Forensic Imperial Concubine

After coming out of the South Kingdom's palace, Harper went to the inn straightaway. Meanwhile, Matthew was almost at the end
of his wits. Just when he was about to go out and find Harper, he saw her while she was on the way back. With huge steps, he
immediately approached her.
"You're back."
"Well, we're back, but—" Harper looked up at the man behind her before continuing, "It seems like Fred needs some more time
before he goes back to normal."
Matthew was a little surprised at that. "Did he get out of control?"
"Yes, but he still has a reasonable mind while he's in that state. For a while, he just couldn't control the raging power in his body.
He's very irritable as well. Fortunately, he's still sensible enough not to kill everyone at will. So I used some medicine to keep him
in this state. If he can't control himself again, I'll try another way to deal with him." Harper watched Matthew's reaction. When he
didn't say anything, she blinked at him and said, "Don't pity him, darling."
"I love you and I'm just afraid that you'll get tired. As for this guy, I don't care about him at all." In fact, Matthew didn't have a bit of
sympathy for Fred. On the contrary, he was worried that dealing with Fred would be exhaustive for Harper. If it were up to him,
Matthew would want Harper to just leave the guy alone. Whether he was out of his mind or would become violent, Matthew didn't
care because he had plenty of methods to deal with him.
Upon hearing this, Fred felt aggrieved, but there was nothing he could do. Even though he had used every bit of his strength to
go back to normal, he just couldn't do it. However, he was determined to control his power as soon as possible. He wanted to
surprise Harper and let her know how competent he was.
"What happened in the South Kingdom?"
A hint of delight was seen in Harper's eyes. "Well, there's an unexpected person who just appeared and it seems like, she might
be the key."
Matthew slowly asked, "You mean, the queen of the South Kingdom? She's a legend. Lance, the king of the South Kingdom only
has two daughters and both of them have the same mother. The other consorts of the king weren't even able to get pregnant.
Even though she's been living in a secluded life for so many years, Lance still loves her. She must be a remarkable person."
"Indeed, if I ignore you for ten years and won't allow you to see me, I'm afraid you're—"

"I would have demolished your bedroom in a day! How can I let you live inside your room for ten years?" Without hesitation,
Matthew interrupted her with the utmost conviction.
Harper smiled at that. "Don't worry. I'm not even the kind of person who could stay in her room for ten years."
"I know. If you can do that, I wouldn't believe that it's really you."
With an even wider smile on her face, Harper was in such a good mood because of what Matthew said. She then stated, "It
seems like we can go back to the Bright Dynasty soon. I wonder if we can arrive before Caroline gives birth. Now that the new
emperor has ascended to the throne, Zack is going to take a lot of responsibilities."
"Don't worry. A person more capable shoulders more responsibility. I believe that he could do it well." Matthew thought that it
would be best if Zack was too tired to come and see Harper. After all, he was kind of protective with his beloved wife.
Harper smiled at Matthew. "I don't disagree that he's a capable man. However, it's inhuman to wear him down because of too
much work. Anyway, we just returned from the South Kingdom, so it's time for us to have a good rest."
"Well, I do want to take a good rest with you and further strengthen our relationship."
Harper blushed. "Stop it!"
"I'm talking about something serious here. What are you thinking about? Oh, if you want to do 'something' else with me to
strengthen our relationship, I'll be very glad to comply with your wish," Matthew teased.
All of a sudden, Harper realized that she had fallen into the trap which had been made by Matthew. This man seemed to really
enjoy teasing her.
"Everyone is very much deceived by your cold exterior," Harper mumbled and thought, 'I know I can't win the war of words, so I
have to give up.'
Looking at Harper who looked huffy and helpless with her pursed lips, Matthew grinned and stated in a low voice, "I heard that
you're an old friend of Darren, the young master of the Phoenix City. Is this right?"
The expression on Harper's face instantly changed. She rolled her eyes and seemed to be in deep thought about how to answer
his question.

"Are you trying to think of an explanation about the past using a perfect excuse? For example, let's say that you met him once,
had a nice talk with him, and then immediately became friends with him? Or are you going to say that you were passing by
Phoenix City and it just so happened that you were in the right place and at the right time to save him?" Matthew commented,
imitating Harper's voice.
Embarrassed, Harper rubbed her nose and replied, "You're right."
"Really? Is it the first example or the second one that I mentioned?"
"I happened to save him once." Harper sincerely looked at him, and continued, "He's a good friend of mine."
"You're just friends?" Matthew casually asked.
"Yes, do I have to repeat myself? He's a good friend, just like Zack. That's it," Harper honestly replied.
A smile bloomed in Matthew’s eyes. Like Zack, everything would be fine as long as Darren's position in Harper's heart was way
lower than his. However, Darren was powerful so he couldn't be underestimated.
"Get ready. Let's go back to the imperial capital tomorrow. The state of affairs in the South Kingdom should have been settled by
now. Also, Carlson has left for the Birch Pass. We should leave now," Matthew suddenly said.
"I'm afraid that we can't... Because the queen of the South Kingdom asked me to have tea in the palace three days later. It
seems like she has something important to say. And she was looking at me in a very strange way," Harper said with a shrug.