Because Mona Shangguan did not know martial arts, she naturally kept her distance. Since she did not approach, the assassins had no intention of attacking her either. Watching Morgan Shangguan about to be killed, Mona felt deeply unwilling—how could Morgan die so easily? Suddenly, she saw Adrian Yarrow step in front of Morgan, and was startled. Regaining her senses, she rushed forward and cried out, "Brother Prince..."
After Adrian Yarrow was stabbed by a sword, the group of assassins quickly vanished. Mona Shangguan held Adrian in her arms, tears streaming down her face. "Brother Prince... Brother Prince... Please don't die..."
But Adrian Yarrow did not look at her. Instead, his gaze turned to Morgan Shangguan. Seeing that she was unharmed, relief flashed in his eyes, and then he fainted.
Qiu Susu frowned and lowered her gaze. It was wise to let Morgan Shangguan take on this mission—she didn’t need to approach Adrian Yarrow herself; Adrian would find ways to get close to her. No matter Adrian’s motives, Morgan would have plenty of opportunities.
They hurried back to Serenity Temple. After the imperial physician examined him, it was determined that Adrian Yarrow had only lost too much blood and was not critically injured. With ten days or half a month of rest, he would recover.
Morgan Shangguan glanced at Damien Gray and noticed the satisfaction in his eyes, which made her lips curl into a faint smile.
Damien Gray was indeed very satisfied. If Adrian Yarrow wanted to use the ruse of self-injury, he would let him. After all, you pay someone to solve your problems!
After leaving the room, Emperor Alexander summoned Crown Prince Adrian, Prince Ethan, and Damien Gray. Morgan Shangguan was not worried. At this time, the topic would naturally be Adrian Yarrow’s assassination attempt. After all, an attack on Adrian in Silvermoon Kingdom was no small matter. It appeared that both kingdoms were ready to go to war at any moment, just waiting for a justified opportunity. If Azure Kingdom used this incident to make a case, Silvermoon Kingdom would indeed be at fault!
Moreover, Serenity Temple had already increased its security due to their group’s arrival, yet so many assassins still appeared. Emperor Alexander must have felt his life was in danger too!
However, since Damien Gray dared to have Adrian Yarrow wounded, he must have a plan. Adrian’s real goal was to move Morgan Shangguan emotionally, and the assassins weren’t targeting him. If he tried to make a case out of this incident, his intentions toward Morgan would seem less sincere. Weakening Silvermoon Kingdom’s strength at this moment was far more valuable than a justified reason to start a war, so he would never cling to this matter.
As for Emperor Alexander’s feelings, they were of no concern to him.
Emperor Alexander vented his anger, then handed the investigation to Prince Ethan. After the three men left, Sophie Qiu appeared in the room. "Your Majesty, the assassins targeted Prince Damien, the Ghost King, and Morgan Shangguan. I suspect Adrian Yarrow hired them to stage this drama and get close to Morgan. His true motive remains unknown."
Emperor Alexander snorted coldly. "His goal is simply to eliminate Silvermoon Kingdom's capable heirs and to find an excuse for war. Whatever he does, it all boils down to these two aims!"
After a pause, Emperor Alexander pondered, "Pay close attention to Morgan Shangguan—she is crucial right now. Nothing must happen to her, and she must not defect. Morgan is connected to both Adrian Yarrow and Damien Gray; the value of this chess piece has not yet been realized. I won’t give up on her so easily!"
Mona Shangguan sat at the edge of the bed, gazing at Adrian Yarrow’s pale face, silently shedding tears.
"Xuanxuan..."
Adrian Yarrow opened his eyes and saw Mona Shangguan’s sorrowful expression. A trace of guilt flickered in his heart. He reached out to wipe away her tears, smiling gently to comfort her. "I’m fine..."
Mona Shangguan looked at him, the image of Adrian Yarrow fainting replaying in her mind. Choking back her sobs, she asked, "Crown Prince... do you love my sister?"
Adrian Yarrow smiled and said, "Silly girl, I only love you."
Mona Shangguan suddenly stood up, her voice breaking into a hysterical shout. "You’re lying! If you didn’t love her, why would you shield her from the sword? Even when you were hurt, your eyes and heart were still on her. Why? Why do you have to love her?"
Only now did she realize how deeply she loved him. His gentleness was etched in her heart. She wanted him for herself, but knew it could never be, so she never dared to hope. Yet she could not bear him loving Morgan Shangguan!
Morgan Shangguan! She hated her—she hated her so much! Why did she have to be so hateful? She had caused Mona so much suffering, so many nightmares, and now she wanted to take the Crown Prince away too. Mona would not allow it!
Her chest hurt so much. Mona Shangguan clutched at her heart, the suffocating pain finally overwhelming her, and she collapsed in a faint.
"Xuanxuan! Imperial physician!"
"Your Highness, Miss Shangguan is simply overcome with grief. There’s no need to worry too much."
"Thank you, Imperial physician."
Adrian Yarrow looked at Mona Shangguan and sighed softly, "Xuanxuan, I’m sorry..." He couldn’t tell her about his plan.
Mona Shangguan was Azure Kingdom’s most beautiful woman, accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Such a talented and graceful woman was admired by many men, and she had always supported Adrian Yarrow. He truly cared for her. But he also had his ambition—to unify the world. That meant he could not be distracted by romance!
Suddenly thinking of Morgan Shangguan, Adrian Yarrow frowned, uncertain how effective his performance had been. Even Mona had been fooled, so Morgan should be no exception. Yet, Morgan hadn’t come to see him, which made him uneasy.
If Morgan Shangguan wasn’t infatuated enough with him, she might not be so obedient when the time came!
Adrian Yarrow’s ruse was certainly convincing. An ordinary woman would have been moved to tears, especially by the look of relief in his eyes before he fainted. But unfortunately for him, he was dealing with Morgan Shangguan. She saw through everything too easily; deceiving her was no simple task.
Only Damien Gray’s act of self-sacrifice could truly move Morgan Shangguan’s heart. Even if she saw through it, she was still willing to be taken in.
In the middle of the night, when all was quiet, Morgan Shangguan suddenly opened her eyes. She glanced at Damien Gray, who lay beside her with his eyes closed, a gentle smile appearing on her lips. She kissed him softly, then tried to gently move the arm around her waist, only to be held even tighter.
Morgan Shangguan chuckled, patting his cheek. "If you’re awake, stop pretending."