Raising her eyebrow, Harper moved the cherry in her mouth to the other cheek. "Do you want to say he's hiding or is it
something else?"
The smile on Zack's face faded. "It is said that the Great Jade Kingdom's former crown prince, Prince Rolando, suddenly went
back to the imperial capital of the kingdom. At this moment, it wouldn't be too wise to expose your relationship with him."
"Oh, you guessed that?" Harper asked.
Zack sighed. "Master Chodak is too well-known. It would be so easy for people to feel suspicious about his death and investigate
the matter. Moreover, if Master Chodak really went to heaven, why is Princess Lilian acting so normally? Plus, Rolando suddenly
returned to the imperial capital. After I thought about the whole thing a little more, the whole situation became clear to me. There
is no doubt that he is a tough opponent. If he ascends the throne of the Great Jade Kingdom, it won't be good for our Bright
Dynasty if things keep going on like this in our court."
Meanwhile, Harper seemed indifferent to the whole thing. "Shawn said that there were some changes in the north domain which
were related to Rolando. Nevertheless, he saved my life and I owe him a huge favor. But Matthew and I agreed that we would
not get involved in the internal strife of the Great Jade Kingdom."
In a second, Zack swallowed back the words which were on the tip of his tongue. If possible, he had hoped that Matthew could
do something about the situation of the Great Jade Kingdom. He was truly hoping that Matthew could even prevent Rolando
from ascending the throne. But Rolando had saved Harper's life. So it would be impossible that Rolando would not take
advantage of this and ask for Matthew's help. Zack was afraid that Matthew wouldn't even send one soldier to stop Rolando from
becoming the heir to the throne.
Zack then looked at Harper and firmly said, "So instead, you're going to let the tiger go back to its mountain and cause problems
to our country."
"It's survival of the fittest. The world is always ruled by a more capable ruler. Zack, our purpose has been clear from the
beginning. We are not guarding the generations after generations of the Bright Dynasty's royal family. We are here to protect our
relatives, friends, and then the mere citizens of this world," Harper slowly exclaimed.
"Prince Matthew is a member of the royal family!" Zack tried to reason out.
Placing emphasis on her every word, Harper spat out, "So what? The members of the royal family have never treated him as one
of its members. They selfishly and ruthlessly use him when they need him. And when they don't, they keep on hurting him. We
have never and will never protect the royal family because those people have never been a family to Matthew."
When Zack heard this, he didn't agree or disagree with her. Instead, he remarked, "As long as you have a clear conscience, our
Bu Clan will always be behind you."
"Thank you, Zack."
"You're welcome. Please always be safe and healthy. It will be the greatest gift that you can give us." Soon after that, a
desperate feeling emerged in Zack's heart. Rolando had been very ambitious when he used to be the crown prince. But for some
reason, he was very willing to be a monk of the Bright Dynasty. Five years later, Zack was confident that Rolando had not
changed his mind. In the near future, he would definitely launch a war against the Bright Dynasty and Matthew!
If they ignored Rolando this time and allowed him to become the emperor, would he also let them go once he declared war
against them?
But when Zack looked at Harper who was suddenly quiet, he couldn't find it in him to say such cruel words. The only thing he
could do was try his best to protect her and make her happy. After all, the Bright Dynasty was about to undergo drastic changes!
Meanwhile, Rolando was in the Imperial Palace of the Great Jade Kingdom. As per usual, he was dressed as a crown prince,
looking fondly at the cherry tree in the yard. Without averting his gaze, he asked, "How are things going?"
"Your Highness, the fourth prince, and the fifth prince has been executed. Meanwhile, the eighth prince and the tenth prince have
surrendered and joined our side. So far, only the second prince is extremely opposing us."
Rolando opened his palm, allowing the cherry blossoms from the air to fall on his hands. He then said, "The season of cherry
blossoms has come to the Bright Dynasty."
"Your Highness, do you want to eat cherries?" the chief guard asked in confusion. He hadn't expected that Rolando would be
someone who would like to eat cherries. However, he thought that if the prince wanted them, he could find some ripe cherries
nearby.
Rolando shook his head with a smile and said, "I was just thinking that a certain woman must be eating cherries while speaking
ill of me right now."
"A certain woman?" The chief guard's eyes lit up. It was the first time that Rolando had mentioned a woman. "Your Highness,
would any woman really speak ill of you?"
In fact, Rolando was thinking of Harper. 'I bet she's eating cherries while telling others that the Great Jade Kingdom would settle
down in peace as soon as I go back. But if the kingdom was still in a mess, it only proved that I'm a useless person!'
Rolando blurted out, "She must be blaming me for being a useless person who couldn't resolve the matters here for a long time.
Anyways, command our people to surround the second prince's mansion. If he dares to disobey, just kill him without mercy. In
addition, prepare the burial ceremony for the late emperor right now." His tone was full of murderous intent without a hint of
compassion or care. The emperor of the Great Jade Kingdom had been dead for three days. In order to prevent the news from
spreading, Rolando concealed everything and didn't hold a burial ceremony. He knew that a piece of sudden news like that
would only lead to several rebellions of various princes. With the speed of lightning, he secretly restrained several princes who
might rebel against him. At last, only the second prince was objecting to him. Rolando kept him under control and would decide
whether to let him off or not after everything had been settled.
"Yes, Your Highness." The chief guard was curious about the woman who dared to call Rolando useless. He was actually
interested in the woman's status in society. If she was a high born lady, she could be the crown prince's partner!
Rolando tossed away the petals of cherry and started walking outside. He actually hoped that the troubles in the Great Jade
Kingdom could be settled soon, so he could do what he wanted to do next. With utmost confidence, he thought to himself,
'Harper, you will come to me one day! You will find me for the sake of the Heavenly Book in my hand.'