I Became the Replacement Fiancée for My Childhood Friend Who Went Missing, but Apparently He Has Been Found - Chapter 12

Driven to keep his promise with Selena, Oct raced around desperately every day.

The breakthrough information that could change the situation came suddenly one day.

“I-Is that true? Are you certain?”

“Yes, without a doubt. I was stationed on border guard duty when I witnessed someone who appeared to be Lady Ellis crossing into the neighboring country accompanied by several soldiers.”

Today, Oct had been questioning former soldiers who had already left active service.

Though none of the many ex-soldiers he’d spoken to so far had known anything about Ellis, he had finally managed to find someone with information about her.

“What was Ellis’s condition at that time? Was there anything unusual about her?”

“Well… I wouldn’t say unusual, but she seemed quite cheerful. Almost as if she’d been looking forward to going there for a long time.”

“……”

Oct analyzed that the reason Schnaud hadn’t obtained this information yet was probably because he never anticipated Ellis would leave his country.

“(Schnaud must have continued to believe deep down that Ellis truly loved him. That’s why the large-scale search was concentrated around the palace area, and no inquiries were made among soldiers working near the border. It makes sense in a way, but it’s also a glaring oversight.)”

This was Oct’s personal observation, but reality likely matched his assessment.

The soldier he spoke with had gotten the same impression.

“Perhaps,” the soldier continued, “Lady Ellis left to escape from Lord Schnaud. If their relationship had truly been harmonious, I don’t think she would have disappeared all the way to a neighboring country.”

“Hey, which direction was Ellis heading at that time?”

“I believe she was heading straight toward where the neighboring kingdom’s palace is located.”

“The palace, huh…”

Actually, around this time, a certain rumor had reached Oct.

…An almost unbelievable rumor that Ellis was blood-related to the king of the neighboring country…

———

“What? There are others who know about this?”

“I heard about it too. It was quite famous around here.”

Oct systematically questioned those who had previously worked near the border.

As a result, new information emerged.

“Apparently, Lady Ellis initially came here after quarreling with her older brother, the Second Prince? But since her true identity would have been discovered immediately, she received special consideration from Lord Rarben, who was king of this country at the time, and decided to live here as a different person. Moreover, the king actively promoted the relationship between his son Lord Schnaud and Lady Ellis, making their attraction to each other somewhat inevitable in a way.”

“Ah, I’ve heard that story too. However, it seems the parties involved weren’t even told about the rumors. Well, considering Lord Schnaud’s personality, it’s understandable why they couldn’t tell him.”

…Piece by piece, information about Schnaud and Ellis was coming to light.

Feeling confident about the progress he was making, Oct began formulating his next plan in his mind to fulfill his promise with Selena.