Suppressing the anger and murderous intent in his heart, he said in a deep voice, "Third Brother, you have disrupted the ritual. You'd better come with me to the palace!"
He knew very well that if Emperor Alexander had no intention of removing Damien Gray, then even if they entered the palace, it would only result in a minor punishment. From his perspective, it seemed that Emperor Alexander truly had no desire to get rid of Damien Gray now, so all his efforts had been for nothing. Still, the formalities had to be observed!
Damien Gray did not refuse; he simply brought Morgan Shangguan along with him.
The carriage gradually made its way toward the palace. Prince Ethan rode ahead on horseback, his once gentle and refined smile now vanished, replaced by a somber expression.
Inside the carriage, Morgan Shangguan huffed, "Why do I have to go too?" After all, she wasn't the one who disrupted the ritual!
Damien Gray pulled her into his arms and smiled, "Shouldn't the Princess Consort take responsibility for her own actions?"
Morgan Shangguan, feeling guilty, did not argue. She knew this matter was indeed her fault. Damien Gray chuckled, leaned close to her ear, and kissed her earlobe, whispering ambiguously, "Besides, I don't want to be apart from you." It had taken so much effort to make Morgan yield, and at this moment, he truly didn't want to be separated from her.
Morgan Shangguan snorted coldly and gritted her teeth, "If you ever use the ruse of self-injury again, I swear I won't care about you!"
"Mm." Damien Gray responded softly, his lips never losing their smile. He doubted her words in his heart, but of course, he wouldn't say so now.
Morgan Shangguan wrapped her arms around his waist, relaxing into his embrace with a sigh. In truth, she was not as oblivious as she seemed. Her feelings for him, apart from the initial confusion, had always been clear in her heart. What frustrated her was his constant scheming and relentless pressure, never giving her time to think. What frustrated her even more was her inability to stop caring about him, always growing soft-hearted toward him.
She was unwilling to easily give away her heart, yet Damien Gray seized it without hesitation, leaving her no room to resist. This made her uneasy. Opening her heart meant giving someone the chance to hurt her. But if it was him, she was willing to try. She didn't trust in love, but she was willing to trust him—just this once.
For someone like Morgan Shangguan, once she decided to accept, she gave her whole heart, holding nothing back. If she chose to trust Damien Gray, she would give him all her trust. But on the other hand, if Damien Gray ever betrayed that trust or hurt her heart, there would never be a second chance—never again!
Gently running his fingers through her hair, Damien Gray asked, "What benefit did you hope to gain by cooperating with Prince Ethan?"
Morgan Shangguan closed her eyes, speaking with a hint of laziness, "The battle for the throne has already begun. In the future, Prince Ethan will definitely need to do things in secret. By cooperating with him, if he wants to hire assassins or buy information, I can make some money on the side." Just like this time, although the assassin never actually appeared, since the task was issued, payment was still due.
"Besides, we're at the center of the conflict. By forming an alliance with Prince Ethan, I can easily know both friend and foe. If there are deals targeting us, I can cheat the system." Not having to deal with his hired assassins saved her a lot of effort—and earned her some money. Why not?
"Besides, Prince Ethan can be a very useful pawn. There will be times when he'll come in handy. And when I'm in a bad mood, teasing him helps me feel better!" So when Prince Ethan approached her for cooperation, she naturally didn't refuse. After all, this partnership was clearly more beneficial than harmful for her!
Her casual tone, however, was enough to make Prince Ethan cough up blood in anger. Damien Gray couldn't help but laugh out loud. He knew Morgan's serene, saintly demeanor was just a deeply-rooted mask, but he hadn't expected such a mischievous side beneath it. Still, he liked it!
Unable to resist, he gently nipped her lips—not just because of this adorable side of hers, but also because of the way she said "we." Then he asked, "What do you do with all that money you earn?" He certainly hadn't withheld her rations, and the Cloud Guild was earning plenty already!
Morgan Shangguan opened her eyes and looked at him, saying, "To deal with the Ghost Guild!" She was absolutely serious.
Taking on the Ghost Guild was no easy feat. It required a lot of preparation, and financial resources were certainly an indispensable part.
Damien Gray merely raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. Smiling, he asked, "So, Cloud Guildmaster, how do you plan to deal with me?" His thumb gently traced her cheek as a wicked smile curled at his lips. "How about seduction? I would definitely accept!"
Morgan Shangguan brushed his hand off her face and snorted, "Damien Gray, don't underestimate me! You won this time, but next time, who knows?" This time her heart was uncontrollable, but she refused to believe she'd lose again.
Damien Gray shrugged. "I'll be waiting!" In truth, he hadn't meant to look down on her—he just preferred seduction.
Morgan Shangguan saw his unconcerned demeanor and grew a bit annoyed. She snorted again and closed her eyes, pondering how to invite the God of Wealth she'd driven out of her house back again. With Prince Ethan's caution, it really wouldn't be easy!
In the imperial study, Emperor Alexander looked at the three before him and asked, "What exactly happened? Damien, tell me, why did you go and disrupt the altar?"
Damien Gray pulled Morgan Shangguan into his arms, his gaze shifting to Prince Ethan as he spoke angrily, "There was nothing wrong with the ritual itself, but Second Brother wanted to use my Princess Consort as a sacrificial offering. Father, though I wish you health and longevity, if it means sacrificing Morgan, I will never agree!" It was clear he valued his wife above his father—only Damien could declare such a righteous stance, even in front of Emperor Alexander!
Morgan Shangguan snuggled into his arms, her face hidden but filled with laughter. If the martial world saw the Ghostmaster acting like this, they'd be picking their jaws off the floor!
Emperor Alexander frowned and turned to Prince Ethan, "What is going on?" His gaze was sharp. He knew Prince Ethan's intentions, but whether to remove Damien Gray was a decision only he could make.