Episode 08
Eden lifted his polished shoe and pressed it down firmly on the man’s palm.
“Aaaagh!”
“You’re going to be handed over to the Benton Police Station anyway,” Eden said calmly.
“If you talk nicely here, I can promise there won’t be any torture.”
He hadn’t said there would be no violence during interrogation.
The man groaned, writhing as though weighing his options. Eden waited patiently, unhurried, until the man finally broke.
“I—I only heard that Cherry Sinclair left for Brunel today. That’s all, I swear.”
She left today? I missed her.
Still, that was fine. He would go find her himself.
“Where’s Brunel?”
“I-I don’t know! Just that it’s a tiny village with no train station…”
No matter how many more threats Eden made—or how much pain he inflicted—the man offered nothing further. It seemed he truly knew no more.
With no other choice, Eden handed him over to the station and began preparing to head for Brunel himself.
Why would Cherry Sinclair go to a rural village without even a train station? That alone is suspicious.
Lately, every thought Eden had revolved around the same things:
—the monster at No. 61 Nottingham Street
—the owner of the brooch engraved with C. S.
—the smuggled firearms
—and Cherry Sinclair
Of all of them, Cherry Sinclair’s recent movements were the most suspicious, drawing his attention more than anything else.
At the time, Eden had no idea that all of these threads were intertwined with her.
All he knew was this:
If Cherry Sinclair truly had ordered firearms in bulk, then the reason why was something he needed to hear from her own mouth.
Very badly.
* * *
Time remaining until the apocalypse: 19 days.
Seated on the terrace of Brunel’s only restaurant, I unfolded yesterday’s newspaper—hauled in from a neighboring town.
The villagers here rarely read newspapers.
That alone made me like this place.
[Exclusive! Heiress Cherry Sinclair takes out a 100 million gold loan for “overseas business”! But what exactly is this mysterious venture…?!]
Of course. Once again, my name was splashed across the page.
Everyone seemed to be losing their minds trying to figure out why I’d borrowed such an obscene amount of money.
[Exclusive! Cherry Sinclair’s disappearance! Where is she now? Is this an escape—or a missing persons case…?]
Well… it’s closer to an escape than a disappearance.
I hadn’t attended any parties lately, so the reporters must have been bored. At least they wouldn’t be bored anymore.
Let them gossip all they want.
Once the world ended, they wouldn’t be scribbling so gleefully with their pens.
What gave me a headache instead was the thought of Harrison finding out about the loan and nagging me endlessly.
I folded the newspaper, took a sip of coffee, and glanced outside—checking to see if Vanilla had arrived yet.
Instead, I spotted a man in a police uniform.
He stood in front of the Brunel police station across the street.
The moment he turned around—
The first thing I noticed was his blond hair, as radiant as if spun from gold thread.
Then came his blue eyes—cold, like a winter lake.
A sharp nose, red lips, and beneath them, a tightly buttoned collar that looked almost suffocating around his neck.
The crisp navy police uniform fit him dangerously well.
Holy crap. He’s handsome. Completely my type—
And yet… his face felt familiar.
Then it hit me.
The police officer I’d seen in front of No. 61 Nottingham Street.
Aurora’s brother.
Eden Duncan Lancaster.
Why is he here?!
I remembered how he’d kept calling the Sinclair estate.
Did he figure it out? That the one who killed the monster was Cherry Sinclair?
So that’s why I felt uneasy all day yesterday!
Startled, I instinctively lowered my head, desperately trying to think through why Eden might be here—
When I realized he was walking straight toward me.
He entered the restaurant and stopped in front of my table on the terrace.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes—yes?”
I answered like an idiot, not expecting him to speak to me directly.
Eden looked at my face and smirked faintly.
“There’s nowhere else to sit. May I join you?”
Snapping back to my senses, I nodded hurriedly.
“Ah—yes, of course.”
It had been quiet when I arrived.
When did it get so crowded?
I turned around to check—
The restaurant was just as empty as before.
What the hell? Is this some hidden-camera prank? Or am I the only one who can’t see people?
