@nachtness God I hope so. I hope we getting bamboozled and she's actually out studying to be a court mage at the capital or some shit, and not just because of feels. This manga doesn't really have enough legit twists, and having the rest of the squad find out about her, learn of some tragic event, assume she's gone, then find out she's only gone away when the real waifu comes back to visit feels much better than just giving our hero a tragic backstory by killing his childhood sweetheart... who seems to be getting adopted to some extent?
Looking at the google translated web novel, we're in for a feels chapter, but it's only that Al and his family thinks she's dead. and 10 years have passed since her "death".
Major Spoiler
She's possesed or something by an evil god who is the big bad of the story
No ship between them from what I can tell. They have a brother/sister relationship. they were both like 5 years old when She joined the family, And she "died" when she was like 7? i think. Google translate gets wonky sometimes. Though I don't know how the Manga will change it up. As it is I think how they meet is different between the two versions.