Forensic Imperial Concubine

"Did you ever love Harper?" The question echoed in Francis' mind. It was one he had asked himself a thousand times in the past. Of course, he had loved her. Her smile alone could drive him crazy enough to do anything she asked for. He would never deny the love he had once had for her. But it was all past. Now, there was only hatred in his heart.

"Yes, I did," Francis admitted. "I loved her and hoped she would reciprocate my feelings. I was eager for it. But you know what? All I got out of this longing was disappointment, despair, pain, and grief. I lost all hope by the end. I had a hard time engulfed in despair. It was agonizing. I ended up wanting to kill her, even tried to do it, but still..."

"What? Do you regret that decision?" Diana asked dryly. Men were all the same, unable to get over what they failed to get and never cherishing what they had already.

"Certainly not. How could I? If I can't have her, I won't allow her to be with another man! I would rather destroy her," Francis said. He quickly restrained his feelings, regained his composure and schooled his expression to his habitual indifference. "Diana, we are the same. We always put our interests first, and even those we love will be sacrificed to get our way. What we love most is ourselves. There is no other kind of love in our hearts."

"I have to admit I'm surprised that you're honest about your feelings. I thought you would tell me you still loved her and always would. It's good to know you're thinking clearly about this and it's good that you understand what matters most to you," Diana said. She then stood up and continued, "Well, I came here to tell you that everything is set. Becky will help us as long as you promise not to hesitate. The smallest stumble will lead to unbearable consequences for us all."

"Don't worry. I will send her to the nether world myself in the Worship Ceremony tomorrow," Francis said with a determined look as he gritted his teeth. 'Harper, don't blame me for what will happen to you. You should blame yourself for ignoring me. You only care about Matthew. No, that's not even it. You care about everyone except for me. You sympathized with Lilian because of her obsession with the man she loves. So, you helped her marry into the Great Jade Kingdom. You admired Lucas for his philosophical life attitude and helped him ascend the throne. You thought highly of Chodak because he was always calm and tolerant and helped him to get back to the Great Jade Kingdom. But you showed me no mercy. I've done many things for you. I even killed both my father and brother all for you. But even so, you just turned a blind eye to my efforts to gain your attention.

choice but to do this to you!' With that, Francis kneaded the sugar figurine in his hand into pieces. 'From now on, I will never make sugar figurines with your face again. Since

Owen entered the room, Francis veiled the venom in his eyes. He went back to

Owen

I wonder how Matthew will react when he finds two hundred thousand soldiers lying in wait at the Birch Pass, all keen on fighting him

Owen took his orders and left. He was thinking the same thing. Now that Harper had arrived in the South Kingdom, he would never allow her to leave.

Owen took his leave. Looking at Princess Diana's brightly lit mansion, the figure

about the Worship Ceremony. This was a big day for them. Every family

and full of people. The three countries' emissaries arrived early as the Holy Maiden was preparing to conduct the Worship Ceremony. Lance, the South Kingdom's king, sat in a lofty chair befitting his position. Although the South Kingdom was the weakest out of all four kingdoms, it remained stable throughout the years. All four kingdoms had always gotten along well with each other. In fact, nothing untoward had happened until Francis came armed intending to usurp the throne in the Bright Dynasty. The South Kingdom had gotten involved. It had created

the years. I invited you all to attend our Worship Ceremony in the South Kingdom to form a long-lasting alliance. I hope we remain on good terms forever!" Lance spoke in a gentle and kind voice. "The Great Jade Kingdom has welcomed a new emperor, Emperor Rolando. Princess Lucas has also taken the throne in the Bright Dynasty as its new emperor. Both of them are young and smart. We all need to keep in touch and reinforce our ties. The emperor of the Wonder Kingdom rarely sends his men out to visit anywhere. But he sent some here to attend the Worship Ceremony. I am grateful