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She had managed to cover up the period she spent secluded due to Raymond with a love story involving 'Yuri.'
However, if another new man were to enter the picture now, Yevgenia's image would undoubtedly become even worse than before.
'Yulan is a cautious man, so rumors wouldn't spread, but if my eyes are wrong and I pick someone even more of a piece of trash than Raymond, that would be the absolute worst ending.'
That said, she couldn't brazenly ask the man she had her first experience with to introduce her to a new man, so in the end, Yulan was the only answer.
Since things had come to this, it would unfortunately mean breaking her promise to Duke Martir, but it couldn't be helped.
'The reason Father doesn't want me involved with Yulan is ultimately for my own future, so he'll surely understand if it's for the same purpose.'
...Though she had no intention of confessing all of this to the Duke.
Naturally, adult children should keep a reasonable amount of secrets from their parents.
With Anna's help, she should be able to carry all of this out in complete secrecy.
'The problem is whether Yulan will willingly enter into a relationship with me...'
Yulan was a bigger concern than the Duke.
At their last meeting, hadn't she declared with absolute resolve, 'Let's never meet again'?
If she were to cling to him and ask to spend the night together less than a month later, Yulan would surely think Yevgenia was insane for such things.
'Honestly, even I think it looks that way. The excuse that I want to erase the name won't work anymore.'
From the beginning, their relationship had been nothing more than an act to erase the name.
Although the name wasn't entirely gone yet, now that the goal of canceling the engagement had been achieved, she couldn't think of a better excuse.
'That I just want to erase it all? Would a man who gets annoyed and tells me I'm taking the erasure of a name too lightly be convinced by such an excuse?'
Every time Yulan heard her ask to erase the name, he spent his time frightening her, asking if she didn't value her life or if she wasn't afraid of the side effects.
Therefore, it was clear he wouldn't be easily swayed by a simple statement like 'I just want to erase it.'
She needed a more plausible excuse.
'That I've found someone new to love? That doesn't make sense either. I haven't met any men in the meantime.'
The only man for whom there was a plausible reason for her to develop feelings was Yulan.
But if she said that to Yulan, she wouldn't just fail to erase the name; she wouldn't even be able to verify the hypotheses she had come up with.
And using a non-existent man as an excuse made no sense...
'...No. Actually, a non-existent man might make the most sense.'
Yulan, and the heavens, both knew that Yevgenia wasn't seeing any men right now.
However, unlike the heavens who knew everything, Yulan simply believed the reason was that 'Yevgenia hasn't forgotten Raymond yet.'
But that didn't mean Yevgenia could avoid meeting other men for the rest of her life.
Since she was to inherit the ducal house, producing an heir was not a choice, but a necessity.
'Father will do his best to choose a man to be the consort of Duke Martir, but I have no certainty that the Larsen Ducal Family won't interfere in that process.'
Seeing how Raymond had picked a fight with Anna, it was clear that they—or at least Raymond—had not yet given up their greed for the House of Martyr.
Unless the House of Martyr literally went bankrupt, that greed would likely never fade.
If so, she had no guarantee that they wouldn't obstruct the process when Duke Martir eventually searched for a new fiancé for Yevgenia.
'In fact, I'm too certain of the opposite. Since they know Raymond's name has manifested in me, there's a high possibility they'll spread that everywhere.'
Right now, they might not be using such extreme methods because they think Yevgenia still has feelings for Raymond, but there was no telling when they might lose their minds and attack her.
If the fact that Raymond's name had manifested in her became widely known...
'The Imperial Family would immediately push for a marriage between me and Raymond. To the Imperial Family, a name must be a sacred and unconditional destiny above all else.'
At first, her concern was simply how to present this absurd proposal to Yulan.
However, as she thought it through step by step, she felt foolish for having been so giddy over the reality of the canceled engagement.
'No, but is this my fault? How much time has passed since that crazy talk about putting Stella's child on the registry? Isn't the problem that bastard Raymond, who's already acting as if his heart is wavering?'
If she hadn't heard about Raymond from Anna, Yevgenia might not have thought about this issue for a long time.
She didn't even want to imagine the result if she had been blindsided by the Larsen Ducal Family in that state.
The fortunate part was that Yevgenia had realized this problem in time and had enough time to respond.
The unfortunate part was that her last meeting with the person most needed to deal with this problem had been the absolute worst.
'How on earth am I supposed to approach him after breaking up like that? No, wait, if you think about it, I'm the victim, so why do I have to be the one to approach him first! Of course, since I'm the one in need, it's right for me to move first, but still, ugh...!'
After racking her brain for a long time with endless worries, Yevgenia finally gave up and slowly lifted her head.
"Mmph, mmph-ss. Mm-z g-m-n n-z-s-m... (M-miss. Please let me go now...)"
"Ah, sorry. I had some things to think about. I'll let you go now."
When she lowered the hand that had been covering Anna's mouth, Anna simply nodded, looking bewildered.
Likely, the only thought in her head was, 'The young lady must have been thinking very deeply!'
Thanks to arriving at the Duke's residence at just the right time, she was able to move past it smoothly without needing to make up an excuse for Anna.
'If only things with Yulan could go as smoothly as this...'
* * *
Fortunately, Yulan was a man with a conscience.
"I'm so looking forward to your dress, My Lady! If the clothes we commoners wear are made so beautifully, how stunning will the dress you've poured your heart and soul into be?"
"Indeed. I'm looking forward to it as well."
She was excited about the dress Madame Magnolia would bring, but she was even more excited to meet the author of the apology letter hidden between the polite invitations asking her to come and check the finished dress.
'Honestly, I wasn't even expecting an apology. This is the first time I've realized that sincerity can be felt through a letter.'
The letter, filled with extremely polite words and sentences, contained a sense of regret and a feeling that he cherished her quite dearly.
Even if it were merely her imagination, the fact that Yulan's letter made her feel that way meant it had already achieved the maximum possible effect.
As she looked beyond the curtain with eyes full of anticipation, she heard a rustling sound.
"Gasp, My Lady. I think they're finally bringing it out!"
The thick curtains were drawn back, and a human-sized mannequin approached from the darkness with the sound of rolling wheels.
Along with Yevgenia's dress, which completely enveloped the mannequin.
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