After her inner turmoil surfaced on her face, Sayuri forcibly steadied herself and fixed Luo Shu with a piercing stare, enunciating each word deliberately:
"Luo Shu, this is no time for jokes."
Rather than retreating under her gaze, Luo Shu met it sharply and countered:
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who jokes lightly?"
Sayuri's expression seemed to solidify at that moment.
It was then that Luo Shu spoke again, his voice calm:
"Perhaps stopping here would be the best outcome for you. Given your current state, avoiding further details might be the wisest choice."
Sayuri Sawamura slightly parted her lips as if to speak, then swallowed her words. She shot Luo Shu a somewhat displeased look and said:
"...Now I'm starting to wonder if Eriri might end up bullied to death by you in the future."
"Perhaps she enjoys being bullied?" Luo Shu retorted with a hint of teasing in his tone.
The next second, Eriri, who was lying across Utaha Kasumigaoka's lap, looked ready to jump up and throw punches.
At that moment, Utaha Kasumigaoka wordlessly pressed a hand onto Eriri's head, forcibly calming her through mental soothing until she quieted down, even appearing to fall into deeper sleep.
However, neither Luo Shu nor Sayuri Sawamura paid attention to this minor interaction; their gazes locked in a staring contest.
Ultimately, it was Sayuri - burdened by too many unanswered questions - who conceded first, withdrawing her gaze.
Yet the next moment, she raised a finger to point at her collar and said:
"Tell me, what do you think would happen if I tore this open a bit and told Eriri you'd bullied me?"
Luo Shu's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Sayuri:
"Madam, is it necessary to play such a dangerous game?"
Sayuri flashed a demon-like smile:
"What do you think?"
"You started this joke with me - can't I return the favour?"
Deep down, Sayuri still suspected Luo Shu might be deceiving her.
How could something as absurd as the Maria incident possibly exist?
She even wondered if this was all an elaborate fabrication by Luo Shu to claim her for himself.
After all, Sayuri knew Luo Shu's temperament well enough - the combination of herself and Eriri could genuinely lead this boy astray.
Luo Shu nodded with sudden realisation, then turned to Utaha Kasumigaoka and said:
"Utaha, notify Yukino to issue a public statement through SDS channels declaring that Madam Sawamura is now my woman."
He then turned back to Sayuri with a sigh, adopting a pitying expression:
"Madam, though I understand how insecure you must feel after losing your family's pillar, and how the Sawamura Family's interests suffered due to that lifelong servant assassinating Mr Robert... sacrificing your virtue to protect the family business is still highly improper."
"But since you insist, as the victim here, I'll reluctantly—"
"Stop! Enough, no, shut up already!"
Sayuri issued consecutive commands to cease before glaring darkly at Luo Shu:
"Could you be any more shameless? You've even prepared my fall from grace narrative for me, haven't you?"
The gardener who murdered Robert was a lifelong servant of the Sawamura household, motivated by his secret affection for Sayuri after misunderstanding her alleged infidelity.
This combination of factors instantly made Sayuri the most unwelcome figure in England's Spencer household upon receiving the news.
Subsequent conflicts became inevitable.
With Robert's lineage reduced to just Eriri - a single daughter - and Sayuri as the widow, their assets being seized was practically foreseeable.
In this situation, if rumours spread that Sayuri Sawamura had colluded with the Director of the SDS to protect the Sawamura Family's interests, even if false, they would be taken as truth.
After all, it was just too plausible!!
So plausible that Sayuri Sawamura herself had considered it.
Only, she had thought of publicly acknowledging Eriri's relationship with Luo Shu, never expecting Luo Shu to counter her move with such a shocking surprise.
If she really let Luo Shu spread this news, how could she possibly go on living?
"Luo Shu, this is going too far," Sayuri said with a darkened expression.
To this, Luo Shu merely replied calmly:
"You were the one who started the joke."
Then he added, "As the victim, I can only strive to accept the outcome."
'Strive to accept... You've probably been wanting to do this all along...' Sayuri was fuming inside but had no way to retaliate against Luo Shu.
This bastard had made his attraction to her obvious more than once, but she never expected him to take such drastic action this time.
Thinking of this, Sayuri recalled Luo Shu's remark about Maria being the most fitting baptismal name for her in Robert's eyes, which instantly made her tense and even a little paranoid.
Could she have unknowingly fallen victim to some occult trick, suffering the same fate as that of Maria?
Considering this possibility, Sayuri couldn't help but soften her tone towards Luo Shu:
"It was my fault. Can I apologise?"
Luo Shu paused briefly before replying, "Madam, I think it would be best if you didn't pursue this further."
"What?" Sayuri was completely unprepared for Luo Shu's refusal and even his suggestion to drop the matter.
This response only deepened her unease:
"What exactly have you uncovered?"
"...A truth I don't even know how to put into words."
Luo Shu sighed and admitted frankly:
"To be honest, on a personal level, I'm quite pleased with this outcome. But when I think about everything that led here, it all feels absurd."
Hearing this, Sayuri wore a wry smile:
"Are you saying you think I can't handle the truth?"
"Since you insist."
Luo Shu nodded, and the Mist Ring on his hand flickered as a folder materialised in his grasp.
He raised the folder but didn't immediately hand it to Sayuri Sawamura, instead pointing at it as he explained:
"This contains all the findings from my investigation."
"Whether to open it or not is entirely your decision, Madam."
As he spoke, Luo Shu stepped forward and offered the folder to Sayuri Sawamura. Gazing down at her seemingly stiffened expression, he reassured her:
"I won't persuade you to give up, nor will I urge you to accept. I only need to remind you."
"Opening this folder will erase and destroy everything you've experienced in the past."
"Even so, do you still wish to open it?"
Hearing this, Sayuri Sawamura glanced up at Luo Shu and flashed a mischievous smile strikingly similar to Eriri's:
"There's something I must remind you."
"That child Eriri's stubbornness isn't even half of mine!"
Sayuri snatched the folder and—snap!—flung it open without hesitation!
The next instant, as Sayuri Sawamura's eyes fell upon the contents...
Every cherished memory of the Sawamura couple's past happiness was obliterated.