That night, outside the Castle, all was silent. A blood-red moon hung high, casting an eerie glow.
Castle.
In the Basement.
Inside a dimly lit room.
A pale-skinned girl was tied to the bed. Her soft, ink-black hair spilled over her shoulders, and even her disheveled bangs couldn’t hide her sweet face.
Her cheeks flushed crimson, her shimmering eyes glazed over, and her beautiful brows furrowed tightly.
Her gaze was filled with anger as she bit her lip and glared at the woman who had tied her to the bed.
She tried to look fierce, unaware that her flushed, shy face appeared incredibly alluring.
The woman standing by the bed had golden waves of hair cascading down her waist like a waterfall. Her blood-red eyes brimmed with delight, and her deep, sculpted face wore a captivating smile.
She leaned in slowly, her exquisitely beautiful face growing larger before the girl’s eyes. Lifting the girl’s chin, she chuckled softly, a voice as clear and melodious as a mountain spring.
“How should I punish you?”
“Let me go!”
Xunian struggled against the other’s grip.
Her movements caused her clothes to slip off, revealing snowy skin marked with red bruises on her collarbone and shoulders—traces left by the golden-haired woman.
With her movement restricted, she couldn’t evade the woman’s hand, which slid across her moist lips with an ambiguous intention.
The golden-haired woman seemed to hear something amusing and her smile grew even more pleased. “Let you go?”
Her cold fingers then landed on Xunian’s collarbone, slowly gliding down over her delicate skin.
The girl’s body trembled at the touch; her breath grew rapid, her body heating up.
“Mm…”
Touched on her sensitive skin, Xunian couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp.
“Your body isn’t telling me the same.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Mm…”
Before Xunian could finish protesting, the woman grasped her chin, cupped the back of her neck, and kissed her fiercely—almost obsessively—stealing every breath from her.
“Mm… ah…”
Breath intertwined as they kissed in the dim room, the air thick with ambiguous tension.
Her breath completely stolen away, the girl’s eyes lost their shine.
Her jade-like pale feet curled their toes.
Her weakened hands pushed feebly against the woman on her body but soon fell limply, surrendering to her touch.
After the kiss,
Xunian was dizzy and disoriented, misty-eyed and limp in the golden-haired woman’s embrace, her gaze vacant.
The woman’s deep, desire-filled red eyes suddenly darkened with an overwhelming possessiveness.
“Still trying to run?”
Xunian stubbornly turned her head away, her hands bound by iron chains clenching into fists.
The golden-haired woman twisted her head back, forcing her to meet her gaze.
“Hmph.”
Xunian turned her head aside again, a faint hum of disdain escaping her nose.
Seeing her silence, the woman lowered her head and kissed her again. Their soft lips met once more.
The room was so quiet that only the sound of fabric brushing and their mingled breaths could be heard.
They were entangled, even able to hear each other’s pounding hearts.
…
“What are you doing?!”
“Mm~”
…
“Still going to run?”
“…Mm!”
…
“Waaah, I don’t want this anymore, I don’t want it… Mm…”
…
“Waaah…”
Eventually, only the girl’s clear sobbing remained in the room.
In a daze, Xunian heard the gentle voice beside her whisper, “Never leave me, okay…”
(Flashback, main story begins below)
***
“Ah—ah—ah—”
Crows circled overhead.
Deep in the forest, a desolate Castle with a sinister aura stood alone among the trees.
Dim yellow light seeped faintly from its windows, a small beacon in the thick darkness.
The air twisted abruptly, and suddenly, several figures incongruous with the Castle’s atmosphere appeared out of nowhere.
Three women and three men—six in total.
They looked around and at each other in confusion, all noticing the same puzzlement in the others’ eyes.
The space was poorly lit. Under the faint glow, a long medieval dining table stood nearby.
White candles flickered weakly on the table, and cold-toned paintings hung on the deep gray walls, adding a chilling atmosphere.
At a glance, it was clear this was a medieval castle decorated in a classic style.
“Where is this place?” someone asked.
“Is it a Castle?” another replied uncertainly.
One spoke up, and soon a low murmur of conversations began.
“Where are you from?”
“I’m from A City. I went to the restroom during work and ended up here.”
“What about you?”
“I was sleeping at home and just woke up to find myself here.”
“Why is there no signal on our phones?”
…
As the group warmed up and talked, the eerie atmosphere became less oppressive.
