By rights, she and Harris held the same rank and should have exchanged formal greetings, but clearly Harris did not regard her at all. Not only did she not return the courtesy, she even deliberately said,

“Oh, so it’s you. Truly fortunate, aren’t you? If your legitimate elder sister hadn’t fallen ill and missed the selection, you wouldn’t have had this chance to enter the Eastern Palace.”

Grace Harris appeared arrogant and domineering, but she was by no means foolish. Her words not only mocked Henry Faulkner’s status as a concubine’s daughter, but also slyly cast her in a bad light before the Crown Prince.

Henry Faulkner’s entry into the Eastern Palace was in accordance with the late emperor’s will. It sounded glorious, but it was not necessarily a good thing.

When Brian Parker was born, the late emperor was already gravely ill and near death.

At that time, several of the late emperor’s adult sons fought each other for the throne, brothers turning against brothers. In the end, only Brian Parker remained as the sole survivor.

Knowing his days were numbered, the late emperor appointed the newborn Brian Parker as Crown Prince. But with a young ruler, the nation would be uneasy, so he had to make plans for the Pei family’s empire and pave the way for Brian Parker.

Thus, the late emperor thought of his much younger half-brother, Prince Rong.

He summoned Prince Rong to the capital, passed the throne to him, and ordered him to raise Brian Parker, with the intention that the throne would later be returned to Brian Parker.

Prince Rong’s mother had a lowly status, and he himself was mediocre and unremarkable, which was why he survived under the late emperor’s rule. After receiving this heavy responsibility, he swore a solemn oath to raise Brian Parker well.

Although Prince Rong was sincere and dared not harbor any disloyalty, a parent’s love for their child makes them plan for the long term, so the late emperor still made further arrangements for Brian Parker.

He appointed the Right Chancellor Samuel Reed as the Crown Prince’s tutor, left a will that the Lu family’s daughter would become the Crown Princess, and also brought his trusted minister Charles Faulkner into the cabinet, granting him the rank of Third Grade Grand Academician of the Eastern Pavilion, with the stipulation that a daughter of the Fang family would also enter the Eastern Palace.

Such arrangements were not limited to civil officials; the powerful military family, the Yangs, who held great military power, also received the imperial decree.

The Yang family’s daughter was among those entering the Eastern Palace with Henry Faulkner, but she was appointed as a secondary consort, a rank higher than Henry Faulkner.

In fact, Charles Faulkner had already reached the high rank of Deputy Minister of State, so it would have been fitting for a Fang family daughter to be made a secondary consort—provided the Fang family was truly loyal to the Crown Prince.

But on the eve of the selection, the Fang family’s legitimate daughter Laura Faulkner suddenly “fell ill,” and the concubine-born Henry Faulkner was pushed forward to participate in the selection and enter the Eastern Palace. After the selection ended, Laura Faulkner’s illness suddenly vanished, and the current emperor, Chengjing, in order to appease the Fang family, betrothed Laura Faulkner to his own legitimate eldest son, the First Prince David Parker, as a secondary consort.

Anyone with eyes could see that this clearly meant the Fang family had already sided with the current emperor, having long forgotten the late emperor’s trust. Now, they sought to attach themselves to the First Prince rather than support the Crown Prince.

This is why Henry Faulkner said she was a substitute, entering the Eastern Palace to suffer in her elder sister’s place.

In Brian Parker’s eyes, she was the daughter of a traitorous minister—how could she expect any favor?

Now, with Harris bringing this up in front of Brian Parker, it was obviously intentional.

Henry Faulkner understood this perfectly and did not try to secretly observe Brian Parker’s expression. She simply replied to Harris in an unhurried manner.

“To be able to serve the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace is indeed a great blessing. I am of humble birth and have always known my lowly status, never daring to hope for more. So, when my elder sister missed her chance and I received it, I naturally regard it as a treasure.”

Her tone was as calm as her expression, her gaze steady, making people feel that both her words and her person were especially sincere and trustworthy.

Grace Harris clearly hadn’t expected her to respond this way and was momentarily at a loss for words.

After a pause, she merely snorted lightly and said,

“Quite the glib tongue.”

Brian Parker smiled, withdrew his gaze, and coaxed Harris with a gentle remark.

“Not as adorable as you.”

Hearing this, Harris finally curled her lips in satisfaction, raising her chin like a victorious swan as she returned to her seat.

On Henry Faulkner’s side, she quietly let her maid lead her to a seat nearby.

However, she clearly felt that Brian Parker’s gaze lingered on her for a moment—not with the previous pressure and indifference, but with a hint of curiosity.

This was a good thing.

Curiosity leads to closeness, and only with closeness could her skills come into play.

After sitting for only a short while, everyone gradually arrived.

With Brian Parker and the Crown Princess at the center, everyone took their seats in order of rank.

Since there weren’t many people, a round table was arranged, which also made it easier for Henry Faulkner to observe every lady present.

The ranks in the Eastern Palace’s inner court were: one Crown Princess, two secondary consorts, four liangdi, eight shuren, and an unlimited number of concubines.

The Crown Princess Julia Reed was dignified and steady, with gentle and elegant features; Grace Harris was bright and lively, willful and charming; Grace Carter was of average looks, with a bit of a petty air, but she was the only one in the Eastern Palace with a child—a two-year-old eldest son. The concubine Cooper was pretty, but her attire was plain, clearly out of favor.

These four were the old members of the Eastern Palace. The four who entered with Henry Faulkner this time were newcomers.

Leading them was the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Nanning, secondary consort Baker, followed by Henry Faulkner, who was made liangdi, and two shuren of ordinary family background, Bennett and Mason.

Consort Baker was very beautiful, with a touch of heroism as a general’s daughter. Helen Bennett had delicate features and the most graceful figure; in Henry Faulkner’s view, she was the most beautiful among the ladies present.

Lastly, there was Helen Mason, the delicate and pitiable type.