Why didn't the disciple admit guilt?
Because, in his heart, it wasn't murder—it was the realization of his master's great art.
Russell was utterly lost for words. He felt as though his mind had been formatted and reinstalled. Watching the girl next to him so casually analyzing the most deranged depths of human nature, for the first time he felt sincere awe.
It wasn't that this woman was trying to be logical—she simply sympathized with criminals.
No, she understood crime even better than the criminals themselves.
This woman is truly a psychopath!
Mary Morstan, on the other hand, was quite satisfied with Russell's shock.
Russell took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"So..." He licked his dry lips and looked at Mary.
"Are you going to tell Ms. Holmes about all this?"
"Me?" Mary blinked and reverted to her innocent face.
"Why should she have to explain to her that she was just an ordinary female student only a little interested in gossip?"
"Those were just random thoughts of mine. Not to be taken seriously."
She tucked a strand of silvery hair behind her ear with graceful nonchalance, smiling softly as if her shocking remarks had nothing to do with her.
"But..."
"But nothing, Mr. Watson." Mary cut him off, leaning forward slightly—her blue eyes almost brushing against his. The scent of black tea and ink surrounded him.
"Right now, only you know this truth."
"What you do with it—whether to impress that arrogant detective and win her gratitude—is entirely up to you."
Her voice was as tempting as the serpent of Eden.
"Consider it a reward for humoring me with our little chat."
Having said that, she sat up straight, picked up her book again, and pretended, as if nothing had just happened, to listen intently to the lesson.
Russell sat in a daze. He took a glance at the quiet, beautiful Mary beside him, then thought of the famous detective living next door, who would probably go mad with frustration at not being able to solve this case.
For just a moment, he felt his life was plunging into utter absurdity.
He now had two options:
First, tell Charlotte his deduction—enjoy the surprised and bewildered look on the genius detective's face, and in the process, protect his own ears by resolving her issue.
Second, pretend to know nothing and leave Charlotte worrying as she pleases. After all, whether the case gets solved or not had nothing to do with him.
Without much hesitation, Russell picked the first option.
No kidding, he needed to sleep, too.
Besides, witnessing that arrogant genius's frustrated expression sounded pretty entertaining.
Maybe he'd get some extra malicious points out of it?
As for Mary...
Russell snuck a look at the profile of the girl beside him.
This woman was simply too dangerous.
He'd better stay away from her in the future.
[Mary Morstan noticed your withdrawal and felt a trace of displeasure toward you—her malice level increased by 30.]
"..."
Can she read minds or something?
See, this is exactly what I was worried about!
In the end, the morning's lessons mercifully concluded without any major incident.
Just as Russell was about to go find something to eat, Mary called out to him again.
"By the way, we haven't seen Holmes all morning."
She curiously glanced around.
"She's a freshman like us, isn't she?"
"Mycroft helped her with an exemption application, so it's fine if she doesn't show," Russell explained.
"That's great! I wish I could get exempt from some classes too. I really don't want to go."
"Is it that you don't want to attend class, or is it that you don't want to see me?"
The girl next to him raised her eyebrows, put her hands behind her back, leaned forward a little, and asked in a voice laced with both curiosity and teasing.
"Haha, Miss Morstan, what are you talking about? I don't hold a grudge against you, so why would I not want to see you?"
Russell forced a fawning smile.
"Really? So you do want to see me?"
"Well, that's not exactly what I meant, but..."
"Hmm?"
"Anyway, since we're both free, why don't we go eat?" Russell switched topics quickly. "I've always wanted to try the food at the Imperial College London cafeteria."
"Sure." Mary agreed easily, her smile deepening.
"Then let's go. I'm hungry too."
"Oh, you're coming along too?" Russell paused.
"You still don't want to see me?" Mary raised a brow.
"No, I mean..."
He never finished the thought, just turned his head away. Right then, all eyes in the area seemed to swing toward the two of them.
There was no way they could avoid attracting attention.
After all, this was Mary Morstan, daughter of the famously noble Duke Morstan. Who wouldn't want to curry favor if given the chance?
From a social perspective, after graduation, the Duke's words were far more useful than Mycroft's—though the latter could draft and pass new laws, the former could actually change a person's life trajectory.
Russell felt the gazes aimed at him might pierce a hole in his back. He could clearly catch whispers from people nearby:
"There, that's Miss Morstan…"
"Who's the man next to her? I've never seen him before…"
"If someone can walk with Lady Morstan, he must be anything but ordinary, right?"
…
"What's wrong, Mr. Watson?" Mary's voice reached him, laced with a meaningful smile.
"You look a bit reluctant. Is it so difficult to walk with me?"
"No." Russell said, walking forward without looking at her.
"Actually, maybe you should…"
He was just trying to devise an excuse to send Mary away when suddenly, a system notification popped up in his mind.
Another malicious deposit added to his account.
But this time, it wasn't from Mary.
It was...
...from a bystander!
[Timmy Roy is envious of your interaction with Mary Morstan; Malice +10]
[Isabella Clark believes you are unworthy of the noble Miss Morstan; Malice +15.]
[A passing stranger looked down on you with contempt; Malice +5.]
Wow, unexpected surprises!
But also a little unsettling.
He stopped, the cautious look on his face freezing over, and then a dazzling, genuinely joyful smile slowly blossomed.
"What is it?" Mary was quick to notice the subtle change and a flash of curiosity showed in her blue eyes.
"It's nothing."
Russell shook his head, his smile only growing more sincere.
"I realized suddenly that it's a tremendous honor to have lunch with Miss Morstan."
With that, he slowed his pace, walking side by side with Mary, straightening his back as if he'd never just tried to run away.
[Bystanders are repulsed by your phony gentleman act — Malice level +20]
This food is delicious. This bait is worth taking. This meal will give you energy.
…