I Became the Replacement Fiancée for My Childhood Friend Who Went Missing, but Apparently He Has Been Found - Chapter 15

“It’s been so long, Lord Schnaud!!! I’ve been wanting to see you for the longest time!!!”

Ellis spoke these words to Schnaud in a sweet, affectionate tone.

However, Schnaud’s expression as he looked at her was extremely severe.

“Ellis, could you refrain from being so familiar? You and I are no longer connected. I am the first prince, and you are merely a woman. Could you remember your place?”

“L-Lord Schnaud?”

Ellis had probably never seen Schnaud with such an atmosphere even once before.

She seemed unable to comprehend what was happening before her eyes.

“Lord Schnaud, you’re angry, aren’t you? Because I disappeared from your side without saying anything. But there was a reason I couldn’t help it!”

“……”

“I really wanted to go to the flower field far away! But at that time, you were guarding me excessively, and I was in a situation where I couldn’t leave the mansion. So, forcing my way out was the only way I could get to the flower field! It’s true! Please believe me!”

Though Ellis spoke these words desperately, Schnaud showed no reaction whatsoever.

…Whether it was because he thought her words were lies, or because he simply had no interest in her to begin with.

“Ellis, I no longer need you. The real Ellis is here with me now. So, I don’t need a fake like you anymore.”

“……”

At first, Ellis thought these words were just Schnaud trying to mess with her.

However, judging by his expression and atmosphere, these words seemed to be his true feelings, with no trace of playful mischief or teasing affection to be found.

“I’m telling you I’m tired of you. You don’t need to come back here ever again. Goodbye.”

“…Sigh, I shouldn’t have come back then…”

“……”

“…I thought that since it’s you, Lord Schnaud, you’d be crying and missing me by now. To think you’d create a fake of me and even come to prefer her. Honestly, it’s too disgusting to look at directly.”

“…Excuse me?”

“You already know, don’t you? What I was trying to do. Hadn’t you heard that I’m the sister of the prince from the neighboring country?”

As if having decided to cut Schnaud off, Ellis began rattling off her truth without hesitation.

“I approached you to gather information about this country, and planned to disappear at just the right moment to keep you hooked. But that seems impossible now. Well, whatever? If the fake is cuter and more convenient for you, why don’t you just keep loving the fake forever? I never liked you from the beginning anyway, so even if our relationship ends here, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.”

“Then it’s fine, isn’t it? Disappear cleanly from before me. Ghost of Ellis, don’t ever show yourself in this palace again.”

“Likewise. I hear there are all sorts of strange movements happening here, so you’d better be careful not to lose your position, Lord Schnaud.”

…In their exchange of threatening words, not a trace of their former selves remained.

Yet, ironically, the words Ellis spoke as she left would prove to accurately foreshadow Schnaud’s eventual fate.