Prologue
《Usage Guidelines for Visitors to Belmond Castle》
1. Introduction
Welcome to Belmond Castle, a place with a proud and ancient history.
The House of Belmond was once counted among the wealthiest noble families in the Tritan Empire. However, several centuries ago, a mysterious accident left the estate in ruins.
During that incident, all 172 people on the premises — including Duke Edwin Belmond, the head of the house at the time — disappeared without a trace.
You are now staying at Belmond Castle as an honored, specially invited guest. For a pleasant and safe visit, please familiarize yourself with the following rules.
2. Main Rules
⚠ Warning!
These rules are for maintaining order within the castle. Failure to comply may result in unforeseen consequences.
Dissemination of these rules outside the castle is strictly forbidden. Any physical harm, mental harm, death, or other disasters caused by failure to follow these rules will be entirely your own responsibility.
Ⅰ. The servants working in the castle have working hours from 4:00 AM to 2:00 AM the next day.
Ⅱ. Between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM, do not respond even if you hear signs of someone’s presence. The castle’s servants operate only during their designated hours.
Ⅲ. Do not draw back the curtains covering the windows. Light coming from outside has a high chance of provoking ▲▲.
Ⅳ. During designated meal times, you must remain at your seat. However, it is not recommended that you touch the food served.
Ⅴ. Apart from Duke Edwin Belmond, other important figures reside in the castle. In particular, when dealing with the Duke’s aide, be sure to observe the following caution:
He has extremely strict standards for manners. If your behavior is even slightly improper, he will become enraged and begin reciting Noble Etiquette.
Noble Etiquette is an excessively harsh book which states that any noble lacking manners must be executed on the spot. It is recommended that, rather than listening to his lecture to the end, you throw yourself out the nearest window.
Ⅵ. Although the castle’s cleanliness is thoroughly maintained by assigned servants, you must always double-check the sanitary condition of anything you eat, drink, or examine.
Ⅶ. Maintain silence in the castle’s library. The librarian, who meticulously organizes the books, may become extremely angry even at unintended mistakes. This can result in irreparable physical or mental harm.
If you stare fixedly at the empty space beneath the final clause of the rules, faint letters will eventually come into view.
3. Conclusion
At present, the only person qualified to be an honored guest of the House of Belmond is you — and you alone.
However, if you think you will not be able to endure the events and accidents that occur here, jump from the carriage carrying you and go back the way you came.
If you jump, you may suffer physical or mental injury, or even death, but at the very least you will never reach the castle.
However, if the carriage has already stopped, it means you can no longer escape Belmond Castle, and you must strictly follow these usage guidelines.
In either case, we wish you the best of luck.
