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

“They say the Magic Tower might collapse.”

That was the conclusion.

And I could tell without even hearing the details.

This was an event described in the original novel Forced Empress.

“For some unknown reason, a crack has begun to form in the magic core at the deepest part of the Magic Tower. If it shatters…”

“The Magic Tower will collapse, won’t it?”

It was a grave situation.

The origins of the Magic Tower were unclear, but it was a repository of ancient magic knowledge that remained shrouded in mystery.

Because of this, the magicians affiliated with the Magic Tower had abandoned their livelihoods to gather around the cracked core, trying to replenish the magic that was leaking out.

But in the original story, the Magic Tower eventually collapsed.

‘I should have reviewed it more closely.’

In the original, which mainly followed Lemeia’s perspective, this storyline wasn’t given much weight, so I had overlooked it.

It was merely described as: “Lemeia gave advice, but the Tower Lord didn’t heed it, and the Magic Tower fell.”

As complicated feelings welled up, the Archduke opened his mouth again.

“Oh, I forgot to mention—this is still top secret. You must not disclose it to anyone outside.”

“Re-really? Then why are you sharing such classified information with me…?”

“Why do you think?”

“I… I have no idea?”

Could he be planning to use the excuse that I’d learned forbidden information to threaten me?

I really didn’t want to know. If possible, ever.

But he raised the corners of his mouth as if he found it amusing to tease me.

“You’ll be going to the Magic Tower soon anyway. Think it over until then, Princess.”

Surely, he didn’t mean to suggest we go together? No way.

Yet he didn’t reveal his reasons and left me feeling uneasy to the end.

His personality, which was inversely proportional to his handsome face, was surely proof that the gods are fair.

“Is something troubling you?”

“Oh, sorry. I was distracted….”

When Ashley asked, I awkwardly smiled and apologized.

We were supposed to be enjoying tea time at her request, given how busy she had been lately, yet I felt bad for not paying her full attention.

At my clumsy excuse, Ashley responded considerately.

“It’s all right. I was just worried I’d inconvenienced you by asking you to meet despite your busy schedule.”

“No, it’s not that. Haha, the cake is really delicious, isn’t it?”

I hastily shoved another bite of soft cream cake into my mouth.

Fortunately, the sweet dessert seemed to activate my brain a little.

Though I felt sorry for Ashley, my thoughts wandered again.

Since my last meeting with the Duke, my mind had been preoccupied with the Magic Tower.

And when that happened, it was hard to focus on anything else.

‘If the Magic Tower collapses, things will get complicated.’

Due to their nature, mages were fickle and difficult to manage, and the Magic Tower served as a unifying link for them.

The collapse of the Magic Tower would temporarily halt the activities of magicians, leading to significant losses in businesses and trade connected to them.

Salt wasn’t an exception. During the beginning of the food shortage, the nation had experienced isolation when they couldn’t use teleportation magic.

Additionally, the collapse became a catalyst for the black magicians hiding in the shadows to emerge and begin their activities in earnest, amplifying the consequences significantly.

Once again, a few lines from the original text were manifesting into a major reality.

And the solution to the problem was….

‘I have to destroy the core.’

But that was no easy feat. Even the original heroine Lemeia, who had the protagonist buff, couldn’t prevent the collapse of the Magic Tower.

‘The original heroine wrote in a letter that destroying the core was necessary to save the Magic Tower.’

However, the magicians of the tower dismissed the letter as nonsense and ignored it.

The truth was, the core wasn’t breaking—it was undergoing a kind of molting process.

This fact had been lost to the modern magicians due to records being destroyed during the war between magicians and black magicians in the past.

To them, the advice to destroy the core probably sounded as absurd as suggesting “Let’s burn Gyeongbokgung Palace because someone scribbled graffiti on its walls!”

Clink.

I set down my fork after picking at the cake absentmindedly and blurted out without thinking.

“Have you ever destroyed a mana stone?”

“…What? A mana stone?”

“Uh, I mean, a stone containing more magic than a typical mana stone?”

I wasn’t sure if it was okay to describe the Magic Tower’s core this way.

Ashley’s voice, laced with surprise, returned with a puzzled expression.

It was only then, looking at her face, that I realized my mistake.

“Oh, no, forget I said anything.”

