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

I wasn’t well-versed in the way high society spoke, but it wasn’t so unfamiliar that I couldn’t understand them. So I nodded inwardly and focused intently on the noble ladies’ conversation.

“You know how it is. Sometimes, when you’re writing, it’s hard to convey tone, and you end up saying all kinds of things…”

“Exactly. Since Lady Elegance is also a writer, she’s probably experienced that quite a few times herself.”

With each passing comment from the gathered noblewomen and young ladies about Lady Elegance, a clearer picture of her began to form.

In short, Lady Elegance wrote down everything she could—things she should and shouldn’t say—and once she locked onto a target, she dissected them thoroughly to the bone… but that wasn’t necessarily out of her own volition.

‘So that means she was acting under someone else’s orders.’

Could that “someone” be referring to the Empress? Or was there someone else pulling the strings?

As I listened in silence, a particularly seasoned-looking noblewoman finally spoke up.

“Ladies, haven’t you heard? Apparently, she had nothing to do with this latest incident. They say ‘that person’ is also an avid fan of manga, just like us… There’s no way someone like that would have done it.”

“True. If anything, they’re probably more furious than anyone…”

From that, I could tell that Lady Elegance had indeed been under the Empress’s influence.

And also that the nobles of Kletan now believed the Empress wasn’t behind this latest incident.

Feigning a sip of tea, I focused even more on the conversations around me.

“But really, was Lady Elegance ever the type with a strong sense of purpose? I never really got that impression.”

Then, an elderly noblewoman who had been silent until now joined in.

Holding her teacup with elegant poise, she added:

“I remember when she first debuted. In the Elegance barony, full of striking beauties, she surprisingly showed up wearing the most extravagant dress.”

What followed was even more interesting than I’d expected.

The impoverished Baron Elegance household had three daughters.

On their debutante day, the eldest and youngest—both known for their beauty—showed up in patched-up, worn dresses. But the second daughter, who lagged behind in various aspects, arrived in a luxurious dress that could rival any wealthy noble family’s.

There had been plenty of rumors back then, one being that a powerful noble, impressed by the second daughter’s exceptional writing, decided to sponsor her.

“I even heard that the family introduced Lady Elegance to ‘that person.’ After that, her pen seemed to move even faster.”

“Hmm, that sounds about right. Though it’s been so long I can barely remember. Over 30 years ago…”

Despite waiting so long for this, the topic fizzled out quickly.

Perhaps it was because the issue involved the Empress, making people too cautious to speak openly?

‘There has to be something more.’

Even after the tea party ended, the story of “that household” refused to leave my mind.

* * *

After the tea party, I stayed in the capital for a few days to gather information, but I didn’t uncover anything particularly significant.

If there was anything I managed to find…

“Princess Dorothea and Marchioness Stephan grew close to Her Majesty not long before Lady Elegance became the Empress’s mouthpiece.”

It was something the Marchioness of Ambrose casually let slip about Princess Dorothea and Marchioness Stephan.

‘In the end, I’m indebted to the Marchioness of Ambrose again.’

Anyway, since the name of House Stephan had come up once more, this wasn’t just speculation anymore.

Which meant the next step… was probably sharing what I’d found, right?

Though my stay was short, I’d grown oddly attached to the imperial villa in the capital. Still, I left and returned to the Grand Duchy of Blaire.

“Where is His Grace?”

“He’s inside.”

Liam, who was standing in front of the study—perhaps on some errand—adjusted his glasses the moment he saw me.

“Would you mind waiting just a moment?”

“Huh? Oh, sure.”

Was it just my imagination, or had his attitude grown strangely more polite compared to before?

In any case, after leaving me outside, he stepped into the study—and then suddenly dragged out all the aides who had been inside.

“Th-thank you so much, Aide Liam…”

“If I’d stayed in there just an hour longer, I might’ve met my great-grandfather in the afterlife…”

The aides, now completely drained, clung to Liam like he was their savior, offering tearful thanks. But when they saw me, they quickly straightened up and began pretending everything was fine.

“A-hem. Good day.”

“Hello. It’s been a while. Were you all in the middle of work?”

I asked just in case I’d come at a busy time, ready to come back later if needed—but their reaction was… surprisingly strange.

“Oh, no! Not at all. We’ve just finished everything, haha!”

“Even if we were still working, we wouldn’t dare get in the way of the two of you. We can handle the rest of our work from our own studies.”

“But still…”

“Well then, please enjoy your time.”

They turned on their heels and practically ran off like they were fleeing from ghosts.

I could faintly hear things like “Finally, I can rest…” and “I miss home-cooked meals…”—but well, that’s just how working people are, so I let it slide.

“Your Grace, I’m coming in.”

I grabbed the slightly open door handle and stepped into the study.

And immediately found myself face-to-face with a mountain of paperwork piled so high, it looked like it could reach the ceiling.

“You’re here.”

“…Did something happen while I was gone?”

His calm tone didn’t match the sight before me, and I didn’t even bother hiding the horror in my voice as I asked,

“…What is all this?”

“Winter in the North is harsh. To prepare for the upcoming monster wave, we used 40% of the Grand Duchy’s budget. These are the detailed reports for that.”

“Oh…”

Just imagining the sheer amount of work that would generate made me feel faint. I approached him with a worried expression.

“Have you… not slept?”

“About three days now. But I can manage up to a week. As long as I take ten-minute naps here and there, I’ll get through it.”

Wait, what? You’re saying it’s fine to not sleep for a week?

We were speaking the same language, but I couldn’t understand a single word.

And up close, the duke looked even worse. Were those deep shadows under his eyes dark circles? Come to think of it, he did look a bit thinner.

He told me I was overworking and needed rest, but he looked like he was on the verge of death.

‘He’s basically a walking corpse… albeit an incredibly handsome one.’

I stared at him in disbelief, decided to put aside my original reason for coming for a moment, and cautiously asked,

“Um… are you really okay?”

Anyone who saw him like this would hesitate to bring up work.

But instead of answering, he tilted his head slightly, as if he didn’t understand the question.

“Hm? I’m fine. This is manageable. It’s always like this every year. Honestly, compared to last year, this isn’t so bad.”

…What was it like last year if this isn’t considered bad? My brain short-circuited.

Yet even as I stared in shock, he paid no mind and simply asked,

“Anyway, what brings you here?”

I wanted him to rest, but he clearly had no intention of doing so, so I gave up.

Looking into his lifeless eyes, I pulled over a chair and sat down in front of his desk.

“I came to tell you what I found in the capital. I just returned today. Not that you’d know, but…”

“I knew.”

He suddenly interrupted me.

“I didn’t reach out because I didn’t want it to seem like I was pressuring you about the intel…”

“……”

“I hope you didn’t think I didn’t know.”

His voice was quieter than usual, and for once, he even looked… a little shy.

Were his earlobes… turning red?

‘Maybe the sunset’s just unusually strong today.’

It must be my imagination.