Accidentally Formed a Reverse Harem in the Apocalypse Chapter 36 - The True Nature Of The Gentle Second Male Lead

Reaching out my hand, Nadia first looked bewildered, then frowned.

“…You need to let me go first so I can either shake your hand or swat it away.”

“Ah.”

Nadia was still on her knees, her arms pinned back by Michael.

“Sir Michael, please release her.”

“Are you sure? Lady Rutley tried to harm you, Your Grace.”

Nadia asked me in shock.

“…When did you become a duke?”

“Not long ago. My father was bitten in the neck by the crown prince after he turned into a zombie and died. Now I’m the Duke of Keaton.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Surviving in this mess is already a miracle.”

Nadia couldn’t take her eyes off me as I answered casually.

At least, I didn’t feel the same madness from her gaze as before.

“Sir Michael, Lady Nadia won’t rush in recklessly anymore. Please let her go.”

She must have realized that I was the only lifeline she had to survive here, so she had no reason to stay hostile toward me.

“He must have tempted her by offering food.”

‘Well, as long as the outcome is good, who cares?’

“That’s true.”

Giving away some precious food in exchange for gaining a capable ally wasn’t a loss.

‘Though… if more people end up staying at the ducal estate, the amount of food needed will increase too.’

But that could be solved once I returned to the Keaton estate safely and refilled the supplies in my spatial pocket.

With the miraculous bottomless jar that doubles any food placed inside, adding ten more Nadias would still be fine.

“…Understood.”

Michael still looked unsure, but he obediently followed my request and released Nadia.

“Ugh, my arms hurt.”

Crack. Pop.

Nadia rotated her sore arms. After a light stretch, she pouted and grabbed my hand.

“…If you break your promise, I won’t let it slide. I don’t want to get betrayed twice.”

First Ruth, and now her—so many people threatening not to let things slide.

“Do whatever you want. If I betray you again, cook me or boil me, whatever.”

“…Hmph. Fine. No backing out.”

We stared straight into each other’s eyes and shook hands.

A good alliance was formed—one where I had no intention of abandoning Nadia, and one where she, starving as she was, also stood to benefit.

“Since you decided to follow me, I’ll give you a present first.”

At the word present, Nadia’s expression softened.

“Is… is it food?”

“Yes, it’s food. But how long are you going to speak casually to me? I’m older than you, and I’m a duke.”

Hmph. If we’re making up, she should at least use polite speech with her elder again.

At my pointed look, Nadia wilted and awkwardly forced out her words.

“…Thank you… Duke Keaton.”

“Looks like she really is starving, since she’s bowing her head so quietly.”

‘Yeah, seems like it.’

I reached into my spatial pocket for a chocolate bar and a bottle of water—and then paused.

“Hmm…”

Duke Keaton sounded too stiff.

Michael and Ruth were one thing, but I didn’t want such distance with a girl my age who had barely survived.

“You really want that even though she tried to kill you?” Zero asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

‘She won’t do it again.’

“You must have two hearts. You’re bold, seriously…”

‘Thanks for complimenting my good points. I know.’

“…Whatever. If you let your guard down and get stabbed, that’s on you.”

‘I doubt it. You and I are stuck together, remember?’

In a real crisis, Zero would act to protect me.

‘If I die, your whole promotion track gets messed up, you’d get buried in reprimands, and you’d have to fix this twisted story all alone—so you can’t let that happen.’

So I wasn’t too worried.

…Besides, she kept reminding me of how miserable I once was, and I couldn’t just ignore that.

“Nadia.”

“Y-yes?”

Using polite speech again so timidly made her look like a hissing kitten.

“If you call me ‘unnie,’ I’ll give you a chocolate bar and water.”

“…?”

With at least five question marks floating over her head, Nadia didn’t bother hiding her disbelief.

In the original story, she always followed the lady around calling her Lady, Lady—the affectionate nickname unnie was something Elizabeth never allowed.

“What are you plotting? And seriously, you’re going to bargain with food?”

“Are you going to do it or not?”

“Ugh…! F-fine! E-Elizabeth… unnie.”

Nadia turned into a ripe tomato again.

“Happy? Now hurry and give me the chocolate bar. I’m really starving.”

Despite her bold words, she held out her hands politely, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Alright. Here you go.”

“Yesss…!”

When I handed her five whole chocolate bars and a water bottle, Nadia forgot every bit of dignity she had and devoured them on the spot.

