His gaze shifted to Morgan Shangguan, only to find her seemingly oblivious to their conversation. Her expression remained calm and unreadable, making it impossible to discern her thoughts. Adrian Yarrow frowned unconsciously—Morgan's indifference left him with no way to control her, threatening to derail his carefully laid plans.
He sighed inwardly. It was clear he needed to devise a new plan, just in case. He had thought his strategy flawless, but never anticipated Morgan Shangguan would become such an unpredictable variable.
The word 'imprisonment' in his speech made Liam Duanmu suddenly look up at Morgan Shangguan, his heart aching for her lack of freedom. Yet, even his gaze failed to elicit any response from her.
Crown Prince Adrian seemed uninterested in these matters of love and emotion—he rose and walked out. Prince Ethan simply drank his wine in silence, not engaging in the discussion, while Sophie Qiu gazed at Adrian Yarrow with tender affection, oblivious to everything else.
Damien Gray chuckled softly. "Is that so?" He turned to Morgan Shangguan and asked, "Morgan, what do you say? Do you love me, or do you love him?"
Adrian Yarrow's eyes flashed sharply at those words. Was Damien Gray sulking? Had he sensed Morgan's feelings for him? So, even though Morgan's temperament had changed, her feelings for him remained—only hidden so well that he hadn't noticed. If that was the case, perhaps his plan could still work!
Morgan Shangguan looked at Damien Gray, a hint of helpless amusement in her eyes. Clearly, he was still bothered by her feelings for Adrian Yarrow, which was why he wanted her to declare her heart in front of Adrian.
She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. Morgan Shangguan smiled softly, "Of course, I only love my lord!" If it would make him happy, she didn't mind granting his wish.
Mona Shangguan scoffed inwardly. She refused to believe Morgan truly liked Damien Gray. How could Damien compare to her beloved Crown Prince brother? There was no way Morgan would give up on Adrian Yarrow so quickly and fall in love with Damien Gray!
A flash of pain crossed Liam Duanmu's eyes. Sometimes, he truly hated the burden of responsibility. More than once, he had almost acted on impulse and tried to take her away, but in the end, reason always prevailed over emotion. He simply couldn't do it.
A fresh wave of displeasure surged in Prince Ethan's heart. His grip on the wine cup tightened as he squinted at the affectionate pair, anger brewing inside him. Suddenly, he set down his cup and rose to leave the room.
Adrian Yarrow, however, was unfazed by Morgan Shangguan's words. He was already content knowing she still held lingering feelings for him.
The music and dancing resumed, restoring the lively atmosphere to how it was at the very start.
Outside the pleasure barge, Susie Yun and Ryan Ouyang laughed together in the breeze, looking carefree. Not far from them, Quentin Hua, Ethan Gu, and Maxwell Jing stood together, whispering about something only they knew.
Crown Prince Adrian observed the scene from a distance, choosing not to intrude. To him, Quentin Hua was both mysterious and seemingly capable of anything. Whenever Quentin was present, nothing seemed impossible. Adrian guessed that, at this moment, Quentin might be trying to coax information out of the two guards.
Prince Ethan walked out, glanced around, and found a secluded corner. Lucas Yan appeared at his side, quietly reporting last night's strange palace incident—no clues had been found. Prince Ethan listened, waved him away, and then stood alone, gazing at the willows by the shore, lost in thought.
Inside the barge, Damien Gray suddenly leaned close to Morgan Shangguan's ear and whispered, "Princess Consort, don't fall for a handsome man's tricks!" Anyone could see Adrian Yarrow was already making a move on her—his gaze was so gentle it made Damien want to gouge out those eyes!
Morgan Shangguan turned to look at him for a long moment, then asked teasingly, "Are you saying I shouldn't let you share my bed tonight?"
Damien Gray's face darkened. He pinched her waist in protest and said, "Princess Consort, you know exactly what I mean!"
Morgan Shangguan shot him a glance, her reply calm yet charged with emotion: "You brought this on yourself!"
Damien Gray, a little guilty, said, "I just want him to know that my Princess Consort only loves me."
Morgan Shangguan sighed softly, her exasperation tinged with affection. "So stubborn!"
Adrian Yarrow didn't believe she only loved Damien Gray. Instead, he was convinced her calm indifference was just an act—deep down, she still had feelings for him.
Morgan Shangguan studied Damien Gray curiously, then asked, "How did you make a mistake this time? That's not like you at all."
Damien Gray smiled, his lips curling. "It wasn’t a mistake. From now on, I plan to stick to my Princess Consort every moment, just to make him anxious!"
Morgan Shangguan shook her head with a gentle laugh. Should she call him mean, or just childish?
Just then, Mona Shangguan walked over and took Morgan Shangguan's hand. "Sister, shall we go outside and talk for a while?" she asked.
Damien Gray was clearly displeased by the interruption. Morgan Shangguan leaned in and whispered to him, "Guarding Adrian Yarrow is just the same."
With that, Morgan followed Mona Shangguan outside, unable to hide the smile in her eyes.
Damien Gray watched her leave, feeling frustrated. Guarding Adrian Yarrow? He’d rather just turn him into a corpse—much simpler!
Mona Shangguan led Morgan Shangguan outside the barge, putting some distance between them and the others.
Morgan Shangguan gently withdrew her hand—a habit formed over many years, as she disliked being too close to others. Mona Shangguan didn't mind, her sweet smile unwavering as she remarked, "Sister, you really are unfortunate! I thought that with a marriage alliance, you’d at least become a noble consort. Who would have guessed you’d end up in the Ghost King's manor with a sickly husband?"
Mona Shangguan sighed with a laugh and went on, "You can only blame yourself for being unable to bear loneliness—so eager to climb into his bed, and now you’ve missed out on such a good opportunity."
Morgan Shangguan simply listened quietly. She had followed Mona out here just to learn a few things—if Mona was willing to talk, it saved her from asking.
Seeing Morgan Shangguan unresponsive, a flash of malice crossed Mona Shangguan’s eyes. She spoke softly, "Do you know why I suggested to Crown Prince Adrian that we come to Silvermoon for the Royal Ceremony?"
Morgan Shangguan raised her brows at that. So it was Mona who’d proposed Adrian Yarrow attend the ceremony. But even if she hadn’t, Adrian would have come anyway!