Feeling the gaze upon her fade away, Morgan Shangguan paused her movements, but did not withdraw her hand. Her palm rested gently on his chest, feeling the strong, steady beat of his heart. Her own heart stirred, and she suddenly leaned close to his ear, whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Damien, I love you."
Damien Gray's arm tightened around her waist. His deep eyes were like whirlpools, as if they could draw her in at any moment. In a husky warning, he said, "Don't tease me, or you'll never get your business done!"
Morgan Shangguan buried her face in the hollow of his neck and laughed softly, clearly delighted. Damien Gray gently stroked her waist twice, then looked up at Qin Yan, whose face was anxious yet seemed afraid to interrupt. Damien's cold voice carried a hint of impatience, "Fortress Lord Qin, have you made up your mind?"
Qin Yan gritted his teeth and nodded, pleading, "Please, Ghostmaster, help me!"
A glint flashed in Damien Gray's eyes as he smiled and said, "Since that's the case, leave the rest to the Ghost Guild. Fortress Lord Qin, you may stay at the Ghost Guild for now!"
Stay at the Ghost Guild? Was that for his protection? Qin Yan couldn't help but frown. The Cloud Guild was pressing the Qin Fortress so hard that they had left him no escape. If Cloud Guildmaster Yun Fengqing truly wanted him dead, he wouldn't doubt it for a moment.
Qin Yan was still struggling with whether to stay at the Ghost Guild for a while when he suddenly felt a gust of wind beside him. Looking up, he saw only an empty chair.
Lily Ling walked over to him, courteous yet distant, and said, "Fortress Lord Qin, please!" Damien Gray's invitation for Qin Yan to stay at the Ghost Guild seemed kind, but in reality, it left Qin Yan no room to refuse.
Leo Leaf stood in place, frowning as if deep in thought. She had already uncovered Morgan Shangguan's identity and hadn't expected that woman to be the Princess Consort. Rumor had it that the Ghostmaster had recently welcomed a pair of dragon-phoenix twins, but the Princess Consort didn't seem to have been pregnant. If so, those two children weren't born of that woman. Still, she was the Ghostmaster's wife—how could she be worthy of the Guildmaster?
She couldn't understand why Damien Gray would fall for such a woman. Even if she was a little pretty, so what? A Guildmaster could have any woman he wanted—why choose a wilted flower?
Although she had learned one of Morgan Shangguan’s identities, she still hadn’t connected the Ghostmaster and the Ghost King as the same person.
The Ghost Guild knew quite a bit about the Ghost King's Manor, but not too much. What they knew was only what Damien Gray allowed to be known—after all, his two Protectors, Ethan Gu and Maxwell Jing, were always by his side. They knew how much to reveal without arousing suspicion or exposing Damien’s true identity.
They claimed not to arouse suspicion, but the key figures in the Ghost Guild still sensed something unusual. The Ghost King's Manor was special, so when it came to its affairs, they always sought approval before making decisions. Leo Leaf suspected there might be a connection between the Ghost King and Ghostmaster, but she never guessed they were the same person—even now, knowing the woman beside him was the Princess Consort, she still didn’t suspect it.
In her eyes, Damien Gray was proud and arrogant by nature—reckless, even. He would never bother with such tedious disguises, nor did he need to. So, he couldn't possibly be the Ghost King!
She thought she understood Damien Gray well, but it was precisely this assumption that clouded her judgment.
Her tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and Leo Leaf turned and walked out.
Inside the room, Damien Gray urgently tugged at Morgan Shangguan’s clothes. Seeing the undisguised desire in his eyes, Morgan frowned—she thought she’d better not tease him in the future; clearly, he had no self-control!
Suddenly remembering something, Morgan Shangguan asked breathlessly, "Is there any news about Quentin Hua?"
Damien Gray paused, displeased, and said, "You should worry about me first!" With that, he pulled her onto the bed, the force of his movement causing the bed curtains to fall and sway wildly.
Morgan didn’t resist his affection, letting out a soft laugh. As Damien Gray’s actions grew more intense, her voice grew unsteady, "I’m just worried if anything happened to Quentin Hua, Roxy… mm…" Her words were cut off before she could finish.
Only when she was out of breath did Damien Gray release her lips, now flushed from his kiss. He said, "No news yet, but don’t worry—that demon isn’t so easy to kill. For now, just satisfy me!"
Morgan Shangguan lifted her arms to embrace him, her eyes teasing, "Ghostmaster, you're getting more and more lecherous. As Cloud Guildmaster, I truly worry about the Ghost Guild’s future!"
Damien Gray’s lips curled with wicked charm. "Cloud Guildmaster, you’d better worry about yourself first!" With that, he lowered his head and sealed her lips.
Through the bed curtains, the scene inside was faintly visible—so close and intimate that even through the veil, their fiery, entwined gazes could be felt. Low words of love lingered in the air, and the heated, ambiguous atmosphere overflowed with sweet tenderness.
Outside the window, someone’s hands clenched involuntarily, and bitten lips drew blood. Suddenly, as if a tangible gaze pierced the bed curtains and landed on her, Leo Leaf felt the temperature around her drop instantly. She looked up to meet that gaze, and heard a cold word thrown her way: "Leave!"
The voice was chillingly cold, showing how angry Damien Gray was. Yet, beneath that icy tone, there was a burning passion that could scorch—contradictory, but all the more captivating.
Morgan Shangguan narrowed her eyes, watching his tense jaw. She reached out to turn his face toward her, then kissed his tightly pressed lips.
The coldness in Damien Gray vanished instantly, leaving only heat. He hugged her tightly, no longer caring about anyone outside.
Leo Leaf bit her lip and turned away. She had come here with an excuse to see Damien Gray, but ended up witnessing the last thing she wanted to see. Her eyes flickered with emotion before quickly returning to calm.
These days, Maxwell Jing and Ethan Gu had both noticed Leo Leaf’s change. Watching her approach from afar, Maxwell Jing frowned and sighed, "I just hope she doesn’t do anything foolish." His tone carried a trace of pity, and a hint of worry.