Forensic Imperial Concubine

Chapter 23 Take You As My Concubine

After coming out of Peony House where Mavis lived, Sue cast a resentful glance before leaving. Carrie and Yvonne followed Harper and bowed to her in greeting.

"Harper, it's nice to see you," Carrie said.

"Harper, nice to see you," Yvonne greeted.

"Lady Carrie, Yvonne, you too." Harper moved to help Carrie up before striking up a conversation. "Yvonne has finally come of age. Do you have any plans for her now, Lady Carrie?"

Carrie paled. She had been worried about Yvonne ever since she reached marriageable age. Carrie was a concubine, and her daughter Yvonne was not favored by Charles. What was worse, there was a higher chance of Sue controlling Yvonne's marriage prospects. Carrie tried to live with her head down, afraid of offending Sue in anyway.

"Not yet," Carried answered.

Harper nodded and the three walked side by side. "Yvonne, since you're grown-up, you should make a plan for yourself. Although you are the daughter of a concubine, our father is the prime minister of the country. Our clan is much better than ordinary clans. Our sister Hailey has enough power after taking my position in Imperial Academy of Medicine. Felicia is engaged to His Highness. Our mother has been busy making preparations for Felicia's wedding now, but I'm sure she will find a suitable husband for you after Felicia's wedding."

Carrie got alert. Harper had just said that to remind her that Sue wouldn't interfere in their business now because she had the upcoming marriage of Felicia to fuss over. After the wedding, Sue would have enough time to deal with Carrie and Yvonne.

"Thanks a lot for your advice, Harper."

"Lady Carrie, you are welcome." Harper took off a hairpin from her hair and put it on Yvonne's head. "Yvonne, you are so beautiful. I'm sure you will find your Mr. Right soon."

"Thank you, Harper," Yvonne answered humbly.

Harper smiled and bid them goodbye. As they watched her leave, Carrie whispered to Yvonne, "Harper has changed, hasn't she?"

"Mother, what did you say?" Yvonne asked in confusion.

Carrie smiled weirdly. "I'm afraid Sue can't control everything in the Chu Clan mansion anymore in the future. Harper did not inspire fear when she was being aggressive. But now she is calm and a tough nut to crack."

"Harper is the daughter of Father's wife, and so do Hailey and Felicia," said Yvonne.

"Humph!" Carrie laughed scornfully. "Hailey and Felicia? Do they really think their mother is Charles' legal wife? Once a concubine, always a concubine. Sue may act like the hostess of the Chu Clan, but behind her jewels and silks she is still a concubine on the official records."

"Mother, be careful! Anyone can be eavesdropping." Yvonne looked around uneasily. When she didn't see anybody else, she heaved a sigh of relief and left with Carrie. Yvonne was worried. If word got out to Sue, who knew what havoc would Sue wreck on them?

On the way back, Nina couldn't help asking Harper, "My Lady, why did you tell Lady Carrie something like that?" Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"Nothing." Harper smiled. "Lady Carrie is a clever woman, and Yvonne is quite sensible."

Sue, on the other hand, rushed back to take care of Felicia. She knew how powerful the poison was. Even though she had sent someone to look for the antidote, she had to be careful. Bad things came in

succession. And just then, Hansen's presence was announced.

"What brings you here, Your Highness?" Sue calmly greeted Hansen.

"I haven't seen Felicia for quite a long time. I thought I should come and visit her," Hansen said slowly. Visiting Felicia was just an excuse. He didn't know why he came here. The thought came to him while he was on a walk. So he came in and claimed that he wanted to see Felicia. "Is Felicia home?"

Cold sweat dripped from Sue's forehead. If Hansen saw what Felicia looked like now, he would cancel the marriage. She couldn't let Hansen see Felicia now!

"Felicia ate something wrong and had an allergic reaction. The physician said that she should stay in some place without light and wind before the symptoms dissipate. Your Highness, she would have been more than happy to meet you today, but her condition is very critical. Please forgive her." Sue tried to speak the right words to politely refuse Hansen from seeing Felicia.

"Allergic? Is it serious? I'm going to see her." When Hansen heard what had happened, his need to see his fiancee flared. Sue was shocked by his words and quickly tried to stop him.

"Your Highness, her face is covered in a rash. I'm sure she would be very happy to know you came to see her. But she wouldn't want you to see her in this condition. She hopes you would only see her pretty face all the time," Sue said with a forced smile. "Your Highness, Harper said she missed you so much."

Sue intentionally dropped Harper's name. Hansen hated Harper very much. Every time her name was mentioned around him, his mood soured and his face crumpled in displeasure. As expected, his face changed, but it was not a resentful expression, but a complicated one.

