Castle Rules
[Rule 1]: You may ask the Duke any question, and he will answer.
[Rule 2]: Never disturb Miss; she does not like noise.
[Rule 3]: The Duchess enjoys playing chess; you may play with her if she agrees.
[Rule 4]: No one here will ever bother the Cook.
[Rule 5]: Meals must be eaten on time every day.
The Castle tour lasts seven days in total. We wish you an enjoyable stay.
So, they’re Players? Bound to follow the rules?
Everyone stared uneasily at the blood-written words on the wall, their expressions darkening.
“What are you all looking at?”
The Butler smiled at them, his long black curls tied back into a low ponytail.
His red eyes narrowed into a friendly slant, giving off a surprisingly approachable aura.
Finally, someone normal. After the mental shock inflicted by the Headless Maid, the Players relaxed a bit at the sight of a seemingly sane person.
“Look again over there…”
The girl who had screamed earlier pointed at the wall, her unguarded answer quickly silenced by a hand clamping over her mouth.
Even the previously arrogant burly man dared not mock her now, keeping his head lowered, afraid the Headless Maid might return.
The Butler performed a classic gentlemanly gesture and said politely, “Please, take a seat, everyone. Tonight’s dinner has been prepared for you.”
On the long brown wooden table, plates and cutlery had been neatly set—no more, no less, exactly six sets, matching the number of Players.
The Players, still shaken, had little appetite.
Yet the Butler’s words seemed to carry an inexplicable compulsion.
After some hesitation, they each found a seat at the table.
The moment they caught sight of the food on the plates, every face changed.
They snapped their heads up to meet the Butler’s unflinching red gaze, instantly chilled to the bone.
The white substance on the plates wasn’t rice at all.
Upon closer inspection, the rice-sized white maggots squirmed and crawled out of the plates in dense clusters.
“Ugh.”
Those who couldn’t bear it retched openly.
Only Xunian and the quiet, delicate girl who had stopped the timid girl from answering the Butler didn’t vomit.
The Butler stepped forward and swept aside the central dish on the table.
A metallic, bloody stench filled the air.
On the plate lay chunks of fresh, bloody meat, glistening with blood pooling beneath them.
The pieces twitched spasmodically as if freshly cut, sending a chill through everyone’s hearts.
“Damn it! I’m going home!” The burly man finally snapped, leaping up and charging toward the Castle’s heavy front door.
The man beside him tried to stop him but was shoved away.
The Butler remained calm, his deep face still wearing that gentlemanly smile.
The burly man grabbed the handle and tried to pull it down—the heavy dark wood door didn’t budge an inch.
He grit his teeth and slammed his shoulder against it. The door rattled loudly but refused to open.
“Why won’t you eat?” The Butler turned to face the burly man, his tone displeased.
Only then did everyone notice the deep gash across the Butler’s back—a wound so severe that bone was visible.
The skin around it was pale, clothes shredded, as if he’d suffered some terrible attack.
Any normal person would have died from such an injury.
Perhaps he wasn’t even human!
The girl wanted to scream but clamped her mouth shut, recalling the rules written in blood on the wall.
She forced down the terrified scream that welled up inside.
Who knew what would happen if she triggered the rules?
The burly man drew a small knife from his belt and pointed it fiercely at the Butler. “You’re holding us unlawfully! I’m reporting you!”
The Butler’s smile deepened, tinged with genuine amusement and disdain in his red eyes. “Please, do whatever you wish. But for now, don’t delay the others’ meal.”
The Butler’s smile twisted grotesquely. His bloodshot red eyes locked onto the burly man as his head suddenly twisted 180 degrees. “Guests must eat on time.”
“What time do you eat every day?”
A voice cut through the tense moment.
Xunian rested her chin in one hand, casually stabbing at the wriggling maggots on her plate with a fork. “What time do you usually eat?”
The Butler turned his head back to normal and suddenly appeared vacant, as if controlled. He said in a dull voice, “Eight o’clock and twelve o’clock.”
The burly man edged closer, tightening his grip on the knife.
“What about dinner?” someone braved to ask.
“No dinner allowed!”
The Butler’s handsome face contorted, becoming hideous and terrifying.
His large hands suddenly shot out and grabbed the burly man’s neck, hoisting him off the ground.
The burly man struggled desperately, stabbing the Butler’s arm with his knife.
Blood poured out like dark red vines curling along the wound. Yet the Butler showed no reaction as his grip only tightened.
