Chapter 103
A large, strapping man collapsed like a paper doll.
After binding Philip tightly to a chair, I dragged over Elliot—who was groaning from the pain of his gunshot wound—and tied him up just as securely to a chair on the opposite side.
Once the two were dealt with, I locked the door. I even hauled a large dresser over to block it, ensuring it wouldn’t be easily opened.
Then, I dragged the man who had been knocked unconscious near the railing and tied him to the bed as well.
Whew, I’m quite thorough.
The situation had been settled so cleanly largely because they had underestimated me as the “heiress” from the rumors—a mere young girl.
Well, I had allowed myself to be captured fully expecting that, but it was almost a bit dull how easily they fell.
‘Maybe I should have pretended to be a hostage and stayed tied up a little longer.’
Unlike the two unconscious men, Elliot, who was still awake, lifted his head.
“Sinclair, you won’t get out of here anyway. The guards here are all professionally trained and know how to use guns. We have plenty of weapons. You can never win against those numbers.”
“Oh, really? It’s good to know you have plenty of weapons.”
I could just take them back to Happy House.
This composure came entirely from my trust in Eden. He tells me not to be overconfident in my own strength, but he doesn’t seem to realize that even that overconfidence is a confidence born from trusting him as a partner.
I rummaged through a nearby desk and pulled out the blueprints for the Sinclair Hotel. This room really was Elliot’s.
‘This guy was a total creep. Why bring a captive into your own bedroom?’
I shot Elliot a look of complicated distaste before spreading the blueprints out on the desk.
I had to make sure these thugs wouldn’t even dream of attacking Brunel again. Not only that, I couldn’t leave any room for future trouble.
I scanned the interior blueprints of the Sinclair Hotel closely, looking for exit routes and gauging my current location.
The 5th floor. The very top of the building. There were six rooms in total on the top floor.
As I’d thought earlier, no one had come to check despite the commotion. It was now certain that Elliot used this entire floor for himself.
‘He really thinks he’s playing king.’
Was the rule that no one could intrude upon the king’s domain unless summoned?
I confirmed on the blueprints that the laundry room I’d been in was on the 1st floor. While trying to estimate where Eden might be, I asked Elliot:
“You said the people you sent to Brunel didn’t return. What are you going to do? Send more people?”
“None of your business.”
As expected, Elliot didn’t answer readily.
I perched myself on the edge of his desk and flipped through his notebook. Most of it was just random scribbles, but among them, I saw something regarding Badon.
[Badon Supplier.
Jeremy’s Herb Shop.]
I furrowed my brows. I had considered using information about Badon as bait to strike a deal with Elliot, but he had already obtained the relevant information.
‘This is also faster than in the original.’
I suppose it was because the detailed plot had diverged.
“Are you looking for Badon?”
I said, waving Elliot’s notebook.
Ptui. Elliot spat blood onto the floor. Lifting his head, he gave a wide smirk with his blood-smeared lips. He looked a bit like the Joker.
To an ordinary person, the man in front of me might have looked terrifying, but he wasn’t the least bit threatening to me. I let out a short laugh.
“Ah. I thought you were clouding the issue with strange questions, but that was your real goal. Badon.”
Elliot had made a rather pathetic deduction. It was quite the opposite.
“Princess Sinclair, are you a spy for Kellian? If so, that would make sense. Were you trained?”
Who the hell is Kellian? I narrowed my eyes and looked at the bloodied Elliot. After a moment’s thought, I replied.
“……And if I am?”
Elliot stared at me with eyes full of madness, then crumpled his face and burst into a mocking laugh.
“How far do you think you’ll get looking for drugs? I heard you can’t even get back to Westmore.”
‘Westmore?’
I was internally flustered as unfamiliar names kept cropping up, but I didn’t let it show. I pretended to calmly study the blueprints as I spoke.
“None of your business.”
“None of my business? I told you. The Badon in Kintne is mine. I’m not handing it over.”
‘Kellian needs to find Badon and return to Westmore.’
Who could that be? Did it have something to do with the roadblocks in Westmore?
“So, did you get the Badon?”
“They’ll probably be back today. Dream on, Princess. You won’t even get a glimpse of it. This place will be your grave.”
Elliot was still all talk. He had always enjoyed mocking me by calling me ‘Princess Sinclair.’ This is why you can’t deal with guys full of nothing but inferiority complexes.
Now that his pain had subsided slightly, he was acting relaxed, even going so far as to offer a gentle smile.
