Chapter 38
“Ah. You must have thought I’d be fooled by such a flimsy excuse, Miss Cherry. Then how do you explain the existence of this manor?”
“I saw a monster like that; there was no way I could stay in the capital out of fear. The letter said the creature was contagious. To be honest, I was half-doubting it until then, you know?”
I shrugged as I continued. Eden didn’t seem to care whether I spoke sharply or not.
“I told you. My life is nothing but money, so I wanted to find some excitement. Even if the letter was a fake, I thought it would be fun to build a shelter while imagining a disaster like that unfolding. But once I came down here and saw the farm uncle turn, I became certain. I don’t know who sent it, but everything in that letter was true. Look. The world has ended because of a contagious monster.”
“And you didn’t think to look further into the person who sent the letter?”
“Why wouldn’t I? But think about it. When did the incident at Notium Street No. 61 happen? What could I have found out in such a short amount of time?”
Eden fell silent. Perhaps he had nothing left to say, as he merely narrowed his eyes and studied my expression.
It seemed my excuse had worked to some extent. Or rather, just enough. In fact, he didn’t press me any further on the matter. It wasn’t like I had committed a crime; I just looked suspicious, that was all.
“So that’s why you told me not to touch the monster back then. Because you knew it was contagious.”
Eden nodded as if he truly understood. However, his eyes remained coldly sunken.
‘That is not the look of someone who’s convinced at all…!’
But no other explanation to make him understand came to mind. To be honest, there were many parts I hadn’t figured out yet either. I don’t understand it myself, dammit!
Above all, the problem was that the level of trust Eden had in me was abysmal. It felt like no matter what I said, it wouldn’t get through to him.
In the end, I decided to give up on making him understand. As I thought, I should just hit him in the back of the head and knock him out….
“It seems you have no intention of telling the truth.”
Eden spoke. No, I’m telling you, I don’t know the truth myself….
Since things had turned out this way, I decided to ask Eden what I was curious about, hoping for an honest answer.
“By the way, did you find out who sent the letter to your sister? I’m curious too.”
“I know nothing other than the fact that it was suddenly placed on the desk in my sister’s bedroom.”
Eden frustratedly ran a hand through his hair. It seemed he was quite stifled himself, having failed to resolve the matter of Aurora’s letter.
However, I felt a sense of oddity hearing those words. On the desk in Aurora’s bedroom? If that were the case, did someone infiltrate all the way into Aurora’s room, bypassing the Duke of Lancaster’s heavy security?
“It must have been an inside job.”
At my words, Eden nodded. It seemed he had suspected that very point as well.
But he offered no further explanation. What was it? Who really was the person who sent the letter to Aurora?
It was truly bizarre that they had lured her to Notium Street No. 61 under the pretext of revealing the secret of her birth.
‘The person who sent that letter definitely knew something about the monster at Notium Street No. 61.’
While I was lost in thought, a shadow fell over my face. It was because Eden had stepped closer to me.
I looked up and met Eden’s eyes. Even then, he just stared at me in silence for a long time.
Eden’s deep blue eyes were as cold as ice and as turbulent as high waves. It was a gaze I could never hope to imitate.
“I told you, Miss Cherry. I am currently repaying my debt.”
What does that mean? Explain it so I can understand. I asked him with my eyes.
But Eden merely observed my face quietly. In other words, he knew I wanted a proper answer, yet he just kept staring.
A suffocating tension hung in the air. Eden was weighing something. He pressed down on me with a weight that felt like he was calculating or perhaps testing me.
Just as I felt I might lose my breath from the continuous pressure, Eden finally spoke.
“It was a pathetic excuse, but I’ll be fooled for now. That’s not the most urgent matter at hand.”
Right. We had other things to do together right now.
Eden seemed certain that I was hiding something else besides the letter.
Of course, that certainty was correct. But even so, I couldn't exactly explain the novel <Love in a Ruined World> to him.
If I brought that up, he’d react the same way he did about the letter—no, it would be even worse.
No sooner had Eden finished speaking than a dull thud echoed against the main gate of Happy House.
