Mona Shangguan snapped back to reality, quickly adjusted her expression, and turned to look at the newcomer. "Jin—brother Jin..."
Jin Locke reached out and gently patted her head, smiling as he asked, "Are you feeling better?"
He completely treated Mona Shangguan as Yun Xuan. He carried deep guilt toward Yun Xuan—he had fallen in love with Morgan Shangguan, which to Yun Xuan felt like betrayal. Morgan had even been the one to kill Yun Xuan, but he could no longer bring himself to harm Morgan. So he chose to make up for his guilt through Mona. He had already cured Mona’s heart pains, and also neutralized the foul-smelling pill Quentin Hua had mischievously given her. He often appeared at the Prime Minister's Estate, caring for her in every way.
This made him feel a little better, but he failed to notice that under his meticulous care, Mona Shangguan grew more dependent on him, trusted him more, and her gaze began to carry other emotions as she looked at him.
"I'm fine." After a pause, Mona hesitated and asked, "Jin—brother Jin... I heard my sister has returned. Why hasn't she come home to visit?" She wondered if Adrian Yarrow was keeping Morgan in the palace.
No matter what, she would never let Morgan Shangguan steal Adrian Yarrow away!
Seeing Jin Locke lost in thought, Mona Shangguan frowned, "Jin—brother Jin..."
"Hm?" Jin Locke snapped back to himself and smiled. "The Prime Minister has arranged for the envoys to stay at the guesthouse." In truth, Adrian Yarrow did intend for Morgan Shangguan and Damien Gray to stay in the palace, but how could Damien let him have his way?
Mona Shangguan was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I want to see my sister."
Jin Locke frowned, "You're still weak. You should rest and recover! If you truly wish to see Feng... to see Morgan Shangguan, you can ask the Prime Minister to invite the Ghost King to stay at the Prime Minister's Estate for a couple of days." After all, there were still several days before the coronation.
Of course, Adrian Yarrow would never publicize that he’d been used by a woman, so Jin Locke was unaware of the grudge between Mona Shangguan and Morgan Shangguan. Back then, he only knew Morgan had killed Yun Xuan, but not how much Yun Xuan hated her.
Mona Shangguan asked happily, "Really?" Then, a little nervously, she added, "Father doesn’t seem to like my sister very much. I’m afraid he won’t agree."
Jin Locke smiled and said, "Then I'll go talk to the Prime Minister."
"Really? Thank you, brother Jin!"
Seeing Mona Shangguan so happy, almost like a child, Jin Locke couldn’t help but smile as well. Yet he didn’t realize that behind her innocent, childlike face was a twisted hatred—perhaps because of his long-standing assumptions.
Because of childhood memories, he always thought Yun Xuan was a kind girl, so he never suspected her of anything. Now, treating Mona as Yun Xuan, he naturally didn’t sense any malice from her either.
Inside the guesthouse, Damien Gray sat with a rare look of seriousness, his brows furrowed. More than a dozen teacups were arranged on the table before him. He picked up one, took a sip, frowned, then tried another. After tasting them all, he still wasn’t satisfied and slumped into his chair, clearly displeased.
A maidservant in the guesthouse approached cautiously and asked softly, "Your Highness the Ghost King, why not let us handle the tea brewing?"
Damien Gray glanced at her and said with a frown, "Brew me a cup and let me taste it."
"Yes, sir!"
The young maid nervously placed the tea before him. It wasn’t that she was timid—this Ghost King was simply too strange. Brewing tea since early morning, wasting so many leaves, and his expression only grew darker. She’d never seen a prince like this before, and she couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong with his head. Of course, she’d never dare say such a thing, nor let it show. All she could do was serve him with extra caution, hoping he wouldn’t cause her trouble.
Damien Gray picked up the cup and took a sip, his brows furrowing again. "The taste is wrong!" he said coldly, frightening the little maid into kneeling and begging for forgiveness.
When Morgan Shangguan woke up, Damien Gray was nowhere to be seen. She stepped outside the hall and overheard two young maids whispering at the doorway, peeking inside.
"What’s wrong with the Ghost King?"
"How would I know? These important people all have strange tempers. Looks like Little Tao is in trouble!"
Morgan Shangguan raised an eyebrow and walked over. The two maids quickly bowed, but she ignored them and went straight into the hall, where she saw Little Tao kneeling at Damien Gray’s feet, trembling with fear.
Damien Gray’s face was stern, but not truly angry—he seemed lost in thought. Still, anyone who didn’t know him would be terrified by his cold, serious expression, especially since a single word from him could decide someone’s fate.
"When did you learn to think so deeply, Prince Damien?" Morgan teased, her tone full of mockery—not that she thought he was foolish, but rather too cunning; he rarely showed genuine contemplation, having always calculated everything in advance.
Hearing her speak so freely, Little Tao couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Morgan Shangguan, silently praying that Damien Gray wouldn’t get angrier because of her words. If he did, she’d be doomed. She instantly regretted meddling at all.
Damien Gray reached out and pulled Morgan Shangguan onto his lap, settling her comfortably. "You’re awake?" he asked gently. His sudden warmth made Little Tao think she must be dreaming—the Ghost King hadn’t shown a pleasant face all morning.
Morgan Shangguan glanced at the table crowded with teacups and laughed, "Are you trying to learn how to make tea, Prince Damien?" She picked up a cup, tasted it, and couldn’t help but frown. "Still so strange—looks like you haven’t made any progress!"
Damien Gray frowned, looking troubled, and said helplessly, "This is the greatest disgrace of my life! I learn everything quickly, but I just can’t master tea-making. Every time, the tea tastes odd—and I didn’t even add anything extra! It’s just tea leaves and water!"
Morgan couldn’t help but laugh at his embarrassed expression. She wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling, "What’s gotten into you?"
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