* * *
“Lord Klen, the time…”
“I should be going. Then, please rest well.”
Urged by a servant, Klen turned to leave.
Thud—
“Ugh?!”
He stumbled over a stack of books on the floor and flailed, clutching his leg and curling up in pain.
He must’ve really hit it.
A few people tried to suppress their laughter while others rushed to help him.
All I could do was watch in silent awe.
So he hasn’t completely given up — even though he’s the one who grounded me.
But even as he limped out the door and it shut behind him, I didn’t say a single word.
“Lord Klen always worries about you.”
“He’s afraid you’ll collapse again.”
As soon as he left, the attendants gathered around me, eager to defend their master.
But my face remained frozen, not even a twitch of an eyebrow.
“A-and this book…!”
An attendant held one up with sparkling eyes.
“Lord Klen personally chose this one for you!”
“I’ve never seen him go this far before.”
“And not even for himself — it’s all for you!”
“……”
They were practically radiating a ‘Do you realize how much Lord Klen cares for you?’ kind of atmosphere.
But seriously, if this is the first time they’ve seen him put in effort… just how lazy has he been until now?
Is he suddenly being kind because we’ve confirmed we share the same goal?
Since we’re already married, I suppose it makes sense to get along.
But if that’s the case, this is more of a negative.
I picked up one of the thinner books from the pile.
“…!”
It was a book about magical formulas.
After flipping through a few, it was clear most of them were.
Out of courtesy for the effort he put in, I leafed through one.
Thin didn’t mean easy. It was just a compact list of core concepts that only made my head spin.
Nothing actually stuck.
I tried a few more. Clearly, this wasn’t just a random pile of books.
Even though they seemed haphazardly dumped here, the ones closest to the bed were simpler, easier reads — perfect for when I was lying down.
The farther from reach, the more complex and demanding the content became.
It was oddly considerate.
In the weirdest way possible.
A few days passed like that.
This isn’t the time to be sitting around like this.
Time sure flies.
Every morning, Klen would leave the room — probably heading straight to my brother — and the moment he was gone, I’d jump to ask the attendants.
“Is Klen… doing well with his work?”
“Yes. I’ve heard he finishes his assigned tasks no matter what, but…”
“But?”
I raised my eyes from the sea of black text and looked at the servant, annoyed by his hesitation.
“But…”
He finally spoke after a pause.
“They say he cuts it close — always finishing just barely in time.”
“Sir Fabian often worries about it.”
“He always says Klen would be perfect if not for his laziness.”
“I see.”
That opened the floodgates.
I think I understood.
It’s not that he’s lazy and delays work — he prepares everything in advance, then messes around until the last possible moment, wrapping things up just in time.
To others, it looks like he’s busy with work, so they don’t give him more.
I used to pull that trick myself when I didn’t want to be bothered… but for him, it seems like a way of life.
Since I’d closed my book, I glanced sideways at the maid.
How long was I going to be locked in here?
Hmph.
But the moment our eyes met, she straightened with resolve.
Like she’d decided she wouldn’t fall for my tricks this time.
Clearly, what worked before wouldn’t again.
“I think I should visit the healer…”
“Did you forget you’re under house arrest? The healer isn’t in this building.”
Maybe I overdid it — trying too hard to appear frail while still wandering all over the place.
Honestly, the servants seemed relieved that I’d been grounded.
I set the book down on the table.
“Is this… normal? Even if Klen is the Count’s heir, can he really lock me up like this?”
“He can.”
“…?!”
I almost coughed in disbelief at how easily she answered.
Thinking I was choking, she poured me some water and handed it over.
“There was a previous instance. The late Count once forbade you from leaving, worried about your frail health. And no one questioned it.”
“Well…”
Makes sense. Who would dare defy the Count?
“Even His Majesty acknowledged it at the time.”
“……”
So that’s why this isn’t a problem — because there’s already royal precedent for keeping me locked up.
And I do still have that same frail reputation.
“So I can’t even go get my own medicine?”
“Even if we turn a blind eye, won’t the guards stationed at the building stop you?”
“Everyone around here already knows that Madam is under house arrest.”
“……”
So it wasn’t just a matter of convincing my attendants this time.
They were weak to me—if I pushed hard enough, they’d give in eventually.
The real problem was the guards.
They were more loyal to Klen than to me; it wasn’t likely they’d be swayed by a few words.
I deliberately slumped my shoulders, making myself look dejected.
“Right… That makes sense. Just leave me alone for a while. I want to read quietly.”
“…Understood.”
“We’ll be waiting outside the door. Call us if you need anything.”
Watching my expression carefully, they all withdrew.
I’d have preferred it if they stationed themselves far away rather than right outside the door, but saying that would only arouse suspicion.
Click—
The moment the door closed, I jumped to my feet and began searching the room.
My footsteps were lighter than a feather, and I moved my hands as delicately as if handling glass.
Given the circumstances, rooms like this usually had at least one or two hidden passages.
I inspected the area around the bed, pulled out books from the shelves, tapped around a bit.
Nothing responded.
As I scanned the room again, my eyes landed on a classic hiding spot: the fireplace.
I’d never used it before. I crawled inside and rapped my knuckles against the back wall.
Thunk.
A hollow sound echoed—one I hadn’t heard from the other sides.
Interesting.
I felt along the edges and caught a faint chill of air seeping through.
If not the bookcase, then this must be the hidden passage.
Clunk clunk—
“Not like this?”
Trying to force it open didn’t work.
I could probably break through with brute force, but that would make too much noise.
I didn’t know what might happen afterward, so it’d be best to open it properly.
There was nothing unusual around the fireplace.
No jutting stones or hidden levers.
If that’s the case, maybe the mechanism is elsewhere.
But I’d already touched nearly everything—if something was supposed to activate, it would’ve by now.
‘The most suspicious thing right now is…’
I scanned the room again, this time paying closer attention to spots I hadn’t touched.
That’s when I noticed something unexpected.
A picture frame—placed in full view from the bed.
* * *
