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

Knock knock.

Ashley shot up from her seat at the sound of knocking on the door of the largest studio used by painters in the annex of the Blaire Grand Duchy estate.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s Bonita.”

“Oh, please come in.”

When the door opened, Bonita stepped inside with a hefty bundle of documents in her arms. She also had a basket hanging securely from her arm, filled with steaming cookies and freshly squeezed orange juice from early that morning.

Ashley rushed forward to take the documents from her.

“This is…”

“From Lady Marigold. Miss Lainey made a few more edits.”

“I thought so. I’ve been waiting for this.”

Though they spoke in code, both Ashley and Bonita knew exactly what the heavy bundle was.

It was the next story installment of “Safety rules for duke’s haunted manor”, which Bonita had brought to Ashley at Lainey’s request.

In other words, this was the outline Ashley would be working on overnight to turn into storyboards.

“Just a moment.”

After asking for a bit of time, Ashley quickly skimmed through the papers. Though the contents were encoded, she knew the rules and had no trouble understanding them.

And once again, Ashley could breathe easy.

“Lady Pa— I mean, Lady Marigold is truly amazing.”

They weren’t behind schedule, but Baroness Pablon had a habit of sending packages a day or two early. Because of that, Lainey’s work schedule had gradually moved ahead as well, so receiving the materials on the actual deadline made it feel late in comparison.

Still…

“Is there anything to fix or pass along to Miss Lainey?”

“No. It’s perfect!”

The final product Ashley received was so well-done, it would’ve been understandable even if it had arrived late.

The previous issue of “Safety rules for duke’s haunted manor” had wrapped up with a major event that cleanly tied off all the clues. Because of that, Ashley had worried that launching into a new episode might feel clunky.

But Baroness Pablon had proved that concern completely unfounded.

How in the world did Miss Lainey find someone like her?

Ashley silently admired Lainey’s talent for finding the right people and placing them in exactly the right positions.

“I’m so relieved. But Ashley, it’s good to focus, just don’t forget to eat something too, okay?”

Bonita said as she took out the snacks she’d brought and laid them out.

“There’s a rumor going around the Grand Duchy—that none of the painters are getting proper sleep these days.”

“Ah, haha… Well, a lot of people who used to help out are gone now, so it’s come to this.”

Ashley, and the other painters too.

The reason they were all working in such a frenzy, known even among the estate staff, was because of the sudden absence of the apprentice painters.

“It must be stressful. But I’m sure good people will join again soon! Just hang in there a little longer!”

Ashley gave Bonita a weak smile at her encouragement, but her mind was already racing.

At most, we can hold out for another month like this.

Burning through physical energy wasn’t sustainable.

Thanks to being properly paid now, the artists’ quality of life had improved, and they looked better too, but keeping up with this kind of workload every day was taking a toll.

Ashley silently wished the day would never come when she’d have to tell Lainey she couldn’t keep up anymore.

***

Tap!

After stamping the final document and organizing the paperwork, I let out a long sigh as I looked at the towering stack of files on my desk.

“It’s finally over…”

From early morning until now—when I’d normally be finishing lunch and enjoying a dessert—I hadn’t rested for a moment. I just sat at my desk and worked nonstop.

“I need to rest.”

My brain felt overheated, so I dove into bed without hesitation.

Even so, my mind continued to naturally process everything that had happened.

First and foremost, the blackout curtains.

‘The refund amount wasn’t as high as I thought.’

I’d seen firsthand how many people had crowded into Lady Lainey’s leather workshop.

Baroness Pavron had also expressed concern, saying the imperial capital’s newspapers had sensationalized the incident.

Given that the blackout curtain refund fiasco was making headlines even overseas, we expected the refund scale to be massive.

But what do you know? The actual amount refunded was less than 10% of total sales.

Of course, we had done plenty of prep work in advance.

First, we sent letters to customers explaining how hygienically the blackout curtains were washed and processed, and detailing the manufacturing process.

At the end of the letter, we also included a promise: even if they couldn’t come to the Blaire Ducal Territory, we’d still process refunds—an effort to restore trust.

Naturally, we also made it clear that, since the fact that the product was made of monster leather wasn’t a flaw, only 70% of the cost would be refunded.

After that, the number of people requesting refunds dropped significantly.

‘Maybe everyone’s just gotten used to not living without blackout curtains?’

Morning sunlight pouring in and waking you up even if you don’t want to be awake—no one enjoys that.

But blackout curtain users had discovered a very simple way to avoid that blinding light.

Once someone gets used to convenience, they can never go back. Unless there’s an overwhelmingly better alternative, of course.

‘I bet a lot of people would rather hang monster leather over their windows than deal with annoying sunlight.’

Of course, it was still important to acknowledge that about 10% of consumers were repulsed by monster leather. That meant we needed to consider developing alternatives, even if they were more expensive.

But that was a future task—not an urgent issue needing immediate resolution.

So I figured I could think about it slowly.

“Haaa…”

While the blackout curtain situation was mostly under control… plenty of unresolved issues remained.

First, the shortage of busy artists.

Second, the persistent negative sentiment surrounding the thermos bottles.

Once the chaos over the blackout curtains had died down, Lady Elegance began submitting exaggerated reports to newspapers and magazines—claiming defects in knockoff thermoses were actually flaws in the originals.

Other journalists jumped on the bandwagon, each trying to stir up controversy in their own way.

‘Up until now, I didn’t fully understand the internal workings of the Kletan Empire, so I couldn’t respond effectively.’

Naturally, I was better informed than average when it came to the administrative tasks I dealt with in Salt or well-known facts.

But I had no idea how rumors began or spread in the Kletan Empire, nor was I privy to the sensitive information nobles exchanged among themselves.

Those were things I could only learn by throwing myself directly into Kletan society.

So I made up my mind.

‘Even if I’m an introvert…’

Even if I’m a textbook introvert whose energy drains five times faster than average when meeting strangers in unfamiliar places!

“Marchioness Ambrose, I have something I’d like to ask your help with.”

Long story short, I ended up being invited to Marchioness Ambrose’s party.

The event was officially described as a cultured gathering or book club, but in truth, it was a get-together of noble ladies and young women who adored “Safety rules for duke’s haunted manor”.

And my request to the Marchioness had been this: don’t invite me as some distant relative of the Blaire Ducal House, but as one of the creators of the comic “Safety rules for duke’s haunted manor”.

That way, I’d be able to win their favor and blend into the group more naturally.

‘Yes, I have a plan too.’

The trip was scheduled for tomorrow, so if I didn’t want to be late, I needed to start packing.

Still, should I lie down a little longer first?

My stomach growled from skipping meals to work, but getting up from the cozy bed felt like a monumental task.

Just then—

Knock knock.

“Ah, my lady! Are you in there?”

I heard Bonita’s slightly trembling voice from outside.

“Huh? Bonita, what is it?”

Maybe it was because I’d been through all kinds of chaos lately.

I rushed to the door, thinking something must have happened again.

And then—

“The Grand Duke… he sent tons of dresses and accessories for you!”