scanned the area.
“Shit.”
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He cursed under his breath. I glanced at him, puzzled.
“It’s Ludfisher. Looks like he survived somehow. The problem is, he’s completely surrounded in the middle of the square.”