Forensic Imperial Concubine

In order to confirm if the Holy Maiden of the South Kingdom really came to the inn for her, Harper decided to go downstairs and
have a look. When she came out of her room, it so happened that she saw the keeper of the inn carefully making a pot of tea. It
was a high-end tea set so Harper assumed that it was going to be served to the Holy Maiden.
The moment Harper appeared at the staircase, the Holy Maiden became aware of her presence. She poured a cup of tea by
herself and pushed it to the opposite side of the table. While looking at Harper, she asked, "Would you like a cup of tea?"
Her words took Harper by surprise. At that point, Harper was certain that the Holy Maiden really came for her. But as far as she
could remember, she hadn't had any contact with her. So she couldn't figure out why the respected maiden would invite her to
have some tea.
Despite how stunned she was by the unexpected invitation from the Holy Maiden, Harper took the last few steps of the stairs
with composure and sat down opposite her at the table. Then, she picked up the teacup and drank the tea in one gulp. "Thanks
for the tea, Your Grace."
The keeper and the waiters were so shocked that their faces turned deathly pale, as if it was kind of offensive to sit down and
drink tea with the Holy Maiden. The keeper opened his mouth several times, with the intention of saying something to remind
Harper, but he gave up eventually. He was afraid that it might be too presumptuous for him to say anything when the Holy
Maiden didn't seem to mind Harper's behaviors. He was trying so hard to control himself that he even blushed with
embarrassment.
In fact, the Holy Maiden noticed how uncomfortable the members of the staff were. However, she simply smiled and poured
more tea to Harper's cup. "Actually, I should be the one thanking you. I concealed my identity when I went out yesterday. To my
surprise, I was harassed by a pervert. If you hadn't stood out and helped me, I don't know how I would have dealt with that
matter."
"You..." Harper murmured in shock while pointing at the Holy Maiden with her finger. It took her a short while before she could
say anything more. "You're the lady with the veil who looked like a fairy yesterday!"
The Holy Maiden chuckled behind her hand because of how Harper described her. "Yes, I am the lady with the veil who was
harassed yesterday."
The keeper was petrified by what the Holy Maiden said. He wondered who could be so bold as to disrespect the Holy Maiden.
He believed that the man who did that had been courting death. The keeper then stared at the Holy Maiden. When he saw that
she didn't seem upset with Harper's impoliteness, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You can leave now. We don't need anyone to serve us here," the Holy Maiden said.
"Certainly, we're taking our leave now," the keeper said while immediately retreating from the room.
With the smile still on her face, the Holy Maiden stared at Harper carefully. "Whenever I look at you, I can't help but feel like I've
already met you before. I wonder if this feeling is the same as when old friends reunited after not seeing each other for a very
long time."
"Your Grace, I'm most flattered that you feel like I'm an old friend of yours," Harper said with a bright and sincere smile on her
face.
The Holy Maiden's eyes shined even more at that. "I don't know why but I genuinely feel so happy to see you."
"It's the same with me. Your Grace, I didn't expect that you would be such an amiable and carefree person. Now that I know it
was you who I met yesterday, I feel a little foolish. It was like I taught a fish how to swim. Please excuse me," Harper said with a
little embarrassment. How could she intervene and try to rescue such a powerful person like the Holy Maiden? For certain, she
was more than capable of doing something and defending herself.
However, the Holy Maiden smiled a little, then responded, "Actually, you helped me a lot. It was the first time that something like
that happened to me, so I didn't know how to deal with it. If you hadn't shown up, I might have been taken advantage of by that
rogue."
Harper smiled, "I heard a lot of people say that the Holy Maiden is the most rigid person in the world. But now that I've met you in
person, I realize that they couldn't be more wrong. You're not rigid at all. In fact, you're quite carefree. I honestly feel very
comfortable while talking to you."
A bigger smile appeared on the fairy-like face of the Holy Maiden. She replied, "I have been the Holy Maiden for many years.
Everyone treats me with great respect, but all of them are very cautious and nervous in front of me. However, you are the only
exception. You don't seem to be afraid of me at all. It makes me so happy to be able to converse with someone like you."
The smile in Harper's eyes became brighter while she listened to the Holy Maiden. "You're so beautiful and kind, Your Grace.
Why are people afraid of you? I don't think you're scary at all."
A touch of sadness flashed across the Holy Maiden's eyes after she heard what Harper said. Most of the people in the South
Kingdom weren't afraid of her, but they didn't dare to get close or even speak to her. If she said a few words to them, they would
be too excited that they wouldn't be able to sleep for several days. Because of this, she grew up lonely, with no one to talk to and

even play with. Ever since she was a child, she was alone in the vast Starry Palace. She didn't have any friend or relative. From
the day she became the Holy Maiden, she had to say goodbye to everyone she had ever known and be the indifferent Holy
Maiden without any personal feeling.
Harper noticed that the Holy Maiden was suddenly lost in her thoughts so she chose not to interrupt her. Matthew had told her
some information about the Holy Maiden before. So deep in her heart, Harper felt so much empathy for her. The Holy Maiden
was separated from her parents ever since she was a child. So every single time that there was a festival or an occasion, she
was alone at the Starry Palace while everyone else was meeting up with their family and friends. While everyone was enjoying a
happy time, she might have been desolately weeping in loneliness. While other children were playing games, she was improving
her poisoning skills. When other children had grown up, got married, and had children, she was still by herself in that palace
because the Holy Maiden must remain a virgin.
"Are you married?" the Holy Maiden asked all of a sudden.
Nodding her head, Harper answered, "Yes, I'm married. My husband is very kind, and he allows me to be myself. He's a
merchant who specializes in medical supplies trading. Sometimes, he would bring me along when he comes here to sell our
products."