After hearing everything, Adrian Yarrow's face turned grim. Minister Magnus Shangguan felt a jolt in his heart, a sense of foreboding—could it be that Mona really...
Adrian Yarrow suddenly rose to his feet, shot a cold glare at Damien Gray, snorted, and with a flick of his sleeve, left the group behind!
After hearing Damien Gray's meticulous account of the time and place, how could he not realize that his scheme to use Morgan Shangguan to seduce Prince Ethan had long been discovered by Damien Gray? Worse, Damien had turned the tables, swapping Morgan for Mona, rendering all his plotting useless and even putting a huge green hat on him. Now, the child in Mona's belly—whose is it, really? A chill flashed in his eyes. This child cannot remain!
He was about to ascend the throne—how could a future emperor bear such a stain?
Seeing him leave in anger, Mona Shangguan hurried to catch up. "Brother Crown Prince..."
Jin Locke quickly held her back. "Be careful!" Adrian Yarrow's reaction—could it really be true? But it seemed Mona was unaware, surely she had been set up! Glancing at the mocking smile at Damien Gray's lips, Jin Locke's brows furrowed, a trace of coldness in his eyes.
Mona Shangguan's eyes brimmed with tears, her face full of grievance. Shaking her head, she murmured, "I really didn't..." Thinking carefully about the time Damien Gray mentioned, that night, it was clearly Brother Crown Prince!
Though other suspicions lingered in her heart, she refused to believe them.
Minister Magnus Shangguan looked at Mona Shangguan with concern. "Mona, you're tired. Go back to your room and rest for now."
With a glance, a maid hurried forward to help Mona Shangguan back to her room.
Once Mona Shangguan had gone, Minister Magnus Shangguan's expression darkened. "What exactly is the Ghost King after? Mona shouldn't have offended him, right?" From Damien Gray's actions, he couldn't help but doubt Silvermoon Kingdom's sincerity in this marriage alliance.
Damien Gray gently stroked Morgan Shangguan's hair and smiled lazily. "Why is it that the truth is always so hard to believe?"
"People always like to deceive themselves!" The sigh carried an unintentional hint of seduction. As he spoke, another figure appeared in the courtyard—who else could it be but Quentin Hua, with his languid, alluring manner?
Jin Locke narrowed his eyes at Quentin Hua. The first time they met, Quentin had recognized he wasn't the original Jin Locke—this person was anything but simple!
Minister Magnus Shangguan's face darkened. "How dare you! Trespassing in the Prime Minister's Estate! Arrest him at once!"
The guards, bewitched by beauty, finally rushed forward. Quentin Hua quickly gestured for them to stop. "Prime Minister, you've misunderstood. I'm here to see a friend, no ill intentions!" He turned to Damien Gray. "Damien Gray, you wouldn't just stand by and watch, would you? I came here out of kindness to help you, after all."
Damien Gray sneered, "You think these useless guards can handle you?"
Minister Magnus Shangguan was furious at his contemptuous tone, but Quentin Hua dropped his frightened act, flipped his hair, and glanced at the crowd surrounding him. "Tsk tsk, this really does seem discriminatory against the Lotus Sect Master! Surely the guards at the Prime Minister's Estate aren't all this incompetent?"
Minister Magnus Shangguan's aged face twisted in anger, and he was about to order the arrest when Jin Locke suddenly spoke up, "Prime Minister, I know this man."
Minister Magnus Shangguan frowned, steadied his breath, and waved for the guards to stand down.
Worried about Mona Shangguan, Minister Magnus Shangguan couldn’t bother with the rest. He said, "Grand Astrologer, I have urgent matters to attend to. Please excuse me!" Jin Locke had been frequenting the Prime Minister's Estate lately, so formality was no longer necessary. As for Damien Gray, Magnus had shown remarkable restraint not to confront him already.
Once Minister Magnus Shangguan left, Quentin Hua ignored Jin Locke entirely, sat down on his own, and said, "I've already cleaned out all the traitors in the Lotus Sect. If you need help, just ask!" Although Quentin himself founded the Lotus Sect, he'd once been under Blood Wraith's control, so it was no surprise there were many of Blood Wraith's people inside. But now, he had purged them all.
It wasn't that he doubted Damien Gray's abilities, but Damien was up against Blood Wraith—carelessness was not an option!
Damien Gray nodded coolly, his warm mask gone. Except for Morgan Shangguan, his attitude toward others was always cold—this was already a concession.
Morgan Shangguan's gaze remained fixed on Quentin Hua. Following her eyes, Quentin looked at the jade pendant at his waist, suddenly covering it with his hand. "This is reserved for pairing with my little beauty. I can't give it to you!"
Morgan Shangguan's eyes flickered, and the smile on her face turned odd—making Quentin Hua feel uneasy.
Seeing Morgan Shangguan wasn’t after his pendant, Quentin finally relaxed. He touched the newly worn pendant, momentarily lost in thought.
In fact, the pendant Morgan Shangguan once snatched from him was part of a pair he’d had since childhood—likely a legacy from his parents. He’d randomly worn one and put the other away for safekeeping.
Quentin Hua snapped back to reality and noticed not only Morgan Shangguan, but even Damien Gray wore strange expressions. He glanced at his pendant again. "What’s wrong? Is it that odd?" He flipped it over, finding nothing strange, and looked at the peculiar couple.
Morgan Shangguan raised an eyebrow. "Did you just say you want to pair it with your little beauty?" (Here, 'little beauty' refers to Roxy Shangguan, Quentin Hua's playful nickname for her.) The other pendant had always been with Roxy Shangguan, so it was obvious who the 'little beauty' was. Was Quentin Hua really interested in her precious child?
Morgan Shangguan found it hard to believe. Roxy was... well, precocious, but she was still so young. Could she really have that much charm?
Quentin Hua was straightforward, nodding. "Yes! I was going to ask you—where are you hiding my little beauty?" He’d looked for her at the Ghost King's Manor but didn’t find her, so he tracked them here. He just thought she was fun, and since he had nothing urgent, he wanted to play with her.
He hadn’t had a moment’s peace lately—almost died, then was busy purging the Lotus Sect. He hadn’t heard about the Ghost King having twins, so he didn’t know where the mysterious child in the manor had come from.
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