Forensic Imperial Concubine

"I asked her to go to Harper's residence and take care of everything. She, after all, is her personal maid, and knows her job well.
It will be easier for the servants to arrange the place if she is there with them," replied Rolando with ease.
As soon as Lilian's doubts disappeared, Harper walked in and saw them sitting down. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting!" she said
apologetically.
"Aunt, I didn't expect you to sleep as peacefully as you did in a place you haven't been to," Lilian remarked. "Come join us. Let's
have breakfast." Lilian then asked the servants to pick dishes for Harper. Before they were able to, however, Rolando had
already grabbed some food for her and put them on her plate. "Eat well," he said invitingly.
A hint of surprise flashed across Lilian's eyes. There was a tacit understanding between Rolando and Harper, the one thing she
couldn't foster with him. She had married into the royal family of the Great Jade Kingdom for some time now, and while Rolando
often ate with her, he never picked food for her or allowed anyone to grab food for him. As the emperor, Rolando couldn't just
have everything he wanted, so his eating had always been restrained. For example, he couldn't eat the same dish more than
three times, or else he wouldn't be able to eat that dish in a month. But then he would eat anything that Harper picked for him!
The eunuch was busy with distributing dishes for Rolando. He wanted to say something to remind Harper to observe proper
protocol, but he was stopped by Rolando's death stare. Harper clearly felt that the atmosphere was a little tense, so she raised
her head to look at Lilian. When she saw her shocked face, she realized what was happening: Rolando, seated beside his wife
Lilian, was happily munching away the food she had picked for him.
She was so used to the way Matthew ate with her. He liked to grab food for her. Initially, she didn't like to pick food for others but
whenever Matthew picked up food for her, he would demand that she do it for him too. If she didn't, he would get angry. Because
of that, now, whenever others pick food for her, she would unconsciously also do it for them. The only thing different this time
around was that she forgot the man sitting next to her was not her husband Matthew!
"Aunt, His Majesty is..."
"Don't, Lilian. Harper is not always here. She is a guest, and because of that, I don't want her to be constrained by our rules. But
have more. You are carrying a baby now, so you're eating for two now," Rolando said with a smile.
Right after that, Rolando picked a piece of cake for Lilian, which flattered her. This was the first time he had ever picked up food
for her, and she immediately reciprocated it by giving him a piece of peach blossom cake. She was so excited, but then she
noticed that Rolando frowned and seemed not to like it. Only then did Lilian realize that he didn't like this kind of cake: the person
who liked it was Harper, and that was the reason why they had this food on the table today.

Despite that, Rolando didn't outwardly reject the peach blossom cake. He still ate it, but disgust was evident on his face. Seeing
that, Lilian stopped worrying and felt happy inside. A joyful smile even appeared on her face. Harper was relieved that the
tension seemed to be deescalating and thought, 'I just formed this habit. I am so used to eating with Matthew that I did start
picking food for Rolando without even thinking about it. It just came to me!'
"By the way, Harper, your residence has been tidied up. I've sent your maid there to see if there's anything dissatisfying, so that
we can change it as soon as possible. Today's government affairs have been solved, so later I'll take you to a walk around the
palace. Although it is not as luxurious as the Imperial Palace of the Bright Dynasty, it's still beautiful. Lilian, since you are
pregnant, you shouldn't walk too much. I suggest you have a good rest in the palace. If you feel bored, go to the Imperial Garden
and have a walk. But be careful and don't fall again. Also, bring more people with you," Rolando said.
"Okay," answered Lilian obediently.
With this interaction, Harper couldn't help but think that Lilian was not as lively as she used to be before she got married. 'On
second thought, however, now that she is pregnant, maybe she couldn't be as carefree as she was before. She is a mother now,
and it is understandable if she wants to be more mature about certain things,' she thought.
"Just ask the servants to show me around. As an emperor, you can't slack off," Harper said. "Also I thi—"
"My friend came here, but I'm not able to keep her company. Wouldn't it be bad for my reputation as a host if the news gets out?
Besides that, it's just for today. I can't walk with you tomorrow even if you want me to," Rolando insisted.
"That makes sense. Well then, let's go!" Harper was a forthright person, so she wouldn't overthink it. Besides, she was married
now, so there was no way she should overthink this too much.
"Are you done? If you are full, we can take a walk outside now."
"Yes, I'm done. Let's go." Harper stood up. "Lilian, remember to take one pill of that medicine I gave you every day."
"Don't worry, Aunt. I'll keep that in mind," Lilian replied at once. She then asked a servant to bring a cloak and put it on Rolando.
"The frost is getting heavier in the morning. Your Majesty, please take care of yourself so that you don't catch a cold."
"You too. You should wear thicker clothes if you decide to go out for a walk." Rolando looked at the servants and ordered, "Take
good care of Lady Lilian. If there is anything wrong again, I won't hesitate to cut your heads off."
"Yes, Your Majesty."

Rolando nodded. "Let's go, Harper."