I’m Supposed to Be the Neglected Princess in the Future, but Something Seems Strange... - 23 - Letter 5

After breakfast, Raphael went out somewhere again today.

Maybe because most of the passengers had gone ashore for sightseeing, the ship felt very quiet.

Rose hid the letter she got at the restaurant in the pocket of her dress, told Mira she was going to the library, and left the room.

As soon as she stepped outside, one of Raphael’s guards saw her and spoke to her. But when she said she was only going to read books in the library, the guard nodded and let her go. It seemed Raphael had ordered that a guard should follow Rose if she left the first-class area.

Smiling wryly at Raphael’s overprotectiveness, Rose began walking toward the back of the ship, where the library was.

Rose had never had a guard assigned to her before. Maybe it was because no one really cared if she lived or died. Luckily, she had always stayed inside the castle, so she had never been in real danger. But Lea and Raphael, being royalty, were always carefully guarded no matter where they went.

Now, Rose felt like she could understand why Raphael, dressed as Count Molt, had wanted to sneak away from his guards to have fun.

Being watched all the time must be suffocating.

Thinking about that, Rose realized maybe Lea had also planned her escape very carefully—slipping past both guards and maids.

It was just bad luck that she had been caught by those rough men. If that hadn’t happened, Lea’s escape might have gone perfectly.

She couldn’t understand why Lea, who seemed loved by everyone and had everything, would want to leave that life behind.

But if Lea had planned things so carefully that even the guards didn’t notice, it must have meant a lot to her.

(Will Lea try to run away again after I rescue her…?)

Rose had thought everything would be fine once she helped Lea.

But if Lea had such a detailed escape plan, she probably wouldn’t come back so easily.

Would she try to run away again, just as she had originally planned?

Would she ask Rose to help her escape?

If she did… what should Rose do?

—I will definitely bring you back to my country.

Raphael’s words came back to her.

Rose had already realized how she felt.

Even if Raphael’s attitude changed in the future and she ended up living a cold, lonely life as his wife, she still wanted to go with him to the great country of Martin.

But letting Lea escape like this… that wouldn’t be right.

Even though she was never treated like royalty, she had been raised by her nanny to understand her duties as a royal.

If Lea acted selfishly, it might cause a fight between countries. Raphael would probably try to handle things peacefully, but that wouldn’t be enough.

Rea needed to explain herself and take responsibility for what she did. That was her duty as royalty.
And Rose—no matter how she felt—couldn’t make decisions based on emotion.

When she reached the library, Rose glanced behind her.

No guards were following her.

Clenching her fists, she walked past the library and quickly went down the stairs to the second floor.
The letter said Room 3077, on the starboard side of the third-class section. Third-class cabins were on the first floor.

Rose kept clenching her fists as she headed down.

Truthfully, she was scared.

Rea’s letter said the men who locked her up had gone out to play in Huig Port and wouldn’t be back during the day.

But what if they were still there?

Even so, Lea didn’t want to be seen by others in the state she was in—without her dress.
That’s why Rose couldn’t take anyone with her.

(It’ll be fine. My sister is smart enough to escape the guards. She wouldn’t write something she couldn’t actually do.)

If Rose failed to rescue Lea, Lea would be in trouble too.

And Lea was smart enough to have thought that through.

“Miss, where are you going?”

As soon as she reached the first floor, a staff member walking the hall stopped her.

No one else on this floor wore fancy dresses, so she stood out.

There were only a few passengers down here, and no one dressed like Rose.

“I came to meet someone I know,” Rose answered.

“Someone you know? Pardon me, but where are you staying?”

Rose hesitated about whether to give her old room number or Lea’s current room number.

In the end, she said the number of Lea’s room.

The staff member’s eyes widened when they heard it. That room was famous, probably because it belonged to the fiancée of the crown prince of Martin.

“Where exactly are you headed?”

Should she say it?

If she didn’t, the staff might get suspicious and decide to follow her. That would be bad for Lea.

So, with no other choice, Rose answered.

“Room 3077.”

“Room 3077…? Really?”

“Yes. It’s okay. I’ll come right back after I see my friend.”

The staff still looked unsure, but nodded reluctantly.

“Understood. Please don’t stay too long. I shouldn’t say this out loud, but… there are some people here who behave badly.”

“Thank you for the warning. I won’t stay long.”

Rose gave a firm nod, and the staff member walked away to continue their rounds.

After checking that she wasn’t being followed, Rose walked down the empty hallway toward Room 3077.

The hallway on the first floor didn’t have carpets like the third floor, so it felt a little slippery and unstable.
Holding onto the handrail, she made her way to Room 3077.

Rose took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob.

“Sister… —!”

Rose called out, expecting Lea to be inside.

But the moment she saw who was actually there, her voice turned into a silent scream, and her body froze.