Princess Charlotte, Gone Missing

Three hours earlier.

‘Heehee, thanks to Brother, all my friends were so jealous today.’

She felt incredibly proud of her brother. And she was glad that everything she had told her friends about him had been proven true. In fact, her friends also had older brothers. But from what she heard, they weren’t like hers at all.

They grumbled at home, got angry, and often snapped in irritation. Charlotte, on the other hand, had never been treated like that by her brother. She had told her friends how kindly he treated her, and they hadn’t believed her.

But today, she finally got to prove it. One of the reasons she brought them to his house today was to show them that. When she thought of the envious glances they gave earlier, she felt proud all over again.

The best part was when he wiped cake cream off her lips—everyone had their mouths hanging open. Just remembering that made her want to giggle. She could hardly wait to hear what her classmates would say at school tomorrow.

Suddenly, she recalled what she said once—about wanting to live as a happy princess. And her brother’s smiling response: “Then let’s make that happen.” Thinking of those words brought on an unexpected wave of gloom.

‘That probably won’t happen, right?’

She had learned too much about the world too soon. Being a princess wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. She had realized early on that princesses were just tools for political marriages. Just as her brother had been forced into an engagement—and forced into a breakup—she, too, would likely face the same fate someday.

‘Even so, thank you for saying those things, Brother.’

Charlotte thought this silently, knowing he wasn’t there to hear her. Just then, she heard a strange sound—vroom—and looked ahead curiously. The car, which had been moving smoothly, began to slow down. Then, the driver spoke, sounding puzzled.

“Huh? What’s going on with this thing?”

“What is it?”

The guard sitting in the passenger seat asked, and the driver, looking equally confused, turned the wheel and pulled over to the roadside. The car rolled for a bit before coming to a complete stop, and with a psshh, the engine cut out. The driver spoke again, now sounding troubled.

“Darn, looks like the car broke down.”

“Of all times and places… You should’ve checked it more thoroughly.”

“My apologies. I’ll take a look.”

The guard scolded him, and the driver scratched his head sheepishly as he got out. The guard turned back toward Charlotte in the rear seat and bowed his head slightly.

“My apologies, Princess. It seems we’ll have to wait a bit.”

“I’m fine.”

“I’ll step out as well to inspect things.”

Charlotte nodded at his words and opened the door, stepping out. She was now alone in the car. A chill ran down her spine. Looking around, she realized the only source of light was the streetlamps—there were no people, no cars.

Due to the rumors about the serial killer known as “Jack,” people had stopped going out after dark. That explained the deserted street. Of course, it wasn’t completely empty—cars still passed occasionally. But not tonight, apparently.

Charlotte had heard the rumors too. But she thought it would be fine since she was just riding in a car. With her driver and bodyguard present, she felt safe.

Nobles always traveled with guards anyway. And most of the victims had been commoners, so they hadn’t been too afraid.

Charlotte could see the driver and bodyguard inspecting the engine up ahead. They were talking, trying to solve the issue, but the conversation seemed to go on forever. The car must’ve really broken down.

She began to worry. What if they didn’t make it back soon? That’s when she started to feel it.

‘Oh no…’

She realized she had to go—urgently. Probably from the tea she drank right before leaving her brother’s estate. She figured she could hold it. But fifteen minutes passed, and there was no sign of progress. The urge only got worse. Charlotte began fidgeting in her seat.

‘I have to hold it.’

She kept telling herself that. But ten more minutes passed, and the pressure in her lower belly became unbearable. If she didn’t relieve herself soon, something very unfortunate might happen right here.

She looked around in every direction. Then she spotted a narrow alley. Could she go there? The idea tempted her. This wasn’t the time to worry about her dignity as a princess. Better to go outside than have an accident in the car. She made her decision and got out.

“Princess? Is something wrong?”

“Is it still going to take a while?”

“Ah, yes. It looks like it’ll be tough to fix. I think we’ll need to call someone.”

“You should’ve done that earlier.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry.”

Charlotte’s voice was unusually curt, which made the guard raise an eyebrow. But then he noticed something: she was standing with her legs tightly crossed. There was only one conclusion.

‘Ah… She needs to go.’

He guessed she couldn’t say it aloud. Life in the palace had made him perceptive, and he immediately understood the situation. He quickly spoke.

“Princess, shall we take a short walk?”

“Y-Yes. Let’s.”

“How about over there? We can walk together.”

“Y-Yes, let’s go.”

Seeing her brighten up confirmed his guess. The guard turned to the puzzled driver and told him to call for help. Then he guided the princess toward the alleyway between two buildings.

There was some trash, but there was enough space to pass through.

‘No one around, right?’

The guard looked around for any signs of life. Satisfied that it was empty, he turned to the princess, whose face was now very pale, and said,

“I’ll stand right here. Go ahead—but don’t go too deep. It’s too dark.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Charlotte immediately perked up at the guard’s understanding and hurried into the alley. It smelled terrible. But she couldn’t just relieve herself out in the open, so she moved deeper inside.

She held her nose and went as far as she could. It was nighttime, and any sound might be heard, so she walked farther to avoid being heard. Deep in the alley, in the darkness where no one could see her, she quickly got ready.

