I Became the Replacement Fiancée for My Childhood Friend Who Went Missing, but Apparently He Has Been Found - Chapter 9

“Ellis, where are you Ellis?”

In the pleasant atmosphere filled with morning sunlight, Lord Schnaud, who had woken up at his usual time, spoke these words as he slowly made his way through the palace corridors.

At that moment, I was in my room. After hurriedly preparing myself in a manner befitting an appearance before him, I dashed out of my room and went to him, offering my greeting.

“Good morning, Lord Schnaud.”

“Good morning, Ellis. It’s such beautiful weather today. Somehow, it feels incredibly pleasant.”

…To me, this was a very strange sight.

Because Lord Schnaud’s mood was more cheerful than I had ever seen before.

At times like these, as Ellis, I am compelled to ask Lord Schnaud, “Has something good happened?”

Without resisting this compulsion, I made an effort to speak in a natural tone.

“Lord Schnaud, you appear exceptionally bright today. Has something made you happy?”

“……”

…In response to my words, Lord Schnaud fell silent and did not answer.

However, his cheerful demeanor remained unchanged, which I found rather eerie.

“…Lord Schnaud?”

“…Ellis, I want you to answer me.”

“…?”

At that moment, Lord Schnaud’s demeanor shifted slightly as he spoke those words to me.

…Having rarely experienced such a situation, I had no idea what response would be correct for Ellis to give.

But I desperately racked my brain to avoid sounding unnatural and replied.

“Lord Schnaud, I will answer anything. What is it that happened?”

“…Ellis, you are Ellis, aren’t you?”

…Lord Schnaud’s eyes grew somewhat vacant, yet his face wore a smile-like expression as he spoke to me.

“Yes, I am Ellis. I am the genuine, bona fide Ellis, the fiancée of Crown Prince Schnaud.”

“That’s right! It has to be…”

I had been asked similar questions before.

Back then, I was scolded for giving an answer that wasn’t like Ellis, but it seemed that this time I had managed to give an answer that pleased him.

…Even so, Lord Schnaud wore a complicated expression.

“Ellis, the people around me have been saying strange things. About the real Ellis, or about Ellis having disappeared, or about some information. I don’t understand what they mean at all, so I’ve been dismissing all of it.”

“……”

“Because it’s true, isn’t it? There’s no ‘real’ or anything—there’s only one Ellis in this world. You are the one and only Ellis to me. There’s no such thing as real or fake. And yet, the people around me keep saying bizarre things. That Ellis disappeared a while ago, or that the fake is remarkably well-made.”

…At that moment, I began to understand a part of the eerie aura surrounding Lord Schnaud.

…Perhaps Lord Schnaud was starting to recognize me as the real Ellis…

“…Answer me once more, Ellis. You really are the real Ellis, aren’t you? You won’t leave me, will you? You’ll stay by my side, won’t you?”

“……”

At that moment, I couldn’t give an immediate answer to Lord Schnaud’s words.

Until now, I had only thought about playing the role of the fake me.

But if I were to declare myself the real Ellis here and now, I felt that, just as Oct had said, I would truly lose myself this time.

“…Lord Schnaud, please calm down. I am merely a presence meant to fill the void in your heart, not the real Ellis.”

“Ah, that’s right. Let’s make the servants recognize our true love once more. Then surely they will accept reality and stop saying those strange things. Ellis, you’ll go along with it, won’t you?”

“……”

“…Ellis, don’t you dare run away from me. If you were to disappear somewhere, then I would.”

…After saying this to me, Lord Schnaud promptly vanished from my sight.

My role was supposed to be nothing more than a temporary stand-in until the real Ellis was found.

But now, I was being shown, in vivid detail, that this was completely falling apart.