Chapter 2:Castle Stories 2
Castle Rules
[Rule One]: You may ask the Duke any question, and he will answer.
[Rule Two]: Never disturb the Young Lady; she dislikes noise.
[Rule Three]: The Duchess enjoys chess; you may play with her if she’s willing.
[Rule Four]: No one will disturb the Chef.
[Rule Five]: Meals must be eaten on time every day.
The Castle Tour lasts seven days. Wishing you a pleasant stay.
So, they were players? Required to follow rules?
Everyone stared at the unsettling blood-red words on the wall, their faces pale.
“What… are you all looking at?”
The butler smiled at them, his long black curly hair tied in a low ponytail, red eyes narrowing into slits with a friendly expression.
Finally, a normal person. After the shock of the headless maid, the players, tense and on edge, felt some relief at seeing someone normal.
“Over there, at the…”
The girl who had screamed earlier pointed at the wall, answering unguardedly, only to have her mouth covered by another girl beside her.
The burly man, previously arrogant, didn’t dare mock her now. He kept his head down, silent, terrified the headless maid might return.
The butler made a classic gentlemanly gesture, inviting them, “Please, take your seats. Dinner is ready for you.”
On the long brown wooden table, plates and cutlery had appeared at some point, exactly six sets, matching the number of players.
After their ordeal, the players had little appetite.
But the butler’s words carried an inexplicable pull, compelling obedience. After some hesitation, they each found a seat at the table.
The moment they saw the food, their faces turned ashen.
They looked up, meeting the butler’s calm, crimson eyes, and a chill ran down their spines.
The white on the plates wasn’t rice. Upon closer inspection, it was a writhing mass of maggot-sized larvae crawling out, densely packed.
“Ugh!”
Some couldn’t hold it in and retched.
Only Xu Nian and the composed girl who had stopped the timid girl from answering the butler didn’t vomit.
The butler stepped forward and uncovered the dish in the center of the table.
A bloody stench filled the air. In the dish lay a raw, blood-soaked chunk of meat, surrounded by pooling blood. Freshly cut, it still twitched, sending a shudder through everyone.
“F*ck! I’m going home!” The burly man finally snapped, bolting toward the castle’s door.
The man beside him tried to stop him but was shoved aside.
The butler remained unruffled, his refined face still wearing a gentlemanly smile.
The burly man reached the door, grabbed the handle, and yanked. The heavy brown door didn’t budge.
Gritting his teeth, he slammed his shoulder against it, the door rattling loudly but holding firm.
“Why aren’t you eating?” The butler turned to the burly man, his tone displeased.
Only then did they notice a deep gash on his back, so severe it exposed bone. The flesh around the wound was pale, the surrounding clothes tattered, as if he’d been savagely attacked.
A wound that deep would have killed a normal person.
Perhaps he wasn’t human at all!
The timid girl wanted to scream but covered her mouth, recalling the blood-red rules, swallowing her terror to avoid breaking them.
Who knew what would happen if a rule was violated?
The burly man pulled out a pocketknife and pointed it at the butler, snarling, “This is illegal detention! I’ll sue you!”
The butler’s smile turned genuine, his red eyes glinting with disdain. “Do as you wish, but don’t delay the others’ meal.”
His smile twisted, bloodshot eyes glaring at the burly man. His head suddenly spun 180 degrees. “Guests must eat on time.”
“What time are meals usually served?”
A voice interrupted their “friendly” exchange.
Xu Nian, one hand propping her chin, the other holding a fork with a maggot skewered on it, asked in a casual tone.
The butler’s head snapped back to its original position. His eyes glazed over, as if controlled, and he answered dully, “Eight and twelve.”
Seeing his state, the burly man edged closer, tightening his grip on the knife.
“And dinner?” someone boldly asked.
“No dinner allowed!”
The butler’s handsome face contorted into something grotesque and terrifying.
His large hands shot out, seizing the burly man who had crept closer, lifting him off the ground.
The man struggled desperately, stabbing the butler’s arm with his knife.
Blood oozed from the wound, dark red tendrils snaking up the butler’s arm, but he showed no reaction, tightening his grip on the man’s throat.
