No, their outfits clearly matched those of the servants. It was just that their faces—where their features should have been—were completely hollow.
Their skin looked like a white mask stretched over flesh, and beneath it, there were faint, twitching movements… empty holes.
The sight of such grotesque figures, beyond words, sent chills down my spine. Of course, that feeling didn’t last long.
‘Well, I guess it’s just not perfect since this is still the beta version?’
How do I report a bug like this again…
After a brief moment of consideration, I decided to let this bug(?) slide for now and just send proper feedback to the game company once the trial session was over.
As I was organizing my thoughts, an NPC who seemed to be the head maid approached me.
“Are you Miss Nadia Windsor, the fiancée of His Grace, Duke Belmond?”
The endless black void where her face should have been stared straight at me.
Her voice was flat—lacking any rise or fall, no hint of emotion—making it impossible to read her intentions.
But the meaning was clear enough.
I was, apparently, the Duke’s fiancée.
‘According to the game description, this is a multi-route story. Maybe this is a character-specific event?’
Was I placed in this section because bugs like the one I just saw tend to happen here?
Or was ending up in this scene itself a glitch?
Hmm. I don’t know what the truth is, but let’s not overthink it!
Now that I’m inside the game, all I can do as the player is keep playing—and if I want to enjoy this, I’ll need to fully immerse myself.
“Miss Windsor?”
“Ah, yes! Yes, that’s me.”
Snapping out of my thoughts, I quickly nodded, realizing I had kept them waiting too long, and the head maid immediately turned to lead the way.
“I’m glad you arrived safely. Please, follow me.”
Beyond the garden, thick with ominous mist, the faint silhouette of a grand castle gradually came into view.
According to the safety guidelines, this place was supposed to be in ruins—but maybe that was just part of the game’s setting, because though the grounds looked somewhat neglected, the castle itself stood tall, elegant, and ancient.
‘Passed.’
As we walked, I curiously observed the servants scattered around—some carrying luggage, others feeding chickens, each busy with their own tasks.
But then, something strange caught my attention.
When I looked more closely at a servant feeding the chickens, their movements were clear and precise, yet no actual feed was falling to the ground, and there weren’t any chickens pecking at it.
The same was true for the other servants: they were carrying luggage, but the carts were completely empty. There wasn’t a single horse near the stables, yet the stable master stood proudly at his post as if everything was perfectly normal.
‘Seriously? This game is full of bugs.’
Objects that should have been there were simply missing, and some polygons were behaving erratically, endlessly looping in strange movements…
All of them were common, well-known game glitches. Still, they were probably minor bugs that could easily be fixed with a proper feedback report.
Thud, thud, thud.
As the heavy central doors swung open, I stepped inside. The interior was just as spacious as the exterior, furnished with luxurious items, but the walls were dusty in places, and the floor was noticeably dirty.
It seemed to fit the setting—a castle left unmanaged in the absence of its owner.
Or maybe the story was that I, the player, would bring life and beauty back to this desolate castle by my arrival…?
Well, whatever. I pushed aside the unpleasant sight of the filthy environment and kept my focus on spotting more glitches, trying my best to ignore the dirt and dust around me.
“This will be the room where the young miss will be staying.”
Before long, we arrived at a room that was relatively cleaner than the ones I had seen earlier. It made sense—this was a room prepared for the Duke’s fiancée, after all.
But on closer inspection, a few strange details stood out.
The lilies in the vase by the window were completely withered and dried, and an intricately crafted holy statue was hung upside down on the wall.
Beyond those things, the atmosphere itself felt oddly suspicious.
There were definitely some errors, but at least the concept seemed consistent.
“Do you like it here?”
It was only when the head maid asked that I realized I hadn’t shown any reaction.
No matter how generously I tried to think, the room still felt like a failed hotel, and it bothered me a lot…
“Haha, yes, of course!”
I answered brightly, wanting to protect the sincerity of the head maid who must have put effort into preparing this place for me.
