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But it was certain that even if she were born again, she would struggle to hear words worse than these.
Even as Yevgenia stood there with her mouth agape, Raymond continued brazenly.
“Fine, whatever. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and understand your desire to meet a new man. Since you’ve longed for romance so much, perhaps imitating it will satisfy your cravings.”
“Hah...”
“But rolling around in bed is where I draw the line. You aren't so young that you don't know that granting your body to a man you cannot marry is something a noble Young Lady should never do, right?”
Raymond looked down at Yevgenia’s face and clicked his tongue.
“Even if you want to play around as much as you look like you do, hold it in until you're married. The fact that my name manifested for someone like you must mean that even the divine believes you need a leash.”
Seeing as he only mentioned the name after Stella and the follower Young Nobles had been dismissed, it was clear that Duke Larsen had strictly cautioned him to keep his mouth shut on this matter.
In truth, if he had truly wanted to finalize the marriage with her, revealing that the name had manifested would have been the easiest and fastest way.
The problem was that neither Duke Martir nor the Emperor would have welcomed it.
‘It’s a relief that Duke Larsen is afraid of the Emperor. If he had a personality like my father, wow, the moment I suggested breaking the engagement, rumors about my name would have spread throughout the entire social circle.’
Until then—and perhaps until Duke Martir sent a long letter explicitly stating, ‘Let us break the engagement’—Raymond likely hadn't been certain.
He probably thought she was simply throwing a tantrum, much like the atrocities ‘Yevgenia’ used to commit.
Thanks to that, Yevgenia had gained time to erase a few characters of the name, and now she had the evidence to refute them even if they started shouting that the name had manifested.
‘I can just blame the erased name on Raymond’s debauchery. Then Raymond will be the one cursed by everyone, and I’ll be showered with looks of sympathy.’
Seeing how he continued to blather despite knowing this, it was clear that while the gag order had worked, he didn't understand the reason behind it.
‘To think the people of the Larsen Family still don't know the name was erased... I wonder if I should consider this a blessing...’
As Yevgenia sank into thought about how to use the information she had gained, Raymond’s gaze shifted suggestively.
Yevgenia’s disheveled clothes and slightly swollen lips.
During the long kiss with Yulan, subtle changes had occurred in Yevgenia as well.
If someone looked closely, they could tell she had shared a secret encounter with someone.
It was slight, but it meant she had changed nonetheless.
What Yevgenia failed to account for was that Raymond was unnecessarily perceptive in that specific area.
Having taken in every detail from her eyes, nose, and lips, Raymond approached Yevgenia with a face twisted like a demon.
Blocking her path, Raymond spoke.
“You wouldn't want your secret lover to be exposed before the wedding, would you? Neither you, nor your lover.”
“...”
“If you want me to keep the secret, shouldn't there be something in return for me?”
Yevgenia’s eyebrows arched at the way he was beating around the bush, unlike his usual self.
It was unpleasant enough that he was twisting his face as if he were angry, but the way he kept touching her hair as if it were his own made her irritation surge.
‘By "secret lover," he must mean Yulan, whom he mistakes for the Imperial Crown Prince. To think he saw everything even though I stayed out for so long... what a creepy bastard.’
His confidence in the marriage was likely largely due to mistaking Yulan for the Imperial Crown Prince.
After all, a Young Lady who had a married man as a lover could never have a proper marriage.
‘Then by "something in return," does he mean he wants me to take back the cancellation of the engagement? It’s a terrifyingly effective threat if I were actually having an affair.’
The reason why thieves and arsonists are more condemned than mass murderers in fiction is because of their pettiness and realism.
The threat Raymond was making now was far closer to the latter, which made her shudder.
If the person here hadn't been ‘Princess Martyr,’ and if the person beside her hadn't been Yulan...
Yevgenia’s eyes turned as cold as a glacier at the thought of a desperately bleak hypothetical.
‘I should test the waters to see just how annoying he plans to be. Well, since it’s not actually true, the threat won't work anyway.’
“...What do you want?”
At Yevgenia’s perceived weakness, the corner of Raymond’s mouth twitched.
The hand that had been lightly gripping her hair moved upward and grabbed Yevgenia’s shoulder.
She instinctively pulled back in disgust, but Raymond’s hand followed as if he had anticipated it.
As he applied pressure as if to force her shoulder down, Yevgenia’s face contorted.
“Hey, what do you think you're doing?”
“Kneel. And beg for forgiveness in detail for what you did and how wrong it was. Keep doing it until I'm satisfied.”
It was Yevgenia’s turn to be stunned.
“Wow, is this guy actually insane...?”
“You're the one who's insane. It's only natural to beg for forgiveness from the groom-to-be who generously accepts you after you rolled around with another man before the ceremony.”
Her head began to throb.
She felt embarrassed that half of her brain had been worrying about Duchess Larsen, her mother, and the other half about the schemes of a man she had given her lower half to.
Tsk. Clicking her tongue, Yevgenia shook off Raymond’s hand and stood up.
At that moment.
“Ah!”
“Where do you think you're going? Do you really want to be punished for adultery?”
“Let go, you bastard. Since when does a gentleman grab a lady’s wrist like this?”
“A lady is a lady depending on who she is. Why should I treat someone who doesn't even act like a Young Lady with gentlemanly courtesy?”
As the atmosphere grew tense, the follower Young Nobles standing at a distance began to exchange glances.
They were torn between whether it would be better to escape quickly or jump in and try to stop them while pretending to be crazy.
Then, a new figure intervened between them.
“Excuse me, I shall pass through.”
“Huh? Ah, yes... Wait, what?!”
“Wait, the person who just passed by, could it be...!”
The follower Young Nobles' jaws dropped.
A shimmering gold mask amidst black hair and a dazzlingly white uniform.
No matter how marginalized the Young Nobles were, there was no way they wouldn't recognize him.
Only those of noble blood from the Imperial Family were permitted to wear a gold mask at the Huya Festival.
If it wasn't the Imperial Crown Prince with his shining platinum blonde hair, there was only one person left.
“...The Second Imperial Prince?!”
“No, why on earth is he here... My god, the Second Imperial Prince actually exists...!”
Despite the commotion that made the bushes shake, the Second Imperial Prince’s stride remained steady.
Rather, he walked forward confidently, as if he had predicted all these reactions.
Thus, the Second Imperial Prince—Yulan—was able to arrive by Yevgenia’s side in time.
If he had heard all the bullshit Raymond had been spouting, he would have drawn his sword and sliced Raymond’s throat.
However, perhaps it was a blessing for everyone that he had left to prepare for becoming the Second Imperial Prince the moment he heard a single word from Raymond.
“Lord Raymond Larsen. I would like an explanation as to what exactly is happening here.”
...Since he was already seeing Raymond forcibly gripping Yevgenia’s wrist, his temper had already flared.
“First, it would be best to explain why a Young Noble is clutching my lover’s wrist.”
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