I’d already agreed, so backing out now would look strange.
I sighed inwardly.
Get it together, Cherry.
Eden dropped into the seat across from me, crossed his legs casually, and smiled—dangerously.
“I’ve wanted to meet you for quite some time. I didn’t expect to find you in a place like this.”
He ordered an espresso and continued looking at me.
“You know me?”
“Of course. Cherry Sinclair—there’s hardly a day when you’re not in the papers.”
The people of Brunel didn’t read newspapers much, which was why no one recognized me. Besides, my photo didn’t always accompany the articles.
“…I suppose I am fairly well-known.”
If he spread word that I was here, things would get very annoying.
Should I move to another village?
But I didn’t have much time left.
After studying my face for a moment, Eden suddenly extended his hand.
“My apologies for the late introduction, my lady. I’m Eden Duncan Lancaster, investigative officer with the Benton Police Agency.”
Oh, I knew very well who he was.
Once Eden fixated on something, he never let go. There was even a saying in Benton—
Once the Mad Dog of Benton marked you, no criminal ever walked away unscathed.
Please don’t tell me that instinct has locked onto me.
Did he realize I was the owner of the brooch?
“My goodness, how fascinating. Eden Duncan Lancaster? You mean that Eden Duncan Lancaster—the one who’s always in the papers?”
I did my best to look calm as I placed my hand over his.
I’d expected him to kiss the back of my hand in noble fashion.
Instead, he shook it up and down briskly.
I blinked in mild confusion, but Eden didn’t seem to care.
Unfortunately for me, his personality was famously awful.
Even in the original story, he was described as short-tempered and difficult—constantly rubbing people the wrong way.
Ironically, he saved countless lives thanks to his combat ability and survival instincts.
“I’m curious,” I said lightly.
“What brings someone as renowned as you to a place like this?”
“My reputation hardly compares to Lady Sinclair’s,” Eden replied smoothly.
“But what about you? Why would you come to a rural village like this?”
He tossed the question back at me effortlessly.
My mind raced.
“I’m looking for a vacation home.”
A passable excuse.
Eden’s eyebrow twitched.
Buying a villa in a village with nothing in it probably sounded ridiculous.
As expected, he looked at me with faint disbelief.
“Then I suppose you should explain why you are here as well.”
“I was reassigned.”
“…Reassigned? Here?”
I failed to control my expression.
That excuse was even worse than mine.
“You’re a Lancaster,” I blurted out.
“An elite on track for the commissioner’s seat. Why would someone like you be sent to a place like this? Did the police headquarters lose their minds?”
If that were true, it was bad.
It meant I might be stuck in this village with him until the apocalypse.
This wasn’t in the novel!
Eden was supposed to remain quietly by Aurora’s side in the capital—safe, alive, helping develop the cure.
Did this happen because I deviated from the original plot?
If so, then it was my responsibility to send him back.
Or… protect him myself until Ezra appeared.
—No. No, no, no. Are you insane, Cherry? Protect Eden Lancaster? What kind of nightmare is that?
Protecting him until the scientist male lead showed up?
Absolutely not.
I slapped my cheeks lightly—once, twice.
Eden stared at me, eyes wide.
“You seem quite startled.”
I coughed awkwardly.
“Ahem—well, it’s just strange. Seeing you here.”
“It’s less strange than Cherry Sinclair choosing a place like this for a vacation home.”
…Fair point.
I put on my most indifferent expression.
“Still, you didn’t answer my question. Why were you reassigned here?”
“Thought I’d build up some field experience.”
“In a village this small? It doesn’t seem like much happens here.”
Like some chairman’s son insisting on starting from the bottom?
“We’ll see whether there are truly no incidents,” Eden said.
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on me—as though gauging my reaction.
Damn it.
Maybe it was my guilt, but every word felt pointed. Like he knew something.
…Relax. He’ll return to the capital before the apocalypse. Aurora’s still there.
Even after reaching that conclusion, I couldn’t shake the unease.
Then someone approached our table.
“Are you the one purchasing the mansion on the hill?”
