Forensic Imperial Concubine

After being seriously injured by Matthew in their duel in Dragon Pass, Rolando had no other choice but to flee. Meanwhile, the
remaining soldiers of the Great Jade Kingdom were all in disarray and surrendered under the siege of the two forces.
Then, Matthew, leading his army of two hundred thousand Black Flag Army soldiers, appeared outside the capital of the Great
Jade Kingdom, setting up camp and looking intimidating. The regent official saw this and immediately ordered his soldiers to fight
the intruders, but ultimately lost. He still was indomitable until he learned that his emperor Rolando had escaped and was
seriously injured. With that, he had no choice but to surrender, as their court had effectively lost its emperor.
As all of that was happening, the Wonder Kingdom launched an attack against Louis and his army. Although Louis was a good
general, he couldn't stand the violent ways of Howard's fighting. But what really frustrated Louis and his soldiers was the news
that Matthew had already conquered the Great Jade Kingdom after defeating Rolando. Thus, Louis' army started to lose their will
to fight, and so no matter how good his directives were, they still ended up defeated.
But before that happened, Miguel had already disappeared. Rolando, who had gained the upper hand, lost everything overnight
and escaped like an unskilled, cowardly warrior. People couldn't help but find this pitiful.
Harper was heading for the Dragon Pass unhurriedly as she was relieved to hear the news that Matthew had won. She thought
the worst was over, until she met the escaped Rolando at the way.
'Is he here just waiting for me, or is he here to kidnap me?' Harper thought at once.
"Rolando, you seem thinner than I remember. Have you lost weight?" Harper asked, a sweet smile on her lips. "I just heard that
you fled away after being defeated by Matthew. Apparently, they're calling you 'the emperor of a conquered kingdom'."
Rolando flashed her a gentle smile and said, "Stop teasing me, Harper." After a while, his smile faded, making him look more
serious. "I want to enter into a deal with you," he said.
"A deal?" Harper asked warily. "What kind of deal are we talking about here, Rolando?"
"About the Qin Clan," Rolando said slowly. "You should have known that the other half of the Sacred Seal is in my hand."
Harper nodded and said, "I know. I also know that won't give it to me. Besides, I won't give my half to you. So what is your deal?
Are you planning on robbing it from me?"
Rolando chuckled and shook his head. "No, no, silly. I won't rob from you. I just want you to go to somewhere with me."

"Somewhere. Where is that somewhere, Rolando?" Harper asked in a low voice. "Are you planning on taking me to the Harmony
Palace of the Great Jade Kingdom once again?"
Rolando sighed deeply. "The capital of the Great Jade Kingdom has been conquered by Matthew. His two hundred thousand
Black Flag Army soldiers have even occupied the whole city. The whole world knows that the Great Jade Kingdom has perished,
so why would I go with you there?" A smile blossomed on Rolando's lips. "I want you to go to Phoenix City with me."
Harper rolled her eyes as she couldn't believe what she heard. Rolando still had the nerve to ask her to go to Phoenix City, even
though he knew Darren was ruling the place. Like Matthew, Darren was not easy to deal with, so much so that he would attack
anyone whom he found annoying without any hesitation. If Rolando dared enter the Phoenix City, Darren immediately have him
beat up.
"Aren't you afraid of the way Darren will deal with you?"
"You are with me. Aren't you two good friends? I'm sure Phoenix City won't compromise me or my safety since you are the one
who will bring me there."
"So you just want me to bring you to the city?" Harper couldn't believe how simple Rolando's request was. If he wanted to enter
the city, he had plenty of ways to do so. He really didn't need her. But since he was insisting to go there with her, there must be
one particular reason that he was still hiding from her.
"Of course not," Rolando said as he slowly walked towards Harper. "I need you to go there with me and open something with the
Sacred Seal."
The shine of a blade blinded Rolando for a second, and his clothes were cut through. He backed off immediately and looked at
Harper incredulously, saying, "Harper, you... Why are you doing this to me?"
"You seem to have already forgotten the fact that you attacked me in the general's mansion." Harper had a pure and innocent
smile on her face. "You almost killed me with that palm attack."
The expression on Rolando's face changed. His gentle smile stiffened as he said, "So you recalled everything."
"Yes, but only recently," Harper said calmly. "I recalled it in the secret forbidden chamber of the Wonder Kingdom."
"At that time..." Rolando started to explain, but hesitated.

"You just wanted to test me, but you didn't expect that you'd almost kill me, did you?" Harper interrupted in a flat, emotionless
tone, as if what she was talking something that happened to someone else.
"I just didn't expect you to be so weak. I'm sorry, Harper. I didn't mean to kill you," said Rolando apologetically.
"You know what, I do not need your apology. All is in the past." Now, she was wearing a big smile. "But I won't let the same thing
happen again."
"What do you mean?" Rolando asked in confusion.
"You should have been practicing your spiritual power in your free time," Harper said somewhat playfully. "That's why your blood
could destroy the spell of the Sacred Seal."
Rolando's eyes darkened as he realized that Harper must have known a lot of things. "Do you know who else besides me
practices spiritual power?" he asked
Harper didn't reply. She looked at the man quietly, waiting for what he was going to say.