I Became the Replacement Fiancée for My Childhood Friend Who Went Missing, but Apparently He Has Been Found - Chapter 14

As their respective intentions became increasingly entangled, sudden news arrived from within the palace.

It was none other than the report that Ellis herself had reappeared.

“Are… are you certain?! Is it truly Lady Ellis?!”

“Without a doubt! We confirmed it ourselves! She knew numerous pieces of information only the real Ellis could know, and above all, her appearance is exactly like Lady Ellis! It’s no imposter!”

Naturally, it was decided that this news would be swiftly delivered to Schnaud.

However, the men reporting it couldn’t help but feel a sliver of unease.

“Something feels off. She hasn’t answered any questions about where she’s been all this time, right? If we let them meet now, I can’t help but feel Lord Schnaud’s already unstable condition will worsen further.”

“But this is no time for hesitation. If we delay the report and time passes, who knows what will be said to us later. In any case, informing Lord Schnaud as things stand seems the safest and most certain course.”

“Hmm…”

Faced with a difficult choice depending on Schnaud’s mood, the subordinates weighed their options.

Ultimately, they decided that keeping the news quiet posed a greater risk, and resolved to report everything honestly to Schnaud as it was.

“So, that is the situation, Lord Schnaud… What shall we do?”

“I’m not interested.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said I’m not interested.”

Schnaud’s reaction was, as the subordinates had feared, not a positive one.

…Had this been the Schnaud of before, he would undoubtedly have latched onto any information about Ellis—especially news that the very person he had searched for so desperately had finally been found. Yet, Schnaud maintained his calm demeanor.

“I said that’s enough. The real Ellis is already by my side. It doesn’t matter if some other Ellis shows up now.”

“B-but, Lord Schnaud, if we miss this chance, who knows when Lady Ellis might disappear aga—”

“I said I’m not interested!!”

At that moment, Schnaud’s words erupted with intense sharpness.

…Since the two weren’t particularly invested in persuading him anyway, they felt no further obligation to push the matter of Ellis.

They simply accepted Schnaud’s words and decided to withdraw for the time being.

“Huh? The real Ellis?”

The news soon reached Selena as well.

Where Ellis had been and what she had been doing all this time remained unknown, as Ellis herself had said nothing on the matter. But for Selena, the most important point lay elsewhere.

“…So, this means Lord Schnaud can just cast me out now. After all, with the real Ellis—the one I’ve been impersonating—found, there’s no reason left to keep me here.”

In her heart, she surmised that this entire chain of events was likely orchestrated by Oct.

Oct’s plan to liberate her from this place—by finding the real Ellis to loosen Schnaud’s obsession with her and effectively have her expelled—seemed to be his way of saving her.

“Oct, thank you. Now, all that’s left is for Lord Schnaud to go welcome the real Ellis!”

That should have resolved everything.

However, Schnaud’s heart had already become a tangled mess beyond anyone’s foresight.