Chapter 83
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: A Full House
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Behind her walked a middle-aged man in a chef's uniform and a woman who appeared to be around the same age.
The man following them at the rear was wearing a police uniform.
With every swing of the policeman's sword, the monsters were effortlessly sliced in half.
“Attorney, there are people! Survivors!”
At Jose's words, Harrison nodded, having spotted them as well.
“I'll take the lead. I need you to cover the rear.”
Following Harrison's command, Jose nodded and quickly ran forward.
Jose loaded the rifle he was carrying. Then, he aimed at the head of an approaching monster and fired.
Bang-!
The survivors by the wall drew near the mansion's main gate. Harrison's group was also closing in.
Harrison recognized the person leading the survivors along the wall.
Cherry Sinclair.
His precious family. Though not bound by blood, she was the only family he had left in the world.
The entire way here, it had felt as if someone had a tight grip on his heart, making it hard to breathe.
But the moment he saw Cherry's face, Harrison instantly felt at ease. A wave of relief washed over him, and he felt his eyes begin to well up.
* * *
Harrison was alive.
The moment we were safely inside the Happy House gate, Harrison pulled me into an embrace.
“Harrison! You're alive. I knew you would be.”
His strong arms wrapped around my waist. He quietly buried his face in my shoulder. Overjoyed, I hugged him back.
Just then, as if everyone had made it inside, Knox and Amy quickly shut the large gates and meticulously bolted them.
Ethan and the pink-haired young man helped them slide the crossbar into place.
Bang! Bang!
We could hear the frantic sounds of monsters slamming against the gates, but thanks to the sturdy doors, we were safe.
Harrison pulled away from me, cupped my cheeks in his hands, and studied my face. His gentle, green eyes met mine.
“I was worried, Miss.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
I asked, looking him over. Thankfully, he didn't seem to have any serious injuries.
“I am fine.”
“Thank you for being alive. Thank you so much.”
As I mumbled frantically, Harrison seemed to sense something was off and furrowed his brow.
“What do you mean...? Where is Susanna? I sent her ahead.”
“...”
I couldn't answer. For some reason, just trying to say her name made my stomach churn. So I swallowed my words.
I don't know what my expression looked like, but Harrison's face hardened as he looked at me.
After a moment, a large hand stroked my head.
“Thank you for holding on, Miss.”
I pressed my lips together.
Only after confirming Harrison was safe did I notice the others.
The chef and Mrs. Emma, who had survived, were hugging each other and crying.
Vanilla had collapsed onto the ground, catching her breath. Beside her stood a pretty boy with pink hair. He seemed closer to a young man than a boy, but he looked younger than me. Who's he?
Suddenly, the place was crowded with people. It was an unfamiliar sight. A bustling house.
Just then, Ethan extended a hand to Harrison in greeting.
“I have been most eager to meet you, Attorney Howard.”
Ah. My gaze fell on the bag slung over Harrison's shoulder. Anyone could guess its contents. Quite a few gun barrels were sticking out.
I saw Ethan sneak a glance at the bag. And here he was, saying he wouldn't care about such things now that the world had ended. An occupational hazard, truly.
At Ethan's greeting, Knox, who had been observing the situation, approached us, clapping with a smile. I had no idea why he was clapping in a situation like this, but he extended a hand toward Harrison anyway.
“It's been a while, Attorney Howard. Thank you for raising our eccentric young lady.”
Knox offered his hand to Harrison with a beaming smile.
“What kind of strange thing is that to say, Mr. Ludpersher? Greet him properly.”
I said, looking at Knox with a dumbfounded expression.
“Was it not thanks to Miss Cherry's eccentricity that we all survived? I'm just expressing my gratitude. My gratitude.”
Knox's smile as he said this was utterly shameless and slick. Ugh, never mind. I should know better than to try and win an argument with that man.
Just then, Amy, who had been squatting defiantly with a lollipop in her mouth while sizing up the situation, shot to her feet and came over. Amy extended her hand to Harrison with a prim look on her face.
“Are you Starlight's big brother? Hello, I'm Amy Wharton, Starlight's new little sister.”
Harrison looked baffled as he took Amy's hand and shook it.
Then, the pink-haired boy, who had been gaping and looking around, asked me.
“Whoa, this mansion looks like a real haunted house. Cherry Sinclair really lives in a place like this?”
