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

3,792,080.

What is this number?

It’s the amount currently left in my account.

After paying off all the bills from the duke, I had just 3.79 million tri left.

This wasn’t enough for a house—heck, I even had to worry about paying this month’s boarding fees.

Sure, I’d have some new royalties and blackout curtain sales profits coming in soon, but…

The problem was that I didn’t want a life of living paycheck to paycheck!

“Haaa…”

A long sigh escaped from deep within me.

“Why are you sighing so much?”

Because of you.

I silently glared at my detestable, greedy employer.

It was so unfair—while I was suffering from my dried-up bank account, someone here had nothing but leisure on his hands.

“You’ll hurt your eyes doing that.”

“……”

“The princess’s eyes are a delicate shade of blue.”

What?

This line caught me completely off guard. Especially since I had just been distracted thinking about how sharp his jawline was or how defined his eyes looked.

Flustered, I quickly turned my gaze away and awkwardly replied, feeling my face grow hotter.

“…That’s too much.”

“What’s too much?”

“Well, it’s… uh…”

You made me broke!

But I couldn’t exactly say that aloud, especially since I was still being treated like royalty at the duke’s manor, and nothing about my lifestyle had really changed.

Still, I couldn’t deny the bitter feeling of losing the money I had worked so hard to earn.

So, yes, I was a little annoyed at the duke.

“Hmm. Seems you don’t want to say.”

He leaned back with a disinterested expression and added, “No need to camp out tonight. We’ll reach the village soon and stay at an inn.”

My ears perked up.

“And…?”

“Liam says the roast duck leg they serve at the inn is outstanding.”

Wow. That sounds amazing.

After days of chewing on tough, dried jerky, my soul was craving something more comforting.

And now, well past lunchtime, I could feel my hunger gnawing at me.

Grrr…

The quiet rumble of my stomach made the duke’s lips curl into a smile.

“I’ll pay.”

I did have 3.79 million tri left to my name. I could easily buy my own roast duck leg.

But instead of refusing, I nodded eagerly.

“Thank you… I’ll enjoy it.”

Why say no to free food?

I could even think of it as getting some of my money back after what he took. There was no reason to refuse.

Even if it made me feel a little pathetic.

“But there’s one condition.”

“Haa.”

There’s a condition for buying me dinner?

Considering it was the duke, I decided to hear him out.

“When we arrive, you’ll follow this guideline.”

“A guideline?”

“Yes. It’s modeled after the safety guidelines in ‘Safety Rules for Writing Horror Stories’, the story you worked on.”

How thoughtful.

I silently accepted the rough paper he handed over. Its contents read as follows:

Quick Tortoise Inn Guidelines

Welcome to the renowned Quick Tortoise Inn of the peaceful village of Traga.

This guideline has been prepared to ensure a comfortable and safe stay at the inn.

Do not let the staff see that you have this guideline. The author takes no responsibility for any issues caused by not following these rules.

If you find a foreign object in your food, pretend you didn’t see it.

Most small inns in remote villages have poor hygiene due to limited resources. Complaining could deeply offend the chef and staff.

Do not drink any beverages served by the inn.

As mentioned above, the inn’s hygiene is lacking. Drinking any unboiled liquids may result in stomach issues, vomiting, or chills.

Ignore children or elderly people who ask for help.

Outsiders often trigger suspicion when interacting with villagers. Politely decline any requests for assistance.

Lock the door securely, but keep the window slightly open.

Old inn rooms collect dust. Keeping the window cracked allows for proper ventilation.

If a black-haired staff member offers to guide you to the exit, follow them immediately.

Accompany them swiftly before the other staff begin to notice.

.

.

. . .

What is this?

I read through it with confusion, then shrugged.

“…Doesn’t seem too hard. Sure, I’ll follow it.”

All I wanted now was to lie down on a proper bed.

After four days of travel to the capital, the magic teleportation circle to the city had been under maintenance, forcing us to take the land route.

The duke’s carriage was comfortable enough, but I was getting tired of it.

Camping out wasn’t so fun after the first day or two.

Just the thought of sleeping under a roof again lifted my spirits.

Even the duke, who had annoyed me this whole trip, looked a little more tolerable now.

At that moment, a knight called from outside.

“We’ve arrived at Traga village!”

I drew back the carriage’s blackout curtain and opened the small side window. Smoke was rising from beyond the ridge.

Our carriage picked up speed and soon came to a stop.

Finally, we were here. The village where I’d have to follow the duke’s strange guidelines.

* * *

“Hmm?”

Why did I feel a chill standing in front of the inn that was supposed to give me peace and comfort?

I instinctively looked up at the duke, but he just stared straight ahead as if nothing was wrong.

“Are you not going in?”

“…Ah.”

I suddenly realized I’d been standing beside him, still holding onto his escort.

“S-sorry!”

I hurriedly stepped back as if burned, my face heating up again.

His amused voice followed.

“No need to apologize. Feel free to lean on me—though I might charge for escort services.”

“…Seriously?”

“Kidding.”

Didn’t sound like a joke.

I ignored the truthfulness in his tone and walked into the inn.

While the duke talked with the knights, Bonita, who had been cleaning up, approached me.

“This village gives me the creeps, miss.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Something feels off. Where’s the town guard?”

Small villages didn’t always have their own guards, so it wasn’t that unusual.

“What else feels weird?”

“There are no kids.”

I remembered the guideline.

“Did you see any elderly?”

“Now that you mention it, I didn’t see any old people either.”

“Hmm.”

I thought about the duke’s knights stationed behind us, then shook my head.

“With this many knights, nothing’s going to happen.”

“True. Let’s go in, miss!”

The inn, located near the village center, was thankfully empty.

Despite the eerie atmosphere outside, the innkeeper was plump and friendly, agreeing to rent the whole place to the duke’s party at a discount.

But when the food arrived, the real challenge of following the guidelines began.