I’m Supposed to Be the Neglected Princess in the Future, but Something Seems Strange... - 21 - Letter 3
It was night.
Lying face down on her bed with the bedside oil lamp lit, Rose reached under her pillow and took out a letter.
It was the same letter she had received from the waiter at lunch.
She had quickly told Mira it was a love letter, but that wasn’t true at all.
The pale green letter paper had short, shaky handwriting, almost like it was scribbled in a rush.
The sender was Lea, and the message seemed to be a cry for help.
(Third-class cabin, starboard side… Room 3077…)
According to the letter, Lea had been kidnapped by a rough-looking man on the night of the masquerade ball and was now locked in Room 3077 on the starboard side of the third-class section.
Her dress had been taken from her, so she could only ask her sister, Rose, for help.
The men had gone ashore at Feig Port and were using the money they got from selling the dress and jewelry to have fun. So during the day, no one would be in the room.
She begged Rose to come save her. That’s what the letter said.
(*What does this mean…?)
Wasn’t Lea the one who ran away by herself?
If she had really been kidnapped, then what was that note in her room that said, “I can’t be your wife. I offer my sister instead”?
And the staff member said they saw Lea going down to the second floor by herself.
(But… if this letter is true, I have to help her soon.)
Should she tell Raphael?
But if Lea’s dress had been stolen, she was probably not dressed properly right now.
She definitely wouldn’t want Raphael or any other man to see her like that.
What should she do?
Even though they were sisters, Rose and Lea had never had a close relationship.
In fact, in all seventeen years of her life, Rose could probably count on both hands how many times they had even spoken.
Rea was part of the family, and Rose had never been treated like a real family member—so to Lea, she must have felt like a stranger.
The more she thought, the more confused she got.
But if the letter was real, she had to move quickly.
Rea must be truly afraid if she was asking for help from someone like Rose, who was basically a stranger to her.
(She has no reason to lie to me.)
Even if Lea thought Rose was unimportant, she probably didn’t hate her enough to lie just to hurt her.
She likely didn’t even see Rose as worth hating.
Rose hid the letter under her pillow, turned off the oil lamp, and closed her eyes.
She felt guilty about keeping this clue from Raphael, but she hoped he would forgive her once Lea was safe.
(…This will change the future, right?)
If Lea was found, Raphael would go back to being with his fiancée, just like before.
Rose felt a sharp pain in her chest—but she pretended not to notice, and quietly turned over in bed.