Black hair brushing against his neck and blood-red eyes. A handsome man with a decadent aura acting like that with a blood-covered face was, admittedly, a little creepy.
I pulled out my pocket watch to check the time. It had already been four or five hours since I left Happy House. Everyone would be worried by now.
“This room is on the 5th floor of the hotel, and as you can see, the ladder on that balcony looks difficult to use because of the monsters. Do you think you can escape?”
I tucked the watch back in and looked at Elliot.
“Are you worried I won’t be able to escape?”
“Of course I’m worried. If our Princess’s pretty face were to be torn apart by those monsters, my heart would simply break.”
Psychos really are built different. How could a person give an answer like that? I let out an incredulous laugh and replied.
“A psycho has developed a sense of consideration, I see.”
“Not something I want to hear from a lady who’s a walking mass of vanity.”
“If you want to live, you’d better watch your mouth.”
“I’ve always been all talk, so I’ve never learned how to watch my mouth.”
When I picked up the axe I had placed on the desk while listening to his reply, he flinched and pressed his back hard against the chair.
Smiling at that amusing sight, I warned him.
“Then don’t watch your mouth and just answer my questions. Since I’ve ended up here by chance, I should at least get something out of it.”
“I’m not answering.”
“You’ll have to. If you don’t do as I want, I don’t know what I’ll do to you either.”
Saying it out loud, it sounded like a total villain line.
I decided to ignore the fact that Philip and Valen, who had woken up at just the right time, were trembling in fear after hearing those words.
I ignored them and sharpened my axe. It was about time for Eden to arrive. So, let’s keep it up until the end!
Knox was sitting on the sofa in Cherry’s room, reading a book. The sun was setting outside the window.
He pulled his pocket watch from his pocket. It had already been over four hours since Cherry and Eden had left to scout the underground passage.
“Why is Lady Cherry taking so long?”
It was worrying. Knox tapped his finger anxiously against the watch.
Emmy and Vanilla, who were crouching in front of the fireplace, looked up. Emmy vehemently agreed with Knox.
“I know, right? Did something go wrong?”
Did that mean Cherry was in danger? Vanilla lifted the shotgun she had been cleaning.
“She might be in a situation where she needs help, so I think it’s best if we go.”
Just then, Harrison entered the room. Looking haggard and tired, he adjusted his glasses and stopped Vanilla.
“If that’s the case… it would be most appropriate for Emmy, who is skilled at scouting, and a sniper to assist her to go.”
Harrison continued, looking at Vanilla.
“Lady Ruskin, could you take over guard duty for Happy House in place of Hose?”
Vanilla didn’t even argue and nodded obediently.
“Then I’ll go get Hose.”
She left the room without hesitation. She seemed to trust Harrison’s judgment completely.
Knox watched Harrison, who enjoyed the full trust of the Happy House members. He bore a certain resemblance to Cherry.
‘Working without any regard for his own body.’
Harrison, like Cherry, seemed to be suffering from overwork, yet he appeared perfectly accustomed to being in such a state.
Perhaps he had worked that way the entire time he was with the Sinclair family.
“I heard the situation from Lady Ruskin. Should I go now?”
Hose, who had been summoned, entered the room. Harrison nodded.
“Get your weapons.”
Hose nodded and tucked a sniper rifle and a submachine gun into the holsters at his waist. Emmy also stood up and retied her shoelaces.
“If there’s even the slightest sign of danger, return and report immediately. We’ll have to redraw the scouting route.”
At Harrison’s words, Emmy and Hose nodded simultaneously.
“Understood.”
“Yes, Vice-Captain!”
Everyone stared at Emmy.
“Vice-Captain?”
“Isn’t our Star-Candy Unnie the Captain, and the lawyer mister the Vice-Captain?”
Harrison let out a sigh, looking too tired to even answer. Knox said with a playful smile:
“I’m the Vice-Captain.”
“Yeah, right.”
Emmy shook her head.
“That reaction is a bit hurtful.”
“Doctors can’t be captains. You have too much work to do. Anyway, we’re off!”
Emmy didn’t listen to Knox anymore and disappeared into the fireplace with a wave of her hand. Hose sighed as he watched Emmy like a reckless younger sister.
For some reason, Hose’s expression reminded Harrison of himself in the past, back when he used to watch over a tomboyish Cherry.
“We’ll be back.”
Hose also bid them farewell and followed Emmy into the fireplace.
