"Amy used to be an herbalist, right? I heard Miss Cherry plans to cultivate some important herbs. So Amy could take charge of managing that, and since she's quick on her feet... she could also help out as a scout from time to time. Besides, there's going to be plenty of tasks that need doing, so Amy will definitely be useful."
At Jose’s words, Amy’s face lit up. She nodded vigorously and looked straight at me.
"I—I can do anything!"
Even without her trying so hard to sell herself, I already knew Amy was capable.
She had made it to Happy House from Brunel all on her own. If I had to guess, she might even be better than me when it came to combat skills.
The thing that made me hesitate to assign her a clear role until the last moment was her knack for handling herbs. We needed someone to take care of the vegetable garden.
On top of that, the scent of Elphinus herbs drove monsters insane, so we had to figure out a way to grow them without attracting attention.
I gave Amy a firm answer.
"I said Amy’s main position was uncertain, not that she’s useless. Just like Jose said, Amy’s versatile, so I was debating where she’d fit best."
I had wanted to tell her that in front of everyone. She’d been looking far too dejected lately.
Since I genuinely meant what I said, it would have been a problem if Amy kept sulking.
Her face flushed with gratitude. It was a relief to see her brighten up again.
*****
With that, we had roughly finished assigning roles.
We decided to take the rest of the day off, letting everyone adjust to their tasks and get used to Happy House.
'Perfect. Just for today, I’ll lounge under the canopy and drink milk.'
There’s nothing better than lying under a shady canopy and sipping milk on a warm day. It’s enough to make me briefly forget about the monsters swarming outside the mansion.
As I got up after the meeting, Harrison fixed his eyes on me. It looked like he had something to say. I suddenly felt like running away.
"Miss Cherry, we need to discuss reconnaissance strategies."
Just then, Ethan called out to me. Oh no, something about this felt off too. I glanced around and decided Ethan was the lesser evil, so I followed him.
I’d just have to think of an excuse for Harrison later.
Ethan led me to the canopy in the garden. How did he know I wanted to come here? Sometimes, it felt like he could read my mind.
He flopped down onto the mat under the canopy. I stared at him blankly and asked,
"What are you doing?"
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.
"I figured you wanted to get away, so I helped. But if you don’t need me, I can head back."
"No, I want to lie down too."
I didn’t hesitate for even a second before sprawling out next to him. Ethan burst out laughing. Lately, it seemed like he found everything I did amusing.
Well, as long as his reaction to me was positive, that was fine.
I stared blankly up at the sky and then glanced back at Happy House.
"Won’t Harrison come looking for us if we’re just lying around like this?"
"Then we’ll pretend we’re having a strategy meeting."
Ethan turned onto his side, propping his face up with one hand, and stared at me. I turned to face him the same way.
"I appreciate you slacking off with me, but it’s kind of suspicious, don’t you think?"
"After everything I’ve done to help you, Miss Cherry, you really don’t care whether I stay or leave?"
Ethan sounded almost offended. I tilted my head.
"What? Of course I care. I’d be really sad to lose my milk-drinking buddy."
"...Milk?"
Ethan looked at me in disbelief, like that couldn’t possibly be the only reason.
Of course, it wasn’t just about the milk. It would be a shame if Ethan left—he was definitely a valuable asset.
But instead of explaining, I just shrugged.
His expression turned complicated, and then he frowned slightly as if something was bothering him. What’s on his mind?
"Cherry!"
Amy burst through the front door, sprinting toward us. She flopped down next to me with a huge grin.
"You know I adore you, right?"
Ethan let out a half-laugh at her words.
"Is it because Cherry owns this house?"
"It’s not like that!"
Amy snapped, clearly flustered, and I barely managed to calm her down.
We really couldn’t afford to draw Harrison’s attention right now. We had to at least pretend to be having a serious discussion.
Though, considering how relaxed we already looked sprawled out on the mat, pulling off a serious vibe seemed like a lost cause.
Honestly, I just wanted to take a nap.
*****
Nox stood quietly by the lobby window, gazing outside. He didn’t bother stepping through the front door.
Under the canopy, the two men and the girl lay sprawled out, laughing. From a distance, they looked like a scene straight out of a painting.
'They almost look like a family.'
The sight left him feeling restless. For some reason, it made him crave a cigarette—not that he understood why.
Nox pulled a lollipop from his pocket and peeled off the wrapper. He was running low on the stash he’d brought from Brunel. He needed to ration them carefully.
"When did those two get so close?"
Harrison’s voice broke the silence as he approached Nox without warning. Nox bit down on the lollipop stick and smirked.
"Don’t I look close with her? Miss Cherry and I are rather friendly too, Mr. Howard."
Harrison turned to look at him, and their gazes clashed heavily in midair.
"You haven’t even bothered to greet your late wife’s brother properly."
"Did I ever play the part of a brother properly in the first place?"
Harrison’s response came out sharper than usual. Then he shifted his gaze back to the window.
Nox, momentarily at a loss for words, found himself staring at Harrison’s profile.
If he said anything more, he’d only make himself look like trash. Nox swallowed a dry laugh.
'No, I’m already trash.'
After all, he had barely shown up at his sister Isabella’s funeral.
Harrison had been married to Isabella, but the two men had rarely crossed paths.
Nox had used work as an excuse to avoid getting involved in the Ludfisher family’s affairs, neglecting even the most basic responsibilities as a relative.
"Isabella really adored you, you know. Even after we grew up and didn’t see each other often, every time we did, she always talked about you."
"I know. Bella is still precious to me—my first and last love."
At Harrison’s reply, Nox fell silent.
When they got married, Nox had thought Isabella would suffer because Harrison Howard only cared about the Sinclairs.
But he had been wrong. Harrison had always been sincere with Isabella—more so than Nox had ever given him credit for.
For someone like Nox, who had done nothing but run away from his problems, judging Harrison was laughable.
Their gazes shifted back to Cherry and Ethan outside the window.
"You seem to care for your lady quite a bit. Like family," Nox said quietly.
"Yes. She is my family. She’s the reason I’m here."
Harrison’s voice was steady, his eyes warm as he watched Cherry.
It struck Nox then—Harrison and Ethan were cut from the same cloth.
And perhaps that was why Nox suddenly felt so utterly lacking.
He acted like he cared for everyone, yet he had chosen to remain cold and detached deep down.
Following Harrison’s gaze, Nox looked back at Cherry.
What would she think of him? How would she judge him? For some reason, the thought gnawed at him.
"I don’t want to control her," Harrison said suddenly.
He kept his eyes on Cherry, who was laughing brightly outside.
"I just want her to be safe and happy. That’s all."
Nox gave Harrison an odd look, but the lawyer didn’t glance away from Cherry.
*****
The mansion’s operations were running smoothly.
Harrison had checked my stash of supplies—counting food, water, and other essentials—and compiled a list of what we lacked and what we needed to restock.
"We’re low on food. We’ll have to secure enough to last until the crops are ready for harvest," Harrison said as we sat across from each other on the first-floor salon sofa.
"It was just supposed to be me, you, and Susanna living here. I didn’t expect the numbers to grow this much."
I fell into thought. If I tried hard enough, I could probably recall some useful details from the novel.
Even if it was told from Aurora’s perspective, I still had a general idea of the major events set to happen over the next two years.
Aurora’s group had even visited Brunel at one point. That meant I had some insight into the events that would unfold around then.
'There was definitely a dispute in Kint during that time...'