Looking closer, he was an incredibly handsome man. So handsome that I, a woman, felt a little insecure. I felt a bit wronged and looked at Harrison.
“Who is he?”
“Ah, he is the weapons expert who was supposed to teach you how to use firearms, Miss.”
Harrison introduced the young man. He then approached me with a friendly smile and offered his hand.
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Cherry. I'm Jose Cambron. I heard a lot about you on the way here. The delicately raised Princess Sinclair.”
I shook his hand with a perplexed expression. But his name sounded vaguely familiar.
“Mr. Cambron...? Wait a minute.”
Still holding his hand, I pulled him closer in surprise. Jose's eyes widened as he leaned in.
“Jose Cambron? As in, Jose Cambron Galloway?”
“How did you know my family name? I've been away from home for quite a while. Attorney, did you do a background check on me?”
Oops.
Harrison gave me a questioning look. He had never told me anything about Jose. Knox, standing nearby, stroked his chin, also looking puzzled.
“I've never heard of a family named Galloway.”
“That's because I'm from the Briwood Kingdom.”
At Jose's answer, Knox turned to look at me with genuine surprise.
“What, Miss Cherry? You memorize the genealogies of nobles from neighboring countries? How unexpected.”
Knox voiced his question, but of course, I was in no state to give him a leisurely answer.
Damn it. Ethan, Knox, Vanilla, and now Jose.
All the main characters of the novel are gathered at Happy House. Does this even make sense?
It seems I've really gone and spectacularly screwed up the original story.
‘Still, the female lead and the main male lead should still be in the capital, just like in the original... It'll be fine, right?’
Of course, as I'd decided before, my survival is more important than the original story, but I was worried that if things deviated too much from the novel, it would be harder to find Ezra, the second male lead and scientist.
He was never mentioned even once for two whole years. He was a man who just suddenly appeared before Aurora one day.
“Um...”
As I was lost in thought, the man in the chef's uniform approached me.
When I looked at him, he bowed his head in greeting. He then turned and bowed to everyone else in turn.
“Thank you for saving us. I'm Victor Hope.”
Next to him, Mrs. Emma, who was holding Mr. Victor's hand, also bowed, her eyes brimming with tears.
“I'm Emma Swap. Thank you so much for saving us. I don't know how we can ever repay you.”
Mrs. Emma said in a trembling voice, wiping the tears that streamed down her cheeks. Knox shrugged and pointed a thumb at me, passing the credit.
“You're alive thanks to the judgment of this lady right here.”
Come to think of it, I recognized most of the villagers from over the wall, but these two were new faces.
“I heard rumors that many outsiders had come to Brunel while Emma and I were away on a trip.”
At Victor's words, Amy exclaimed in surprise.
“You and Mrs. Emma went on a trip together?”
At that, Victor and Emma blushed bashfully. What in the world? What was this about? As we all looked on, bewildered, Amy explained.
“Mr. Victor and Mrs. Emma are childhood friends. Mr. Victor had a huuuuge crush on her for a long time, so he never got married. But when she married another man, he left for the capital. Then, as soon as she was widowed, he came right back to the village. To protect Mrs. Emma, who was all alone.”
“Oh, Amy. It's-it's not like that.”
Mrs. Emma waved her hands in denial, flustered. Mr. Victor's face was beet red.
More surprising was how Amy knew their history in such detail. I stared at her, and she shrugged as if it were nothing.
“I've always been interested in rumors.”
Amy was a girl with a very unexpected combination of traits: agile and quick-handed, an expert on herbs, and well-versed in gossip.
“Now that the stories are over, shall we head into the mansion?”
Ethan, who had been quietly observing, spoke up. At his words, everyone glanced at me before nodding.
“Right. Let's go inside.”
With my permission, Ethan started moving, and the others followed.
“Miss, I have so many questions for you.”
Harrison said, catching up to walk beside me and glancing up at Ethan.
“I have a lot of questions, too. Oh, Harrison. By the way, how is the capital?”
This time, Ethan also seemed interested in the topic, waiting for Harrison's answer.
Harrison quietly shook his head.
“I don't know much about the situation in the capital. Everything happened while I was on the train...”
Ethan turned his head away, looking disappointed.
Just then, we reached the mansion, and Knox opened the door. Everyone looked around in wonder as they stepped inside Happy House.