The head maid of the Belmond Ducal House, Madam ■■■, abruptly opened her eyes.
Beep— Beep— Beep— Beep—
The grandfather clock, tangled in tattered cobwebs, struck precisely four o’clock.
Another day had begun.
Slowly, she rose to her feet, creaking as if awakening from a long slumber.
She felt a little tired, but rest was not an option. Madam ■■■ was a devoted servant, more committed to the House of Belmond than anyone else.
The honor of serving such a prestigious, time-honored family was the driving force that kept her going.
If only ‘that incident’ hadn’t happened…
“Hm?”
That incident? Madam ■■■ paused for a moment and turned her gaze toward the wall.
Her face reflected in a shattered mirror—fragmented into countless pieces, like a crowd gathered inside the glass.
Her appearance was the same as always.
A neat navy dress with a ribbon tightly tied beneath her chin, a spotless white apron, and a headscarf with not a single strand of hair out of place.
… And in place of facial features, only hollow voids.
‘No problem at all.’
Madam ■■■ turned her head from the mirror without hesitation and began walking toward the main hall of the ducal castle.
The hallways, scorched in places, were shrouded in complete darkness. Yet Madam ■■■ moved forward without a trace of fear or hesitation.
The thick ropes hanging from the ceiling, the curtains torn at the edges, and the eerie howling wind echoing through the empty corridor—all gave the place a grim, foreboding air.
However, Madam ■■■ exchanged greetings with the servants without noticing anything unusual.
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Good morning, Madam ■■■.”
In the main hall, the castle staff were gathered, all neatly dressed in uniform.
Every morning, they gathered like this to greet one another before starting their day’s work.
Clap! A sharp clap drew their attention as Madam ■■■ stood at the top of the stairs and raised her voice.
“Today is Miss ▲▲’s birthday. Let’s all congratulate her with joyful hearts.”
“Happy birthday, Miss ▲▲.”
Clap— Clap— Clap—
A dry round of applause echoed through the hall, spoken in flat, emotionless tones.
Miss ▲▲ shyly lowered her head, seemingly flustered by the sudden attention.
“Thank you. It makes me truly happy to receive such heartfelt congratulations from my colleagues.”
At that moment, Madam ■■■ felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
It was as if they had celebrated someone’s birthday just a few days ago—or perhaps even yesterday.
She quietly swept her gaze across the assembled staff.
Dozens of hollow, pitch-black voids stared back at her, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on what was off.
‘It must be my imagination.’ Madam ■■■ swallowed her doubt.
“…Alright, everyone, back to work. Have a good day.”
“Have a good day, Madam.”
As the servants dispersed, Madam ■■■ also moved on.
‘I must be sure to take good care of Miss Windsor today, so she doesn’t feel uncomfortable.’
As she slowly ascended the spiral staircase, she recalled the face of the new ‘fiancée’ who had arrived at the castle three days ago.
Was it because of her pure white hair? Miss Windsor carried an air of something… foreign.
She was unlike any of the other fiancées who had visited Belmond Ducal Castle in the past. No—wait a moment. When exactly was the duke’s fiancée swapped?
A strange question rose in Madam ■■■’s mind, but she quickly shook her head to erase the thought.
‘Miss Windsor is to become the fine lady of our household. I must do my best to serve her well.’
Regardless, Madam ■■■ had taken a liking to Nadia Windsor.
To her, the duke’s fiancées had always been nothing more than bothersome guests—women who declared their ambitions with loud voices and even louder gestures.
But Nadia Windsor? Her calm, cheerful demeanor was refreshing. Surely even the Duke of Belmond would approve of her.
Suddenly, she was reminded of Miss ∆∆∆, the last fiancée to visit.
Perhaps intent on proving her unwavering loyalty to the castle, she had been found hanging in the very room Miss Windsor now stayed in.
It was a pity—Madam ■■■ had felt the girl had simply missed her chance due to excessive devotion and misplaced affection. Afterward, she had all ropes or cords that could be used for such purposes removed from the room.
Though the timing differed, all the fiancées had eventually followed the same path—screaming to assert their presence, and in the end, sacrificing their lives for the castle.
It wasn’t as though it was required of them, but perhaps that was the only way they knew how to become part of the household.
