Chapter 27
‘What is this?’
Knox, who must have been passing by, struck up a conversation.
“Miss Cherry, where are you headed?”
“Kintne Station. Someone is supposed to arrive today, so I’m going to meet them.”
“Someone is coming?”
“Never mind that. By the way, Mr. Rudfercher, when on earth are you leaving? Please, just go already.”
“I don’t know the reason, but seeing how desperately you want me gone makes me want to stay even more, you know?”
Knox gave a sly smile and shrugged his shoulders. It was a bit obnoxious. I could see a little why Eden disliked him so much.
“Oh, right. But Miss Cherry, didn’t you say you weren’t hiding in Brunel Village?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m hiding, but I don’t exactly want people to know I’m here.”
“Dear me.”
What? Why that reaction?
But Knox didn’t explain himself. Instead, he brought up my errand to the train station again.
“So, the trains are running normally then?”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“I heard that people trying to take carriages up to the capital were turned back because the roads have been blocked starting from Westmore Station.”
Roadblocks starting from Westmore?
There were four stations in total between Benton and Brunel: Benton, Westmore, Honderf, and Kintne (Brunel). Westmore, in particular, was a place one absolutely had to pass through to enter Benton.
And they were blocking the roads from there?
I felt a sense of foreboding.
“I haven’t heard anything about the trains being suspended yet…. I should get going quickly.”
After saying goodbye to Knox, I hurried to the carriage rental.
As I climbed into a four-wheeled carriage I’d hired, I noticed a crowd of people gathered at the entrance of the rental office.
“What’s going on?”
I asked the driver as I boarded. The driver glanced at the entrance and shrugged as if he didn’t know either.
“It seems one of the drivers tried to go to the capital but had to turn back. Apparently, the situation there is quite serious. They said the roads are being blocked.”
I had heard the same thing from Knox.
“Hyah!” The driver cracked his whip, and the carriage wheels slowly began to roll. As we passed by, I watched the crowd at the entrance intently.
“Luke, you seem to have a fever?”
“Maybe he overexerted himself and caught a cold.”
A middle-aged man, surrounded by people, sat slumped in a chair with his eyes closed.
The last thing I saw before the carriage pulled away was the people around him checking his temperature.
The wheels rolled relentlessly over the uneven dirt road. The ride wasn’t particularly comfortable.
Sitting in the carriage, I stared blankly at the passing scenery, anxiously biting my nails.
Something was wrong. There were still about ten days left until the end of the world, so why did I feel so uneasy already?
And I only realized why Knox had said those meaningful words—‘weren’t you hiding in the village’—when I arrived at Kintne.
[Exclusive! The reason Cherry Sinclair has been in hiding is because of Eden, the heir to the Lancaster family?!]
[Cherry Sinclair’s secret tryst in a rural village with Eden Duncan Lancaster…?! “The Egret and the Crow, an unexpected pair.” High society in shock…!]
[A full analysis of the charms of Brunel Village, chosen by Cherry Sinclair…! The discovery of a new vacation spot?!]
Darn it, what is this?
Analyzing the village’s charm? I came down here to survive! Vacation spot, my foot! It’s for survival!
Furthermore, it was incredibly strange that only Eden was mentioned when Knox was also here.
I wondered for a moment if Knox had tipped off the newspapers, but I didn’t think that was the case. He might be on bad terms with Eden and act like a sly snake, but he wasn’t the type to do something so petty.
‘He’d rather start trouble out in the open.’
Moreover, surprisingly, the virus monster incident seemed to have been completely buried by the scandal between Eden and me.
Not a single newspaper was covering the road closures at Westmore. It was all about me and Eden.
‘It feels like someone is intentionally trying to cover up the incident. If so, what’s the reason? What on earth is happening in Westmore?’
At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if other powerful figures were involved besides Marquis KC, the visible mastermind. It didn’t seem likely that Marquis KC could pull off something this massive alone.
