Seeing Morgan Shangguan finally react, Mona Shangguan seemed rather pleased with herself. She moved closer, smiling as she said, "It's been so long since we've seen each other, I really missed you, Sister! I haven't been able to sleep well, not seeing you in pain. So I had no choice but to come to Silvermoon Kingdom and show you just how loving Crown Prince Adrian and I are!"
Morgan Shangguan's lips curved slightly, but her eyes remained indifferent. Mona Shangguan and Yun Xuan truly are alike—both willing to do anything just to see her suffer.
Seeing that Morgan didn't show any pain or cry as she used to, Mona's heart was filled with frustration. She spoke, "Do you know why I ended up with Crown Prince Adrian?"
Morgan glanced at her, intrigued by the answer, though she already had her suspicions. After all, Mona and Yun Xuan were so similar. Yun Xuan had hated her for years and done countless things in secret for revenge. If anyone understood Yun Xuan, it was Morgan.
Mona Shangguan's smile was dazzling—almost unnaturally so. She whispered, "Because you love Crown Prince Adrian! Everything you have, I want to claim for myself. Watching you lose everything, seeing you miserable and in pain, makes me truly happy!"
"But now, I truly do love Crown Prince Adrian. Did you know? He treats me with such gentleness. When I'm ill, he comes to see me and personally feeds me medicine. When His Majesty chose me as the marriage alliance princess, he was even more anxious than I was and worked hard to persuade His Majesty to pick you instead. He even promised that once he ascends the throne, I will be his empress!"
"Well? My dear sister, how does it feel to be handed off by the man you love to another? Not bad, isn't it? Hehe... Soon, I'll be the Crown Princess of Azure Kingdom and eventually its empress, while you will always be just the Enchantress Consort to the sickly Ghost King. Open your eyes wide and watch how happy Crown Prince Adrian and I are!" Her voice grew increasingly manic toward the end.
Morgan glanced at her coolly and asked calmly, "Why do you hate me so much?" Yun Xuan hated her because her powers were taken away, but what about Mona?
Such deep-seated hatred couldn't possibly be just because she couldn't stand Morgan's face.
"Heh... Why?" Mona murmured, her eyes swirling with madness and pain. "Sister, you really do forget things easily, don't you?"
Morgan raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. What could have happened between two young ladies to make Mona hate her so deeply?
Mona looked away, her smile turning eerie. She whispered, "Did you forget, Sister? You were the one who snuck me out of the manor. I still remember how kindly that man smiled and handed you a beautiful piece of candy, but you gave it to me instead. Why did you give it to me? Why?"
Morgan asked calmly, "Was there something wrong with that candy?"
"Something wrong?" Mona murmured, then let out a couple of hollow laughs. She turned to Morgan, hatred flashing in her eyes as she continued, "That candy nearly killed me! Though I was rushed to the Valley of the Divine Healer and my life was saved, I could never practice martial arts again!" Mona was a renowned scholar, but her true passion was martial arts. Because of that poisoning, she could no longer train.
Morgan frowned. No one would poison a little girl for no reason—was it one of Minister Magnus's enemies? In politics, making enemies was all too common.
But even so, that alone shouldn't be enough for Mona to hate her so fiercely.
When Yun Xuan lost her powers, it wasn't just about losing her abilities—it meant she could no longer inherit the leadership of the Shangguan Family. Yun Xuan had always feared the stern Lillian Shang, yet deep down she longed for motherly love. So she was always cautious around Lillian, suppressing her feelings. When her powers were taken, all that pent-up emotion exploded. But because she subconsciously feared Lillian, even if she hated her, she didn't dare retaliate—she could only redirect all her hatred toward Morgan, believing that if Morgan didn't exist, none of this would have happened. That's why she was so desperate for revenge.
But even if Mona couldn't practice martial arts and blamed Morgan, it shouldn't have led to such intense hatred. Morgan could see the pain in Mona's eyes; clearly, something else had happened to turn resentment into hatred.
Mona seemed to recall something, her body trembling, her voice tinged with pain. "On the way back from the Valley of the Divine Healer, I didn't know who they were or how I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was in a strange place. Do you know what kind of place it was? You can't possibly know!"
"It was a place where young girls were trained for brothels. There were many girls like me, forced to learn all sorts of skills and endure harsh punishments if we disobeyed. The willow switches hurt terribly but left no scars. Those people didn't see us as human. Luckily, my looks spared me from the worst."
Morgan remained silent. With Mona's beauty, of course they'd treat her differently.
"Once, a richly dressed old man barged in and tried to undress me in the corner. I was so young, I didn't understand what he wanted, but I instinctively fought back and scratched his face. He slapped me unconscious. When I woke up, there was no comfort—just another beating. I couldn't stand it anymore. I tried to escape many times and was caught just as often. Each time, I was beaten and locked away without food. That place was hell. Even though I feared being caught, I couldn't bear it, so I kept trying to run. Two years—I spent two years there before I finally escaped. Do you know why Father dotes on me so much? Because he feels guilty. He thinks he owes me!"
If she had lived a hard life from the start, maybe she would have accepted her fate more easily. But she remembered so clearly how happy she was in the Prime Minister's manor, so she couldn't bear that suffering. Memories of her happiness tempted her, and even after countless failed escapes, she never gave up.