I’m Supposed to Be the Neglected Princess in the Future, but Something Seems Strange... - 7 - My Sister’s Disappearance

The morning after the masquerade ball.

Rose looked like the world had ended.

“Lady Rose, what’s wrong? Did something unpleasant happen at the masquerade ball yesterday?”

Mira asked with concern, offering her a cookie as Rose refused to eat breakfast.

Rose flopped onto the sofa, hugging a cushion.

I can’t say it. I can’t tell anyone that my future as the neglected consort is now set in stone.

Yes, while Rose was captivated by the fireworks, she completely missed the moment when Rea—one of the potential older sister candidates—slipped away from the venue.

(That was definitely my sister. I checked the other two girls’ mouths afterwards, and neither of them had a mole!)

There was also the possibility that Lea never attended the masquerade ball in the first place, but if that’s the case, the plan failed from the start. Either way, the future hasn’t changed.

“Ahhh…”

“Lady Rose, what’s really going on?”

Mira gently shook Rose’s shoulder, saying, “If you’re feeling ill, I’ll call the doctor,” but this was not something a doctor could fix.

It’s over. My life is over…

By now, Raphael had probably found the note Lea left in her room. Any moment now, he’d burst into Rose’s room in a rage.

Deeply hurt by Lea’s betrayal, Raphael would fall into distrust of women, and in a fit of stubbornness, force Rose to take her sister’s place, locking her away in a tower after their marriage.

As Rose buried her face in the cushion, about to cry, someone knocked on the door.

She flinched. Mira, instead of Rose, went to open it.

“What…?! His Highness Prince Raphael!?”

Hearing Mira’s shocked voice, Rose thought her life was over. But then—

“Hey, Rosemary—ah, I mean Rose. Is she here?”

Raphael’s cheerful voice made Rose frown.

She had never heard Raphael’s voice before, but it sounded strangely familiar. And did he just say “Rosemary”? That was the fake name Rose had used when she introduced herself to Count Molt.

Rose jumped up in shock and saw a man with citrine-colored hair happily waving at the door. Her mouth fell open.

“Hey, your surprised face just now was hilarious!”

Raphael laughed cheerfully.

But Rose was so confused that she couldn’t even taste the tea in her mouth.

Raphael had asked to speak with her privately, so Mira had returned to the servants’ quarters.

While Rose sat there in a daze, a service staff member brought a tray of delicious-looking tea and sweets at Raphael’s request, which only added to her confusion.

(What is going on? Why is His Highness in such a good mood? No, wait—why is he Count Molt?! What happened to the red hair?!)

She was panicking.

Though his hair color was different, the man in front of her was the same person who had called himself “Count Molt.”

But Mira had addressed him as “His Highness Prince Raphael,” and he hadn’t denied it, so this sparkling citrine-haired man had to be Prince Raphael himself.

(Is this a dream? It has to be a dream! There’s no way he’d be in such a good mood after my sister disappeared!)

Rose pinched her own cheek hard. Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.

“What are you doing?”

“I thought this might be a dream.”

“So you pinched your cheek?”

“I read in a book that if it doesn’t hurt, it’s a dream.”

“…I see. And did it hurt?”

“Yes. A lot.”

“Figures. Here, take this handkerchief.”

Looking exasperated, Raphael handed her a white handkerchief.

Rose wiped her tears, wondering if this wasn’t a dream, then what in the world was happening.

“So, do you understand the situation now?”

“Yes… I understand that Count Molt is actually Prince Raphael.”

“Right. And?”

“But… how did you know I’m not Rosemary but Rose?”

“Wait, are you seriously asking that?”

Raphael looked stunned, then burst out laughing again. Apparently, he was the type who laughed easily. Who knew?

“You must be on some kind of Red List! You were acting so suspiciously when you gave your name—did you really think you could fool me?”

Apparently, he had known all along.

But even if he knew the name was fake, how did he figure out that Rosemary was really Rose? As she tilted her head in confusion, Raphael revealed the trick with a laugh.

“It’s simple. There are fewer than sixty people in first-class cabins on this ship, excluding servants. If someone introduces themselves suspiciously, of course I’d check if there’s really a passenger named ‘Rosemary.’ And guess what? There isn’t.

“Then, when you were introducing yourself, you hesitated right after saying ‘Ro.’ That means the first letter ‘Ro’ is probably real.”

“So I narrowed it down to girls around seventeen years old with names starting with ‘Ro.’ The only match was Princess Rose of the Kingdom of Gridor.”

“Here’s a tip: if you’re going to use a fake name, pick one confidently, and make sure it belongs to someone who is actually on the ship. Just like I did.”

Rose was speechless.

Raphael had borrowed the name of his friend, Count Molt, to enjoy a bit of freedom on the ship. As the crown prince, he attracted too much attention wherever he went, so sometimes he used a friend’s name to move around unnoticed.

During one of those outings, he met Rose and helped her just out of curiosity.

“I didn’t think you were Princess Rose at first, though,” he added, looking delighted.

But if that was how her identity was revealed, then why was Raphael so cheerful? Normally, he should have stormed in here looking furious.

(Wait… could it be that my sister didn’t disappear?)

Maybe the future had changed. That could explain Raphael’s good mood.

(Yes! That means I avoided becoming the neglected consort!)

Rose’s face lit up.

“Oh? You suddenly look much better.”

“Yes! I really do!”

Smiling, Rose finally took a sip of her tea. Yes, this time it had flavor.

Now that she was relaxed, she felt hungry. She picked up a madeleine from the tray in front of her. The rich buttery flavor made her cheeks almost melt.

To be able to eat such delicious food with a clear heart for the next three weeks felt like such a luxury that she could cry from happiness.

She chewed her madeleine and drank her tea. When she saw Raphael smiling and saying, “That’s good to hear,” she smiled back. But—

“Now, let’s get to the real topic. It’s very unfortunate, but your sister left a letter and disappeared. Don’t you think this is a serious issue for the Kingdom of Gridor?”

Rose spat out her tea in shock.