Forensic Imperial Concubine

Harper's words were so shocking to Miguel that his mouth fell open and his face turned pale. When he came to his senses,
however, he snapped at her, saying, "Your Highness, please mind your words!"
"Mind my words?" Harper sneered. "I think it's you who should pick your words carefully."
Miguel opened his mouth to respond, but before he was able to, Harper had already interrupted him. "Lilian is Rolando's
concubine and she is pregnant with his child. Yet, I don't see him being as panicked as you are right now. You are just a courtier
but you really tried to break into the Imperial Palace, question me, and even threaten me just to save Lilian? People who don't
know you may think she's your wife and her baby is yours!"
"Your Highness! Please, stop speaking such nonsense!" Miguel was panicking. A significant number of guards were stationed
around the Harmony Palace, and after they heard the things that Harper was saying, they wouldn't hesitate to tell it to everyone
they knew. He had a notorious reputation for being offensive to a lot of other courtiers, and so he was sure that they were
eagerly waiting for his downfall!
Moreover, even though Rolando favored him, it wouldn't make any difference to his case—in the Great Jade Kingdom, it was
considered a crime for someone to have an affair with any concubine of the king! He would be executed without being given a
chance to explain himself!
"Nonsense? Am I talking nonsense?" Harper stretched her arm out and immediately, Forsythia handed her a cup of hot, freshly
brewed tea. After taking a sip of it, she asked Miguel, "Tell me. Am I really talking nonsense here?"
"Your Highness, why are you so heartless? Lady Lilian is your niece. As her aunt, why don't you want to help her? She will be
forever grateful to you if you could give her a hand. Please!" Miguel tried to ask for Harper's help in a much softer tone. Lilian
was in such a dangerous situation and only Harper had the ability to save her, so he knew he couldn't ruin the only chance.
"Be grateful to me?" Miguel's words amused Harper so much that she started laughing. "Oh, please! Not her gratitude! How can I
bear the weight of such a coveted thing?"
Miguel took a step forward, but Fernando blocked his way. From a distance, he began to beg, saying, "Your Highness, please
forgive Lady Lilian! She didn't know what she was doing! Please save her and her unborn baby, I beg you! I will do anything for
you if you do! I promise!"
"Well, what if I ask you to kill Rolando?" asked Harper with interest. "Will you go do it?"

"Your Highness, please don't make fun of me! This is a matter of life and death! If we're a minute late... Lady Lilian and her
unborn baby will..."
"Well, that's why I'm asking you. If I ask you to kill Rolando, will you go kill him?"
"His Majesty is our emperor, and you know that I can't kill him!"
"If you can't do that, then why are you telling me that you'd do everything I want you to do? Who's talking nonsense now?"
Harper sneered. "When Lilian needed my help, she came to me and I entertained her, but when she stopped finding me useful,
she sent me Fantasy, the poison. I'm sorry but I don't need gratitude from either of you two. There is no way I would respond to
the crime that she did against me with kindness. Actually, she's lucky I haven't thought of exacting revenge against her."
And with that, Harper rose from her seat to leave. Miguel couldn't bear just watching her go, and so he once again tried to get
past the guards. Fernando, however, still wouldn't let him get close to her. "Your Highness, Lady Lilian made a mistake, but her
baby is innocent! For the sake of her child, please save her!" he shouted desperately.
"Innocent?" Harper stopped. "This world is full of innocent people, Miguel. When two countries go head to head in a battle, who
dies first? The innocent. Nobody cares about them but they're the first ones affected by the consequences of the decisions made
by the ruling class!"
"Your Highness, just tell me how I can make you say yes!" Miguel knew that time was running out. If he failed to get Harper to
Lilian as soon as possible, Lilian would be in grave danger.
Hearing this somehow made Harper feel suspicious about the true nature of Lilian and Miguel's relationship. Because of that,
she turned around and walked towards Miguel. Fernando tried to stop her, but after seemingly realizing something, he went out
of her way in an instant. "So am I right? You and Lilian..." she asked as soon as she was in front of him.
"There is nothing between me and Lady Lilian!" Miguel hurriedly denied, shaking his head violently.
"Oh, Miguel, please. As I told you a while ago, Lilian is Rolando's concubine. If there's anyone who should come to beg me for
her life, it's not you—it's him! So go back. Just an advice: as a courtier, you'd better stay out of the affairs of the imperial harem.
Rolando is also a man, and you know how men react when other people meddle in their business," Harper said indifferently. She
found no sympathy for Lilian inside her, because of her, Lilian deserved what she was going through. If she didn't set her up with
Francis, she would definitely help her. But after what she had done, Lilian had become nothing but a stranger to Harper.
"Your Highness!" Miguel knelt down and kowtowed hard with a thud. "Please have mercy, Your Highness. Save them."

Looking at how dedicated Miguel was to convincing her to go and help Lilian, Harper couldn't help but be impressed. It was not
the first time she met Miguel. Back then, she saved him when he was seriously wounded and was under a coma. However, even
then, she never saw him act the way he was acting now. 'He won't leave until I help Lilian,' she thought, feeling pity for him.
After a moment of silence, Harper flicked a pill to Miguel and said, "This pill can control the poison coursing inside her veins.
However, because she was pregnant, the poison couldn't be completely removed from her body unless she aborts her baby.
Even if she uses that pill, the poison will eventually find its way to the baby. If she decides to still give birth to it, it wouldn't live
long."
"Thank you, thank you very much, Your Highness!" Miguel took the pill and left quickly.
Harper silently stared at Miguel's receding figure and also rushed towards the door. Fernando, on the other hand, was extremely
nervous upon seeing Harper was about to leave. "Your Highness, His Majesty ordered..."