Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

"Oh? Is that so? Tell me," Diana asked with interest. She actually noticed that he didn't feel that well. But still, she chose to ask
because she knew that Francis wouldn't like to talk about his state.
After some dry coughs, he took the wine jar, poured a bowl of wine, and quickly drank some again. This way, he suppressed his
desire to cough. "I heard that the Worship Ceremony will be held in the South Kingdom very soon."
"Yes, it's a very important ritual for us," Diana slowly said. The Worship Ceremony was a grand event for everyone in the South
Kingdom. If anything unpleasant were to happen during the actual ceremony, the people believed that the kingdom would be in
trouble since bad luck would descend upon them.
"It's a good opportunity to attract Matthew into coming to the South Kingdom. There are two things on how this will work. One,
the kingdom sends invitations to all the other countries to participate in the Worship Ceremony. And two, you include a promise
to show something really fascinating in the invitation letter. I'm sure Matthew and his men wouldn't be able to decline," Francis
said without haste which would make anyone feel comfortable upon hearing his voice.
Diana carefully thought about his plan before asking, "What kind of thing would be fascinating enough to lure him?"
"How about the Holy Article from your kingdom?" Francis suggested.
For a moment, there was a twinkle in Diana's eyes. The Holy Article of the South Kingdom was actually medicines. But she didn't
believe that Matthew would fall into the trap if she lured him through that. After all, Matthew was a prince and already owned
various medicines all over the world. It would be unnecessary for him to risk his life by coming to the South Kingdom just for
some medicines.
"I'm afraid he won't take that kind of bait," Diana said.

"As long as you spread the news far and wide, I'm sure he will come. Trust me," Francis said with a little difficulty. He then
paused for a little while and took a deep breath. At that moment, the exhaustion had started to sink in. So he closed his eyes in
an attempt to feel a little bit better. "I'm very certain because if there's anything unusual happening in the South Kingdom, they
will suspect that it has something to do with me. Whether it's true or not, they will come there to take a look in person." "I see.

Well, that makes sense," Diana replied after giving it a thought for a while. Then she looked at Francis and noticed that the man
looked like he would give anything for some sleep. She added, "In that case, don't worry. I'll ask my men to get ready. Anyway,
you must be tired after running all the way here. Take a rest first. We'll talk more about it when you wake up."
In fact, Francis couldn't hold on any longer. If he wasn't exerting every bit of energy that he had left, he would have fallen asleep
long ago. So when he heard Diana's promise, he felt extremely relieved. Without a heavy burden in his heart for the time being,
he fell asleep right away. While looking at Francis as he slept, Diana felt a hint of fascination in her heart. When he spoke, his
voice was as gentle as the wind. He was also very good-looking and she had to admit that he had a face that nobody could
resist. If she were to only consider his facial features, she would never think that he was capable of doing anything remotely evil.
The Bright Dynasty was home to a lot of handsome men, but Diana found that Francis was on a different level. "You have such a
beautiful face," Diana softly said while she reached out her hand to stroke his cheek. Francis seemed to have
felt what she was doing and unconsciously furrowed his eyebrows. It even looked like he was irritated by it, but he didn't wake
up. "It appears like the men of the Bright Dynasty's royal family are all quite handsome," Diana commented to herself.
Then, Francis started to mumble random words in his sleep. Diana couldn't understand him clearly, but there was one thing he
said loud enough that it was hard for her not to hear. "Harper," he murmured. At that, Diana couldn't help but laugh. "You are so
strong that you would never shed tears even in a reality as grim as this. But you still treasure her even though she hurt you so
much. Why do you keep on doing this to yourself?"

Later on, Diana pulled the curtain open. She looked at Owen who had been driving the carriage. When he saw Diana, he was
worried and looked inside. Diana laughed. "Don't worry. He'll be fine. He just fell asleep. He was seriously injured but still ran all
the way here. So, he is in dire need of some rest," she comforted. "Thank you for saving him, Princess Diana," Owen said.
"You're welcome. We're helping each other after all. It seems like your master likes Harper a lot. Am I right?" Diana responded in
a calm tone while she fidgeted with the silver bracelet on her wrist..

The expression on Owen's face immediately changed as soon as he heard Harper's name. If it weren't for her, Francis wouldn't
have been hurting so much. Jason wouldn't have gone separate ways with Francis because he wanted to cooperate with the
South Kingdom. Francis and Jason had supported each other for so many years. But not long ago, they had different opinions
which couldn't be reconciled. And it was all because of Harper. Owen knew that Francis must be very upset by it.
"No, he hates her and is just so desperate to kill her! I too loath her with every fiber of my being. If I see that woman again, I'll kill
her!" Owen exclaimed while he furiously gritted his teeth.
Diana raised her eyebrows when she heard what Owen had to say about Harper. But she didn't care a bit about his anger. She
had only fought with Harper twice, but she didn't have any advantage. So in hindsight, Diana had no idea what kind of person
she was. When she attacked Harper for the first time, she had lost the South Kingdom's precious venomous insect. The second
time, she almost got herself killed. What was more, the way Harper fought was so unique that she had never seen such skills.
She still felt a lingering fear whenever she would recall that fight.
"To be honest, I'm afraid that even if Harper were standing right in front of you, you wouldn't be able to hurt her even by a bit.
That woman is very dangerous. She's the only one who makes me want to run away whenever I get remotely close to her. But
don't get me wrong. I want to kill her as well! At whatever cost, I'm going to make sure it will happen," Diana told him.
"So we have a common enemy then. Princess Diana, I know that I'm not as strong as her, but with your help and that of the
South Kingdom, things are going to be different. I think with our combined forces, killing her would be a piece of cake." Owen
said while he turned around to look at Diana.
Raising her eyebrows, Diana responded, "May that be true at all costs. I wish great fortune for this alliance and our future
endeavors."