She's gone. My sister is gone. The words reverberate in my mind, each one more suffocating than the last. Charlotte, my twin sister, was taken right from under our noses, dragged out of the ballroom without anyone knowing exactly what was happening. The worst part? It wasn't even supposed to be her. It was supposed to be me.The grand ball was meant to be a celebration—a night when my family would announce Charlotte as the next heir to the West Estate. It was supposed to be her moment, the beginning of her reign. But nothing went according to plan. Nothing at all.The first signs of trouble started when someone noticed the pirate ship. It was sailing away in the distance, already far from the shore, its ominous silhouette stark against the setting sun. It wasn't the invasion that caused the panic, but the fact that everyone knew what that ship meant. Pirates. The legends were enough to send a cold shiver down anyone's spine. They had terrorized our coasts for years, and the mere sight of their ship, sailing so boldly and calmly, was enough to set everyone on edge. It was as if their presence alone turned the whole room to ice.But what no one knew, what no one could have known, was that the real terror wasn't the ship outside the window. It was what had already happened inside the ballroom.Faust. The man I had unknowingly made a deal with. He was supposed to take me—just me. But something had gone wrong. In the midst of the confusion, Faust had mistaken Charlotte for me. He had taken her instead. And now she was gone.The room was in chaos, guests murmuring nervously, some looking out the window in terror, others speculating about the pirates. But I didn't care about the ship. I cared only about the fact that my sister was gone.I couldn't move. I stood frozen in the middle of the ballroom, my heart pounding, my mind racing. How could I have let this happen? How could I have been so stupid? I had made the decision to run away, to leave this life behind, but I hadn't known Faust was a pirate. He hadn't told me. I had trusted him, thinking he would help me escape. But now, he had taken Charlotte.I couldn't stop him. I had been too late. I had watched as he pulled my sister away, her terrified screams fading into the distance as she was taken by the one person I thought would help me. The guilt washed over me in waves. I could have stopped this. I could have told someone, I could have screamed, but I had been paralyzed, too stunned to react.The guests in the ballroom were still too focused on the pirate ship outside. None of them seemed to notice the real tragedy unfolding in front of them. None of them knew that my sister had been taken, not by chance, but because of a mistake. Faust had come for me. It was supposed to be me he took, but in his confusion, he had grabbed the wrong twin. Now Charlotte was gone, and I didn't know what to do.I turned to look at my parents. My father's face was pale, his brows furrowed in concern as he stood at the center of the room, his voice trying to calm the guests, but I could see the panic in his eyes. My mother, beside him, stood motionless, her eyes narrowed with suspicion as she scanned the room. They had no idea what had really happened. They didn't know that Charlotte was taken because Faust had mistaken her for me. They didn't know about my secret plan. They didn't know about the deal I had made with a pirate."Scarlett!" My father's voice was sharp, cutting through the tension in the room. "Where is your sister? What do you know? Where did she go?"I couldn't bring myself to answer him. How could I tell him the truth? How could I admit that I had made a secret deal with a pirate to escape? How could I explain that I had never meant for it to go this far?"I… I don't know," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I didn't know he would take her. It was supposed to be me."My mother turned sharply to look at me, her eyes narrowing. There was a flash of realization in her gaze. "Scarlett, what do you mean? Who took her? Where did she go?"I couldn't speak. I couldn't tell them the truth. The guilt was overwhelming, and my throat felt dry. How could I explain the mistake that had happened? How could I admit that I had tried to escape, only to cause this disaster?"Scarlett!" My mother's voice turned colder, more accusing. "What did you do? What did you get yourself involved in?"I could only look down, unable to meet her piercing gaze. "I didn't mean for this to happen," I mumbled, the weight of the truth pressing down on me.Father turned away, trying to regain control of the situation. "We will find Charlotte," he said, his voice shaking with resolve. "We'll bring her back. I promise you, we'll do everything in our power to find her."But even as he spoke those words, I knew the truth. I knew that the pirates weren't just an external threat. Faust had come for me, thinking I was the one who had made the deal with him. But now Charlotte was gone, and we were left to clean up the mess I had made.And then came the words that shattered everything."If we find Charlotte," my mother said coldly, her eyes fixed on me, "she will still be the heir. We will do everything in our power to bring her back. But you—" Her voice turned venomous. "You will never be the heir. We wouldn't want you to be the ruler, would we?"The words hit me like a blow to the chest. I stood there, numb, my heart sinking with every syllable. I had never wanted to be the heir. I had never wanted this life. But now, because of the mistake Faust had made, I was the only one left to take Charlotte's place. And my parents had no choice. They didn't want me to be the heir, but they had no one else.I was the heir by default.Father didn't say anything else. He simply turned away, signaling that the decision had already been made. There was no turning back now. My life had changed forever.And I was left standing there, the weight of the throne suddenly falling on my shoulders.As the murmurs in the ballroom grew louder, my father slowly stepped forward, raising his hand to silence the crowd. His expression hardened as if he was trying to hold everything together. My mother stood beside him, her gaze cold and unforgiving, barely glancing in my direction."Listen to me," my father's voice rang out, firm but edged with unease. "We will not let this incident dictate the future of our family. The West Estate will not falter."The crowd quieted, all eyes turning toward him.He hesitated for just a moment, his eyes flickering toward me. I held my breath. I already knew what was coming, but that didn't make it any easier to hear."With Charlotte's disappearance… it is with a heavy heart that I must announce—" His voice faltered, the weight of the words almost unbearable, but he forced them out anyway. "Scarlett West will assume the role as the next heir to the West Estate, effective immediately."A stunned silence filled the room, heavy and suffocating. I felt it press down on me, squeezing the air from my lungs.I caught sight of my mother's expression—lips pressed tightly together, as if the announcement tasted bitter in her mouth. She didn't bother to hide her disdain. "Until Charlotte returns," she added, her voice slicing through the stillness like a blade, "Scarlett will act as heir. This is not a celebration but a necessity."The words felt hollow. This wasn't a victory; it was a reminder of failure.I forced myself to stand tall, even though I felt small beneath the weight of their judgment. People's eyes lingered on me, some with sympathy, others with suspicion. They whispered among themselves, wondering what had truly happened to Charlotte—and why it was me standing here instead of her.I knew what they were thinking. I could feel their questions like sharp needles piercing my skin.My father's hand tightened into a fist at his side, his face unreadable. "Scarlett will uphold the responsibilities of this family," he continued, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Until Charlotte is found and brought home, she will serve as heir. That is final."I wanted to scream, to tell them that I didn't want this, that it should have been Charlotte standing here. But the words stayed trapped in my throat.My mother stepped forward slightly, lowering her voice so that only I could hear. "Do not mistake this for approval," she whispered, her eyes narrowing. "You were not chosen. You were left behind."Her words cut deeper than I expected, but I didn't let it show. I couldn't.I glanced at the ballroom doors—the same ones Faust had dragged Charlotte through. I had made a mistake, and now I was paying for it in ways I hadn't anticipated.But as much as I despised the weight of this title, there was one thing I knew for certain.I would find Charlotte.I would bring her back.And when I did… this crown would return to the one who truly deserved it.