Only the empty wrappers and the drained bottle were left, showing how fierce the meal had been.

“Haa… that was good. I finally feel alive again.”

“Finished?”

“Yes— I mean, yes, ma’am.”

“Then let’s throw in a few follow-up questions now.”

Ruth cut into our conversation.

He had sliced through the iron bars with magic and dragged out Benedict, who had been sleeping soundly on the bed inside.

“Lady Nadia Rutley. Why did you imprison this man in the basement?”

At his sharp, interrogating glare, Nadia—who had been rubbing her full belly—quickly lowered her eyes.

“Depending on your answer, we may classify you as a dangerous individual and leave you here.”

“N-no! You can’t!”

Nadia shook her head violently. That told me everything I needed.

‘The Rutley estate has no future.’

Among the three noble households still standing, the Rutley estate had the fewest survivors.

Compared to how many servants and attendants they originally had, the number left was pitifully small.

‘Zero. About this place, the Rutley estate.’

“Yeah?”

‘When the zombie outbreak happened, were most people outside?’

“I’ll check.”

Zero opened a search window and typed in what I wanted to know.

“Yep. The Earl and Countess Rutley were attending the crown prince’s wedding and died. And it looks like the estate had run out of ingredients that day, so the head maid took some maids to the shopping district. The butler was on leave to visit his grandchild.”

Which meant only a few servants had actually been inside the estate.

The people outside, expecting a normal day, had all perished.

Nadia’s voice trembled.

“My parents and the servants who never returned… I’m assuming they either died or turned into those monsters outside. Days have passed already. There’s no one to help us, food kept running out, the servants got desperate and ran away…”

She was a young girl barely around twenty.

“I—I know what I did was wrong. I just… I was jealous of Sienna, who always walked a happy, flower-filled path, and of Her Highness the Crown Princess. Kidnapping and imprisoning someone is a crime, but I only meant to scare her a little and let her go! I swear that part is true!”

“For someone giving a scare, that was way too violent and barbaric.”

‘…Yeah, I agree.’

Classic villainess behavior.

The three of us stared at her flatly, making her panic.

“It’s true… I didn’t have any other wicked plans…”

“Then why did you lock Benedict up here in a restraining suit?”

“Well… he looked skinny, so I thought he’d be weak, but he’s half-fairy and his temper is fiery. When he realized he’d been knocked out and kidnapped, he cursed me out and threatened not to let me go, so I didn’t know what else to do…”

“…Huh?”

The Benedict Fairman, who came with tags like #Pure #BigDogEnergy #GentleGuy #SunshineBoy, swearing?

‘With that face? Someone who looks like he can’t even kill a bug?’

I was stunned. Zero sighed at me.

“Hey, Possessed One. If people judged by looks, you look like you’d blow off zombie heads with a gun.”

‘W-wait. You knew?’

That the sweet, innocent-looking half-fairy Benedict had been hiding his true nature?

In the original story, he clung to Sienna calling her “noona, noona,” acting like a harmless puppy. I had no idea.

Zero shrugged like it was obvious.

“What’s written in the text isn’t everything.”

‘Wow…’

Then they should’ve at least tagged him as secretly dark. Why sell him as a fake sweetheart?

While I was too bewildered to speak, Benedict—resting on Ruth’s shoulder—twitched his eyelids.

“Ugh…”

“Oh, looks like he’s waking up.”

Thoughtfully, Ruth had already torn apart the restraining suit and tossed it in a corner.

The moment Nadia saw that, she hid behind my back.

“P-please tell him not to kill me when he wakes up!”

‘Girl… weren’t you an A-rank combatant?’

“A-rank fighters can beat a bear barehanded if they’re good. So if even she’s terrified, how strong is this plant-loving softie supposed to be?”

Even I swallowed hard as Benedict slowly opened his eyes, revealing his bright, branch-colored brown irises.

‘Wow… he really looks like a fairy.’

With half-fairy blood, it wasn’t surprising—his pointed ears and ethereal beauty made him look unreal.

I was staring at him in awe when his cherry-colored lips moved.

“You ****** piece of **** dares to lock me up? You ********!”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“Eek! P-please spare me!”

Nadia shrieked and crumpled behind me, trembling.

‘Oh… so Sienna was totally fooled by that scheming pretty boy. Yup.’

Ha. Hahaha…

Reality hit hard.

‘Did we… really need to come rescue him?’

He probably would’ve escaped on his own.