Sensing someone approaching outside the door, the three concealed their presence. In the hall, apart from the sultry sounds of two people entwined together, there was utter silence. The door was tightly shut, and through its crack, one could see the tangled pair in the hall, but not the three hidden by the door.
The person glanced inside, then turned and left. Seeing this, Damien Gray’s lips curled into a cold, mocking smile.
According to Adrian Yarrow’s instructions, the plan was to blow this incident out of proportion, leaving Damien Gray no way to save face, thus ensuring he and Prince Ethan would fight to the bitter end. So, the man didn’t go far—Prince Ethan was still under the influence of the drug, which had a time limit. He mentally calculated how long it would last: if the scandal broke too soon, anyone sharp would immediately notice something was wrong!
But before he could act, he looked up to see Damien Gray standing before him. Startled, he had no time to think before Damien Gray spoke, "What’s going on? Why is the door closed?"
Following Damien Gray’s gaze, the man glanced at the tightly shut door and stammered, "Uh..." He hadn’t expected Damien Gray to return so quickly.
Before he could explain, Damien Gray was already striding toward the hall. The man hurried after him, step for step. As they approached, the ambiguous sounds from within became clearly audible. Damien Gray’s expression instantly turned icy as he commanded in a deep voice, "Open the door!"
Sneaking a glance at Damien Gray’s grim face, the man thought he might not need to do anything extra—Damien Gray already seemed furious enough! He reached out and pushed the door open, revealing a chaotic scene inside. Damien Gray’s face was terrifying; the man quickly lowered his head, thinking, the Ghost King was not to be underestimated!
Just as he was thinking this, a chilling voice sounded in his ear: "I don’t want anyone else to know about this. Understand?"
The man jerked his head up and saw Damien Gray’s murderous gaze fixed on Prince Ethan. His eyes flickered, and he quickly replied, "Yes!" Feeling a bit relieved, he thought: at least Damien Gray wasn’t going to silence him. Still, mercy was no way to achieve great things!
He was the one who had administered the drug, so naturally he wasn’t curious why Prince Ethan hadn’t noticed the two living people standing by the door. But now, would Damien Gray notice something was wrong?
Still, the drug’s effects should be wearing off soon. He just needed to stall a little longer!
Seeing him still standing there, Damien Gray’s cold gaze fell on him, and he spat out a single word: "Out!"
After a brief hesitation, the man quickly retreated. Although he wanted to see what happened next, it was clear he couldn’t stay any longer!
Damien Gray strode into the hall and slammed the door shut with a loud bang. Hearing the sound, the man paused, glanced back with a frown, but didn’t approach again. If Damien Gray caught him now, all his efforts would be wasted. As for how things would end, he’d know soon enough. With that thought, he hurried away to report back to Adrian Yarrow.
Inside the hall, Morgan Shangguan raised an eyebrow at Damien Gray and asked, "When did Your Highness become so merciful?"
Damien Gray smiled, "I still need him to go back and report to Adrian Yarrow!"
"That’s not what I meant." Morgan Shangguan smiled faintly and said softly, "I’m surprised Your Highness didn’t invite Adrian Yarrow to watch the show, and even went out of your way to keep things quiet. It’s really quite puzzling!"
Damien Gray’s timely intervention was clearly to prevent the man from making a scene, which was unlike his usual style. With his notorious temperament, he would normally want to make the scandal as public as possible, letting everyone see how Prince Ethan and the future Crown Princess of Azure Kingdom tangled together. That would hurt Adrian Yarrow and Prince Ethan both. He might even have let Adrian Yarrow enjoy the spectacle himself!
Damien Gray looked at the still-delirious Prince Ethan and smiled coldly, "Because... I want him to ascend the throne smoothly!"
If the scandal became public knowledge, Emperor Alexander would have to give Azure Kingdom an explanation, and Prince Ethan would lose his chance at the throne. If Emperor Alexander insisted on protecting him, Azure Kingdom would never let go of the matter. In that case, war would break out between the two kingdoms, and Prince Ethan would become the scapegoat. Even if Emperor Alexander wanted to pass the throne to him, neither the ministers nor the people would agree. Under such pressure, Prince Ethan would never be able to take that seat!
Letting Prince Ethan ascend the throne should have been a blessing for him, but the way Damien Gray said it made it seem as if taking the throne would be a fate worse than death.
Morgan Shangguan frowned slightly, as if she was beginning to understand his intentions.
Seeing her realization, Damien Gray smiled with a hint of regret and said, "So for now, all we can do is enjoy Adrian Yarrow’s anxious and disappointed expression!"
Morgan Shangguan raised an eyebrow. "That’s it?" Watching him smile slyly, she figured he must have another trick up his sleeve!
Damien Gray shook his head, "Nothing escapes you, Princess Consort!" He traced her smooth neck with an intimate gesture and smiled. "Minister Magnus Shangguan is quite capable and clever. He’s always known not to outshine his lord, so both Prince Julian and Adrian Yarrow are trying to win his favor. Mona Shangguan is his most beloved daughter—marrying her would win Minister Magnus over. I’m sure that’s Adrian Yarrow’s plan, and Prince Julian agreed to swap the marriage candidate for you to give Adrian Yarrow this advantage." Morgan Shangguan understood all this in her heart.
After a pause, Damien Gray continued, "Whether Adrian Yarrow truly likes Mona Shangguan or not, he’ll treat her very well. Any child she bears would be favored, and if Adrian Yarrow becomes king, regardless of his preferred heir, he’ll make Mona Shangguan’s son crown prince. But if Mona Shangguan’s scandalous affair is exposed and no one knows who the crown prince’s real father is, what do you think will happen?"
Morgan Shangguan chuckled softly—foxes would always be foxes! But...
"Are you so sure Mona Shangguan will get pregnant? And even if she does, it might not be a boy!" In truth, she already knew the answer in her heart.
Damien Gray replied indifferently, "Mona Shangguan wants to secure Adrian Yarrow, so she’ll do everything she can to get pregnant as soon as possible. Once the affair is exposed, even if the timing is off, everyone will question the child’s identity. Even if she gives birth to a girl, or can’t have children at all, a queen having an affair would be scandal enough!"