Start with the floorboard
In an original player question, the player had spoken to Fern but still could not start the key quest. A community reply pointed them back to the loose board in the room. The version 1.06 quest log independently identifies a key under a squeaky floorboard as its first recorded step.
That gives you a concrete place to check, but it does not prove that inspecting the board alone triggers the quest in every story state. The villager walkthrough places The Secret Key after the Winter 4 History Final. Check your calendar and journal if the board does not yet offer the expected interaction.
Follow the key to the forest
- Inspect the squeaky floorboard in your room. When the relevant story step is active, look for the key there rather than searching unrelated locked doors around town.
- Use the key for the hidden room. The quest log moves directly from finding the key to entering Nettleine's hidden room. Compare your current objective with that transition.
- Follow the music-box scene. Nettleine's toad friend helps repair the box; the resulting music teaches Tangleknot Remover, according to the songs walkthrough.
- Go to the Tangleknot wall in Nocturne Forest. Play the new song there to enter the forest centre and finish this key chain. The next story task is the Harp of Six.
The wall spell is a short world-use song in the walkthrough. If there is no normal practice lesson, check the songbook and your manual casting controls before assuming it is missing.
If the quest does not start
| Your current situation | Check first |
|---|---|
| You have completed Fern's conversation, but see no key objective | Inspect the room's loose floorboard and review the Winter story/calendar state. |
| You found a key but cannot find the next step | Read the journal entry about the hidden room; this is the destination supported by the quest log. |
| You reached the hidden room but cannot pass the forest wall | Complete the music-box scene, then check for Tangleknot Remover in your songbook. |
The source material does not establish every prerequisite for the floorboard interaction. A missing action may be normal story timing or a different blocked state; this guide does not label it a bug without more evidence.
Sources and limits
The route is based on the version 1.06 quest log, a separate songs walkthrough, and the player's missing-key question, checked 18 October 2026. We have not independently tested the trigger or identified a guaranteed fix for every save.