Breaking a mana stone, which ordinary people rarely even saw—it sounded absurd, even to me.

But Ashley mulled it over seriously before speaking.

“Well… I don’t know for sure, but wouldn’t there be books containing such knowledge in the Duke’s library?”

“Oh!”

‘That’s right.’

Books were rare in this world. More precisely, access to refined knowledge wasn’t readily available to everyone.

Because of this, proper information could only be found in the libraries of prestigious noble families, the royal family, or the imperial family.

In the original story, Lemeia—or rather, April, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes—found various pieces of information in the Salt Royal Library to resolve the nation’s crisis.

“Thank you, Ashley. That’s a great hint!”

Ashley responded with a soft smile to my gratitude.

“I have other engagements soon, so would you like to leave first?”

Looking at her still half-full teacup, I nodded gratefully.

“See you later. And as always, don’t overwork yourself!”

“I’ll return those words to you. You always seem busy, after all.”

Huh? Do I?

It hit me then that I’d been spending less time cooped up in my room lately.

‘I should be cautious about this.’

What if I lose my identity as a homebody?

I shook my head.

Once the Magic Tower issue was resolved, the manga business would run smoothly, bolstered by the Duke’s capital. Wealth would follow in no time.

Naturally, I’d end up with more free time.

Yes, I resolved firmly.

Once this is over!

I will take a break.

Absolutely.

* * *

Today, there was no one near the Duke’s study. It was eerily quiet, as if the area had been deliberately vacated.

Warily scanning my surroundings in case Liam popped out from wherever he might be watching, I slowly knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

After a brief pause, a languid voice answered.

As I stepped inside, my eyes met the Archduke’s, who was seated at his desk.

But something about him seemed off.

‘Did he just wake up?’

He didn’t bother hiding his exhaustion and rubbed his face with his hands.

Now that I thought about it, his voice sounded hoarser and more lethargic than usual.

Was this his break time? But if he wanted to rest, why not sleep comfortably in his room instead of in the study…?

“What is it this time, Princess? If it’s about business matters, why not save it for later?”

“No, that’s not it. I was just wondering if I could gain access to the Duke’s library.”

I quickly got to the point, trying not to rub him the wrong way.

“What, are you planning to treat my house like your own now?”

“Of course not! I mean, if it’s not possible, that’s fine too…”

Though his tone carried a hint of teasing, I hastily denied it.

I knew better than to respond to a powerful figure’s jokes with jokes of my own—it would be foolish.

But the Duke, seeming to mean nothing by it, gave a lighthearted nod of approval.

“Feel free to access the library.”

“Thank you!”

It would’ve been nice if he’d said that right away, but seeing how exhausted he looked, my irritation faded quickly.

Now that I thought about it, he seemed to work tirelessly, day and night. Perhaps it was remarkable he even had the energy to make jokes.

Come to think of it…

‘When does this man even sleep?’

What I said next wasn’t planned; it came out impulsively.

“Um, are you okay?”

The Duke’s gaze shifted to me.

Feeling awkward, I quickly added, “You just look tired, that’s all.”

He stared at me in silence for a moment before responding slowly.

“…I’m fine.”

If he said he was fine, then I couldn’t argue.

I gave a small nod and left the study. But I hadn’t taken more than a few steps before I stopped.

I couldn’t get his weary expression out of my mind, and suddenly, I felt like I understood why.

‘He reminds me of myself.’

Not the current me, but the me from what felt like a distant past—a version of myself who worked to the point of burnout.

‘His dark circles seem a little more pronounced than before.’

Of course, the classic Northern Duke aesthetic somehow made even his dark circles look like they added to his charm, but still…

I shook my head vigorously.

‘It’s none of my business.’

I had my own problems to deal with; what right did I have to worry about someone else?

I hesitated.

But in the end, I turned around and walked back into the study.

“What now?”

The Duke, seemingly in the middle of trying to take a brief rest, paused with his back halfway reclined against the chair.

Walking briskly to stand in front of him, I held out my hand.

“If you’re feeling tired… I have a little tip that might help.”

The Duke alternated his gaze between my open palm and my face.

“Your hand?”

“Yes, My hand.”

I stared intently at his hand, silently urging him to place it in mine.