Forensic Imperial Concubine

That night with the emperor felt more affectionate than what the empress had experienced even in the first few months of their
marriage. Now in her middle age, it was a rare chance for her to have such a romantic night. Thus, she was both delighted and
satisfied.
After the emperor left, the empress took out the spell doll from under the bed and stared at it. She felt quite amazed. Was it really
powerful enough to help her win the emperor's undivided love?
She put down the spell doll and asked, "Where is Cheryl?"
"She is still locked inside, Your Majesty." Nancy pressed her lips together and gestured in that direction.
"Bring her here." The empress picked up the tea and took a sip. "After all, she was my maidservant for such a long time. She
must have something to say to me."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Cheryl had spent the whole night locked up in the Sleek Palace. At first, she was scared that the empress would not let her go.
She waited but nothing happened. As the hours passed, it seemed to her that the empress had no intention of punishing her.
When dawn broke, she was no longer scared. Indeed, she felt rather safe and confident. After all, she was the emperor's favorite
now. If she suddenly disappeared or died, the emperor would demand to know what happened to her. With that consolation, she
was felt immensely relieved and the clouds seemed to vanish.
"Your Majesty." Cheryl had spent so many years serving the empress and seen plenty of evidence of the empress's
ruthlessness. Now she was at the empress's mercy, so even now that Cheryl had been promoted to the attendant, she dared not
to show any sign of disrespect and had to address the empress exactly the same way when she had been a servant girl.
"Tell me what it is. If I find the slightest hint of dishonesty in you, you will pay for it. I believe you must already know that you will
die if I hand this thing over to His Majesty." The empress's voice was gentle but dignified.
Cheryl knelt on the floor and shivered with fear. She dared not look up, nor did she dare to answer the question. After all, she
had used the voodoo doll to seduce the emperor. If she told the empress about it, the empress would hate her guts for stealing
the emperor's love. In her jealousy and hatred, the empress would definitely have her killed as soon as possible. Furthermore,
anything related to voodoo was a taboo and was banned in the Bright Dynasty, so she was doomed to die anyway after she had
been caught red-handed in possession of a voodoo doll. So she was in a dead end, and at a complete loss for words.

"What? It's a simple question. What makes it so hard for you to answer it? You know, with what we found on you, I could have
you and your family put to death without delay, and no one would blame me for that." The empress snorted in disgust. "So think it
over and answer my question."
Cheryl's mind was racing for an answer. She had to plead guilty, but then how could she persuade the empress to spare her life?
Then she remembered that Felix was still confined to his mansion and her eyes lit up. It seemed like fate had given her one last
chance to survive.
"Your Majesty, it is a spell doll, called Infatuation Spell. If the possessor prays sincerely every day while thinking about the one
she desires, she will obtain that person's infatuation." Cheryl took a deep breath and went on, "That's how I made His Majesty
desire me."
"And having already won His Majesty's heart, why did you sneak into the Sleek Palace to find it?" The empress was obviously
skeptical about what Cheryl said. She thought that the spell doll must have some other functions.
Cheryl gritted her teeth and said, "This spell doll must be kept near the possessor. Distance will weaken its power. Over time the
effect might even wear off."
"How often do you have to pray?" the empress asked slowly.
"At least once every three days. That's why I came back to the Sleek Palace to take it." The truth was that the emperor didn't
seem to have much interest in her after the first night. Cheryl had guessed it was because the spell doll wasn't kept near her, so
she had decided to sneak back to the Sleek Palace.
"So, as long as you have this spell doll, His Majesty will never grow weary of you?" the empress asked slowly. Her tone was
unchanged, but there was murder in her eyes.
"I dare not."
"Drop the act. We both know you are not a timid person, as your actions prove very well." The empress snorted. "Who else
knows about this spell doll?"
"Nobody. Only I know it. After all, the spell could cost me my life if anyone found out about it. How could I dare tell anyone else
about it?" Cheryl said carefully. In fact, Minna also knew about the spell doll, but Cheryl decided to keep that a secret. Now that
she certainly couldn't take the spell doll back, she would have to ask Minna for a new one after she got out of there.

"How did you get your hands on this spell doll?"
"I went home a few days ago and came across a strange person. After I told him about my troubles, he gave me this. I didn't
believe him at first, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. I didn't expect that it would actually make me win His Majesty's
favor," Cheryl answered after a brief hesitation.
"So, to seduce an emperor, just a little spell doll will do the trick." The empress picked up the spell doll on the table and toyed
with it. After a while, she looked over at Nancy and hinted to her with her eyes. Nancy nodded, then took out her handkerchief
and covered Cheryl's mouth. It all happened so fast that Cheryl blacked out instantly. Then Nancy took her out of the room and
threw her into a deserted well in the deserted Cold Palace.