Instead of going into the imperial capital of the Great Jade Kingdom, Harper chose to live in a house at the peaceful outskirt. She was about to contact Matthew. Her arrival wasn't a secret anymore as Miguel had already known of her existence. And thus she considered it unnecessary to hide behind the shadows.
One night, however, Harper had an unexpected guest turn up. As soon as the man arrived, the twelve secret guards protecting her immediately showed up with their weapons, ready to fight. The man, however, sat quietly in the backyard, enjoying the evening breeze, fully unintimidated by the warriors in front of him. The twelve were stunned: First, they didn't know how the man was able to enter their master's yard without being spotted, and second, they didn't understand how he could be so calm with all of their swords pointed at him.
Harper quickly ran to the door to see what was happening. The moment she opened it and looked outside, she felt her heart skip a beat. "Rolando!" she exclaimed happily. "It's you!"
A profound smile appeared on Rolando's lips. "Harper!" he responded excitedly. All of a sudden, however, the expression on his face became grim. "Your men are such horrible people," he said, glaring at the men surrounding him. "When I heard that you are living in a lovely house at the outskirt, I prepared the delicious food and drinks that I know you will enjoy. Then, I came here to personally deliver them to you and see how you're doing, but as soon as I step foot in here, your men surrounded me like I'm a trespassing criminal. They won't even let me make a sound!"
Harper could not help but smile. "Are you sure that's what you came for?" she playfully teased as she approached Rolando. "It seems like you came here in the middle of the night to simply bluff my guards."
"I have prepared a special wine for you!" Rolando replied, evading Harper's question equally playfully. "Do you know that this concoction is exclusive to the Great Jade Kingdom? Here! Try it!" He shook the bottle in front of Harper's face as if to entice her.
Harper chuckled and nodded her head. Before she sat down to drink, she ordered her twelve secret guards to leave. When they did, she took the seat opposite to Rolando and said, "How did you know so soon that I am already here?"
"Did you forget that I'm the emperor of the Great Jade Kingdom?" Rolando poured a cup of wine for Harper. "I think the better question is how would I not know who has entered the Great Jade Kingdom?" Harper laughed. "That is true," she said as she sipped wine from her cup.
Rolando's tone suddenly became serious. "But Harper, how could you be so heartless? You were already at the gates of the imperial capital but you decided to leave! Because of that, I had no choice but to come here to see you! Are you that unwilling to see me?" he said, a scowl forming on his face. Harper rolled her eyes. "Rolando, you know that I'm the princess of the Bright Dynasty. Since Matthew and his envoys have not arrived yet, I can't go in first," she explained. It was the perfect excuse for her.
Rolando sighed deeply. "Indeed, that is the protocol," he admitted, sounding defeated. He then put food on Harper's plate and said, "Taste our famous dishes and see if you like them."
Harper took a small bite and said, "I never knew that the dishes here in Great Jade Kingdom would have this spicy kick. I really like this. It's delicious!"
Rolando's eyes widened with happiness. His expression was so tender that it was comparable to a spring one would see in the middle of a dessert. "I'm glad you like it," he said, deep appreciation coloring his voice. "I was worried that you would not like the food here, but then I remembered that you like spicy dishes, so I took a gamble and brought you all of these!" He then gestured to all the things he brought.
"Ah, are you talking about the hotpot?" Harper asked.
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