Forensic Imperial Concubine

"Did you ever love Harper?" The question echoed in Francis' mind. It was one he had asked himself a thousand times in the
past. Of course, he had loved her. Her smile alone could drive him crazy enough to do anything she asked for. He would never
deny the love he had once had for her. But it was all past. Now, there was only hatred in his heart.
"Yes, I did," Francis admitted. "I loved her and hoped she would reciprocate my feelings. I was eager for it. But you know what?
All I got out of this longing was disappointment, despair, pain, and grief. I lost all hope by the end. I had a hard time engulfed in
despair. It was agonizing. I ended up wanting to kill her, even tried to do it, but still..."
"What? Do you regret that decision?" Diana asked dryly. Men were all the same, unable to get over what they failed to get and
never cherishing what they had already.
"Certainly not. How could I? If I can't have her, I won't allow her to be with another man! I would rather destroy her," Francis said.
He quickly restrained his feelings, regained his composure and schooled his expression to his habitual indifference. "Diana, we
are the same. We always put our interests first, and even those we love will be sacrificed to get our way. What we love most is
ourselves. There is no other kind of love in our hearts."
"I have to admit I'm surprised that you're honest about your feelings. I thought you would tell me you still loved her and always
would. It's good to know you're thinking clearly about this and it's good that you understand what matters most to you," Diana
said. She then stood up and continued, "Well, I came here to tell you that everything is set. Becky will help us as long as you
promise not to hesitate. The smallest stumble will lead to unbearable consequences for us all."
"Don't worry. I will send her to the nether world myself in the Worship Ceremony tomorrow," Francis said with a determined look
as he gritted his teeth. 'Harper, don't blame me for what will happen to you. You should blame yourself for ignoring me. You only
care about Matthew. No, that's not even it. You care about everyone except for me. You sympathized with Lilian because of her
obsession with the man she loves. So, you helped her marry into the Great Jade Kingdom. You admired Lucas for his
philosophical life attitude and helped him ascend the throne. You thought highly of Chodak because he was always calm and
tolerant and helped him to get back to the Great Jade Kingdom. But you showed me no mercy. I've done many things for you. I
even killed both my father and brother all for you. But even so, you just turned a blind eye to my efforts to gain your attention.
You left me no choice but to do this to you!' With that, Francis kneaded the sugar figurine in his hand into pieces. 'From now on, I
will never make sugar figurines with your face again. Since I can't have you, neither can Matthew. I'll make sure of it!' he swore
inwardly.

"Owen," Francis called. As soon as Owen entered the room, Francis veiled the venom in his eyes. He went back to being a
gentle and handsome young man.
"Your Highness," Owen responded.
"Tell Luther to get ready. Tomorrow is the best time to take action. Ask him to help us occupy the Birch Pass. I wonder how
Matthew will react when he finds two hundred thousand soldiers lying in wait at the Birch Pass, all keen on fighting him and his
men," said Francis slowly.
"Yes, Your Highness." Owen took his orders and left. He was thinking the same thing. Now that Harper had arrived in the South
Kingdom, he would never allow her to leave. He wanted her to pay for hurting his master.
A figure lurked on a gloomy street as Owen took his leave. Looking at Princess Diana's brightly lit mansion, the figure sighed,
"You've chosen the wrong path at last." Then the voice faded away into the darkness.
Both the royal family and people of the South Kingdom cared a lot about the Worship Ceremony. This was a big day for them.
Every family provided offerings and prayers, hoping for a smooth year with abundant food and joyful lives.
As per tradition, the Worship Ceremony was held in the Starry Palace where the Holy Maiden lived. On that day, the Starry
Palace would open to the public, making it lively and full of people. The three countries' emissaries arrived early as the Holy
Maiden was preparing to conduct the Worship Ceremony. Lance, the South Kingdom's king, sat in a lofty chair befitting his
position. Although the South Kingdom was the weakest out of all four kingdoms, it remained stable throughout the years. All four
kingdoms had always gotten along well with each other. In fact, nothing untoward had happened until Francis came armed
intending to usurp the throne in the Bright Dynasty. The South Kingdom had gotten involved. It had created uncertainties about
whether the balance would remain between the kingdoms.
"The four kingdoms have had little contact over the years. I invited you all to attend our Worship Ceremony in the South Kingdom
to form a long-lasting alliance. I hope we remain on good terms forever!" Lance spoke in a gentle and kind voice. "The Great
Jade Kingdom has welcomed a new emperor, Emperor Rolando. Princess Lucas has also taken the throne in the Bright Dynasty
as its new emperor. Both of them are young and smart. We all need to keep in touch and reinforce our ties. The emperor of the
Wonder Kingdom rarely sends his men out to visit anywhere. But he sent some here to attend the Worship Ceremony. I am
grateful that you have all come here."
"You're very welcome, Your Majesty," Miguel said as he waved the fan in his hand. "Our emperor is also eager in forming an
ever-lasting alliance with the South Kingdom."

"Splendid! I'm overjoyed to hear that," Lance said with a smile.
Kile, on the other hand, hadn't taken his eyes off Harper. Despite the thick bandage on his head, he still did not restrain himself a
bit. An imperial envoy from the Wonder Kingdom sat next to him, poking at him to remind him to behave properly. However, Kile
merely moved his body to avoid his touch. "Leave me alone and don't disturb me while I enjoy looking at a beauty."
The imperial envoy was so disappointed upon hearing that. 'He was already injured from offending one woman. Why couldn't he
control himself at least a little?' he cursed under his breath. However, he wouldn't dare scold Kile. With no other choice, he
coughed and said, "Prince Kile, the king is looking at you."
"Why is he looking at me? I'm not some beauty," asked Kile, his eyes still focused on Harper.