Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

Only two sober people remained in the room, and Harper cast a glance at her unconscious husband.

"Zack, you're the only one who's ever going to hear what I'm about to say. And whatever I'm going to

tell you, you can't ever tell

anyone else, not even your father. Do you swear it to me?" With a grim face, Harper kept her eyes on

him, feeling with all her

heart that Zack was the only one who could keep this secret for her life's sake.

"I swear, this is between you and me."

Harper finally nodded, letting out her breath. "Matthew was poisoned, and his life was in danger. I

managed to seal the toxins in

his legs, so he's unable to walk. We've found all the herbs needed to detoxify him, but I'm not sure who

it was that exposed this

secret. In process of detoxifying him, a mistake had been made, and he could die at any time. In order

to save him, I'll have to

take a massive risk, and pay a tremendous price."

"And what's that price?" Zack stared at her, having understood what she was trying to say. "Does this

mean that you'll die? If

that's what you're trying to tell me, Harper, I'm not going to let you do it. If you die trying to save him, I'll

burn this mansion to the

ground. There's no point in saving him if you have to die for it!"

At his vehemence, Harper shook her head and carefully sat on the edge of the bed. With much

tenderness, she tucked

Matthew's hair behind his ears. "I won't die, Zack. But I will become week, and fall comatose for a

while. And no one knows when

I will wake up, not even me."

"What are you talking about?"

"The risk is huge. When I make my attempt to detoxify Matthew, we'll both fall into a coma. While this is

happening, I'll need

someone to help me guard the prince's mansion and wait for him to wake up." Harper drew out a

delicately-crafted token. The

token had been a gift from the masked man, right before she'd gotten married. It wasn't until later on

that she discovered that the

masked man was actually Matthew himself, and that the token was the Black Flag Token, which the

emperor dreamed of and tried various schemes to get. Now, Harper pressed the Black Flag Token into

Zack's hands. "This is the Black Flag Token. I'm sure you've heard of it. With this, you'll be able to order

around everyone in this mansion. Once Matthew wakes up, you have to give it back to him. If neither of

us will be able to wake up after what I'm about to do, then you'll have to keep it. You'll have to find

another talented general for the Black Flag Army."

"I don't like this, Harper. You sound like you're giving out your last words. I don't want the Black Flag

Token or any of it. I just don't want anything to happen to you!" Zack implored, emotional. Harper

managed a small laugh. "It's all I can do, Zack. I'm a part of Matthew now. If he were to die, His Majesty

would never allow me to live anyway, and Matthew's people wouldn't let me take the Black Flag Token

and give it to His Majesty. Whatever Matthew's future may be, it'll be my own as well. But you? You're

different. You can still hold a stand. You're not a member of the prince's mansion." "Is there really no

other way? Do you have to do this?" Anxiety was written all over Zack's face as he stared at her,

looking for any possible alternative. He had always thought that Harper didn't really harbor deep

feelings for Matthew, but from the way she

spoke, it seemed as though he was only lying to himself, believing that he still might've had a chance.

"Yes, I do. Zack, please, I beg you. I've no one else to turn to, no one else to rely on. I can only beg you

to help me, please. I

can't let my husband die right before my eyes," Harper whispered. Her eyes were bright with

determination.

At her words, Zack looked down at the small token cradled in his palm. Its corners pricked his flesh, but

he felt no pain from it.

"Harper, you... Are you in love with His Highness?"

Harper's smile only grew. "I'll have no regrets, even if I were to die, Zack, because I've had such a good

husband."

"And you'd do anything for him? What would you be planning to do to save His Highness?" Though he

felt a deep-seated

jealousy, Zack already knew what Harper's choice was now. There was no doubt that Matthew was a

fine husband, and when he was determined to express love, very few people could truly resist his

charm. And Harper had never rejected him from the beginning. In response, Harper rose and walked to

Matthew. She sat at the edge of the bed and pressed a hand against his body. Without warning, a

bulge grew beneath his skin, like a tumorous growth, and it disappeared as rapidly as it appeared.

Drawing out a dagger, she cut her palm open, and made another slice just near where the bulge had

been. She attached her open wound to

the cut immediately. Suddenly, something rippled and moved under Matthew's skin, startling Zack.

As soon as whatever it was swam up to the open wound, Harper quickly drew back her hand. A black

shadow sprang right up

from the gouge, and she swiftly snatched it up, shoving and shutting it into a box.

"What...what in the world was that?!" Zack demanded, aghast. He knew that Matthew was in no

ordinary comatose state, but

what was that insect? Why did it rise up from the wound and seemed compelled to follow Harper's

blood? What did she just do?

"It's the Golden Cicada. I've raised it with my blood. I could've been able to detoxify him completely

through the use of the

Golden Cicada raised by my blood, but...I made a fatal error. I believed the others too easily. If I had

insisted on doing it myself,

he wouldn't even be in this situation right now." Her voice trembled.

"Harper, you couldn't have known. It's not your fault. Just tell me what you have to do next, and we'll

get through it," Zack urged,

trying to bring her some comfort.

Harper took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was next. "I'm going to need Denny's help,

actually. But I'm worried that he

might hurt me out of his own personal grudge against me. And I'll need someone to guarantee my

safety. And I was hoping that

would be you."

"Harper, I won't let anyone hurt you," Zack replied immediately, fervent in his tone.

"Once I do what I have to do to save Matthew, I'll be depleted. I'll become too weak to even move and

be comatose at that point.

Now, while I'm in this state, if you find something goes wrong, I'm permitting you to kill Denny, Johnson

and Rena without

hesitation. If the secret guards refuse to obey your orders, you can use the Black Flag Token to

demand that they obey you. You

must hold this as a last resort, though. You'll have to keep that ace up your sleeve as long as possible."

Truthfully, Harper was

deathly worried that if word went out that Zack had the Black Flag Token in his possession, it would

paint a target on his back

and put him in mortal danger.