Ethan showed no outward signs, but the longer he remained trapped in the mansion, the more restless he became.
At least the number of monsters lingering near the mansion had gradually decreased over time.
However, a few still stubbornly hovered near the Stone Gate, showing no signs of leaving anytime soon.
‘What the hell is wrong with those bastards? Did I smear honey on the damn gate or something?’
It made no sense.
‘Anyway...’
Where was Harrison?
Every day, I climbed up to the roof, scanning the village through my binoculars, and thought about him.
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I believed Harrison would make it safely to Happy House—he had to. After all, I was the one who had begged him to come.
He had always prioritized me.
At least... until he married Isabella, Nox’s sister.
‘He was my first love.’
I mumbled to myself as I swept my binoculars over the village.
My first love, back in my teenage years, had been Harrison.
What did I like about him? ...His face?
But that crush had ended cleanly the moment he married Isabella.
To be fair, it wasn’t even love. It was more like the admiration of a teenage girl.
And Harrison had never seen me as a woman. He probably hadn’t even considered the possibility.
Still, I’d gotten along well with Isabella, Nox’s sister and Harrison’s wife.
She was beautiful, kind, and perfect—there was no reason not to like her.
Her death had been a blow not just to Harrison, but to me as well.
Of course, she had been ill for a long time, so her passing wasn’t unexpected.
But losing someone you love is never easy, no matter how prepared you think you are.
Like I said, I thought of Isabella as family. She was Harrison’s wife, which made her family to me too.
“So this is where you’ve been.”
Nox suddenly appeared on the roof.
“You were looking for me? Why?”
I didn’t bother taking my eyes off the binoculars as I replied.
I felt movement beside me—Nox had settled down and taken a seat.
Only then did I lower the binoculars and glance at him.
Ugh.
For the briefest moment, my vision swam. It felt like a sudden, fleeting dizziness.
But it passed in an instant, so I brushed it off and added smoothly:
“I was just thinking about you, actually.”
Nox’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Me? Why...?”
“Because I was thinking about Isabella.”
My words shut him up.
The polite, social mask he always wore slipped away.
Hmm.
Noticing the subtle shift in his expression, I thought back to Harrison and Isabella’s wedding.
At the time, I had no idea that my family’s lawyer’s future wife was also the sister of the sub-male lead in the novel I reincarnated into, Love in a Ruined World.
Laying it out like that, I realized just how tangled my connections with Nox were.
“Why didn’t you stay for the reception after the wedding?”
I finally asked something that had been bugging me for a while.
Back then, Nox had only shown up briefly and disappeared right after the ceremony.
That’s why I always considered us “practically” strangers.
Nox had never once attended any family events hosted by the Ludfisher Marquisate.
The official excuse was always the same—he was too busy being a promising young doctor.
“I thought I explained that already. I was busy,” he said casually.
As he spoke, he rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a lollipop.
He even offered me one.
When I shook my head, signaling no thanks, he shrugged and put it back in his pocket before unwrapping one for himself.
Watching him, I suddenly remembered how he’d asked me to grab a pack of cigarettes at the grocery store.
And back at the Clock Tower, he had been smoking cigars too.
“Didn’t you say you quit smoking? Something about dying early if you kept it up?”
Okay, maybe he didn’t say it exactly like that, but still.
With the lollipop in his mouth, Nox gave me a dazzling smile.