The man’s face turned purple, nearly suffocating. Desperately slapping at the Butler’s hand, he rasped two words through his choked throat: “I eat.”
The Butler finally released him. The man collapsed, face flushed, gasping for air.
The Butler withdrew his hand carefully, as if afraid the man might dirty his clothes. He then took out a handkerchief and elegantly wiped the blood from his wound.
“After you have finished eating, please choose your rooms. Except for Miss’s room, all other empty rooms are free to choose.”
“Once again,” the Butler bowed, “I wish you all a pleasant stay here.”
He retreated, leaving the group anxious and confused.
“This is too terrifying… What exactly is this place?” someone asked.
“This is the Rules Creepypasta World. Those chosen enter an Instance as Players.”
“Players must find the exit of each Instance without breaking the Rules to return to the Real World.”
The delicate girl answered calmly, seemingly experienced since arriving here.
Xunian listened thoughtfully.
“But how do we find the exit?” the same person pressed.
The girl continued, “This Castle should hide clues. Each Instance has its own ‘Key.’ Find the Key, and you can open the door back to the Real World.”
“Creak—”
Suddenly, almost all the doors swung open with the sound of old wood rubbing against wood.
Everyone was startled, looking toward the rooms.
“This means…” the delicate girl analyzed, “they want us to choose rooms?”
The girl who screamed before clutched the delicate girl’s arm, silently sobbing in fear of the doors.
Counting the rooms: three on the first floor, four on the second.
Aside from the six Players taking one room each, one door remained tightly shut.
Only that one room on the second floor was closed.
“Do you remember what the Butler said?”
Except for Miss’s room, all other empty rooms are free to choose.
“So that’s Miss’s room?”
The Miss mentioned in the rules?
With the Headless Maid and Butler so terrifying, Miss must be even worse.
Hearing this, the burly man regained his vigor. He jumped up and ran to claim a first-floor room.
“I’m taking this one.”
He slammed the door quickly, leaving no chance for others.
The others exchanged glances, then a man and a woman each claimed rooms on opposite sides.
“I want this one.”
“I’ll take that one.”
They both pointed to their desired rooms.
The woman reaching out was the timid girl from before.
She no longer cried, rushing to secure a first-floor room, terrified of accidentally picking the second-floor room and getting stuck with the Duke’s Miss.
All first-floor rooms were taken. Only Xunian, the delicate girl, and the man who tried to stop the burly man were left.
The man who picked a first-floor room watched amusedly, pointing at Xunian:
“She’s the boldest. Let’s put her next to Miss’s room.”
The timid girl quickly agreed, “I second that.”
The second-floor man said nothing, wisely staying neutral—no one knew who would win in the end, and it was dangerous to pick the wrong side.
The delicate girl hesitated but never spoke up.
Xunian had no objections and turned to head upstairs.
She just wanted to get back to the Real World as soon as possible. That room was exactly the one she wanted.
Two second-floor rooms were decorated more intricately than the others, implying more clues might be inside.
Especially the one next to Miss’s room.
As for potential dangers?
“Fear” wasn’t a word in her dictionary.
The door was open; Xunian entered without hesitation.
“Bang—”
The door behind her shut strangely on its own.
“How can the door move by itself?”
The others watching outside were relieved they hadn’t chosen that room.
The delicate girl furrowed her brows and pointed at the room next to Xunian’s. “I’ll take that one.”
……
The lights in the room flickered as if broken.
Above the bed hung a painting: a golden-haired woman holding a golden-haired, red-eyed little girl. Both silently smiled at Xunian.
A strange fragrance drifted in, making her head feel dizzy and heavy.
This was bad.
Xunian frowned.
Holding her breath was no longer enough.
The furniture warped grotesquely; even the figures in the painting doubled into eerie shadows.
Xunian plucked a strand of hair and staggered to the door, wedging the hair into the door gap.
She fought to keep her fading consciousness, staying alert as she observed the room through the ghostly afterimages.
A cabinet, a bed, a desk, a lamp, a knife…
She lunged for the knife and gripped it tightly, hiding it beneath the pillow during her last moments of clarity.
The girl collapsed weakly by the bed, losing consciousness.
Dimly, awareness returned. She struggled to open her eyes, feeling limp and powerless.
Her vision blurred. Someone stood before her bed—a figure with golden hair, face indistinct.
“Who are you…”
she whispered weakly.
The blurred face slowly came closer.
Soft lips pressed against hers.
Their mouths met, the scent sweet and intoxicating.
Xunian’s pupils contracted sharply.
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