Dammit. Just let me find out who published these articles. Even if they knock on the doors of Happy House begging to be saved after the world ends, I will never open the door for them.
‘Anyway, this is a disaster. To have my whereabouts exposed right before the end… I’m doomed!’
My heart felt heavy just thinking about the reporters who would flock to Brunel. Instead of chasing Eden and Knox back to the capital, it looked like people were going to swarm into Brunel.
‘What should I do, Harrison? I’m really in deep trouble.’
I figured I’d have to discuss this with Harrison once he arrived.
And so, I stood at Kintne Station, waiting for him.
At that same time, in a social club located in the capital, Benton.
People gathered in the salon were gossiping.
The subjects of their chatter were Cherry and Eden, who had been the talk of the capital all day.
“Goodness, did you see the papers? Cherry Sinclair with the heir to the Duke of Lancaster? They don’t suit each other at all.”
“The Lancasters are the nobility of nobilities, aren’t they?”
Due to his unconventional behavior and rough speech, the nobility’s opinion of Eden wasn’t very high. Regardless, his bloodline was considered noble even among the aristocrats.
After all, the nobility valued bloodline above all else.
Furthermore, Eden Duncan Lancaster was considered a unicorn among the young ladies of high society. It was as difficult as catching a falling star to even meet him. And even if one happened to run into him, he never spared a glance for a woman.
Because of that, there were even times when people questioned his sexual orientation.
The noble young ladies huddled together, opening gossip magazines and putting Cherry’s name on the chopping block once again.
“Even if it’s the Sinclair family, aren’t they commoners anyway? Cherry Sinclair is just a snob who has nothing but money. How did she manage to capture a Lancaster?”
“I know, right? I heard Eden Duncan Lancaster values skill and ability over a person’s status…?”
“But Cherry Sinclair has no ability. Isn’t it all just the reflected glory of the late Chairman Sinclair and Harrison Howard?”
“That’s true.”
Aurora, who had just returned from the restroom, stood outside the door and quietly listened to their entire conversation.
It was obvious that entering the salon now would only sour her mood, since the topic was her brother.
“The Lancasters are the nobility of nobilities, aren’t they?”
An orphan like Aurora, whose origins were unclear, had been adopted into such a ducal family.
Just seeing them badmouthing Cherry Sinclair, it was clear as day how much they must talk about her behind her back. She didn’t fit in with the Lancaster family.
Aurora, who was about to head home without entering the salon, stopped in her tracks at the voice that followed.
“Perhaps Lancaster went down to the countryside to avoid people’s eyes because he was ashamed of having such a scandal with a Sinclair?”
“That makes sense. Where on earth is Brunel anyway?”
“This gossip rag even says the two of them are setting up a honeymoon home in some abandoned house.”
“Are they playing house or something?”
“Oh, in an abandoned house? A Sinclair? Knowing Cherry Sinclair’s personality, there’s no way.”
“That’s true. Then the only answer is that Lancaster is just playing around with her, right?”
Brother, with Cherry Sinclair…?
She had already been wondering why Eden had suddenly headed down to some unknown rural village.
She didn’t have any particular interest in Cherry Sinclair, but based on what people were saying, she didn’t seem like a very good person.
However, Aurora was already fed up with people’s prejudices and preconceptions due to her own situation. So, she didn’t want to judge Cherry by the same standards as everyone else.
‘I should head down to Brunel quickly.’
She had already booked a train ticket behind her father’s back anyway.
Aurora eventually left the social club building without entering the salon. But then—
Boom!
A loud explosion echoed from somewhere. It sounded like a building was collapsing.
“What was that…?”
With a puzzled face, she turned her head toward the direction of the sound. She saw a sign that read ‘Bluewane Street’ flying through the air.
It didn’t look like the sign had been blown off by a gust of wind; it looked more like someone had hurled it with sheer force.
“Aaaaah!”
People suddenly began screaming and running out from the side alley.
