Forensic Imperial Concubine by Erika Black

Fred came in. His face was still bandaged, only revealing a pair of eyes and a mouth, so that his

identity was effectively

concealed from everyone. Harper was eating breakfast. With a glance at Fred, she said, "Sit down.

Let's have breakfast

together."

Fred frowned uncomfortably. He was about to refuse when Harper added, "This is an order."

After an awkward hesitation, Fred sat down, taking only a small portion of his chair. He looked at the

bowl and chopsticks in front

of him, but didn't start eating.

"Just eat. You will come with me to the Imperial Palace later," Harper said while eating her breakfast as

usual. "Hurry up and

eat."

Fred picked up his bowl and chopsticks and slurped up the porridge quickly. Then he put the bowl

down and stood up. He said

nothing and just waited quietly on the side.

Harper looked him up and down curiously, which made sweat roll down his back. He felt uneasy, but

had no other choice than to

endure it, because she was the master.

"Angelica, Peony."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Go and wash him up. Make sure he smells fragrant," Harper ordered. There was a sly twinkle in her

eyes. When she saw the

reluctance in Fred's eyes, she became even more eager to make fun of him. "Hurry up. Wash him

clean and then send him back.

I'm waiting to use him."

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Angelica and Peony were dumbfounded by their master's order and stood with their mouths agape.

Fred's previously stoical eyes were now filled with complex emotions. However, he went out after a few

moments of silence. Having been in Harper's employment for a long time, he knew her well enough to

know that there must be a reason for her to give such an order. Before long, Fred came back to her. He

had taken a bath, but the bandage on his face was still on. Harper gestured at him with a finger. He

walked to her with hesitation, and got down on one knee. She extended her hand to remove the

bandage from his face, which caused him to flinch backward for a moment instinctively. But he

stabilized himself quickly, and allowed her to do what she wanted.

She removed all the bandages from his face. She had assumed that he was using those bandages to

conceal horrifying scars on his face, but in fact there was a comely face under the bandages. The only

problem with his face was that it looked a little pale. "You were hiding such a delicate face," Harper

mumbled. "Your appearance is perfectly suitable. Now put on these clothes here. You're not my

guardsman but my maid today." Fred could hardly believe his own ears when she said that. However,

he had been trained well to obey orders. Accordingly, he stood up and went to put on the maid's

uniform that Harper had already prepared for him. However, when he saw the uniform, he

had no idea how to put it on.

"Anabel, show him how," Harper said, turning around to look at Anabel.

"Yes, Your Highness." Anabel was patient enough to show Fred how to wear the uniform, and Fred was

clever enough to learn it

pretty quickly. Then he took the uniform to the other side of the folding screen, and replaced his clothes

with it.

Fred was not an exceptionally tall man, less than half a head taller than Harper. Aside from that, he had

delicate features. When

he wore the maid's uniform, he looked quite like a maid.

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"Help him wear his hair in a bun," Harper ordered her maids, and watched with satisfaction. With no

expression on his face, Fred just let the girls deal with his hair. Then Nina put on makeup for him. By

then, the only clue that he was a man was his flat chest. "I didn't know that Fred was so good-looking,"

Anabel said with a smile. "Right, Your Highness?" "Yes, he is." Harper took out from the dresser a pair

of false breasts she had specially made, and handed them to Fred. "Put them on."

At this last order, Fred finally displayed a bit of embarrassment on his previously emotionless face.

Nevertheless, he accepted

them and put them on behind the folding screen. When he came back again, even Nina and Anabel

couldn't be sure whether the

person in front of them was a woman or a man.

Harper was pleased with the result. "Fetch my official robe."

She smiled with satisfaction and her eyes beamed. It was permitted for her to take two maids with her

to attend the emperor's

birthday banquet today. Nina and Anabel were unsuitable because neither of them had any martial arts

skills. Thus she had a

vacancy to fill, and Fred was the best choice to fill the vacancy given his face and figure. He was born

with a smiling face. His

face would make people of a higher rank find him lively, while people of a lower rank would find him

amiable. That was the

reason why he had covered his face with a bandage.

A smiling baby face was not suitable for a strong tough guardsman. When he confronted enemies and

challenged them with his

sword, his smiling face would impair his aura, making the atmosphere less threatening.

"He is much cuter than Jack,"

Harper commented. If Jack had heard that comment, he would certainly have voiced his disagreement.

Jack had seen Fred's

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face. The former was generally regarded as quick-witted and likely to get along well with others, but he

was no match for Fred in

that regard. When Fred appeared, he quickly inspired warm feelings among the people around him. If

only he were a bit more

smooth-tongued, he would be the one, instead of Jack, to be by Matthew's side every day.

After changing into her official robe, Harper went out with Forsythia and Fred to the imperial palace.

"Forsythia, Freda, let's go to

the Imperial Palace now," she said to them.

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