Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

The unperturbed silence inside Lance's bedroom was broken by the sudden appearance of Matthew. Lance was baffled to see
the prince right in front of his eyes. He had been told that the Black Flag Army was far away from the capital of the South
Kingdom. But how could the prince reach his palace so soon? He was so intimidated and petrified to see the unexpected visitor
that he almost lost his speech.
"Prince... Prince Matthew, why did you break into my palace at this unearthly hour of the night? What are you up to?" Lance
stammered. His throat became dry and his tongue felt heavy as he tried to speak. He did not have a son and had only two
daughters. His elder daughter was the Holy Maiden of the South Kingdom and his younger daughter, Diana, was forcibly taken
into the Labyrinth Swamp by Harper. He was afraid that Diana would not be able to come out of the swamp alive. And that was
why he had been cursing Harper in his mind. And now, even her husband had barged into his palace in the middle of the night.
'What a shameless couple they are! Today, only because of his wife, my heir to the throne is in danger. And now this man shows
up in my palace unwarranted in this way to scare me,' Lance thought to himself.
There was an uncanny silence at the moment inside the palace. Matthew sat quietly at the table, slowly wiping bloodstains from
the sword. Lance swallowed hard, looking at the fresh blood on Matthew's sword.
"I am here to take my wife back. But you seem to have forgotten what I said before I left," Matthew said in a low and cold voice.
His voice sounded lethal. It sent a chill all across the room. Lance felt as if the temperature of the room had fallen and started to
shiver. Though spoken in a low voice, Matthew's words reverberated to the core of Lance's heart.
"Lady Harper... Lady Harper has gone to the Labyrinth Swamp!" Lance managed to find his voice once again. He added in a
trembling voice, "I have no idea why did she go there."
The very mention of the swamp felt like a blow on Matthew's chest. He sprang upright on his seat and asked, squinting his eyes,
"The Labyrinth Swamp?"

"Yes, the Labyrinth Swamp. It is believed that the swamp is the home to many wonderful medicinal herbs that are not easily
available in the market. I think Lady Harper entered the swamp in search of some rare medicinal herbs. And the worst part is that.

she also took my daughter with her." Lance somehow managed to come up with a convincing explanation. He deliberately
covered up the fact that they had forced Harper to enter the Labyrinth Swamp. Instead, he put it in a way that Matthew would
think that Harper had entered the Labyrinth Swamp to look for medicinal herbs out of her own free will and nobody of the South
Kingdom had anything to do with that.
Matthew had heard of the Labyrinth Swamp before. It was infamous for being life-threatening in many ways. There was a very
high level of poison in almost everything inside the swamp. Then some extremely dangerous insects and animals were waiting to
feast on the flesh and blood of an intruder. And above all, the poisonous miasma filled every bit of the swamp. Apart from these,
several other dangers were lurking in every nook and corner that they might not have even heard of. Even the strongest
shamans in the South Kingdom dared not enter the notorious swamp. They would only wander around the edge of it at the most
because the poisonous miasma in the swamp was a hundred times stronger than the poisonous miasma that existed outside. If
anyone entered the swamp and even if he or she succeeded in fighting the poisonous miasma, he or she could still die due to
any other hidden danger. "Did Harper go to the Labyrinth Swamp of her own?" Matthew asked. He could not believe in Lance's
words completely.
"Yes, Lady Harper went there out of her own free will. We tried our best to dissuade her. But she was obstinate. Moreover, she
even took my daughter along!" Lance said in such a solemn tone that it sounded quite convincing. However, Matthew knew in his
heart that Harper had come to the Starry Palace in search of the Sacred Seal. There was no reason for her to risk her life by
entering the Labyrinth Swamp on her own. The only possible explanation could be that she had been forced by someone else
into the swamp.
"If that is the case, I won't make things difficult for you," Matthew said slowly. After hearing what he said, Lance heaved a sigh of
relief. "I will attack a city of the South Kingdom every two days. I won't stop unless I see my wife!" Matthew added in a menacing

voice. Just when Lance had thought that he had managed to give a convincing explanation about Harper being missing from his
palace, Matthew's words made his heart leap into his mouth once again. Even after he made it clear to Matthew that Harper had
gone to the Labyrinth Swamp out of her own will and that she had even taken his daughter to such a dangerous place, Matthew

was still threatening to invade the territory of the South Kingdom. It was not until at that moment that Lance finally understood
that the prince would invade his kingdom no matter what.
To avenge what happened with Harper was just a fair pretext. Lance lamented his stance when he used to get involved in the
affairs of the Bright Dynasty. He should have withdrawn at least after Harrison's collapse. But, he didn't. At that time he reaped
the benefits of his alliance with Francis. And now, he had to pay for it.
Long after Matthew had left his palace, Lance was still sitting upright on his bed and thinking about his past deeds that had
brought about this doomsday to the South Kingdom. And as far as Harper was concerned, she had been inside the Labyrinth
Swamp for three days now. Nobody had ever survived inside the swamp for that long. Even if he sent his men to find her, they
might just come back with her dead body. He sat thinking until he dropped on the bed out of sheer fatigue and fell into sleep.
Walking out of the imperial palace of the South Kingdom, Matthew headed straight towards the Starry Palace. He had to find out
whether Harper had really entered the Labyrinth Swamp. As he hurried into the Starry Palace, he was stopped in the midway by
the Holy Maiden.
"Get out of my way," Matthew stormed at the very sight of her.
"Stop! You can't go there!" Catherine said it loud and clear as she blocked Matthew's way. "The Labyrinth Swamp is extremely
dangerous. Even the best of your martial art skills will not be of any use there. It is a pit of death infested not only by poisonous
insects and fierce beasts that in it, but also many other kinds of danger!"
"Just get out of my way, I said!" Matthew shrieked fiercely, glaring at Catherine.
But Catherine was unwilling to rest her laurels. She continued to reason with him. "Prince Matthew, it has already been three
days since Lady Harper entered the Labyrinth Swamp. There is no chance for you to find her. Moreover, you might risk your own
life if you go there. Are you going to give up your life for a woman?" Matthew did not give a damn to Catherine's words. He
walked past her and took brisk steps to reach the Labyrinth Swamp as soon as he could. He had a gut feeling that if Harper had
really entered it, she must have left a message for him. With bated breath, he walked closer to the swamp to find some sign that
would assure him of Harper's safety.