With an innocent smile on her face, Harper said, "I've been poisoned? When did it happen? I didn't even realize it."
"I smeared poison on the empress' robe I gave you yesterday," Francis said as he looked at Harper, feeling quite sorry for her in his heart. "I knew Uncle Matthew would surely show up today, so I came up with such a plan just in case."
Matthew didn't utter a single word and simply stared at Harper. Harper then took a step toward Francis and asked him, "What do you want?"
"I want you to leave with me," Francis said, still not willing to give up. A sensible person should know clearly how to make a decision between dying or leaving with him. "Let Uncle Matthew become the new emperor. To tell you the truth, the throne isn't really what I've always wanted."
"He has no interest in the throne," Harper stated, slowly walking toward Francis. Seeing this, Ken frowned slightly and held the sword tighter, as if he was unsure whether he should put it away or continue pointing it at Francis' neck.
Gently pushing Ken's sword away, Harper said, "General Ken, the sword is too sharp. You should be careful. You might injure me."
Before making a decision, Ken looked at Matthew. Seeing that Matthew didn't say anything or show any sign of being against it, he immediately drew back his sword and took a step back.
"Uncle Matthew, do you really have no interest in the throne?" Francis asked in curiosity. When he saw Harper stand in front of him, he instantly understood what her decision was going to be. Matthew didn't dare to stop her, because he didn't want to risk her life. However, there was no way he was going to give up so easily. "Lucas is inferior to you in terms of both prestige and ability. If you ascend the throne and become the emperor, the Bright Dynasty would be capable of competing against the Great Jade Kingdom. On the other hand, if Lucas ascends the throne..."
When Lucas heard that, his face became overcast. He knew that he would be no match for Rolando at all. Rolando was another rare genius in the world, a match for Matthew. What Francis said did make perfect sense. If Matthew became the emperor of the Bright Dynasty, no one would dare to invade the Bright Dynasty. That was because Matthew was different from all of the previous emperors in the history of the Bright Dynasty, for he was a man who didn't know how to give in. He would not attack anybody who was friendly to him, but he would always retaliate at any cost when he was attacked.
"I told you that I have no interest in the throne. Hand over the antidote," Matthew ordered, his face turning dark. Malicious killing intent flashed across his eyes.
As a smile crept onto his face, Francis calmly said, "Uncle Matthew, if I give you the antidote right now, how are you going to let me go? I know your abilities quite well. It wouldn't be difficult for you to kill me unless I have some bargain chips in my hands."
"It's good that you are aware of my abilities. Before I want to cut you into pieces, hand over the antidote!"
Stretching out his hand, Francis grabbed Harper's arm and took her to step backward. "Once I'm sure that I'm safe, I'll give you the antidote..."
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