The burly man, nearly suffocating, turned purple, his survival instinct driving him to pound the butler’s hands, choking out a hoarse, “I’ll eat.”
The butler released him, and the man collapsed, face flushed, gasping for air.
The butler withdrew his hand, as if afraid the man might dirty his clothes. He elegantly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the wound.
“After dinner, please choose your rooms. Except for the Young Lady’s room, any empty room is yours to pick.”
“Once again,” the butler bowed, “I wish you a pleasant stay.”
He left, leaving the group in a panic.
“This is too terrifying… What is this place?” someone asked.
“This is the Rule-Based Strange World. Selected people enter scenarios as players.”
The composed girl answered, her calm demeanor suggesting experience.
“You must find the exit of each scenario without breaking the rules to return to the real world.”
Xu Nian listened thoughtfully.
“But how do we find the exit?” the same person asked.
The composed girl continued, “There should be clues in the castle. Every scenario has a ‘key.’ Find the key, and you can open the door to the real world.”
Creak—
Suddenly, nearly every door swung open, the dry scrape of old wooden doors echoing.
Startled, everyone turned to look.
“Is this…” the composed girl analyzed, “a sign to choose our rooms?”
The timid girl, clinging to her arm, sobbed silently, frightened by the doors.
There were three rooms on the first floor and four on the second. With six players, one room remained, its door firmly shut.
Only one room on the second floor was closed.
“Remember what the butler said?”
Except for the Young Lady’s room, any empty room is yours to pick.
“So, that’s the Young Lady’s room?”
The Young Lady from the rules?
If the headless maid and butler were so terrifying, the Young Lady must be even worse.
Hearing their analysis, the burly man regained his energy, scrambled up, and claimed a first-floor room.
“This one’s mine.”
He slammed the door shut, leaving no chance for others.
The others exchanged glances. A man and a woman claimed the remaining first-floor rooms.
“I want this one.”
“I want that one.”
They pointed to their chosen rooms simultaneously.
The woman was the timid girl, no longer crying, eager to secure a first-floor room to avoid the Young Lady upstairs.
The first-floor rooms were taken, leaving Xu Nian, the composed girl, and the man who had tried to stop the burly man.
The man who got a room, enjoying the drama, pointed at Xu Nian. “She’s the bravest. Why not put her next to the Young Lady’s room?”
The timid girl quickly agreed, “I second that.”
The man on the second floor stayed silent, wisely remaining neutral. No one knew who’d come out on top, and picking the wrong side could spell trouble.
The composed girl hesitated but said nothing.
Xu Nian had no objections and headed upstairs.
She just wanted to return to the real world, and that room was her choice.
Two rooms on the second floor had more ornate doors, suggesting they held more clues than others.
Especially hers, right next to the Young Lady’s room.
Danger? Her vocabulary didn’t include “fear.”
The door was open. Xu Nian walked in without hesitation.
Bang—
The door behind her shut on its own.
“How did it close by itself?”
Those outside, seeing this, were glad they hadn’t chosen that room.
The composed girl frowned slightly, pointing to the room next to Xu Nian’s. “I’ll take that one.”
The room’s light flickered, as if broken. On the wall above the bed hung a painting of a golden-haired woman holding a red-eyed, blonde girl, both smiling quietly at Xu Nian.
A strange fragrance drifted in, and her mind grew hazy.
Not good.
Xu Nian frowned.
Holding her breath was too late.
The furniture warped, and the figures in the painting doubled.
Xu Nian plucked a hair, stumbled to the door, and wedged it in the seam.
Fighting her fading consciousness, she stayed alert, scanning the room through the blur.
Wardrobe, bed, table, lamp, knife…
She lunged, grabbed the knife, and hid it under the pillow in her last moments of clarity.
She collapsed by the bed, unconscious.
In a haze, her awareness returned. She struggled to open her eyes, body weak, strength gone.
Her vision was blurry. Someone stood by the bed, face unclear, but she could make out golden hair.
“Who… are you?”
Her voice was frail.
The blurry figure’s face drew closer, and soft lips pressed against hers.
A sweet scent filled her nose as their lips met.
Xu Nian’s pupils shrank.