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

‘I’m screwed’

Truly screwed.

The only thought I could have, facing a face so breathtakingly handsome, was this.

But soon, I snapped out of it and shook my head. I didn’t forget to let out an awkward smile.

“W-well, I’m not sure what you mean by that…”

The truth is, I know the future. This world is exactly like the book I read, and I’ve been reincarnated into it.

…But of course, I couldn’t say that even if my mouth were to split open.

There’s no evidence, so the only way to survive is to deny everything!

I decided to play dumb.

“That… wasn’t something I did. Hahaha.”

“Princess.”

Then the duke called me in a heavy tone.

“Do you know how we deal with liars in the empire?”

“……”

“Usually, we resort to very cruel torture. If you refuse to confess the truth, we’ll tear your mouth open.”

E-excuse me?

B-but! Would you actually believe me if I told you?

It’d be a miracle if I wasn’t tossed into that nunnery in the mountains, which was practically a madhouse.

…Wait. But living in a nunnery might not be that bad?

“Thinking of something else while in front of me?”

“Huh!”

Why is he so quick to catch on?

I was about to mutter something, but before I could, the duke spoke first.

“However, you’re not an ordinary criminal, so I suppose I can’t treat you that way.”

Why does he keep playing with my emotions like this?!

The finger that had been holding my chin dropped, but I was still as stiff as a stone.

Taking a step back, the duke once again smiled, this time with the same curved grin.

“I heard that even though you were deliberately left in a destitute environment, you quietly endured without a single complaint. Were you thinking someone from the Salt Kingdom would come to rescue you someday?”

“……?”

“You must have never imagined being treated like this while living as royalty. I wonder if you have nerves of steel, or if there’s something you’re relying on.”

His words made me curious all of a sudden.

I had gone to such lengths to hide my identity with lies, so why had the room they gave me been so comfortable?

Though modest, it was never lacking in the basics.

Why did Liam keep assuming that I’d try to escape from this cozy place?

Wait, could it be… they don’t even know how I’ve been living?

If that’s the case, then everything I’ve had up until now is some sort of punishment, right?

It was laughable for someone like me, who had spent time in a cold, bug-infested room, to be enjoying this kind of comfort now.

I bit my lip, trying not to burst into laughter. It would be best if I didn’t correct the misunderstanding, especially if it worked to my advantage.

I steeled myself and spoke up.

“I don’t understand what you mean, but even if I did, I am the princess of the Salt Kingdom. I cannot speak of internal affairs.”

The duke’s expression turned cold.

“So, you won’t tell me where the information leaked from.”

But unlike before, I wasn’t as scared anymore.

If he’d already decided to kill me, he wouldn’t be going through all this trouble. That thought reassured me a little.

Moreover, since he suspected the information had leaked, it seemed he wouldn’t let me go until he found out something.

Then…

Well, I’ll take that as a win!

According to the original story, Salt Kingdom falls anyway.

At first, I worked hard because I didn’t realize I’d been reincarnated. Later, I did it out of concern for the innocent people who might be caught up in things.

But now, I’ve reached a point where I can do nothing.

So, the only thing left for me to do now is one thing.

“If you don’t trust me, just lock me up!”

“…What?”

“If I can’t preserve my life by pretending to know things I don’t, then I can’t risk harming innocent people by lying about what I know…”

The duke stared at me with a look of disbelief, but I didn’t back down and continued.

“Of course, being locked in this suffocating room, unable to do anything, is incredibly painful… But I’ll accept it humbly!”

After a long silence, the duke, like a predator searching for its prey, moved quietly closer to me.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

With each step, my heart beat faster, almost as if it were going to burst.

“You’re stubborn.”

But thankfully, he only spoke one word and then lightly passed by me to sit down.

“Well then, let me give a bit of bad news to someone who doesn’t know anything.”

His voice was emotionless.

“What…?”

I hadn’t even finished asking when I already understood what he meant.

The duke pulled a document from his coat.

A very familiar form… It was the same kind of document used in the Salt Kingdom.

“Ah…”

It was impossible not to recognize it.

I saw the royal seal stamped at the bottom and my mouth dropped open.

Did he just stamp it there?

A trade certificate.

The subject was the grain I had stockpiled in preparation for an abrupt halt in the supply of wheat from Kleitan.

Lemeia had sold it all to the Empire.

Is she out of her mind!?

“W-wait a second.”

Why would the Empire, with more wheat than it could ever use, buy it at such a high price?

But even in my surprise, I kept reading the document carefully until I froze.

“This… this…”

“What’s the problem?”

A problem? Of course, there was!

“Give it to me!”

Swish!

I tried to snatch the document, but the duke swiftly yanked it back and put it back in his coat.

“Didn’t you say you didn’t know anything?”

“What do you mean, I don’t know anything! I don’t know, but… but…!”

I gasped for air and protested like I was screaming.

“But still… this is something anyone who isn’t an idiot would recognize!”

“So, what is it?”

As he continued to press, I almost burst into tears as I answered.

“This transaction is a scam…”

The seal of the intermediary company, stamped right next to the royal seal, was something I had never seen before in any trade with the Empire.

Usually, cross-border transactions are handled by certified major trading companies, but suddenly a small-time company is involved?

This is a common sign of a trade scam, where intermediaries steal goods or charge exorbitant fees.

Anyone in the business would know this without question.

Lemeia!

To think she could cause such damage to the economy of the kingdom so quickly.

I couldn’t help but be in awe.

“Ah.”

Suddenly, I looked at the duke in shock.

“Did you do this on purpose…?”

The duke’s green eyes, still holding that same graceful smile, reflected my face.

“Normally, in cases like this, the one who’s deceived is the fool… But strangely, it seems the office of Princess Lemeia, where you’ve fallen, isn’t doing too well.”

I clenched my teeth and replied.

“I… don’t know anything about it.”

“Right, you don’t.”

With a relaxed smile, the duke casually ordered.

“Take her out, as the princess wishes. Make sure she doesn’t leave under any circumstances.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Although his voice wasn’t loud, knights soon entered and grabbed my arms.

Dragged away like a criminal arrested by the police, I kept my gaze fixed on the duke.

‘This is too much’

There’s a section in the original story describing the kingdom of Salt on the brink of collapse.

“The trade routes have already been blocked, and there is no food stored. People died of hunger, and a plague spread from the corpses, turning it into a literal hell on earth.”

I wanted to do something to alleviate that situation.

The world described in the book was just that, a book, but the Salt Kingdom I lived in… was a world where real people lived.

But Remaia had destroyed that last remaining defense with her own hands.

In that moment, unable to hold back, I blurted out in frustration.

“Could you just cut me a little slack…?”

“I?”

The duke responded as though he had heard something amusing.

“There’s no reason for me to.”

Bang.

With that, the door slammed shut in front of me.