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

Baron and Baroness Pavron, having reconciled with the Marquess and Marchioness of Ambrose, were now living in the Ambrose estate just like the other siblings.

According to the last letter we exchanged, the Baroness of Pavron had even set up her own workshop within the estate, thanks to the active support of the Marchioness.

After my audience with the Empress, I left the Imperial Palace and headed straight to the Ambrose estate, located within the Imperial Capital, to meet the Pavron couple.

Being stuck out in the distant Grand Duchy of Blaire, I needed the insight of someone who could keep up with the latest news in the capital.

There has to be a way to solve this.

They say haste makes waste, after all.

Although the Empress’s warning had been sharp, in the end, it was just another problem to solve, wasn’t it?

“You may wait here.”

“Thank you.”

As I was led into the drawing room, I couldn’t help but be impressed again.

Was it because they were earning an outrageous amount of money now? Even the smallest decorative item was of the finest quality.

Could those golden patterns on the wallpaper actually be real gold leaf?

If I just scraped off the wall pretending not to know, I’d be rich.

I was indulging in such silly thoughts when I heard footsteps and looked up.

“Have you been waiting long?”

It was the Baroness of Pavron who entered through the door.

Her cheeks were rosy with health, making it clear she had fully recovered. The persistent little cough she used to have seemed to be gone, and most of all, her outfit stood out.

I remember the frayed sleeves I pretended not to notice before.

Now, she was wrapped in a luxurious dress that could easily rival those of the capital’s high-ranking nobles.

It seems reconciling with the Ambroses really worked out well for them.

Seeing the Baroness looking so well, I felt all the worries that had been lurking in my heart completely melt away.

I’d wondered if I’d done something unnecessary. If my actions had caused some kind of negative butterfly effect.

I’d worried over things that hadn’t even happened yet, but just from the atmosphere of the household and the look in the Baroness’s eyes, I knew those fears had been groundless.

I snapped out of my thoughts and smiled softly, shaking my head.

“No, not at all. I was so busy admiring the place that time flew by.”

At my awed remark, the Baroness of Pavron beamed even brighter.

“Oh, this room was decorated by my mother-in-law herself. Before my father-in-law inherited the marquisate, this was her usual space.”

“So this place was decorated that long ago? It doesn’t feel dated at all….”

The interior was so refined, I wondered if they’d recently hired a very talented designer. I nodded at her next words.

“Yes, I was amazed too. Apparently, she decorated the study entirely with luxury items she personally sourced through the Marquessate of Stephan.”

Ah, the House of Stephan?

The familiar name rang in my ears, and I tilted my head.

Where have I heard that before?

Then, in a flash, a memory from long ago jolted through my mind.

Ah, those troublesome nobles!

Back when I was working as a slave under Lemeia…

Even then, I’d stayed late in the office with the other administrators, struggling with logistics.

All because of goods distributed by the House of Stephan!

“Ugh…”

As the memory grew clearer, a strange groan escaped my lips.

The House of Stephan was the kind of family that imported ridiculously overpriced goods through Salt, yet sent ten complaint letters a day trying to dodge import taxes.

They claimed Salt was just a route, so why should they pay taxes? Their bizarre stubbornness was nothing new.

And yet they still demanded military cooperation to ensure their goods weren’t damaged.

Crazy people. Sometimes their nonsense was so absurd it didn’t even make you laugh.

They were the worst of the worst.

I’d worked so many overtime hours because of them, I once seriously hoped they’d go bankrupt. I never expected to hear that name again here.

What was more shocking was that those pains-in-the-neck weren’t just some small-time vendor, but actually a prestigious house capable of supplying the Ambrose family?

“My lady?”

“S-So the luxury goods from the House of Stephan are really… reputable?”

“Oh, absolutely. Everyone knows that if you want high-end or rare items, you have to go through them.”

“H-Haha. I see…”

Avoiding the eye-catching porcelain that must’ve cost a fortune, I forced a chuckle.

“So what brings you to the capital? Did His Grace the Grand Duke come with you?”

“No, I came alone this time.”

He was probably back in the duchy calming the unrest and tracking down the source of those rumors.

“And… Her Majesty the Empress summoned me.”

At my abrupt statement, the Baroness of Pavron’s eyes widened.

“Her Majesty? Don’t tell me… she asked you to reveal what’s going to happen next in the story?”

“Oh, no. It was about the ridiculous rumors going around about tumblers and thermos bottles.”

“What?”

There was no longer any reason to hide it.

I let out a deep sigh and explained everything that had happened.

After hearing it all, the Baroness’s face turned serious as she touched her lips thoughtfully.

“I’d heard such rumors were going around, but I didn’t think it was serious. There have always been silly rumors because of how popular tumblers and thermoses are. But… this really is serious.”

She seemed more worried than I was, so I quickly waved my hands.

“Ah, please don’t worry too much. I’m sure it’ll be resolved soon.”

“I hope so. But, my lady… actually, I happened to hear something, too.”

She glanced around the empty drawing room and leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.

“We were just talking about the House of Stephan, but… I heard the magazine company they sponsor is planning to release a comic book.”

“A comic book?”

At that moment, my intuition kicked in.

Right when all the junior artists have left?

Could things really line up so perfectly by coincidence?

Of course, it might have been nothing more than chance. But something about it kept nagging at me.

Office instincts are usually right—except when it comes to estimating overtime.

While I was deep in that thought, the Baroness continued.

“A few days ago, the Marchioness of Stephan was going around making a big fuss about it. And the Marquess seriously inquired with Father about magazine distribution.”

“Hmmm…”

“I’m worried this might threaten the standing of our comic altogether.”

She closed her mouth with a somber expression, then muttered quietly in a hesitant voice.

“I already feel like my role has grown too big, and if < Safety rules for duke’s haunted manor > ends up suffering because of me…”

“No, that won’t happen.”

I cut in firmly.

“You’re doing an outstanding job, Baroness. We just need to keep going the way we’ve always done. Stay on our path.”

As far as I could tell, the chances of a new comic book matching the quality of ours were slim.

After all, comics had only just started gaining popularity.

More importantly… if the House of Stephan really is behind this…

Then they’d pay dearly for picking this fight.

I’ll have to ask someone to look into it.

I knew I might be jumping to conclusions—but I couldn’t shake the feeling that my instincts were right.