Forensic Imperial Concubine novel Chapter 544

"I always know that you treat me the best, darling," Harper said. A bright smile bloomed on her face, giving out tender light on that cold night.

A few moments after then, it began to snow again. The whole River City was covered in white, casting a magical glow all over the place.

When Harper woke up the next morning, Matthew wasn't by her side. Instead, Forsythia was standing by the bed. Seeing that Harper was finally awake, she asked, "Your Highness, you're awake. It's snowing outside very heavily. Would you like to go out and have a look?"

"Help me freshen up," Harper stated, ignoring Forsythias' question. Harper got up, got dressed, and freshened up. Only after then did she asked, "Where is Matthew?"

"His Highness went out when it began snowing last night and hasn't come back yet. He said that he was going to deal with something. He took Fred with him and left Barry here in the official inn to protect you." Forsythia promptly explained the situation.

"What is Alexander doing right now?" Harper asked.

"He's reading. He said that he had been skipping a lot of courses these days, so he wants to take this opportunity to catch up. He's actually very focused and determined about his studies." Forsythia couldn't help but praise Alexander. She then added, "Earlier, I cooked ginseng soup for him in order to build up his immune system so that his health won't be affected with all the studying that he's doing. Just rest your heart at ease, Your Highness."

"Has Alexander had his breakfast yet?"

"Not yet, I'll have someone send breakfast to his room later."

"No, just let him go downstairs for breakfast. If he stays in his room all day long, he may feel miserable," Harper commanded. Studying hard was a good thing, but he shouldn't let it affect his own health because of it.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Soon after, Harper went downstairs to the dining hall for breakfast. After a few moments, Alexander joined her. He greeted her politely, "Good morning, Harper."

"Come and sit down for breakfast."

"Yes, thank you so much." Alexander sat down in a well-behaved manner, looking like an adult. Harper couldn't help but burst into loud laughter and lightly pinched his face with her fingers, saying, "You don't have to be overcautious and formal in front of your sister."

Feeling a little embarrassed, Alexander scratched his head and said, "My teacher says that a man cannot become independent if he doesn't behave properly and with dignity. I just want to let you know that I'm trying my best to live up to your expectations."

"Oh you don't need to worry about that. I just want you to be happy." Harper smiled while she handed him a bowl of porridge. "Have your breakfast first. It's getting cold."

"Thank you!" Alexander said while he took the bowl with both of his hands. He couldn't help but be curious when he looked around and didn't see his brother-in-law. So he asked, "Where is Matthew?"

"He went out for business," Harper answered plainly. In a more lively tone, she asked, "Are you going out for a walk after breakfast?"

"No, I am not. I have missed a lot of courses recently and I can't even go to school in the near future, so I'm afraid that I'll be way behind my classmates when I finally go back. If I don't seize this opportunity to make up for the lost time, by then, it will be impossible for me to catch up to them."

Harper picked up a steamed stuffed bun and put it in his bowl. She then reminded, "Don't study too hard. Your health is important as well."

"You have nothing to worry about, Harper. I am very healthy right now. Forsythia cooks ginseng soup for me every day. I almost have a nosebleed because of it," Alexander said in embarrassment.

"That's very considerate of Forsythia," Harper commented.

"Your Highness, I have to take good care of his health, or else, you will get worried about him," Forsythia explained.

"You naughty girl. You're young but sly. I can see through you," Harper playfully said.

Forsythia had a smug smile on her face. Then, she caught sight of Matthew, who was walking into the dining hall. In a hurry, she walked up to him and greeted, "Your Highness, welcome back."

Harper turned around and saw Matthew walking in. She quickly asked, "You're back. Have you had breakfast?"

"Not yet," Matthew briefly responded. He then took off his cloak and handed it to Fred who was closely following him. Forsythia quickly fetched one more pair of chopsticks and one more bowl. Matthew sat down next to Harper and ate his breakfast with them.

"Has the matter been settled?" Harper casually asked. Although Matthew had meticulously cleaned himself on the way back, she could still smell a faint scent of blood from him.

With a steamed bun in his hand, Matthew nodded and said, "All is done."

"Are you all right?" Harper asked while she carefully looked at every part of Matthew's body. It was as if she wanted to see if he was injured anywhere, even though she couldn't see through his clothes.

"I'm fine. Don't worry. Pearce asked me to tell you that they are ready to formally accept Alexander as their sworn son," Matthew softly said, changing the subject.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

"That's great." Immediately, Harper ordered the servants to prepare some gifts. Since Alexander was going to take Pearce and Allie as his sworn parents, he had to give them gifts. However, Alexander was still very young, so Harper had to prepare the gifts on his behalf.

"Harper, Matthew, I'm already full. If you may excuse me, I'm going back to my room to study."

"Okay, go ahead."

After watching Alexander as he made his way upstairs, Harper turned to Matthew and asked, "Did you destroy the Scarlet Devils' stronghold last night?"

"Yes, but it's a pity that Marquis Scarlet had already escaped when we got there. He is very clever and cunning. When he realized that something was wrong, he abandoned all the others and fled by himself. Except for him, all the members of the Scarlet Devils were completely annihilated," Matthew stated while he squinted his eyes at the thought of Marquis Scarlet.

"Have you gathered any useful information?" Harper curiously asked.

"Nothing at all." Matthew shook his head.

"Did you find any money in that place?" Harper asked. Since Scarlet Devils had been operating as an organization of contract killers for so many years, she thought that they must have made a fortune.

"Not really, there was only a small amount of treasures and some lists left at their stronghold. Nothing else was there."

"Where is the money that the Scarlet Devils have earned over the years?" Harper asked in confusion. After all, the Scarlet Devils had high rates for their services. And their business didn't actually require too much cost. Their profit from a single deal could amount to the annual profit of one of Harper and Matthew's shops. Due to the high profitability, they must have earned a lot of money. Harper wondered where all of that money went on earth.