Before Morgan Shangguan could say anything, Damien Gray leaned in close, gently nibbling her earlobe as he whispered suggestively, "So, Princess Consort, you can't kick me out of bed. Otherwise, I won't have anywhere to sleep."
Morgan Shangguan caught his wandering hand beneath his sleeve and softly reprimanded, "Mind the occasion!"
Adrian Yarrow had been watching the two all along, unable to help but furrow his brows repeatedly. Throughout the banquet, all he saw was their flirtatious banter. How could Morgan Shangguan act like this? She didn’t even blush or seem flustered!
Prince Ethan was also watching them, his brows knitted tightly. For some reason, that scene was simply an eyesore to him.
Mona Shangguan, however, was no longer paying attention to Morgan Shangguan. Instead, her focus was entirely on Sophie Qiu, constantly serving Adrian Yarrow dishes and pouring him wine, deliberately showing Sophie Qiu how loving she and Adrian Yarrow were—making it clear there was no room for her to interfere.
She had originally planned to perform on stage and put Sophie Qiu in her place, but she hadn’t expected Emperor Alexander to leave so soon. If she went up to perform now, it would only lower her own status, so she had to let it go for now. Still, there would be another chance to compete with that woman!
Sophie Qiu seemed unfazed by her provocation and spoke softly, "Your Highness, I raise my glass to you!"
Adrian Yarrow smiled gently, lifted his cup, and drained the wine in one go.
Mona Shangguan glared at Sophie Qiu, lowering her head as she pondered. She couldn’t afford to be reckless, or she’d only make her brother the Crown Prince dislike her. This matter required careful consideration. The Crown Prince was hers, and so was the position of Crown Princess—no one could take them away!
Mona Shangguan may seem impulsive, but she’s actually quite clever; otherwise, Adrian Yarrow wouldn’t have chosen her.
No matter how lively the banquet was, or how turbulent the undercurrents around them, Damien Gray and Morgan Shangguan only cared about eating—more precisely, one fed while the other ate.
Morgan Shangguan laughed softly, "Your Highness, people might suspect the Ghost King's Manor is so poor that it doesn't even have food!"
Damien Gray smiled and replied, "Everything the Princess Consort feeds me tastes better!"
Before Morgan Shangguan could respond, a eunuch approached them and said, "Princess Consort, His Majesty summons you."
Damien Gray couldn't help but frown, while a thoughtful look flashed through Morgan Shangguan's eyes. She patted his hand gently and whispered, "It's all right."
Watching Morgan Shangguan leave with the eunuch, Damien Gray lowered his eyes, a flash of coldness passing through them. If Emperor Alexander was smart, he'd best not cross his bottom line. Otherwise...
It was still in Lady Sapphire's palace. This time, not only was Lady Sapphire present, but Emperor Alexander was there as well. As soon as Morgan Shangguan entered, she was met with a sharp question: "Why is Damien's health deteriorating?"
Looking at Emperor Alexander's dark expression, Morgan Shangguan found it amusing. Wasn’t this exactly the result he wanted? Why question her now? Did he suspect Damien Gray was only pretending to be ill? Hadn’t he already given him poisonous things himself?
Morgan Shangguan lowered her head, explaining with a hint of anxiety, "His Highness’s health has always been unpredictable. I truly don’t know the reason."
As soon as Morgan Shangguan finished speaking, the hall fell silent. After a long moment, Emperor Alexander finally sighed, "Forget it."
After another stretch of silence, Morgan Shangguan kept her head slightly bowed, patiently waiting for Emperor Alexander to reveal his true intention.
After a while, Emperor Alexander finally spoke, "It seems Damien truly likes you. You should serve him well! Don't disappoint me!" He told her to take good care of Damien Gray, but the meaning was clear—he wanted her to act as a spy and not betray him.
"As you command!"
Emperor Alexander looked at her and added, "Mona Shangguan is your sister. It's rare for you two to meet—make sure to get closer to her!"
Morgan Shangguan realized he wanted her to keep Mona Shangguan occupied, so Sophie Qiu could get closer to Adrian Yarrow!
"I understand!"
Emperor Alexander nodded, somewhat satisfied with her cleverness. Yet clever people were always hard to trust. He gave Morgan Shangguan a deep look and repeated, "Don't disappoint me!"
"I wouldn't dare!"
Morgan Shangguan left Lady Sapphire's palace and slowly made her way toward the Imperial Garden. On the way, she ran into several extravagantly dressed women—obviously palace consorts, though none had appeared at the banquet, likely because they weren’t favored.
Morgan Shangguan had no intention of paying them any mind and kept walking without pause.
"How bold! You see a consort and yet you don’t pay your respects!" one of the women snapped at Morgan Shangguan.
Another woman quickly pulled her back, her gaze sizing up Morgan Shangguan. Hesitantly, she said, "She seems to be..." trailing off before whispering something in the other's ear.
The woman’s expression changed. Not being invited to such a banquet had left her feeling resentful, and seeing how beautiful Morgan Shangguan was only fueled her jealousy. She’d assumed Morgan was just some minister’s daughter, which was why she tried to cause trouble. But if Morgan was really the woman by the Azure Crown Prince’s side, hadn’t she just gotten herself into big trouble?
"Princess Consort..."
At this moment, the eunuch who had led Morgan Shangguan earlier hurried over, handing her a small wooden box. "This is a spiritual medicine His Majesty bestowed upon the Ghost King. I forgot earlier, so His Majesty asked me to deliver it to you. He instructed: one pill per day, no more, no less!"
Morgan Shangguan glanced at the box, reached out to take it, and said, "Thank you, sir!"
Once the eunuch had left, the woman who had scolded Morgan Shangguan earlier regained her composure. She looked at Morgan and sneered, "For a moment, I thought you were the future Crown Princess of Azure Kingdom. Turns out you're just the Enchantress Consort!"
The other women seemed to lose their reservations as well, joining in the mocking laughter.
"Born of the same parents, yet such different fates!" one of them clicked her tongue twice, her face feigning sympathy, but her gaze toward Morgan was filled with mockery.
"I knew it! How could the future Crown Princess of Azure Kingdom have such a seductive face? This look only suits our Enchantress Consort!" Morgan Shangguan and Mona Shangguan were practically identical, but the same face on Morgan was called seductive, while on Mona, it was not?