“That’s a relief. As it is already quite late, I shall postpone the tour of the castle until tomorrow. Should you require anything, please do not hesitate to pull the cord beside the bed.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
While I continued to inspect the room, the head maid bowed politely and stepped out.
Click.
“……”
Finally, I was alone.
According to the story setting, I had traveled a long way to get here, so they probably left me alone to relax and rest.
How thoughtful…
‘I will strongly protest and demand that they fix all these errors!’
For a brief moment, I was touched. Then I realized how disheveled I looked and stepped into the bathroom.
The bathwater was already prepared—still warm and steaming. Although the cleaning left a bit to be desired, the tub itself was perfectly usable.
“Aahh…”
In real life, living in a tiny studio apartment, I couldn’t even dream of taking a half-body bath unless I went to a public bathhouse. And yet, here I was, soaking comfortably.
The way my fatigue melted away and my blood seemed to circulate again—this level of hyperrealism was something else…
Feeling drowsy, I eventually dragged myself out of the bath, washed up, and changed into the neatly folded pajamas that had been laid out on the bed.
Only after the tension in my body had finally eased did something I had completely forgotten suddenly come back to me.
“The quest.”
Right. I received a main quest earlier.
The moment I remembered, the quest window immediately popped up in front of me, as if it had been waiting for me.
[〈Main Quest〉
▶ Uncover the Secrets of Belmond Ducal Castle!
The eerie yet beautiful Belmond Ducal Castle. Centered around Edwin Belmond, the master of the house, this place hides many suspicious secrets.
Interact with the main figures staying at the Ducal estate, investigate every corner of the castle, and gather clues.
—List of Main Characters
—Map of Belmond Ducal Castle
—Reward List]
As I read through it again, my curiosity naturally turned toward the castle’s owner, Edwin Belmond.
The game company had deliberately blurred his face to keep the mystery intact, so I had never seen him properly… Considering this was still a romance simulation, I could safely assume he would be ridiculously handsome—after all, good looks are guaranteed in a dating sim.
If that’s the case, then what could his secret possibly be?
“The mastermind male lead and the savior female lead trope is a bit overused, though.”
As I roughly imagined the image of a lonely villain, my eyes naturally drifted to the next item on the list.
—List of Main Characters
· Head Maid (new!)
A loyal figure in charge of managing the Belmond Duchy’s household. She is also Edwin Belmond’s nanny and knows a lot about him.
Affection Level: 0/100
· ???
· ???
Maybe it was because the head maid was the only person I’d met so far, but all the other characters were still locked.
Anyway—affection levels, huh.
I hadn’t even had the chance to properly see her face, and there was barely a first impression to speak of. The head maid had treated me with strict professionalism.
On the surface, she was polite, but in reality, she didn’t leave even the slightest opening.
Still, the fact that there is an affection level probably means… I’ll need to build a proper relationship to uncover her true nature, right?
‘I guess I’ll have to try being a bit friendlier from now on.’
After staring at the list for a moment, I shifted my gaze to the ‘Map’ section, but no matter how long I looked, no information was displayed—it seemed I hadn’t visited any locations yet.
So basically, I’d have to explore everything on foot.
“This is so frustrating…”
Muttering to myself, I finally turned to the last menu.
The highlight of any quest!
The reward list.
—Reward List
· 50,000 Diamonds
· ???
“Hm?”
Was the reward hidden because of spoilers? I was curious, of course, but in a way, it also added to the sense of anticipation.
Besides, they were offering a currency that could apparently buy anything. I didn’t know the exact prices yet, but 50,000 didn’t seem like a small amount.
“Alright.”
Tasks I needed to do started to take shape in my mind.
After roughly planning out my next steps, I slowly lay down on the bed.
If I wanted to move properly, I’d need to recover my stamina first.
I pulled the blanket over me, feeling comfortably snug as I sank into the bed.
The moment the cozy blanket wrapped around my body, my eyelids grew heavy, as if they had been waiting for this exact moment.
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