Seeing her face full of anger and disdain, Liam Duanmu frowned, "Miss..."
Claire Yi snapped back to her senses, pointed with her hand, and said, "Over there, at the Shadow Court!" Then she walked away without looking back.
Standing at the courtyard gate, listening to the sound of pigs inside, Claire Yi's expression was terribly sour, her eyes full of resentment. Morgan Shangguan actually made her live with a bunch of pigs. She had thought about moving to another courtyard, but without Morgan's instructions, no one would let her in. The servants obeyed Morgan's orders without question. Earlier, she had gone to see Damien Gray partly out of concern for his injury, but also for this very matter. She had not expected to witness something she could not tolerate.
Claire Yi touched the object at her waist, her eyes conflicted. But as she listened to the noisy pig squeals and smelled the foul stench, her anger overcame her hesitation. She touched the still-unhealed wound on her forehead, her gaze gradually growing resolute.
"Morgan..." Damien Gray leaned in, hoping for even a fleeting glance from her.
Morgan Shangguan fiddled with a piece of black stone of unknown material, pushing away the head that blocked her view. She continued to frown and study the object in her hand.
Damien Gray looked pitiful and complained, "Morgan, can't you care about me just a little?"
Morgan Shangguan finally looked up at him, unable to help a soft laugh. "Don’t you have anything better to do? Why are you so free?"
Damien Gray coughed twice, instantly feigning weakness. "I’m injured!" Clearly, he was now a master at pretending to be sick—practice makes perfect!
Morgan Shangguan glanced at him, half-smiling, "Shouldn’t I take this opportunity to seize Ghost Guild?"
Damien Gray smiled gently, "Cloud Guildmaster, the people of Ghost Guild aren't so easy to deal with." His tone shifted, becoming wickedly charming, "But if you offer yourself as a trade, I might consider it."
Morgan Shangguan felt as if she were watching a face-changing performance. Ignoring his words, she suddenly grabbed his fingertip and, with a swift flick of her nail, drew blood. Drops of Damien Gray's blood fell onto the black stone, which absorbed them completely.
Damien Gray let her draw blood from his hand, raising his brows in curiosity, "What is this thing?"
After drinking its fill of blood, the stone grew more lustrous, a black sheen tinged with crimson. It looked surprisingly beautiful. Morgan Shangguan frowned at it and shook her head, "I don’t know."
Damien Gray said with a wry smile, "You don’t even know what it is, yet you let it drink my blood?" His eyes were helpless but held no hint of blame.
Morgan Shangguan replied matter-of-factly, "If I don’t experiment, I’ll never know what it is."
Clearly, Morgan Shangguan thought Damien Gray should provide his blood for her experiments, a hint of childishness in her manner. She herself was unaware, but Damien was delighted by this discovery. It meant she now considered him part of her inner circle. Smiling, he pulled her onto his lap.
Morgan Shangguan frowned but didn’t struggle, only asking, "What are you up to?"
Just as Damien Gray was about to act, Ethan Gu suddenly arrived with a report: Liam Duanmu requested an audience.
Morgan Shangguan thought for a moment and said, "Let him in." Having been entangled with Damien Gray, she had nearly forgotten there was such a person in the manor.
Damien Gray frowned but said nothing. Suddenly, he lowered his head and bit hard just below her ear—a spot so conspicuous it was clearly intentional. The sharp sting made Morgan Shangguan frown and roll her eyes. She tried to get up, but Damien held her tight, refusing to let go.
Morgan Shangguan turned to look at Damien Gray, who met her gaze without backing down. In the end, Morgan relented. She herself couldn’t understand why she indulged him so much!
As soon as Liam Duanmu entered the courtyard, he saw this affectionate scene. His eyes lingered on Damien Gray’s arm around Morgan Shangguan’s waist, and a pang shot through his heart, though he forced himself to remain calm.
"Greetings, Prince. Princess."
Damien Gray coughed twice and smiled gently, "No need for such formalities, Master Li. Please, have a seat!" Liam Duanmu’s current identity was that of the mysterious Master Li.
"Thank you, Prince!" Liam Duanmu sat on a stone bench to the side and looked up. Morgan Shangguan’s face showed no trace of embarrassment or awkwardness, her expression calm, as if she weren’t being held so intimately, and as if no one had witnessed the scene.
Liam Duanmu was puzzled by her composure—was she pretending, or did she truly not care? He glanced at Damien Gray. Prince Jin had said he was no ordinary man, but right now, he saw nothing amiss. Damien Gray indeed looked ill, but his gentle expression was oddly similar to Morgan’s—serene, detached, as if above worldly desires.
Morgan Shangguan had Susie Yun serve tea before asking, "May I ask what brings you here, Master Li?"
She was gradually letting down her guard around Damien Gray, but with him present, Liam Duanmu couldn’t voice his true concerns. So he simply replied politely, "I have no urgent business—since I’m staying at the manor, it’s only proper to pay my respects to the Prince."
Morgan Shangguan raised her brow, beginning to understand. Seeing he was reluctant to speak, she turned to Damien Gray, her meaning clear: please excuse yourself for a moment.
As she turned her head, a mark that had been hidden by her hair was exposed. Liam Duanmu’s hand tightened around his teacup, his gaze fixed on the spot below her ear. His heart felt as if it were being squeezed—so painful he could hardly breathe. If only he had met her sooner, he would never have let her be caught up in such chaos.
Damien Gray pursed his lips in displeasure and looked away, ignoring the scene.
Morgan Shangguan tugged at the corner of her mouth and called out with a smile, "Prince..."
Damien Gray looked at her, a faint smile appearing on his face. He asked gently, "Princess, do you have something to say?"
Morgan Shangguan squinted at him for a moment, then leaned close and whispered in his ear, "Damien Gray, how am I supposed to speak with you here?"
Damien Gray curled his lips and whispered back, "Oh? Is he too embarrassed to confess with me here?" His tone was tinged with jealousy.