I Became the Replacement Fiancée for My Childhood Friend Who Went Missing, but Apparently He Has Been Found - Chapter 11

Lately, the First Prince’s behavior has been strange.

This rumor quickly spread among the palace staff until virtually everyone knew about it.

“Where could the original Ellis have gone?”

“Well… Her position as the First Prince’s consort was practically guaranteed, so I suspect someone targeted her.”

“But if that were the case, wouldn’t we have more information? If someone wanted her returned, we’d receive demands – ‘do this if you want Ellis back’ – but there’s been nothing. No word about her whereabouts either. What in the world is happening?”

The palace servants discussed Ellis daily.

This was understandable, as no one could have predicted she would vanish so suddenly.

Even now, after she’d been missing for some time, the topic remained fresh – evidence of how deeply concerned they all were.

Just then, Ellis walked past them.

“G-good day, Lady Ellis!”

“Hello!”

“Good afternoon. Thank you for your hard work as always.”

Ellis returned their greetings in a natural tone and continued walking.

…For those who had known the original Ellis, nothing could have been more terrifying.

Because the Ellis who had just greeted them was the spitting image of the real Ellis they remembered.

After watching Ellis disappear into the distance, two servants began whispering.

“…Hey, have you heard about Prince Schnaud’s strange behavior lately?”

“…Yes, of course. Until recently, he seemed completely preoccupied with the real Ellis, but that’s changed, hasn’t it?”

“Ah… He used to jump at even the smallest scrap of information about Lady Ellis, but now he shows no interest at all.”

“Not only that, I’ve heard he’s started treating the current Ellis as if she were the real one?”

Anyone around Schnaud could strongly sense the strange atmosphere he projected.

This was hardly surprising – the Schnaud who had adored Ellis so passionately had never behaved like this before.

“…If, just if, the real Ellis were to return to the palace now, what would Prince Schnaud do?”

This question naturally occurred to anyone who witnessed the situation.

…Though whether there was an answer to it was another matter entirely.

“I’d rather not think about that. Our job is to serve Prince Schnaud faithfully. Worrying about such things might be disrespectful. Whatever choice Prince Schnaud makes, we can only support and serve him.”

“That may be true, but…”

“Well, there’s no need to worry. When Lady Ellis disappeared, Prince Schnaud mobilized the entire kingdom’s resources to search for her. Even then, he couldn’t find her. The chances of her being found now are even slimmer, don’t you think?”

“Th-that’s…”

“Perhaps Prince Schnaud understands this too. That’s why he’s accepting reality and trying not to think about the original Ellis anymore. If that’s the case, then our worrying would be quite tactless.”

“Hmm… Is that really it?”

This explanation contained truth – despite the massive search, no trace of Ellis had been found anywhere.

Thus, the theory that Schnaud was accepting reality had credibility, yet the other servant seemed unable to fully accept this explanation.

…And before much time had passed, it would become clear which of them was correct