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Unlike usual, the sound of very hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.
With every step Yevgenia took, a sharp sound erupted as if she were carving grooves into the floor.
Gripping the stair railing—something she normally never did—Yevgenia strode down two steps at a time before coming to a halt in front of the main entrance.
The moment she stopped, her breath came in short gasps and her heart hammered wildly.
After taking several deep breaths to barely calm her agitated body, Yevgenia slowly straightened her back.
As her heavy heaving slowed, she felt a sense of stillness settle around her.
The moment she tucked a stray lock of hair, whipped by a sudden gust of wind, behind her ear, the sound of horse hooves echoed from a short distance away.
A snow-white carriage, adorned with the Imperial Family's crest in gold leaf, was approaching at a moderate pace.
Yevgenia barely managed to compose her face, which was instinctively breaking into a smile, and smoothed down her tangled hair.
Just as she finished perfectly unraveling a slight kink in her hair, the carriage came to a stop at the perfect timing.
“Zhenya, did you come out to greet me?”
“...Of course, Yul. How could I possibly stay inside after hearing you were coming?”
“I'm touched, Zhenya. I haven't even properly escorted you once in the Imperial Palace...”
For a moment, Yevgenia almost let out a hollow laugh.
What shameless acting.
If an oblivious third party heard them, they would surely think the two were a couple dripping with honey.
Yulan naturally took the hand of Yevgenia, who had frozen in absurdity, and lightly kissed the back of her hand.
“I will never hide again, Zhenya. So... for the rest of our lives, may I monopolize all of your escorts?”
“Since the engagement ceremony can't be postponed for long anyway, everything will go as you wish. We've even received His Majesty's permission now, so what could possibly be impossible?”
It was an equally fake, honey-dripping response, but Yevgenia's words contained subtle, hidden barbs.
Yulan narrowed his eyes and asked with a tender smile.
“...Will His Majesty attend our engagement ceremony, Zhenya?”
“He is so preoccupied with public and private affairs that it might be difficult. However, since the Imperial Crown Prince's opinion is essentially His Majesty's, wouldn't the Crown Prince's congratulations include His Majesty's share as well?”
“Indeed. As expected of Zhenya; if it weren't for you, I would still feel as though I were trapped alone in an abyss of loneliness. Since you rescued me, what could possibly not be precious?”
“Oh, Yul...”
The hand that struck Yulan's shoulder in a feigned display of shyness carried a fair amount of stinging force.
Touching her cheek, Yevgenia spoke to Anna, who was blankly watching the two of them in their own little world.
“Anna. I'll guide Yul... no, the Second Imperial Prince, so you may go inside.”
“Ah, yes! I understand, My Lady!”
Bowing deeply, Anna disappeared into the mansion as quickly as a gust of wind.
Turning with a soft smile, Yevgenia naturally linked her arm with Yulan's.
“Now, shall we go inside? I've put a lot of effort into decorating your room.”
“I'm looking forward to it, since you say you did your best.”
“Hehe. I'm sure Yul will like it.”
After a few exchanges of superficial conversation, the two wandered through the mansion, clinging to each other like lovers in the prime of their relationship.
Even the servants, who had initially looked on with suspicion or worry, had reached the point of thinking, 'I should clear the way for the couple.'
Only after touring everything from the drawing room to the dining room, the greenhouse, and even the kitchen, were they finally left alone in the quiet hallway.
Lightly shaking off Yulan's arm, which she had been clinging to like a lifeline, Yevgenia spoke.
“The Emperor really seems crazy. Even while facing me, he kept glancing toward the Empress's Palace.”
“It's natural for that to happen once a name manifests. The expression 'madly in love' is literally true; it's an utterly irrational curse. You're the one who's a bit strange.”
At Yulan's firm words, a cold sweat broke out on Yevgenia's back.
“Isn't it because he went around committing every kind of atrocity possible even before manifesting? You know, like circling back to normal after a full rotation.”
Hahaha...
Ending the conversation with an awkward laugh, Yevgenia shifted to a more urgent topic.
“The Emperor knows about your ability. You didn't happen to use it on him in the past, or anything like that, did you?”
“Why do you think I didn't?”
“Well...”
Excluding the various things (?) Yevgenia and Yulan were currently doing to erase the name.
If one had tried to erase the Emperor's name through ordinary means, it wouldn't be strange at all to be suspected of an assassination attempt rather than a simple erasure.
The Emperor, who was desperate to kick her out even while she lived like the dead, would never have let such a golden opportunity slide.
However, it was difficult to say this openly.
'No matter how bad a father-daughter relationship is, hearing someone else insult your family is a different story...'
Why is the saying "If you're going to curse them, let me be the one to do it" so famous?
It's because so many people universally feel and think that way.
A sigh escaped Yevgenia's lips as her thoughts became complicated.
“Enough of this depressing talk. There's a more important issue.”
She wrapped the shawl covering her shoulders more tightly.
Naturally, Yulan's gaze shifted toward her shoulder.
Confirming that Yulan was looking at her clavicle bone as intended, Yevgenia spoke.
“He told me to erase all of them. Before the wedding.”
“...That man said that?”
At Yulan's voice, which had dropped incredibly low, Yevgenia nodded while subtly gauging his reaction.
Because Yulan's aura was ominous, Yevgenia found herself making excuses she didn't even want to make.
“There are quite a few people who know that Raymond's name manifested on me. Just between our mansion and Duke Larsen's, there are dozens of servants. If the Emperor knows, it means the Empress knows too.”
“...”
“I wanted to erase them all cleanly anyway. Of course, I won't actually go through with the marriage with you, but... after a long time, I might find a new man...”
'And while I'm at it, I can recall some parts of the original story.'
The omitted part was a secret she would take to her grave.
Anyone who had tried to erase a name, or had come close to having one erased, would know the immense pain it entailed.
For the Emperor to nonchalantly order her to erase all of Raymond's unnecessarily long name was essentially telling Yevgenia to endure death.
'I'm lucky Yulan's experiments (?) found a painless method. If I'd been told to erase them all raw, I would have declared I'm giving up on the marriage and run away.'
Perhaps the Emperor had hoped for that.
Though she didn't know why he gave such an order when he could have just had the child he hated so much leave on her own...
'No, maybe Yulan suspects something. I don't think his expression has ever been this bad.'
Right now, Yulan's face looked like someone who had just discovered the enemy of his parents.
Yevgenia unconsciously grabbed the edge of his sleeve.
“Um, Yulan? I'm really okay. I was just a bit surprised because I hadn't thought about it. I can't exactly live my whole life with that bastard's name, right?”
For some reason, everything flowing from Yevgenia's mouth sounded like a trivial excuse.
Perhaps sensing this herself, the tips of Yevgenia's ears turned reddish.
Biting her lip and hesitating, she gave the sleeve she was holding a slight shake.
“Don't be too angry, okay?”
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