During this short while, Brian Parker sat on the small couch by the window and saw that there was an embroidery frame for women's needlework placed on the small tea table on the couch.

On it were a finished fan pendant and a sachet, as well as a purse that was only half-sewn.

Brian Parker picked them up and looked at them, then generously offered a compliment.

“Not bad craftsmanship. Are these made for me?”

The pattern embroidered on the sachet was a four-clawed golden dragon. According to the rules of the Great Qi imperial family, the emperor uses the five-clawed golden dragon, the crown prince uses the four-clawed golden dragon, and everyone else is only allowed to use the python pattern.

So Brian Parker recognized it at a glance.

Henry Faulkner bowed slightly, seeming a bit embarrassed. “As long as Your Highness doesn’t mind.”

“This must have been finished quite a while ago. Why didn’t you give it to me?” Brian Parker played with the sachet and asked.

Upon hearing this, Henry Faulkner answered calmly.

“I dared not disturb Your Highness without permission. If Your Highness remembers me and summons me, naturally there would be a chance to present it.”

As she said this, Brian Parker’s gaze swept over her face.

He then curled his lips into a slight smile and put down what he was holding.

“Sit. You are sensible, so of course I will remember you.”

Hearing this, a glimmer of light flashed in Henry Faulkner’s eyes, a hint of girlish joy appearing on her face. She bowed and then sat down beside him.

While they were speaking, the imperial physician was brought in.

There was always an imperial physician stationed in the Eastern Palace, so it was quick.

After taking Henry Faulkner’s pulse, he gave his diagnosis, saying that Henry Faulkner’s body was weak, her frequent nightmares were due to excessive worry and unsettled emotions, and that she had long suffered from poor nutrition.

The first two reasons were understandable, but at the last one, Brian Parker frowned.

“How could her food be withheld in the Eastern Palace? Are you sure?”

Before the imperial physician could reply, Alice Green hurriedly stepped forward.

“To answer Your Highness, the Crown Princess in the palace is fair and just, and has never withheld the concubine’s food, clothing, or expenses. It’s just that our lady used to eat poorly at her family’s residence, and over time her stomach and spleen were damaged. Now that she’s entered the palace, her body is too weak to benefit from good nourishment, and even the best food is hard for her to digest.”

As she spoke, Alice Green’s face was full of distress.

This was not entirely an act; though there was some exaggeration, it was mostly true.

After she finished, Henry Faulkner looked at Brian Parker with an embarrassed expression, about to say something, but Brian Parker turned his gaze to the imperial physician.

The latter understood and immediately replied.

“Your Highness, this young lady is correct. Lady Fang’s spleen and stomach are indeed very weak. She needs to be nourished, but cannot eat greasy or overly rich foods, or it will be hard to digest and may even harm her.”

After hearing the imperial physician’s words, Brian Parker was silent for a moment before speaking calmly.

“In that case, write her a prescription for proper recuperation.”

“As you command.”

The imperial physician cupped his hands and withdrew.

After the imperial physician left, Brian Parker turned his head and saw Henry Faulkner sitting beside him with her eyes lowered, looking rather embarrassed at having her weakness exposed. From his angle, he could just see the girl’s reddened, moist eyes and the handkerchief she was clutching tightly.

Brian Parker’s gaze flickered almost imperceptibly, then he said lightly,

“All right, just take your time to recover, and your health will naturally improve.”

After he said this, Henry Faulkner looked up at him, then took a deep breath, got up, walked over to him, and knelt down straight in front of him.

Seeing this, Brian Parker was a little surprised, but showed nothing on his face.

Then he heard Henry Faulkner speak, word by word.

“My birth father is unkind, my stepmother is unloving. Now that I have entered the Eastern Palace, Your Highness is my only support from now on. I know Your Highness has doubts about me. I dare not ask for much kindness, but I beg Your Highness to believe that I am already a discarded daughter of the Fang family. From now on, I will be loyal to Your Highness alone. I only ask for Your Highness’s pity, to give me a way to survive. I ask for nothing else.”

Whether or not Brian Parker believed her, this was something she had to do today.

Only by making her position clear in Brian Parker’s heart would her future path to favor be smoother.

Otherwise, if this unspoken barrier was never broken, she would always be entangled with the Fang family in Brian Parker’s mind, and would easily suffer because of it.

Of course, Henry Faulkner also knew that Brian Parker must have investigated her affairs in the Fang residence. With her status, it was impossible for Brian Parker not to keep an eye on her.

But what Brian Parker found out was one thing; her taking the initiative to speak was another.

This was a gesture of weakness, a plea for protection and a show of loyalty, more likely to arouse Brian Parker’s desire to protect her.

Looking at the girl kneeling before him, her back straight and her eyes clear and resolute, Brian Parker’s eyes flickered with thought. Then, without saying anything, he simply reached out his hand to her.

Henry Faulkner pressed her lips together, said nothing more, quietly placed her hand in his palm, and stood up.

“Rest well. When I have time, I will come to see you.”

With these words, Brian Parker got up and left.

After he left, Alice Green nervously came over to support Henry Faulkner.

“My lady, do you think His Highness will believe you?”

“I can’t say for sure, but at least fifty or sixty percent.” Henry Faulkner let out a long breath, calming herself. “Let’s take it slow. Haste makes waste.”