The newcomer wore a pure black European-style gown. Her glossy black hair was styled in a mature updo, topped with a lady's hat whose black veil obscured the upper half of her face.
The typical widow's attire made Luo Shu's lips twitch involuntarily. He glanced sideways at Sayuri Sawamura, who wore similar mourning makeup but was still feigning grief, and suddenly felt there was good reason these two were close friends.
Though one favoured Western style and the other Japanese, their fashion sense was strikingly similar. Their temperaments differed, but that was purely due to their contrasting appearances.
Sayuri Sawamura had a mischievous air about her, while Emma leaned more towards the ladylike.
But 'ladylike' hardly seemed an apt description for Lady Greed of the Hell Sect.
'A disguise, then... Just as Sayuri loved theatrics, this Enigma probably wasn't much better...' Luo Shu mused to himself as Emma stepped into the hall.
Her violet eyes fell upon Robert lying in the coffin, and an ineffable sorrow surfaced on her face.
To anyone watching her performance, it would seem she shared an exceptionally deep bond with the deceased.
But who could have guessed the person in that coffin was actually one of her false identities?
Attending her own funeral while acting grief-stricken, Luo Shu strongly suspected this woman had a few screws loose.
Meanwhile, Eriri, noticing Emma's display, wore a peculiar expression, as if biting back words with great effort.
Having already been warned by Sayuri via the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System, Luo Shu didn't hesitate to reach out and pinch Eriri's lower back.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Eriri yelped in pain, shooting him a bewildered look.
Emma, who had just arrived, noticed Eriri's outburst and glanced over curiously.
Lowering his voice deliberately, Luo Shu said, "Eriri, we've got company!"
"I know that!" Eriri gave him a strange look before grumbling, "Was pinching me really necessary for that?"
Rolling his eyes, Luo Shu retorted, "I was reminding you to go greet her! You idiot, or should I do it? What identity would I even use?"
"You... Oh. Right." Only then did Eriri seem to grasp the situation, blinking blankly.
Sayuri was busy fake-crying, and Luo Shu's dubious identity couldn't be exposed, leaving her as the only suitable person to handle the greeting.
Realising this, Eriri flushed with embarrassment and hastily stood, shuffling towards Emma before awkwardly calling out,
"Auntie Emma..."
Before she could finish, Emma sighed softly and said in a gentle voice,
"Forgive me, Eriri. I'm late."
"Ah... Oh..." Unsure how to respond, Eriri could only mumble incoherently.
Watching this unfold, Luo Shu facepalmed and sighed inwardly, utterly despairing of Eriri's social skills.
But Sayuri, having anticipated this, didn't even bother commenting on her daughter's awkwardness.
Emma, too, seemed accustomed to Eriri's quirks and managed a strained smile, reaching out to pat her head.
Eriri shivered slightly, hesitation flickering across her face, but in the end, she didn't resist the head-pat.
"Go sit down for now. I'll speak with your mother."
Emma didn't seem surprised by Eriri's reaction. After offering a quiet explanation, she walked towards Sayuri Sawamura.
As she passed Luo Shu, Emma gave him a gentle smile and nod.
In response, Luo Shu merely narrowed his eyes slightly, nodded in return, then sat quietly, as if waiting for something.
Within a few steps, Emma reached Sayuri Sawamura's side. She took a few more steps forward, retrieved a white envelope from her small bag, tucked in several old banknotes, then dropped the envelope into the donation box.
After completing this, she turned and sat down beside Sayuri, saying:
"Try to look forward as much as you can, Sayuri."
Hearing this, Sayuri Sawamura lifted her head slightly to glance at her before replying hoarsely:
"...Is that really what you think?"
At this, Emma's expression turned somewhat regretful as she sighed:
"If Robert were still alive, he wouldn't want you to grieve like this either."
"Why should I care about him?"
Sayuri grumbled like someone venting frustrations:
"He abandoned me and Eriri without permission, just ran away like that. If I had the chance, I'd love to hit him with a baseball bat!"
"His death might have ended things for him, but it left me facing blame from his family."
"If it weren't for Eriri, those back in England would probably be eager to devour the Sawamura Family whole."
"The Spencers wouldn't do that."
Emma looked exasperated as she replied:
"Didn't we agree before? After Robert married into your family, he had nothing to do with the Spencers anymore. Since that's the case, why would they come after the Sawamura Family's assets?"
"That was just Robert's own small family branch, not the entire Spencer clan."
Sayuri explained before adding coldly:
"Though they certainly want to take things... but they'll never succeed."
She snorted derisively:
"But it doesn't matter. I wasn't planning to give them a single penny anyway. Even if Robert's dead, his ashes will be buried in my family's cemetery, pressed down by generations of Sawamura ancestors!"
"'Returning to one's roots'? 'The glory of the Spencer family'? They can forget about it!"
Hearing these angry words, Emma's expression became slightly uncomfortable.
Suppressed by generations of Sawamura ancestors?
This wasn't something to joke about. Knowing Sayuri's temperament well, Emma understood that if the English Spencers truly provoked her, she might actually hire spiritualists to suppress her late husband's remains.
So what exactly had the main Spencer family said? Her other self stationed there hadn't noticed anything unusual...
As Emma pondered this, Sayuri wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and suddenly said with a smile:
"Come to think of it, I almost forgot to tell you."
"You noticed that boy, didn't you?"
Following Sayuri's words, Emma glanced towards Luo Shu, who nodded politely at her before gently tugging at Eriri beside him.
Playing along, Emma asked: "That boy is...?"
At this, Sayuri suddenly seemed to regain her confidence as she declared cheerfully:
"That boy is the next head of the Sawamura Family that I've chosen."
After a deliberate pause, Sayuri gave Emma a meaningful look and added:
"...and also Eriri's future husband."