Quentin Hua blinked, glancing at the person who had appeared out of nowhere, then at the intimate posture of the two. He frowned deeply—could he have been mistaken? Was Damien Gray actually a flirtatious, fickle man?
Morgan Shangguan leaned against Damien Gray's chest, unmoving, and chuckled softly. "Your Highness is quite fast! I had just arrived, and you’re already here!"
Damien Gray let out a low hum, then punished her with a gentle bite on her lips. With a hint of displeasure, he said, "From now on, stay away from that troublemaker!"
Quentin Hua suddenly seemed to understand something. He was too shocked to care about what Damien Gray said. He stretched out his slender, pale finger and pointed at Morgan Shangguan, trembling all over. His expression was as if he’d swallowed a fly, eyes filled with disbelief. "You... you’re the Cloud Guildmaster?" He never expected the leader of the Cloud Guild to be the very same mystical consort Prince Ethan had given to Damien Gray. No wonder she recognized him!
The timid, dependent princess sent for alliance, and the ethereal, decisive Cloud Guildmaster—who would ever connect these two identities? No wonder she seemed familiar. If not for Damien Gray’s intimate behavior, he would never have guessed they were the same person!
Morgan Shangguan raised her brows, unconcerned that her identity had been exposed. Since Damien Gray hadn’t hidden his own identity from Quentin Hua, he clearly trusted him. She had nothing to worry about—not because she trusted Quentin, but because she trusted Damien.
Morgan’s gaze swept over Quentin Hua, her lips curling into a half-smile. "It seems Lotus Sect Master still hasn’t learned his lesson!" Her eyes finally landed on his stomach.
Quentin Hua quickly covered his stomach, the gesture comical no matter how one looked at it. Realizing his movement was undignified, he casually withdrew his hand and forced a laugh. "Had I known you were the Cloud Guildmaster, I wouldn’t have dared be so rude!"
"Morgan..." Damien Gray turned Morgan Shangguan’s head back toward him, his face full of displeasure—clearly unhappy that she was staring at another man’s stomach!
Morgan Shangguan curled her lips and stopped looking at Quentin Hua. She simply asked, "Lotus Sect Master, may I leave now?"
Quentin Hua chuckled, "Take care!" With Damien Gray personally coming to fetch her, how could he dare keep her any longer?
Damien Gray shot him a glance, then wrapped his arm around Morgan Shangguan and left. This was Quentin Hua’s residence—though he appeared sociable, he actually preferred peace and quiet, so there were no servants in the courtyard. There was little risk of being discovered, but life is full of surprises. Just as Damien and Morgan stepped out, a guard arrived at the gate, clearly looking for Quentin, and they ran right into him.
Before the guard could say a word or do anything, a commanding voice came from inside, "Come in!"
Damien Gray, still holding Morgan Shangguan, didn’t pause as they exited the courtyard and swiftly disappeared.
The guard, stunned, didn’t have time to stop them. Feeling the sharp gaze from the distant pavilion, his heart skipped—he hurried inside and bowed respectfully, "Sir..."
Quentin Hua asked in a low voice, "What is it?"
"The Crown Prince instructed that you detain the Princess Consort!" But now the Princess Consort had already left, and that man just now must have been the Ghost King. Such lightness in movement—he’d never seen anything like it. Even the slowest-witted person could tell the Ghost King wasn’t as frail and useless as he appeared. If he reported this to the Crown Prince, perhaps he’d be handsomely rewarded!
Lost in his thoughts, he was suddenly overcome by a suffocating sensation. Alarmed, he looked up to see Quentin Hua’s eyes—usually seductive and inviting, now cold and terrifying. The sense of suffocation grew stronger. Staring at Quentin’s expressionless face, the guard’s eyes filled with fear. He wanted to beg for mercy, but couldn’t make a sound.
Quentin Hua, expressionless, gripped the guard’s neck and squeezed. "Crack!" With a sharp sound, the guard collapsed limply to the ground.
Quentin Hua calmly withdrew his hand, as if he’d merely picked a flower, not taken a life. His gaze drifted toward the courtyard gate, and with a sigh, he murmured, "Damien Gray, you’ll always be luckier than me! May you always remain so fortunate."
Inside the carriage, Morgan Shangguan laughed softly, "Your Highness, didn’t the Emperor tell you not to leave the manor before the national ceremony?"
"Hmph! If I hadn’t come out, wouldn’t someone have run off with my Princess Consort?" He kissed her lips, sucking and nibbling until she was breathless, then let her go and grumbled, "Not only did you cause me trouble, now you don’t even remember to come home?"
The words 'come home' warmed Morgan Shangguan’s heart, and her eyes sparkled with gentle laughter. She raised her brows, "When have I ever caused you trouble?" Not remembering to come home was simply not true—she’d only been delayed a little.
Damien Gray simply pulled her onto his lap, holding her close. "Haven’t caused me trouble? Who brought Liam Duanmu into the manor?"
Morgan Shangguan frowned at his words. "What did he do?"
Damien Gray snorted coldly, "He doesn’t have the skills to do anything yet—he just entered my study, that’s all!"
Morgan wrapped an arm around his neck, kissed his lips gently, her face radiating tenderness. Her slender, pale fingers flirtatiously stroked his chin as she whispered, "I trust Your Highness’s abilities!"
Trusting his abilities implied that keeping Liam Duanmu around wouldn’t be a problem, so there was no need to drive him away and ruin her business.
Liam Duanmu was also her bargaining chip to gain Prince Ethan’s trust. The more Prince Ethan trusted her, the more weight her words would carry. When she introduced people, he’d be more likely to accept them—and her profits would naturally increase!
Damien Gray frowned at her, visibly conflicted. "He’s always trouble!"
Morgan Shangguan raised her brows and said calmly, "Just say what you mean—no need to beat around the bush!" She knew Liam Duanmu was trouble, but making money always required a bit of risk. Would Damien really be bothered by such a minor nuisance?
This chapter isn’t finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading the rest!