Thump—!
It seemed to be the work of the monsters gathered around the manor. Realizing we had to end the conversation for now, I snapped back at Eden.
“Passing it over, are you? How very kind of you to show such mercy.”
Sarcastic words tumbled out of my mouth reflexively.
It felt like I had lost, but no. I was the one letting him off easy. If another disadvantageous situation arose, then I’d hit Eden in the back of the head and knock him out….
“That doesn’t mean I trust you completely. Even if I let the Notium Street No. 61 incident slide, there are too many suspicious corners. I’m not naturally a trusting person.”
I looked up from my imagination of striking the back of Eden’s head.
Unlike his savage demeanor earlier, Eden was looking at me with a calm face.
To be honest, if he asked specifically about the manor, I’d have nothing to say.
The idea that ‘the’ Cherry Sinclair had moved to the countryside and spent a fortune building a manor like this just because she received a single letter—I wouldn’t believe it either if I were in his shoes.
“Then why are you suddenly being so formal again? Is flipping back and forth your hobby?”
“I told you I prefer this. Being formal. This level of distance suits our conversations best.”
Eden replied with a face that had chilled over, the turbulence now settled.
Just when I thought we had gotten a little closer, it felt like an even thicker wall had been built between us.
However, I agreed with his words. Fine. That’s what I want, too. This level of distance is perfect for us.
“Do you dislike it?”
“No. I agree. Let’s keep it formal. But if you change your attitude and speak out of turn like you did earlier, I won’t let it slide next time.”
I answered as if I were overlooking a child’s tantrum.
Yet, despite being the one to suggest keeping our distance, Eden looked surprised when I agreed so readily.
‘Good grief, he’s difficult.’
I thought it was unlike Eden to say he was letting things slide because he was repaying a debt. What was the reason he was letting it go so quietly? His easy acceptance of the situation actually made me more uneasy.
But whatever the case, we had to move quickly. Eden and I finished our preparations, tidying ourselves up for the task ahead.
I pulled out several empty bags from the second-floor storage and handed them to Eden. I spoke nonchalantly, as if the sharp conversation from moments ago had never happened.
“I think we should take some empty bags. If we can find more food or daily necessities, it’s best to bring them back and stock up.”
Eden glanced at me. He took the bags from me just as naturally.
“You’re very quick to assess the situation.”
“Spend a year in high society. You’ll develop judgment you never knew you had.”
“Hmm. Why people thought of you as an incompetent socialite is my greatest question.”
I found myself speechless at Eden’s remark and scratched my cheek. I couldn’t exactly tell him that I was a different person now.
“Do you happen to need medicine again? If you dislike being treated at Ludpusher Hospital, I’ll look into other hospitals for you. I think it would be good to just check into a hospital for a few days to rest…”
Harrison had told me to go to a hospital, and it seemed Eden was no different.
I didn’t offer any answer, but Eden didn’t seem to mind, as if he hadn’t expected one anyway.
‘I’ll just keep feigning ignorance.’
With that thought, I set the sleeping rotation with Eden.
* * *
Eden went up to the watchtower first to stand guard, and I returned to my room and lay on the bed to try and get some sleep. The shift change was in about two hours.
The dark manor was silent. Since all the torches had been extinguished, only the moonlight streaming through the window illuminated my view.
The mattress was plush, and the new blanket was soft and warm. Lying in such a comfortable bed, it was hard to believe the world had ended.
Awoooooooo—
Except for the occasional distant howl of an unidentified monster, it felt truly peaceful.
But the tension remained. It felt as if all my nerves were on edge. All sorts of dark thoughts swirled through my head.
‘Could I really sleep when the world has turned out like this? Damn it, how can anyone sleep peacefully in these times?’
That peaceful person was me.
I don’t know when I fell asleep, but when I came to my senses and opened my eyes, dawn was breaking.
Oh, sh—! I’m screwed.
Without even thinking to fix my messy hair, I roughly wiped the dried drool from the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand. Then, I scrambled up to the roof.
Eden was sitting alone in the watchtower, gazing out at something in the distance.
