Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

Toby was taken aback by how well Harper and Rolando worked together. Although his men outnumbered them immensely, none
of them were able to land significantly damaging attacks on either of them. Initially, he had thought that Rolando had lost his
mind due to his adoration for Harper, even going as far as putting a death sentence on himself by leaving the palace and touring
the lake without any guard and with only Harper by his side. Now, however, it seemed like he had underestimated Rolando's
decisions—it was becoming clear that the reason why Rolando chose to go out with this woman all alone was because she was
more ferocious and skilled than any of his secret guards.
"Master, let's retreat! It would be better if we leave right now because otherwise, we would be unable to escape once Rolando's
reinforcements arrive!" one of Toby's secret guards suggested. They were starting to become anxious because of how Harper
and Rolando were easily decimating their numbers. The fear of having to deal with Rolando's full army of secret guards added to
that, making the execution of their attack plan sloppier, which led to more deaths of their members. If this continued, they would
all die soon!
Toby was unwilling to give up, but he knew that fleeing was the wise choice to make right now.
"Retreat!" he bitterly ordered.
Soon enough, Rolando noticed that Toby and his men started retreating. A sneer crept on his lips, but it disappeared in an
instant. He and Harper took care of the remaining assassins, and once the last one was slain, he exclaimed, "What a pity! Our
lake tour turned out to be such a mess!"
"What? Are you still thinking of the tour? We were almost murdered by these lowlifes!" Harper replied. She put the Moonlight
away and took a look around the boat, which was covered by arrows. It was notable how these arrows were so short—it meant
that they were made to be sharper than a normal arrow, so that they could break through people's bones easily. It was a good
thing that they were able to hide themselves away before these rained down on them, because otherwise, they would be goners.
"But we're fine, aren't we? Do you want to continue enjoying the nice view of the lake?" asked Rolando with a smile. Harper's
eyes narrowed. While she appreciated Rolando trying to make light of things, she knew they couldn't afford to treat this ambush

as an isolated event. "No, Rolando. I think it's better if we go back to the palace right now. Don't forget that you're this country's
emperor, and you are not allowed to get hurt in any way. If something bad happens to you..." As she spoke, Miguel came to her
mind. "Your dear Prime Minister Miguel will not only be disappointed at me. I'm pretty sure he'll have my head cut off."
Upon hearing what Harper said, Rolando stopped trying to change her mind. Soon enough, the city guards arrived and Rolando
ordered them to dispose of the corpses currently littering the lake. The commander of the city guards turned pale with fear upon
seeing the scene. It was obvious that it was due to his dereliction of his duty that so many assassins whose mission was to
execute the emperor were able to sneak into the capital. "Your Majesty, do you have any idea as to who would orchestrate such
an attack?" "I don't think that matters for now. I just want you to clean up and take care of everything here right now," Rolando
said lightly. "Let's go, Harper. Let's go back to the palace." Harper nodded. They were transported to land with another boat, now
heavily guarded though, to board their carriage. Rolando stood waiting for Harper and then offered his hand to her when she was
about to climb into their vehicle. Harper didn't think
much of it, but the others were greatly shocked by what they saw. They all wondered who Harper was since the emperor seemed
to be taking care of her and minding her greatly.
When they arrived at the palace, Rolando personally ordered some servants to accompany Harper to Harmony Palace.
Forsythia breathed a sigh of relief the moment she saw Harper come through the doors. She strode towards her and greeted her,
"Your Highness, you're finally back."
"You got scared today, weren't you? Have a good rest. I'll go back to work," Rolando told Harper.
"Sure," Harper replied. After Rolando left, Harper's sight fell on the two words written on the plaque hanging at the top of the
palace gate. They were written in such a dignified and elegant style that she couldn't help but feel impressed. Soon, she realized
that it was Rolando's handwriting. "What's wrong, Your Highness?" Forsythia asked in confusion as she didn't know much about
calligraphy. "Nothing. I just think Rolando's handwriting is very beautiful. Matthew's handwriting has always looked rigid and
forceful, like those beautiful iron and silver paintings. Rolando's handwriting, on the other hand, looked majestic and elegant, just

like himself." "The handwriting of Emperor Rolando?" Forsythia clarified. "Did he write that? Well... it's not bad. I wouldn't expect
anything less
since he is an emperor."
"You are right."
Harper didn't pay much attention to the details of the palace since she thought she would only stay there for a couple of days. As
soon as Matthew arrived in the capital, she would leave, so she didn't see the point of knowing the decor of the palace.
"Your Highness, would you like to take a bath and change your clothes?" a maid asked Harper when she noticed that there were
some blood stains on her clothes.
Upon realizing how soiled her clothes indeed were, Harper said, "Please fetch some hot water for me as well as clothes suitable
for staying in. I don't like the ones that are too complicated to put on."
The maid seemed to be confused by Harper's request. Suddenly, she opened the closet and said, "But Your Highness, His
Majesty already had these clothes prepared in advance. Please have a look at them. Is there any of them you like?"
When Harper saw the clothes in the closet, the corner of her mouth lifted into a soft smile because she thought that Rolando was
so considerate and thoughtful. She had just arrived yesterday, but these clothes seemed to have been ready days before.
Moreover, upon close inspection, she was sure that every one of them was custom-made for her. She rummaged through
everything for a while in search of something that she wanted to wear but none of them were simple enough for her liking. Not
wanting to ask for more, she just chose the one with the most muted color and the simplest construction.
After having a bath and changing her clothes, Harper saw Lilian sitting in the hall, somewhat absent-minded. "What happened?
You seem to be deep in thought," she asked.
Regaining her composure, Lilian looked at Harper and asked, "Aunt, I heard that you went out of the palace with His Majesty
today and that you clashed with some dangerous assassins. Was it serious?"
"So you're just worried about Rolando and want to know whether he was injured or not," Harper teased her with a smile. "If
you're worried about him, just go to see him. You can ask him about his condition yourself."