‘Ahh… I made it.’

The expression on her face made it clear just how urgent it had been. As she finished and began to stand up, she quickly tried to tidy her clothes. She felt a bit embarrassed knowing her guard had witnessed her like this—how could she face him from now on?

At least the fortunate part was that her bodyguard would be replaced in a few weeks. Since replacements happened regularly, she wouldn’t have to face him again, which was a relief. Thinking this, Charlotte moved with a light heart toward the alley exit—only to suddenly feel a chill run down her spine.

“Gasp!?”

At that moment, she felt something cover her mouth. She struggled frantically, but drowsiness overcame her in an instant, and her body went limp. Someone picked her up gently and quietly vanished into the shadows.

The alley had seemed like a dead end, but upon closer inspection, there was a narrow passageway. The figure slipped through it and disappeared, leaving behind only the quiet, eerie alleyway. A moment later, the bodyguard’s voice rang out.

“Princess? Are you there?”

Despite his call, there was no response. As he continued calling with no reply, an ominous feeling crept over him. Overcoming etiquette, the guard pushed further into the alley—and soon found no trace of anyone. Naturally, his face turned pale.

“Princess!”

He shouted louder and began searching the alley more thoroughly. But no answer came, confirming that something had indeed gone wrong. Eventually, he discovered the narrow path leading elsewhere.

Upon hearing the news that Charlotte had gone missing, Ian rushed out of the house. He personally drove his car straight to police headquarters. Since the streets were nearly empty, he arrived in no time. Seeing officers blocking the entrance, he slammed on the brakes and shouted.

“Move!”

“Who are you? You can’t just—”

“I am Prince Ian! Move, now!”

“G-Gasp!”

At the mention of Prince Ian, the officers panicked, unsure what to do. But Ian’s continued shouting left them no choice but to open the gate. He drove straight in, parked in front of the main entrance, and jumped out of the car, bolting inside.

“Where’s the person in charge!? Get out here now!”

Under normal circumstances, this would be unacceptable—but Ian didn’t care. His sister Charlotte was missing. It was potentially a kidnapping, and if they missed the golden time window, it could end in disaster. Ian couldn’t allow that. He demanded to see the commanding officer.

“Who—wait, isn’t this Prince Ian? What brings you here, Your Highness?”

“What brings me here!? You really have to ask that!?”

“I—I’m sorry, what do you mean…?”

“My younger sister—the Princess—is missing! How can you not know about this already!?”

“Gasp! Is that true?”

Is that true? Ian could hardly believe his ears. He wanted to hit the man right then, but he held back, not knowing if the man truly understood the situation. He pushed on.

“Where is the commanding officer?!”

“Well, um… he’s already gone home for the day.”

“If he heard a princess went missing, shouldn’t he be on his way back right now?”

“I—I’m not sure…”

Realizing he might be talking to the wrong person, Ian demanded to see whoever currently held the highest authority in the department. At last, someone stepped forward in response to Ian’s commotion. Upon recognizing him, the man approached and bowed.

“Is that not Prince Ian? What brings Your Highness here tonight?”

Hearing yet another calm and clueless remark, Ian’s rage nearly exploded—but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to ask:

“My younger sister, Princess Charlotte, is missing. We must begin a search immediately. What’s the current status? How many are deployed, and what search methods are being used?”

“Wait, what? The Princess is missing? Is that really true?”

“…Did you not hear me just now?”

“I’m sorry, but we’ve yet to receive any report about that.”

It was likely that the palace had already been informed, yet the police hadn’t heard a word. Ian was filled with frustration. Of course, he had moved extremely quickly—perhaps a call would come any moment. But even so, to him, this was already far too slow.

‘There’s not much time left. If we pass tonight, I can’t guarantee Charlotte’s safety.’

“The palace will contact you. Start searching before then!”

“I’m sorry, but unless we receive formal orders, we cannot deploy the police. That’s the procedure. I truly apologize.”

Seeing the man looking helpless made Ian want to scream again. But he held his anger and instead asked to use the phone.

“I’ll call the palace myself. Let me use the phone.”

“Of course. This way.”

Finally, Ian was allowed to use the phone and immediately dialed the royal palace. The operator answered, and once Ian identified himself, the call was transferred directly to the royal administration. Ian explained the situation.

They told him that they had just received word and were about to contact the police. As expected, Ian had acted faster than the palace. But since this involved a royal family member, things were now being handled swiftly.

He had to admit he had been too impatient. Still, he was anxious. He handed the phone over to the police officer and told him to listen. The officer nodded and, after hearing the details, hung up the phone.

“A formal order has just come from the royal palace. We will begin searching for Princess Charlotte immediately!”

“Please… find her.”

“Yes, Your Highness! Do not worry. We will mobilize all available forces to locate her.”

Hearing that reassured Ian somewhat—but he still couldn’t help but worry. Would waiting really be enough? Even if he ran around himself, it wouldn’t necessarily help. The helplessness gnawed at him.

At that moment, the police headquarters went into emergency mode. Officers began mobilizing immediately. Soon, police cars with sirens blaring sped out of the station. The operation to find the suddenly vanished Princess Charlotte had officially begun.