‘Let’s hope Miss Windsor doesn’t die.’
As the hour hand struck precisely on the clock, Madam ■■■ organized her thoughts and made her way to Nadia’s room.
But then she noticed—the door was slightly ajar, and from inside came a strange sound.
“Foo, foo…”
What was that sound?
Taking a step closer.
“Mmm, nothing beats ramen with a triangle kimbap.”
Ramen? Triangle kimbap?
They were words the head maid had never heard before.
Sensing something odd, she gave a short knock, then entered Nadia’s room.
“…!”
And what she saw was the fiancée, frantically stuffing her face with some strange, yellow, wiggly spaghetti-like noodles.
* * *
“So h-hungry…”
That was where it all began.
I couldn’t believe how real this hunger felt… At first, I’d assumed it would be manageable—this was virtual reality, after all—but I immediately took back that naïve assumption.
After going the entire day yesterday without eating a single thing, my energy had hit rock bottom.
It had only been two days since I arrived, but at this rate, I was seriously going to starve.
Still, I couldn’t just eat whatever was available. The safety guidelines had clearly stated: ‘We do not recommend consuming the food served here’.
Okay, then what am I supposed to eat? I muttered to myself in frustration, but of course, no answer came.
Starving to death in the middle of this chaotic life? What kind of nonsense was…?!
“Ah.”
Just then, something suddenly came to mind.
…The Cash Shop.
‘Am I an idiot?’
Why didn’t I think of it sooner?
I quickly opened the shop menu.
The scroll went on forever, and the categories were a complete mess.
Eventually, I typed “food” into the search bar, and finally, a filtered list began to appear.
[Ramen — 200 Diamonds]
· A customizable ramen that can be adjusted to the user’s preferred level of doneness. Also available in a fully cooked version, ready to eat immediately.
[Rice — 100 Diamonds]
· Freshly steamed rice. The texture of the grains is automatically adjusted. Comes in a disposable container that’s automatically discarded after use.
※ Extra servings cost 50 Diamonds each
“This is it!”
Looks like fate hadn’t completely abandoned me.
Just in case, I also checked the drinks category, and sure enough, I found exactly what I was looking for.
[Premium Hand-Drip Coffee — 350 Diamonds]
· A premium hand-drip coffee roasted and brewed in-store by a master barista with international competition awards.
※ An additional 50 Diamonds for the ICEd version
The essential companion of working adults: iced Americano.
As someone who drank only iced drinks even in the middle of winter, this was a godsend.
Why do we crave cold brew even more? Will that preference carry over into this world?
Anyway, there were plenty of other food options as well.
[Cola with a Slice of Lemon — 50 Diamonds]
※ Can be switched to a zero-calorie version
[Premium Handmade Chocolates — 500 Diamonds]
[Kimchi (small dish) — 50 Diamonds]
[Triangular Gimbap — 50 Diamonds]
※ Choose flavor: tuna mayo, chicken mayo, Jeonju bibimbap, or spicy stir-fried pork
Since food disappeared after consumption, the prices were much cheaper compared to special utility items in the shop.
Of course, if I kept eating, I’d go broke in no time.
‘Now that I think about it, time moves differently in the game compared to the real world.’
They said one day in the game was about an hour in real time. That meant if I took a week off, including the weekend, I’d be able to stay in the game for roughly six months.
So, in conclusion!
‘I have to use them sparingly!’
If I spent recklessly, I might end up starving for the rest of my time here.
Swallowing tears internally, I carefully chose ramen and a triangle gimbap.
[Purchase Complete!
Remaining Diamonds — 9,250]
Right after that, cheerfully upbeat message popped up—Poof!—a delicious smell filled the air.
The spicy aroma of freshly cooked ramen and the warmth of a hot gimbap reached me.
A South Korean’s beloved convenience store combo meal.
“At least someone here knows what they’re doing.”
The ramen even came with a perfectly cooked egg.
Since I’d come this far, I decided to splurge a little more and ordered a side of kimchi. That way, I got to enjoy a satisfying, well-rounded meal.
But then.
“M-Miss Windsor?”
A startled voice called out from behind me, completely out of the blue.
“Y-Yas?”
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