The Male Leads Are Trapped in My House-Chapter 162

"Brother!"

Aurora rushed towards Ethan and embraced him. Her delicate silver hair fluttered in the darkness as she burst into tears.

Ethan's hand, which had been aimlessly hovering in the air, soon wrapped around Aurora's back. He then grasped her shoulders and carefully examined her face.

"Is it really you, Aurora?"

"Brother? Are you really the rascal from the Lancaster family I know?"

"Who's calling whom a rascal?"

"My goodness. Seeing you get worked up proves you're definitely our house's rascal."

Aurora covered her mouth with both hands, her face alight with emotion. She seemed very skilled at delivering stinging remarks with a smiling face. It was most surprising that she did it without any malice.

I thought Ethan's nickname was the mad dog of Benton, but it seems there's another nickname used among family.

"This is real... sigh."

Ethan sighed and let go of Aurora's shoulders.

"Stop clinging to me, it's disgusting."

"As if I didn't already think you were filthy enough, brother?"

Aurora, still without any malice, cheerfully brushed off her shoulder that Ethan had grabbed.

I watched the siblings' tearful reunion in a daze.

'I wish I could reunite with my family too.'

As I thought this, I shook my head. I do have Harrison, after all. He would definitely be upset if he knew I was thinking this.

Just then, Aurora rested her chin on her hand and scrutinized Ethan's condition with a serious look.

"But really, brother, why do you look like that? Why are you in pajamas? And all these wounds, were you bitten?"

As soon as Aurora finished speaking, the knights in guard uniforms simultaneously cocked their rifles.

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Despite the threatening atmosphere, Ethan didn't even blink and casually replied.

"I'm not infected. Let's go inside to talk about this. Miss Cherry, it seems we need to return here."

With Ethan's words, Aurora finally turned to look at me, her eyes sparkling.

"Cherry? My goodness! Are you then Cherry Sinclair?"

She clasped her hands and came close to me with a very overwhelming gaze.

The women at Happy House are all so chic that seeing such a bright and cheerful character after so long felt strange.

Clap. Just then, Theodore suddenly clapped his hands.

"Wait. Before we move, we should first understand what's going on here, how we've come to meet in this place, and assess the situation."

We all looked at Theodore, who had his hands clasped behind his back and walked towards me.

Thud, thud.

His restrained steps held no hesitation. Each step was heavy with the dignity and grace befitting a crown prince.

Even in the darkness, his bright silver hair seemed to glow, adding to his regality.

My gaze was momentarily captured by the flamboyant earring dangling from his right ear.

"Lady, are you Cherry Sinclair?"

Theodore's voice was genteel as he asked me.

However, the cold look in his eyes as he stared intently at me was anything but.

I lifted the hem of my pajamas and curtsied.

"Yes, may the light of Grayden dwell with His Highness. Greetings, I am Cherry Sinclair."

It had been a while since I greeted someone with full noble etiquette, though my attire was hardly appropriate for it.

Then, what seemed to be Theodore's aide (the only one in civilian clothes among the knights) looked at me in awe.

"Wow. My goodness. The real Sinclair. Wow, amazing. I've never seen the real Sinclair before. You look so different from the pictures in the newspapers?"

Theodore sighed wearily and pointed at the aide.

"Someone shut Elderson up. Or just cauterize his tongue."

"Your Highness! That's too harsh!"

Elderson, the man mentioned, was soon dragged to the very back of the line by the knights. Ethan acknowledged that as he watched.

"Was Elderson always such a character?"

Theodore extended his hand towards Ethan, and Ethan shook it.

"It's been a while. Indeed. That guy wasn't originally like that, but the end of the world made him lose his taste. Just like you. But what can I do? He's one of my people, so I have to look after him."

It seemed like there was a line aimed at Ethan in the middle of Theodore's statement, but it must have been my imagination.

Theodore, Aurora, and Ethan standing together had no sense of incongruity. The three of them knew each other very well.

Somehow, I felt like I was standing all alone.

'Maybe I should just keep digging.'

I eyed the mound of earth that I had been shoveling, which now blocked the path up to my shins like an obstacle.

This meeting was indeed shocking for me. Meeting the protagonists of the novel "Meshlove"! And in a different way than the plot of the novel.

In this situation, I needed to think hard about how to handle things, but strangely, only the affectionate sight of Ethan, Theodore, and Aurora kept catching my eye, making me uncomfortable.

It was truly strange. Very strange.

Ethan shrugged and asked Theodore.

"How did Your Highness even get here? I knew you were alive."

"And you, how come you are here? I knew you were alive too."

While Theodore directed the question at Ethan, his gaze openly scrutinized me. Curiosity and inquiry were thick in his eyes.

"I had heard through newspaper articles that you two were in Brunel before the world ended. Could it be that you've been together since then?"

The content from the newspaper articles must have referred to the scandal involving Ethan. Theodore's question prompted Ethan to turn and look at me as well.