"Oh, she still misses me!" Hanson's words sounded meaningful. Hearing that, Sue took it as a sign of his aversion to Harper.

"Right. After all, Harper and Felicia are sisters, and then you decide to marry Felicia now. Harper can't help but feel wronged and sad. She always makes things difficult for Felicia. She is the daughter of Charles' late wife, and I, as her stepmother, can't favor my daughter." Sue took out a handkerchief and pretended to wipe her eyes dramatically. "Your Highness, why don't you go to see Harper?"

"Well, okay. Let me see how arrogant she is now!" To Sue's relief, he stood up and went to find Harper. He was familiar with the layout of the mansion and knew which side was Harper's house.

Sue looked at Hansen's retreating figure and grinned. 'Harper, do you think I will let you go after you harmed Felicia? Although I can't punish you in a direct way, it doesn't mean that I won't allow others to do the dirty work for me.'

While Hansen was on his way to see Harper, he bumped into Yvonne. She screamed and was about to fall to the ground. But before her back hit the ground, he reached his hands out and caught her. At the back of his mind, he marveled at how soft and smooth her skin was.

With shyness all over her face, Yvonne said softly, "Your Highness, Thank you. You can let go of me now. Ah..."

Quickly, Hansen put forth more strength and pulled Yvonne into his arms. Without hiding it, he took a whiff of her scent from her neck and said, "Beauty, you smell good."

Yvonne's face became redder. She looked like a lamppost in the evening, all glowing and adorable. Her fragrance was subtle, as he breathed the air. Hansen felt desire stir within him with her in his arms. Something in him urged to cherish her.

Hansen tilted Yvonne's chin and asked, "What's your name?"

"I..." Blushed, Yvonne turned her face away. She tried to get rid of him, but in fact, she enjoyed being hugged by him. She opened her mouth and stammered "I am... Yvonne Chu."

"Are you one of Charles' daughters?" Hansen's hands on her waist tightened. Her entire body clung to him.

"I'm the daughter of Father's concubine."

"All right, a concubine's daughter." Desire flared in his eyes. "I will take you as my concubine!"

At his pronouncement, he dragged Yvonne and hid behind the rock landscape next to them. There were usually few people walking through this area, and Yvonne had already sent away the maids. Unbeknownst to Hansen, she had planned the encounter here on purpose. The two hid behind the rockery and passionately made out without anyone noticing.

Sue had been waiting for Harper to come and complain after Hansen made trouble for her. Time passed and still, there was no crying from Harper. Fortunately for Yvonne to get the chance, Sue's attention was diverted by Felicia making a scene because of her disfigurement.

Hansen was indeed satisfied with himself after making out with Yvonne. A quick tumble with her made him forget the reason why he was in the backyard of the Chu Clan mansion in the beginning. It was not until he saw Harper that he realized his real purpose.

"Harper Chu."

Harper frowned, but didn't say anything rude in return. "Greetings, Your Highness."

Noticing the obedient Harper, Hansen moved forward. She made a step back as he continued to close in on her. Dissatisfied, he grabbed her arm and said, "Didn't you miss me? Why are you acting so shy now, like the other women? Do you want to play hard to get?"

Harper didn't intend to talk with him in the first place. On hearing his words, she sneered. "You think too highly of yourself, Your Highness. You abandoned me. So I'm within my right to treat you as a piece of

trash that you truly are."

"Harper Chu, how dare you!" Hansen was furious. No woman had ever disrespected and said no to him.

With a slight force, Harper broke free from his control. "Your Highness, please behave yourself. I'm a daughter of the prime minister, and I'm aware of the sense of propriety. You were my fiance before, and I could be obedient to you then. But now, you're nothing to me."

"Harper Chu!" Hansen raised his hand and was about to slap her. But before he could do so, she slapped him back across his face. "You owe me this. We're done!"

"How dare you lift a hand against me!"

Harper laughed coldly. "What's the big deal? I was so nice to you in the past because you were my fiance, but now you're nothing to me. Don't even expect that I'll continue to bow down to you. Hansen Jun, wake up. Don't even think about offending me, or I'll make you suffer one day."

"Are you threatening me?" Hansen didn't dare to move. The silver needle in Harper's hand itched to stab into his neck and take his life.

"It's a warning, not a threat!" There was no emotion in Harper's cold voice. "I have died once, so I am beyond fear now. If you annoy me, I won't mind ruining both of us."

Hansen looked at Harper's straight face. It finally clicked on him. She didn't care about him anymore. She would never stay beside him and call his name in the softest voice. She would never fight with other women for him. From now on, he was just another stranger to her.