Emily Hunts Monsters - CH 8

Two days ago.

Accepting Henry Jekyll’s suggestion to start dating, I made a request.

“May I be invited to Langham Hotel?”

Langham Hotel was a luxurious resort that can only be booked by select VIPs such as royalty. It wasn’t easy to make a reservation because of its popularity; however, this mattered little to Mr. Henry, who owned the property.

“Of course, Miss Emily. I hope you like it.”

Maybe he thought I was just vaguely interested in going to a luxury hotel available to the very few. In the end, my goal was to take out Edward Hyde who hid under the guise of the gentleman Henry Jekyll. I also had to do more than just take his life. Judging by the various clues and hints I gathered…

“Emily, the book you mentioned. I think it’s the Book of Eibon.”

According to Helena Blavatsky, one of London’s most promising theologians and an unrivaled expert on the unknown and mysticism, the book the king had asked me to destroy is the Book of Eibon. It is a forbidden text written by Eibon, a warlock from antiquity. It is said there were only eighteen copies, each recording the dark magic of ancient times… I couldn’t believe one of them was here.

It might be more dangerous than I initially thought.

“I feel like I’m in a palace.”

The suite provided by Mr. Henry was truly extravagant. There were two colorful bedrooms with a bathroom in each. I also saw a drawing room for entertaining guests in between the bedrooms. It was literally a place to make you feel like guests were kings. The furniture and decorations were top-of-the-line products. I enjoyed this feeling of freedom, laying on a wide bed. I’d like to rest, but…

I wasn’t here to play. I sighed, got up, and changed into simpler clothes before going down to the lobby on the first floor. As I sat at a table, a bellhop in a red uniform approached me.

“Hello, ma’am, do you need anything?”

He had a pretty face, and I wondered if he was in his early teens. His young voice was indicative that he had yet to go through puberty. I gave him a tip.

“Thank you! But this…” The boy’s eyes widened at the ten shillings in his hand. He stammered, saying it was equivalent to a week’s salary for most employees. “I think it’s too much…”

I shook my head, then pulled him to my side and whispered, “I want to do business with you.”

“A business deal…?”

“I need some information about the Langham Hotel.”

“Information, huh.”

“Specifically, documents only accessible to certain employees or those not made public.”

“If I do that…”

I smiled and showed him another ten shillings. “If I’m satisfied with what I get, I’ll pay you more.”

“…” The boy gulped as he stared at the money before his eyes.

“Do you want to do it or not?”

The boy wasn’t hesitant for long. He nodded. “What room are you staying in?”

…It was done. I explained what I needed and sent the bellhop away.

***

A few hours later, dinnertime.

“Mrs. Carter, are you there?”

The bellhop entered my room with a handful of documents and newspapers. He began to explain what they were.

“These are only materials hotel employees can access…”

The document at the top of the pile he brought caught my attention: The Employee’s Handbook to Langham Hotel.

I turned my attention back to the boy.

“As you requested, I asked the staff about the Ghost in Room 333.” He excitedly told me of the rumors he collected.

My eyes widened as I heard all of it.

“…”

To be honest, it was more than I expected. For twenty shillings, which was a lot, this was very good information. There was an employee who saw Henry Jekyll come in and out of Room 333. The room was off-limits to the staff.

“…Can you tell me who the employee was?” I tried my best to hide my excitement.

The boy hesitated for a moment, but I took out another ten shillings.

“Miss Melbourne.”

“I understand. Here’s the rest of the money.”

The boy who took it was ecstatic. “Thank you very much, Mrs. Carter!” He bowed and ran out of the door with a skip in his step.

“…I’m the one who should be grateful.”

After ensuring the door was completely closed, I read the handbook.

[Welcome to London’s prestigious Langham Hotel. Here are the established guidelines for the hotel staff. It is recommended to read them before going to work.

…

The list went on. Three, four, five… As we got to Rule 6, precautions about Room 333 appeared. It seemed the hotel took those rumors about the ghost seriously. I didn’t expect that. As I continued reading, the guidelines became more and more strange. A rule conflicted with a previous one and wondered why such a thing was written in the first place.

For example…

[Rule 7 has been omitted for some reason in this edition of the employee’s handbook. Why bother creating such a rule if it is going to be removed anyway? In any case, if you read anything that mentions Rule 7, please do the opposite of what Rule 7 states.]

It was strange. I think I’ve seen this type of text before. Not in my current life as Emily Carter, but in my previous life.

“This… is a Neapolitan Ghost Story!”

Neapolitan Ghost Stories described mysterious, ominous content in a set of rules, but they didn’t provide specific explanations or interpretations. It was a horror story that created a sense of fear by leaving room for the reader’s imagination.

I began to reread the text.

***

The Employee’s Handbook to Langham Hotel

Welcome to London’s prestigious Langham Hotel. Here are the established guidelines for the hotel staff. It is recommended to read them before going to work.

These guidelines only consist of twelve rules. If Rule 13 is present, stop reading the handbook immediately.

And never, never look back.