Then everyone listening to the conversation turned to look at me. How uncomfortable.

"And Ethan, I didn't know you were still with Lady Sinclair. Given your conflicting personalities, I thought cooperation would be difficult. Was the content of those articles true?"

Theodore asked again, seemingly surprised that Ethan and I were still together.

Ethan didn't reply, just shrugged his shoulders. Mentioning that would make for a long story, so I held back my words too.

When we didn't respond, Theodore took out a pocket watch from his pocket to check the time and then dropped the subject with a new question.

"You couldn't have been in Brunel all this time. Then Ethan, do you know where in Grayden we are?"

The question was directed at Ethan, but I answered instead.

"This is Brunel, Your Highness."

"It's not exact, but since we haven't ventured far from Entrances 1 and 2, we must be near Brunel."

At my response, Theodore's party seemed shocked. They all looked at each other with astonished expressions.

Noticing their surprise, I asked Theodore, "Where have you come from that you're so surprised?"

"We've come from the capital. We've been walking for two days."

Elderson answered from a distance, but as soon as he spoke, the knights' stern glances silenced him quickly.

So, they really had come all the way from the capital, having walked for two days.

'I can hardly believe this underground passage actually connects to the capital,' I thought, momentarily at a loss for words.

'I'm becoming more and more curious about who created this underground passage.'

Was it truly Baron Ruskin, or perhaps someone from the Roosevelt family who owned Happy House before him? Currently, there was no way to know.

"Can you return the way you came?"

However, my question was met with troubled looks. Why? What's wrong now?

"It's as if a typhoon struck; the path just collapsed. The route back to the capital," Aurora explained with a downcast face. That meant, practically, Happy House was their only option now.

"Does the Lady know what this underground passage is for? Could it have been created ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) by the Sinclair family?"

Theodore stroked his chin as he asked me. Again, all eyes turned to me.

Their looks seemed to say, 'It wouldn’t be surprising if the Sinclairs were behind such a suspicious underground passage.'

Honestly, I knew my father was capable of that and more, but so far, I hadn't found any connection between the Sinclair family and the underground passage.

Ethan responded on my behalf, lost in thought as I was.

"We were also investigating this passage. Nothing is known yet."

Theodore just stared at Ethan and me for a moment, as if trying to gauge our intentions.

His gaze, especially when looking at me, was hard to describe in words.

'Is this what being royalty is like?'

It was a bit frightening, not being able to read his intentions.

Moreover, if he knew me from before the apocalypse, he would know me as Cherry Sinclair, the socialite gossip girl, an ineffectual idler.

In such circumstances, I wouldn’t trust Cherry Sinclair if I were in his place.

"This place is too suspicious; further investigation seems necessary... What were you two doing here? Is there a place nearby where you've been staying?"

Theodore examined Ethan and my attire calmly. Surely, our disheveled pajamas made us look even more suspicious.

Explaining what we were trying to do here would mean explaining about Happy House.

That could mean having to shelter these people with nowhere else to go, now that the road to the capital was blocked.

So, I counted the heads: Theodore, Aurora, the aide, and five royal guards.

"It would be difficult to bring everyone home..."

Brunel was also bracing for a typhoon, making it hard to venture out for food.

As I pondered this, I glanced over at Theodore's party...

And then I really noticed their appearance. They looked unkempt, having not bathed for two days.

Theodore seemed to catch my muttered words, speaking up calmly.

"We've tried to clear the way, but it's not something that can be done quickly. It might take some time. If the place you two have been staying is nearby, we would be grateful if you could allow us to stay until we can clear the path back to the capital."

Before I could respond, Theodore added another piece.

"I will make sure to repay you. The royal palace has ample supplies. I will return the favor tenfold. We have much to do back in the capital and must hurry."

His words seemed calm and unhurried, but I could see a hint of urgency in his expression.

Now I noticed the dark circles under his eyes and his weary look.

'And Theodore and Aurora's silver hair looked a bit greasy...'

Most tempting of all was his promise of ample supplies at the palace, and the pledge to repay tenfold...

I seriously considered it. These were the protagonists of the novel. I didn’t think they would break their promise.

If Theodore and Aurora had come to me, maybe I could also glean some information?

Like exchanging information and necessary materials, or asking for their help.

'I could ask about Ezra.'

Moreover, the idea of following Theodore through the cleared path to the capital was very appealing.

The capital would have much more access to food.

It would be risky, of course. Plus, it might be easier to find materials needed for Knox's experiments.

'According to the novel, Theodore and Aurora discover an enormous supply warehouse in the capital around this time.'

The novel claimed it held enough supplies for thirty people to last a year.

Ethan just looked at me, ready to support whatever decision I made.

After a moment's thought, I nodded. There really wasn't much to consider.

"Follow me. We can talk more at home."

Thus, all the protagonists of the novel I had been reincarnated into, Love in a Ruined World, had gathered at my house.