Though I’m a Homebody, I Found Myself in a Dark Captive Genre

“How long are you planning to stay in there?”

At the Duke’s chilling voice, I clutched my thumping heart and slowly lifted my head.

“Ah, hehehe…”

Is he really that mad?

Well, I did pull on the hem of my pants a little too forcefully…?

As I hesitated, he spoke sharply and issued an order.

“Come out.”

I wanted to come out.

But I was scared…

What if he’s so angry about my crazy actions that he decides to kill me?

Shivering, I shook my head frantically.

“Ahhahaha, I-I’m here. It’s actually more cozy and nice than I expected…”

“Will you come out if I break the desk?”

Why is he being so aggressive…?

Unable to withstand the pressure, I crawled out and stood before him.

But I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye, so I just lowered my head deeply.

“……”

Then the Duke called me again.

“Hey, Princess.”

“S-Sorry!!!”

Fine, I’ll apologize first!

Besides, there was nothing else to say.

According to his logic, he had no obligation to help Salt, who had been foolishly tricked.

I felt extremely guilty because it seemed like I’d forced him to change his mind about rejecting the absurd request from the Salt envoy.

Of course, the citizens weren’t at fault for this.

But at the same time, the Duke of Blaire had no obligation to consider such citizens. They weren’t even his own people, to put it bluntly.

I fidgeted nervously and continued to avoid his gaze.

Then.

“…Huh. There’s no need to apologize.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

I slowly raised my head at his unexpected words, and the Duke, who had a wicked smile on his face, arrogantly asked.

“Do you perhaps think, Princess, that I could become some kind-hearted volunteer or sponsor?”

“Eh? No.”

That would never happen. Not until the sun rises in the west, at least…

I immediately shook my head.

Seeing my reaction, the Duke raised one corner of his mouth in amusement and added smoothly.

“Consider this the real price for the dam construction.”

“Ah, um…”

“If you understand, you can go now. To your room.”

The Duke pointed to a small room attached right next to his.

If it had been any other time, he would have used his own room and I would have stayed in a separate room… but right now, I was staying in the room attached to the Duke’s vast bedroom since I didn’t know how long the Salt envoys would be staying.

“Ah, okay.”

Anyway, I nodded eagerly as if I had been waiting for this.

Something about this easy resolution and how easily he was letting me go felt ominous, but…

‘Let’s rest for now.’

Maybe because I had been so tense under the desk, my steps toward my room felt weak and drained.

No, maybe it was because I could feel the Duke’s persistent gaze on my back…

Anyway.

“Phew.”

As soon as I returned to my room, a wave of fatigue hit me.

Could that be why? I threw myself onto the soft bed and closed my eyes.

Yes, this was heaven.

* * *

Describe the feeling of living in a room attached to the Duke’s 5-star hotel suite bedroom.

I am truly beyond grateful. I would dedicate my life to serve and be loyal to him if he would lock me in this room and raise me however he wishes.

This was genuinely my heartfelt answer.

Despite the Duke sharing a bedroom (in a broad sense), he perfectly ensured my privacy.

Thanks to that, since arriving at the Magic Tower, I’ve been able to enjoy my time reading comic books I hadn’t been able to finish.

Moreover, there were no attendants accompanying him—only those directly serving him—so I didn’t have to awkwardly engage in small talk.

True freedom!

‘I’m so excited!’

Hehehe.

Laughing, I flipped through the comic books, when suddenly a thought struck me, and I sat up straight.

“Wait a minute.”

Isn’t this the one moment when my surveillance is extremely low?

The realization hit me like a flash of lightning.

‘This is the perfect opportunity, right?’

Today, the Duke was fully booked with his schedule and couldn’t do anything about me.

“Princess, what are you planning to do today?”

“As for me? I’m just thinking of staying hidden like a mouse in this room…”

“Haha, that’s no different from staying at the Duke’s place.”

“Ha, hahahaha… right?”

“Well, then I’ll go meet the head of the Magic Tower.”

Just in case, I pulled out the hammer I had hidden under the bed.

Could today finally be the day to use it?

After the unexpected storm caused by the Salt envoy when we arrived at the Magic Tower, the Duke had been keeping watch, and I couldn’t do anything but stay quietly.

I almost forgot my real purpose, but I couldn’t afford to.

I carefully examined the hammer in my hand, my eyes shining brightly.

‘Test the waters before crossing the bridge.’

Before starting anything, I opened the door and surveyed the surroundings.

The empty hallway seemed to be deliberately cleared for the Duke’s privacy, and no one was around.

“Phew.”

Today, the Duke’s afternoon schedule was packed with a meeting with the head of the Magic Tower, and all his assistants would accompany him.

So, I had to finish everything before the Duke returned, and once he arrived, I’d pretend to be lazily reading comic books, completing the perfect crime.

But…

‘Is it okay to do this?’

I had come here planning to break the core, but now that it was time to act, my seasoned office worker instincts were holding me back.

‘Starting trouble will just make things harder for you,’ it warned…

Hesitating, I pulled a bag from under the bed and began justifying myself.

‘Technically, this isn’t an accident but a plan to save the Magic Tower, right?’

No matter how the process went, if the result was good, then it was fine.

“This is the real price for the dam construction.”

But at the same time, I also recalled the Duke’s unexpected goodwill.

With my heart skipping beats at every simple word, I found it hard to distinguish if this was Stockholm Syndrome or the bridge effect.

‘Get a grip.’

Kayan Blaire may be a dangerously handsome man, but he also kills people.

Above all, he was the secondary male lead who became interested in Lemeia’s pure side in the original story.

Although the match between him and Lemeia seemed forced, there was still a possibility that he could turn around once he actually saw her.

That would make it all the more necessary to suppress the thumping heart.

‘Break the core, then think.’

I stopped hesitating and quickly took out the maid outfit I had secretly packed.

…And the black mask too.

With all preparations done, I stepped out cautiously and walked slowly through the hallway, when I accidentally bumped into a mirror and saw my reflection.

‘What… what is this?’

I hadn’t noticed when checking earlier, but this was beyond ridiculous.

“Ugh.”

A maid holding a hammer and wearing a mask.

It looked like I was screaming, “I’m a suspicious person!”

But I tried my best to escape reality desperately.

‘Well, it should be fine, right?’

After all, this is the Magic Tower, where people with all sorts of tastes gather.

Yeah, right. Maybe a maid wearing a mask is just another one of the various tastes people have…

Or not, of course.

‘Well, just do the job and retreat.’

Disguises and infiltration were clearly not for me.

Judging that it would be impossible to get to the core looking like this, I quickly turned around.

And then, I bumped into him.

“What are you doing here?”

Liam, who had been about to greet me, froze as he reached out a hand.