Among them, only one person remained silent.
Her soft black hair framed a sweet face, with fine bangs outlining her beautiful profile.
She tilted her head quietly, observing a portrait on the wall.
The portrait depicted a person without eyes. The places where eyes should be were hollow and unsettling.
Looking closer, dark red, viscous blood slowly seeped from the empty sockets. The expressionless face in the painting seemed to be smiling.
Two streaks of blood dripped down the canvas, splattering onto the floor in a vivid spray, the smile growing more sinister.
The girl showed no reaction, expressionless as she continued to study the painting.
“Ahhhh!”
One girl in the group screamed in terror, trembling lips pointing at the painting before the sweet-faced girl.
“What’s wrong?”
The others looked toward the scream but saw nothing unusual.
Only an ordinary oil painting of a man’s bust, eyes missing.
The trembling girl’s voice was filled with fear, “That… that person in the painting was bleeding just now, and… he was smiling!”
“There’s no blood,” a muscular man scoffed. “It’s just a painting. You’re way too scared.”
He looked down on the girl with a sneer, but saw that everyone else stared at him with horror.
He touched his face, suspicious. “What are you all staring at? Is there something on my face?”
Suddenly, a hand lightly patted his shoulder. He looked back with annoyance. “What—”
In an instant, his face went pale.
Before him, a headless figure stretched out a blood-soaked hand.
The head was severed; the cut was ragged and bloody, still oozing fresh blood, soaking the maid’s uniform.
The man was filled with terror, barely daring to breathe. His legs trembled like lead but he couldn’t lift them.
The Headless Maid spoke in a hauntingly high-pitched, eerie girl’s voice, “Excuse me, have you seen my head?”
Seeing no answer, she grabbed his shoulder with pale hands and asked again, “You, have you seen my head?”
The blood on her hand stained the man’s pristine white clothes.
As she moved closer, the heavy scent of blood assaulted him. The headless neck twisted unnaturally.
He gasped, stomach churning, face ashen. Afraid to move, he turned to the others, desperately mouthing, Help me.
Humans are selfish. Newly acquainted, none offered aid.
The Headless Maid’s grip tightened, her sharp nails almost digging into his shoulder.
Her voice grew shriller, nearly piercing, “Did you—see my head—?”
“I… I don’t know…” the man stammered in fear, trying to struggle but unable to break her powerful hold.
“Hello.” A calm voice interrupted the screams.
The shrieking stopped. The bleeding neck turned toward the source of the voice.
There stood Xunian, the sweet-faced girl in a pure white floral dress. Her soft ink-black hair fluttered in the breeze.
Her gaze was innocent and clear, seeming out of place in this eerie and terrifying world.
“May I ask, where is this place?” she asked aloud what everyone was thinking.
The others were stunned by her boldness and chose to remain silent, quietly pitying the young girl.
So young, and yet… such a pity.
The man felt the hand loosen from his shoulder. He quickly broke free and stepped back into the group, gasping for breath, clearly shaken.
“This is Duke Caesar’s residence.”
The Headless Maid answered Xunian, bloodied hands hanging at her sides, crimson drops falling onto the floor.
“You…” Xunian frowned and handed over a handkerchief, “Maybe you should wipe that. The floor’s getting dirty.”
The Headless Maid froze, standing still. The blood from her neck seemed to stop flowing.
Just as everyone thought the girl might be dead, the Headless Maid took the handkerchief and whispered faintly, “Thank you.”
The “thank you” even carried a hint of shyness.
“You’re welcome,” Xunian replied politely.
As her words faded, a breeze lifted her hair across her cheek, and a woman’s soft laughter drifted past her ear.
Xunian glanced back instinctively but saw no one.
The maid folded the handkerchief without using it, pocketed it, and then dragged a mop across the blood staining the floor, leaving a bloody trail behind her as she walked toward the stairs under everyone’s watchful eyes.
Before reaching the stairs, she collided with a tall figure.
A handsome man dressed in a Butler’s uniform caught her, politely saying, “Careful.”
“Sorry… sorry,” the maid stammered, bowing in flustered apology. Under the Butler’s gaze, she stumbled away, leaving the mop behind.
The Butler smiled gently, watching her leave. Then he turned to the group, giving an elegant gentleman’s bow.
“Welcome to Duke Caesar’s residence. I am the Butler here.”
Behind him, on the wall above the dining table, blood-red words appeared:
Rules of the Castle.
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