Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

At last, Harper picked a piece of interestingly-shaped jade pendant for Rolando. It had a string knot on it, and it looked very
exquisite.
Rolando was satisfied with the one Harper chose and said, "It's unique. I really like it."
"I think this jade pendant suits your temperament very much. You must have seen a lot of jade pendants with different qualities
and styles throughout your lifetime. One would normally choose the most outstanding one for someone like you, but I think it is
better to pick the one that is most suitable with who you are as a person," Harper said with a smile.
Rolando then hung his new pendant on his waist and immediately felt extremely joyful. In fact, no matter what style Harper chose
for him, he would like it without a doubt. He didn't care about the pendant at all, but he cared about the effort Harper put into
finding what she thought was the best jade pendant for him.
"Harper, let's take a boat trip!" Rolando exclaimed as he stared at Harper who was walking in front of him. "It's almost at noon
now and it's getting unbearably hot. The Silver Moon Lake here is beautiful during this time of day. I know that the lotus season
in your country has already passed, but here, it's just getting started and the lotuses are blooming brightly. It's truly a marvelous
scene and you mustn't miss it since you're here!"
"Yes, I've actually heard how magnificent the Silver Moon Lake here is. It was one of the places I really wanted to go see, but I
didn't expect to see it this soon!" Harper revealed, sounding giddy and excited. And even if she didn't really like Rolando's
suggestion, she didn't have the heart to turn him down. He had made time just to hang out with her, so she was just reciprocating
the thoughtfulness he had shown her.
"Then let's go!" The two of them excitedly made their way to the Silver Moon Lake. The moment they arrived, they immediately

found a boat and boarded it. Only the two of them were in it, not counting the friendly boatman. Their boatman skillfully navigated
the boat and supported it as it slowly moved towards the center of the lake. Indeed, the lotuses were blooming everywhere.
Harper became ecstatic just by seeing the view around the lake: the thick, rounded leaves of the lotuses covered much of the
water like round discs, on which were drops of water that dazzled like precious pearls in the bright sun. Suddenly, Harper heard.

music that was lovely and moving. Her mind went blank for a moment due to how soothing the music was, but as soon as she
came to herself, she turned around and saw Rolando skillfully playing a zither. His piece sounded gentle, slow, elegant, and
melodious all at once. Harper smiled widely and wondered about whether every woman who lived in the Great Jade Kingdom
wanted to marry Rolando. Back home, Matthew was only the object of affection of many girls because
of his wealth—they wanted to marry into the prince's mansion. She highly doubted that someone would fall for Matthew because
he was cold and arrogant. Rolando, on the other hand, was such a gentle and handsome man, not to mention being the emperor
of this country. He was unparalleled when it came to power, appearance, and behavior. With that, Harper suddenly felt sad for
Lilian as she knew that there would be countless beauties in the imperial household who would desperately try to get their hands
on Rolando.
When Rolando finished playing, he asked with a smile, "Why are you smiling like that?"
"You make me smile. You are the emperor, the most powerful man in this kingdom, yet you still are the gentlest person I know. I
am sure that every female, not only the noble ladies, living in this country wants to be your wife. I'm afraid Lilian will have to
deeply worry about that in the future." Harper let out a sigh laced with so much emotion, as if she had seen that Rolando was
hugging two beautiful women right in front of her.
Rolando chuckled a bit and asked reluctantly, "Am I that kind of fickle man in your eyes?"
To that, Harper replied, "It's not that you're a womanizer, Rolando, but you're an emperor now, and the officials will definitely not

allow you to have only one woman in the imperial household. Moreover, you're such a notable man that I am sure high-ranking
officials would be incredibly disappointed if they can't marry their daughters into the Imperial Pala—" But before Harper was able
to complete what she was going to say, Rolando had already cut her off, saying, "It's enough for me to have one wife. The
Imperial Palace of the Great Jade Kingdom is big, but it can only accommodate one woman. Although I love the world and
everyone in it, I can only accommodate one person in my heart. I've met countless beauties in the world, but I

don't necessarily bring every one of them into the palace. Actually, I don't care if someone is pleasing to the eye. As long as I
love her, I'd marry her only, even if she is ugly." As he spoke, Rolando made sure that he kept his gaze on Harper.
Harper, on the other hand, clapped her hands in admiration and said jokingly, "Well if that's the case, then every woman in the
world will fight against each other for your hand in marriage!"
"Why?" Rolando was puzzled.
"Because you are only willing to marry one woman and you have Lilian! The women who want to become your wife must hate
her so much right now that they'd be willing to fight her, and everyone else tries to make you their husband! Isn't that crazy?"
Harper said, giggling like a little girl. "It's said that emperors are heartless. Are you going to be a dedicated emperor who loves
his wife only, Rolando?"
"Why not?"
"Good! You impressed me!" Harper found it easy to compliment Rolando. "You are wiser than Matthew in this aspect. Trust me
when I tell you that you are the first man I've encountered who told me that he'd only marry one woman in his lifetime. Although
Zack also said that he only wants one woman in this life, it's basically because of the rules of his family. As an emperor, it's hard
to have such a realization, and you being able to have that surprised me!"
"When Matthew refused to be the emperor of the Bright Dynasty, was he worried that as an emperor, he couldn't do anything as
he wishes?" The smile on Rolando's face didn't change, which made it feel like it was such a casual topic to discuss.
"We are just lazy," Harper reasoned out. She was now looking at the swaying lotuses that filled the lake. "Being an emperor is
too exhausting. I'm sure you know that. Since we really like to lead a more relaxed life, he never dreamt of being an emperor at
all."