It must be said, Damien Gray is truly ruthless! He pushed Prince Ethan onto the throne, let him taste the feeling of victory and command, only to suddenly strip him of all power. Even though Ethan still sits at the highest position, he has no authority at all. That kind of feeling—perhaps only those who have experienced it can truly understand!
All this time, everything Prince Ethan did was for the throne, to become a great emperor! But now, having ascended, he finds himself powerless, unable to act. His ambitions and dreams have all come to nothing, and he might even go down in history as Silvermoon Kingdom's most spineless puppet emperor, always suppressed by the Empress. For Ethan, this is a pain worse than death!
Overcome by rage, Prince Ethan coughed up blood and laughed bitterly to the sky. Everything he had done was for nothing! He schemed endlessly, held himself to the standard of a ruler, and even tried to rid himself of Morgan Shangguan because of his feelings for her—believing that an emperor should never be swayed by love. But in the end, he was ruined by a woman. Is this retribution?
Damien Gray let out a cold laugh and left with Maxwell Jing and Ethan Gu. To dare touch his woman—this was the punishment deserved!
Sophie Qiu watched him leave, her gaze complex. She too felt unwilling. Though Damien Gray promised her full authority over Silvermoon Kingdom and vowed not to interfere, all the ministers were his people. How could she feel at ease? If he ever changed his mind and wanted the throne back, it would be as simple as a single word.
Yet she dared not think of replacing Damien Gray’s people. He navigated the throne struggle with ease; everyone was merely a pawn in his game. Such a cunning man—any small movement from her and he would notice. Besides, Damien Gray had poisoned her. She was now entirely under his control. If he became displeased, he could end her life in an instant. Still, she did not regret her choice!
If not for this, her ambitions would never be realized. As things stand, it's better than gaining nothing at all! She is luckier than Prince Ethan!
In truth, even if Damien Gray hadn't poisoned her, he could take her life at any time. He did it because he understood Sophie Qiu’s ambitions too well—he wanted her to behave and stop stirring up trouble for him.
Although Morgan Shangguan said they’d meet again at Jade Dragon Manor, Damien Gray didn’t go there immediately. Instead, he went to find her first. Despite knowing her abilities, not seeing her left him uneasy.
Liam Duanmu is a man of the martial world, unwilling to get entangled in court affairs and uninterested in politics. Honest and upright, he cannot fathom the complex minds of royalty. So, when he thought Prince Ethan was about to ascend, he believed his task was complete and that Morgan Shangguan’s cooperation with Ethan was finished. Ethan’s promises to Morgan should be fulfilled. But he never imagined Ethan would try to kill Morgan, nor did Ethan keep Liam to help deal with Damien Gray—knowing Liam’s feelings for Morgan, keeping him would only complicate matters!
"Big Brother..." Noah Duanmu shouted, then sighed, "Are you even listening to me?"
Liam Duanmu seemed to finally come back to his senses, looking a bit lost. "What?" he asked.
Noah Duanmu repeated, "Father said this banquet isn't simple. He wants you to be extra careful!"
"Is Father not going?"
Noah Duanmu rolled his eyes toward the sky. "So you really haven't been listening, huh? Mother isn't feeling well, so Father is staying with her!"
Noah Duanmu glanced at him, muttering in frustration, "I came all the way to meet you, and you barely even care!"
After speaking, he blinked his charming eyes and, seeing Liam Duanmu distracted again, suddenly leaned in with a teasing smile. "Big Brother, are you... still thinking about that beauty?"
Liam Duanmu felt a knot of frustration in his heart and didn't want to argue. Suddenly, he said, "Let's go up the mountain for a walk!"
"Huh?" Noah Duanmu stared at him in surprise. They were clearly on the road—now he suddenly wanted to hike up the mountain? Was he feverish? This was so unlike the Alliance Leader!
On the cliff, Noah Duanmu let the wind blow against him, looking at Liam Duanmu and asking, "Big Brother, what happened?"
Liam Duanmu glanced at the bottomless cliff and asked softly, "Noah, what would you do if you fell in love with someone you shouldn't?"
Noah Duanmu stroked his chin and thought for a long moment before answering, "I can't answer that. If it hasn't happened, no one knows what the outcome will be!" He was serious for only a moment before returning to his playful self, "Let me fall for the wrong person first, then I'll tell you!"
It was meant as a joke, but unexpectedly, the words turned out to be prophetic.
Neither spoke again—the cliff top was silent.
Noah Duanmu kept shaking his head at Liam Duanmu. Sigh... He finally opened up, only to fall for someone he shouldn't. What now?
He scratched his head, still puzzled, when the sound of clashing weapons grew closer—it seemed to be coming their way!
"Big Brother!"
Liam Duanmu snapped back to attention, turned to look at the approaching figures, and, seeing that familiar silhouette, didn't hesitate—he leapt right into the fray.
Noah Duanmu yelled with a bitter face, "I'm not that good at martial arts!" These people were clearly professional assassins. He shook his head helplessly, but still ran over to help!
Seeing the group of men in black, Morgan Shangguan frowned. She had been taken out of the palace by Adrian Yarrow, and hadn't gone far before encountering these people—she'd been chased all the way here!
At this moment, Adrian Yarrow and Mona Shangguan were both in a sorry state. Mona was on the verge of collapse, holding on by sheer will—she refused to die here. Morgan, however, remained calm and composed, her white robes still spotless, her face showing no sign of fatigue—just a slight frown as she observed the men in black.
Who were these people? Were they sent by Prince Ethan to lie in wait outside the palace? It didn’t seem so. But if not Ethan, then who else would want them dead?