Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

Harper nodded. They couldn't leave the River City if they didn't find the murderer, because the killer

might attack Alexander

again after they left, and they couldn't stay here to guard him forever.

"Watch out!" Matthew shouted in warning abruptly, and extended out his arm to pull Harper to him by

her waist. They both turned

around to escape the sudden attack, and when they turned their eyes back, they saw that a row of

darts had pierced the ground

silently where they had just been standing.

"Attack!" Following that command, the assassins closed in on them without saying another word. In a

flash, they surrounded

Fred with absolute ease. Their leader wore a blood-red robe and his face was covered by a mask of

savage appearance. He

looked very much like a devil from hell.

"Marquis Scarlet." Matthew uttered the name. Staring at the killers facing him with his fierce eyes,

Matthew felt that he had seen

through the enemy's disguise without a doubt. Moments ago, it was only his guess that the Scarlet

Devils was involved in this

dark business. Now he had no doubt that the organization committed Alban's murder.

"Your Highness," Marquis Scarlet greeted him in a low voice, "I have heard that you are a skilled

fighter. I would like to compete

with you."

Matthew sneered, "I suspect it's not just a competition. In fact, you want to chop my head off, don't

you?"

Marquis Scarlet smiled inside his mask. "You are reputed to be a clever man as well as a good fighter,

Your Highness. But in this

regard, it seems they are wrong. I've been admiring you for a long time, and I just want to compete with

you and learn from you. I

have never had a thought of killing you. Sadly, your bodyguards are quite strong, so this is the only way

to get close to you. I

hope you won't mind."

"Fred, step back and guard Harper." Matthew gave the order with a cool brain and Fred retreated

accordingly, taking Harper with

him several meters from the encirclement to stay away from the fight that was about to commence.

Harper stayed quiet, just watching the fight calmly. Matthew unsheathed his sword and called out, "Very

well, I'll help you make your dream come true, so that you may you die a happy death today." "Don't let

your arrogance lead you astray. You stay out of this, all of you! I will deal with this fool myself," Marquis

Scarlet said to his men. He then raised his sword and went straight at Matthew. Harper, at the same

moment, casually withdrew some snacks from her pocket, which she munched on festively while

watching Matthew battle the killers, as if she were viewing an entertainment show.

Fred cast a glance at Harper with mixed feelings. 'Isn't she concerned about His Highness?' He just

found her composure quite astonishing. Sensing that Fred was looking at her with a puzzled air, Harper

did something that surprised him even more. She took a handful of her snacks, placed them into Fred's

hand and said, "Have a try and enjoy the show. How many moves do you think Matthew will take until

he beats this guy?" Fred looked at the snacks in her hand and then at the two fighters, he hesitated a

bit before he took some and tried to enjoy them as Harper suggested. "I wager it will be no more than

thirty moves." "Thirty moves?" Harper turned and looked at him. "I think that will be too quick for him to

manage. I wager Marquis Scarlet can

take fifty moves from Matthew."

Fred was eating the snacks much more slowly than Harper did. So when Harper had already finished a

handful, Fred still had a

big half left in his hand. Feeling bored, Harper took half of what remained in Fred's hand and said,

"Matthew, it's getting late now.

Please finish him before I finish my snacks."

"Hmm," answered Matthew rather unconcernedly. But Marquis Scarlet shot an irritated glance at

Harper, feeling insulted that a

woman had interrupted his concentration.

"Honey, he just glared at me impolitely," Harper said while continuing eating her snacks. "I've changed

my mind."

A doting smile appeared on Matthew's face. "Okay, whatever you wish," he answered affectionately.

"Hey, no nagging, woman! This is men's fight!" shouted Marquis Scarlet. Smack! Just as Harper bit at

her snacks, Matthew kicked Marquis Scarlet on his belly. The man groaned in pain at once. Harper

smiled and turned to Fred. "That man is a chauvinist pig." "What is a chauvinist pig?" Fred asked with

sincere curiosity. He had never heard that word. Could it be a kind of boar? If so, he didn't think he had

ever seen any boars that might deserve the fancy name.

"The man who looks down on women is a chauvinist pig!" Harper explained as succinctly as she could.

The corner of Fred's

mouth slightly stiffened as he comprehended Harper's explanation. He looked instinctively at Matthew,

who seemed to be

startled by Harper's words as well. Meanwhile, Marquis Scarlet froze for a split second and then was

kicked by Matthew again.

Feeling the sharp pain, he glared at Harper once more, resenting her comments.

Fred felt a little embarrassed, and didn't know what to say to Harper. If he were Jack, he would

certainly ask her with a smile, "So

is His Highness a chauvinist pig, too?" But Fred didn't have the nerve to say it. He would never dare to

speak so irreverently like

Jack.

"Matthew, time's up." When the last bit of the snack went into Harper's mouth, the game was over.

Marquis Scarlet was spitting

blood from Matthew's blows, like a drowned rat.

"Did you kill Alban?" Matthew demanded, placing his sword on Marquis Scarlet's neck.

Marquis Scarlet wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and replied, "I have no time or interest to

kill a suckling baby."

"You mean you didn't do it yourself but you are involved in the matter, right?" Harper demanded, in a

loud and clear voice.

At that moment, Marquis Scarlet finally turned to take a good look at the woman in front of him. He had

always assumed that she

was just a useless woman who followed Matthew like a shadow. But now it seemed to him that he was

wrong.

"Why did you say that?" he asked her calmly. He had received instructions not to harm her, and

therefore he was curious about

what kind of person this woman was. At the same time, he also wanted to compete with Matthew.

"Matthew just asked whether you have killed Alban. Then, you said you wouldn't bother to kill a child

yourself. That sounded as if

you had others do the killing even though you didn't kill the child personally. It means the same thing to

me: it was all your doing."

With those words, Harper's face turned cold and her eyes became like daggers. "Spit it out, then. Why

did you draw us to this

city?"