Prime Minister's Official Residence.
In an office.
Maya Yotsuba, dressed in a black women's suit with her hair tied in a high ponytail, turned her head and smiled at Tatsuya Shiba standing beside her:
"Are you nervous, Tatsuya?"
"Not at all," Tatsuya Shiba replied expressionlessly, his face completely devoid of anything that could be called emotion.
Seeing this, Maya Yotsuba turned her head with some regret and said softly:
"Is that so? What a pity then."
As Maya Yotsuba spoke, the sound of a door opening was heard, and a Cabinet Bureaucrat entered, saying with an expressionless face:
"Please follow me, the ministers are already waiting for you both."
At this point, the Cabinet Bureaucrat looked at them expressionlessly and said:
"We hope you can provide a detailed report on the failure to seize the True Dragon Legacy this time."
...
In a small members-only cafe in Chiyoda Ward.
Maya Yotsuba, dressed in a black gown and looking like a noble lady, smiled cheerfully at the fidgeting young girl before her:
"What's wrong, Miyuki? You've been very nervous since earlier."
Hearing this, Miyuki Shiba, who sat opposite Maya with her youthful and beautiful features, looked up and quickly responded:
"Aunt Maya..."
"Hold on a moment," Maya raised her hand in a stopping gesture, then smiled at Miyuki Shiba: "Right now, Miyuki, you should call me Mother."
As she said this, a mischievous glint appeared in Maya's eyes:
"After all, the current Maya Yotsuba is facing questioning from the Cabinet with Tatsuya Shiba, and doesn't have time to have coffee with her lovely niece, don't you think, Miyuki?"
Hearing Maya say this, Miyuki Shiba immediately showed a resigned expression:
"I understand, Mother."
Although she called her Mother, Miyuki Shiba's expression remained deeply resigned.
The reason for her resignation was this wilful woman who had decided to have her sister face the Cabinet questioning.
After Miyuki Shiba called her Mother, Maya nodded with satisfaction and asked with a smile:
"So, little Miyuki, what exactly are you worried about?"
Miyuki Shiba remained silent. She could actually guess that her aunt had already figured out her concerns, but since the other insisted on asking deliberately, she had no choice:
"I'm worried that Aunt and Brother will have their disguises seen through by the Cabinet personnel..."
"After all, there are quite a few powerful sorcerers guarding the Cabinet..."
"Powerful sorcerers?" A hint of mockery appeared on Maya's face: "That's true, for the current Miyuki, those people are indeed still considered powerful."
"It's normal for you to have such concerns, Miyuki."
"But..." Maya's eyes seemed to darken slightly at this point: "Miyuki, you need to understand."
"The person we're about to face is more terrifying than all the Cabinet's sorcerers combined."
Hearing this, Miyuki Shiba was momentarily stunned, then said with some tension:
"Is it that Director of the Hidden Management Department?"
"Did Tatsuya tell you?" Maya looked surprised at this.
"Big Brother mentioned some things." Miyuki Shiba nodded and explained: "Big Brother said he is a fearsome individual who must be treated with extreme caution and vigilance."
"Oh, is that so..." Maya Yotsuba narrowed her eyes upon hearing this, thinking that she hadn't ordered Tatsuya Shiba to inform Miyuki Shiba, yet he had taken such initiative on his own.
It seemed that, although Tatsuya Shiba had all his emotions erased, the idea of protecting Miyuki Shiba had indeed been implanted in his mind, and it was exceptionally stubborn.
Thinking of this, Maya felt inexplicably sorrowful.
After all, if her calculations weren't wrong, the Tatsuya Shiba and Miyuki Shiba before her actually came from twenty years in the future of her world.
They were essentially two children cloned from her sister's cells twenty years later.
So the question arose.
Twenty years from now, what state of mind were she and her sister in when they erased their son's personality and implanted this concept of protecting Miyuki Shiba, the family heir?
What must they have gone through for the sisters to become people who treated even family members as tools?
Maya Yotsuba didn't know the reason, but she understood clearly that she absolutely didn't want to become like that.
And to avoid approaching that terrible future, power was necessary...
And this world happened to have channels to obtain such power. Even if those channels were so narrow that only one faction possessed them, she would still try her best to obtain them.
Thinking of this, Maya Yotsuba sighed softly, then smiled at Miyuki Shiba before her:
"Miyuki, are you nervous?"
"A little." Miyuki Shiba forced a smile, then said somewhat unnaturally: "After all, as you said, the person we're about to meet..."
Before she could finish, Maya Yotsuba interrupted her:
"Miyuki, although I'd like to chat more with you to help you relax, it seems unfortunately that the person we're meeting today has already arrived."
"Eh?" Miyuki Shiba was startled, then noticed Maya Yotsuba's gaze.
Following Maya's line of sight, Miyuki turned her head and immediately saw a black-haired boy at the entrance, conversing with a waiter.
At that moment, the black-haired boy looked up, met Miyuki's gaze, and smiled at her.
Instantly, Miyuki Shiba flinched as if electrocuted, quickly turning her head away and lowering it without speaking.
In contrast, Maya Yotsuba waved openly in Luo Shu's direction, indicating their location, then turned back to ask Miyuki:
"Miyuki, what do you think? Quite handsome, isn't he?"
Miyuki Shiba froze for a moment, then seemed to grasp her aunt's meaning, her expression paling as she said:
"Aunt, are you perhaps wanting me to... with him..."
At this, Maya Yotsuba smiled and said:
"Yes, it can't be helped."
Miyuki Shiba opened her mouth. Although she had long known that her marriage would be decided by her mother and aunt, when this day actually came, she still couldn't muster the courage to refuse.
In the end, Miyuki Shiba lowered her head and said quietly:
"I understand, Aunt. I will marry as you require."
"Marry who?"
Maya Yotsuba was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realised Miyuki Shiba's train of thought, her expression turning peculiar as she said:
"What I clearly meant was, would you accept having Luo Shu become your father..."
Hearing this, Miyuki Shiba lifted her head, condensing all the confusion of her life into a single word:
"Ah?"