Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

Because of what Harper had said, Rolando was so surprised that he was unable to speak or react for a few moments. He hadn't
expected that she would want to leave the Imperial Palace so soon. He was flustered for a while but he managed to calm down
in an instant. Even Rolando himself thought that it was inconceivable for him to do so.
"We can talk about it later. For now, it would be better if you can go back to the Harmony Palace, take a bath, and get changed,"
Rolando said. Then he reached out, in an attempt to hold Harper in his arms. But she stopped him right away.
"Are you sure you want to go out dressed like this?" Rolando helplessly asked. The weather in the Great Jade Kingdom was
relatively warm, so they didn't usually wear thick clothes. After Harper was being soaked in water for so long, her clothes clung to
her body. It made her exquisite figure even more attractive.
Harper looked down at herself and quickly felt embarrassed. But soon, she got rid of the awkwardness by using her own internal
force to dry her clothes.
Complex emotions surged in Rolando's eyes. Once again, he stretched his hands, wanting to support Harper in standing up. But
like it had been earlier, Harper subconsciously dodged his touch. Although someone had planned something malicious for both
of them, she could no longer interact with Rolando as naturally as before, especially, after knowing what he was thinking. At the
same time, she regretted that she had been so careless that she didn't even realize his intentions earlier.
Rolando looked at his failing hands, and then at Harper who had turned her back on him, already about to leave. He instantly felt
that it was hard to breathe. He reached out to hold Harper's arm and asked, "Harper, are you thinking that I've planned all of
this?"
Harper didn't look back at him. She avoided him not because of what happened to them but because of Rolando's affection
towards her. She couldn't accept him. Her heart only had Matthew in it. And this time, she almost made a huge mistake. But
because of this, she finally understood why Lilian had been acting so unusually. It turned out that even Lilian had noticed
Rolando's feelings towards her, but she didn't notice it until now. "No, I'm not." "Then why are you distancing yourself from me?
Didn't you just say that we're friends?" Rolando asked in a slightly trembling voice. Harper opened her mouth but failed to utter a

single word. They were indeed friends, but that was the only thing that they could be. She couldn't give him anything more than
that. Moreover, she didn't want to give Rolando any false hope. She knew that it
would only make him suffer. Harper turned around to look at Rolando. "Rolando, I... I want you to be happy, but I know in myself
that I can't do that." Rolando didn't loosen his grip on Harper's hand. He said, "You don't even want to be my friend now because
you finally found out my true feelings towards you?" "Rolando, that's not it. It's just that I..."
"Yes, I admit that I have affections for you and I've been loving you since a long time ago. But before what happened today, had I
caused you any trouble? Had I ever told you my true feelings? If it weren't for this obnoxious plot that somebody had planned,
you would have never known my feelings for you in this lifetime. Don't I even have the right to love you?" Rolando asked, raising
his voice a little.
"Rolando, you're misunderstanding me. That's not what I meant."
"Yes, I'm in love with you. But I've chosen to love you silently. I'm not asking you to respond to me or even to love me in return. I
just love you on my own. Can't I do this? Harper, why are you so cruel? After knowing my affections towards you, you just draw a
line from me without hesitation!" Rolando exclaimed, pouring out his emotions. "I'm sorry, Rolando, but that's not what I'm doing.
I just don't know how to face you at this moment. Please give me some time to process, so I can think how I really feel about all
of this," Harper said, somewhat impatiently. Rolando released his grip on Harper's hand. "Harper! In that case, I would just like to
make one thing clear. Everyone else would have been driven mad by that poison. If I really wanted to take advantage of the
situation and do something to you, you would
not have been able to stand here, safe and sound right now."
Of course, Harper knew that what he said was true. If Rolando had any malicious intention, things would have gotten out of
hand. But in fact, nothing had happened.
"Sorry, Rolando, I..."
"You don't have to say sorry to me. I did everything on my own will, just as I did in the past," Rolando said. Then he passed by

Harper, taking the lead in leaving. "I understand how you need some time to think right now. I will arrange for someone to take
you back to the Harmony Palace. You can take some rest first. I'll find out the truth and make everything clear for you."
"Rolando..."
"Go back and take a rest. I will come and see you later. I'm hoping that you would calm down by then." Rolando stretched out his
hand, this time, in an attempt to put Harper's wet hair behind her ears. However, he withdrew his hand before it could reach her.
"Have a good rest," he then said before he left.
Harper nodded her head. She didn't really want to face Rolando, at least at the moment. The only person she wanted to see
right then was Matthew. She wanted to have a calm and peaceful sleep by his side, so she didn't have to worry about anything.
"Patrick," Harper called out as she remembered that the creature was there. Immediately, Patrick turned into a beam of light and
rushed into her arms. It turned its head awkwardly in Harper's arms, as if it was very upset that Harper had neglected it.
Harper held Patrick tightly. It seemed like it was the only way she could calm down a little. Fernando curiously looked at the little
beast in Harper's arms, wondering where it came from. From what he knew, it hadn't been there when Harper entered the Ice
Pool. He could see that Harper was very familiar with it, so he figured that it must be her pet.