Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

"Did you mean the organization that would do anything you ask, for the right price?" asked Matthew,

feeling uncertain. He hadn't

been aware that the Scarlet Devils had a stronghold in the River City as well.

"Yes." Pearce thought again for a moment before he added, "It's actually interesting that the Scarlet

Devils has never taken any

serious action in the River City. But even if they did commit crimes here, they would leave no

incriminating evidence. So this

organization didn't occur to me at first, since they've always been very low-key here in this city."

"Matthew, I heard that the Scarlet Devils is a self-governing gang from the world of martial artists.

Could it possibly be connected

to the court?" Harper asked doubtfully. In general, people or organizations out there would not get

involved in court business or

politics. On the other hand, if anyone from the court paid for an assassination, an organization like the

Scarlet Devils would be

happy to carry out the job.

"I don't know yet," Matthew replied. Suddenly, he recalled that the Scarlet Devils sometimes did their

assassinations with hidden

weapons like silver needles. "But still, there is reason to doubt that the Scarlet Devils was involved in

this matter," he then added.

"You mean the murder might have been done by the Scarlet Devils?" Harper then realized that it would

make sense for a group

like the Scarlet Devils to utilize such a subtle and sinister method of killing. Indeed, she herself often

carried hidden weapons for

self-defense, but the assassins among the Scarlet Devils would find it useful to kill their targets by such

a quiet method.

"Are you sure?" asked Pearce, his face going pale when he heard this.

"No, I'm not quite sure yet. I think I ought to pay the Scarlet Devils a visit." A cold smile found its way to

the corners of Matthew's

mouth. "I hope that the Scarlet Devils is not involved in this. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to

slaughter every last member of

that gang."

"What kind of organization is the Scarlet Devils, exactly?" Harper wondered out loud. She didn't have a

clear idea of this

legendary organization.

"The Scarlet Devils is a band of assassins. For the right price, they could even kill the emperor for you,"

explained Pearce. "The leader of the organization is called Marquis Scarlet, and he has six fierce

killers, known as the Scarlet Killers, who take orders directly from him. They are murderous devils, all

of them." "It's really an extraordinary gang. Their leader calls himself 'Marquis Scarlet, ' as if he were

truly a marquis of the court," scoffed Harper, unable to hold back her laughter. At her words, Matthew

and Pearce both stared at her with rapt attention. It had never occurred to them that the leader of the

Scarlet Devils might be someone from the court!

"What's the reason for that look on your faces?" asked Harper, feeling disconcerted. "You might be

right! Marquis Scarlet may be an actual marquis from the court," said Matthew, with a glint in his eye.

"There has always been an extremely secretive power hiding in the court, which even I couldn't reveal.

But I do sense its existence and its influence, though I couldn't trace any evidence of it yet. Now, it

appears that the force finally couldn't keep itself in the shadows anymore." "Your Highness." It was

Fred, who had just come back. He greeted the others politely, and then turned to Matthew. "It turns out

that on the day you checked into the inn, Prince Jason packed up and hurried out of the River City."

Harper giggled when she heard this news. "Matthew, it seems that you're a truly ferocious man with a

fearsome reputation. You

can not only scare wailing children into silence, but also frighten away the prince."

Matthew, however, said nothing. It seemed to him that he had discounted Jason long ago. If there were

any other princes worthy

of consideration, Francis and Lucas were the only notable ones. Unfortunately for them, Lucas didn't

have the support of his

mother's clan, and Francis had been weak for a long time. If they wanted to fight against Felix, they

could only rely on Matthew.

"Your Highness, you must know that His Highness built his reputation a long ago! He can scare a

prince away as easily as he

can blink. Once he even intimidated the emperor of the Great Jade Kingdom enough to force him to

depose the crown prince

appointed by himself."

"The crown prince of the Great Jade Kingdom?" Harper murmured. A familiar face flashed in her mind.

"What happened at that

time?" "Those events had nothing to do with me," Matthew remarked stiffly. "If you hadn't led the Black

Flag Army to threaten the borders of the Great Jade Kingdom, and forced them to render an account,

their emperor would not have deposed his crown prince, Rolando, to mollify your anger," Pearce told

Harper. He wasn't fond of Matthew's sour and cold face, which seemed to say everyone owed him a

great debt and must follow his orders, so he ignored Matthew and told Harper how her husband's

reputation was built.

"Rolando..." Harper repeated the name. She looked at Matthew and pondered the name as deeply as

she could. Soon, the name

rang a bell. Could this Rolando actually be Chodak?

Matthew narrowed his eyes when he returned Harper's glance. That look contained his answer. Harper

had guessed it, and

Chodak was indeed Rolando, the former crown prince of the Great Jade Kingdom. However, the truth

was not that the emperor

of the Great Jade Kingdom deposed Rolando at the prompting of Matthew's army, but rather that there

was already some

serious domestic turmoil in the Great Jade Kingdom at that time, and their emperor had a long-

cherished plot to establish a new

crown prince. Quelling Matthew's anger was just a convenient excuse for what the emperor had

already arranged.

"So, Your Highness, now you know what a demon he is. It can't be easy for you, being married to him,

honestly." Then, as if to

further tease them, Pearce added, "I bet a man like him knows nothing about romance, does he?"

"Oh, Pearce, I can't compete with you on that score, I admit. Otherwise, how could that lady from the

famous brothel love you so

much?" Matthew riposted.

"Who is she?" A voice came after Matthew's words. It was Pearce's wife, definitely. "Pearce, your

explanation had better be a

good one!"

Matthew was chuckling to himself, and he strode out of the mansion with Harper, like a general who

just won a battle. He was

rather pleased with his comeback.

Looking at his smug face, Harper shook her head. "You knew that I wouldn't believe him, but you still

tried to stir up trouble

between the couple. I don't think that was a good idea. After all, they just lost their son. Their

relationship probably needs

repairing now."

"Don't worry. They are overwhelmed by the recent loss of their son. Saying their thoughts out loud

would help them all the better

to make peace," Matthew responded thoughtfully. "The most important thing for us to do now is

discover the murderer."