Moreover, Damien Gray is rather unique—there probably isn't another person who was stillborn like him!
Fortunately, as night fell, the fever in Damien Gray's body subsided, and Morgan Shangguan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The next morning, as soon as Morgan Shangguan opened her eyes, she saw Damien Gray's sour expression. Seeing she was awake, he snorted coldly, clearly displeased.
Morgan Shangguan frowned. "What's wrong?" Could the fever have fried his brain?
Damien Gray asked with a dark face, "Did you bring a man back?"
Morgan Shangguan raised her eyebrows, not hiding anything from him. She got out of bed and replied calmly, "That was Liam Duanmu. He's now with Prince Ethan. Prince Ethan wants to install him here, and as a gesture of cooperation, I had no choice but to bring him back."
Damien Gray snorted, "I know that's Liam Duanmu! Who else would act so hypocritically? It's precisely because it's him that I care even more!"
Morgan Shangguan didn't mention what she and Prince Ethan were collaborating on, nor did Damien Gray ask. He simply said in a deep voice, "My manor does not welcome him!"
Morgan Shangguan raised her eyebrows and replied unhurriedly, "Oh? In that case, I might as well leave too!"
"You..." Damien Gray was furious, his anger barely contained. "I just can't stand him. If he doesn't leave, I'll kill him. And if you dare leave, I'll have him torn apart by five horses!"
Morgan Shangguan frowned. "Damien Gray, don't be so willful!"
Damien Gray kept a stern face and replied coldly, "So what if I am willful?"
"You..." Morgan Shangguan snorted and walked out, but stopped at the door. She turned and instructed Susie Yun, who had been listening outside for a while, "Susie, see the guest out!"
Upon hearing this, Damien Gray's lips curled up and he called out, "Wait!"
Morgan Shangguan turned to look at him, her voice cold. "What more do you want?" She was clearly losing her temper; though she was usually tolerant of Damien Gray, she had her own boundaries!
Damien Gray reached out and hugged her, smiling as he said, "It's not impossible for him to stay, but you can't meet him alone. You must have me with you!"
Morgan Shangguan snorted, "Don't think I'll thank you for this!" That would mean falling into his trap!
Damien Gray smiled and kissed her gently, whispering, "I don't want your gratitude!"
Susie Yun saw the couple being affectionate, covered her mouth, and slipped away with a quiet giggle.
After a while, Damien Gray suddenly asked, "Mo'er, when will you admit defeat?"
Morgan Shangguan looked at him with a half-smile for a long moment, then asked lightly, "What have I done to make you think I'm about to admit defeat?"
Damien Gray was stunned, then looked thoroughly disappointed. "I thought I saw a glimmer of hope!" It seemed he still had a long way to go. He sighed and muttered, "Princess Consort, you really are extraordinary! Ordinary women aren't this hard to win over."
Morgan Shangguan smiled faintly. "Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness!"
Claire Yi wandered aimlessly down the street, her mind filled with images of Damien Gray and Morgan Shangguan being affectionate. She felt bitter—could a love of over ten years really not compare to a woman he'd only known for a few months?
She had completely forgotten that those ten years of affection were hers alone; Damien Gray had never truly reciprocated.
Suddenly, Claire Yi tripped and fell to the ground, tears stinging her eyes from the pain. She got up and saw that she’d stumbled over a beggar, wrinkled her nose in disgust, glared at the beggar, and moved on. When she reached a deserted alley, she could hold back no longer and squatted down, sobbing, "Wuu... Damien Gray, how could you treat me this way?"
She had been only six years old when she first saw him, and from that moment, he became someone special in her heart. She always believed that, no matter what, they would end up together—but now...
Claire Yi cried her heart out. She missed her master so much—if only he were here, he would never let anyone bully her!
At the mouth of the alley, an inconspicuous carriage was parked, and inside, the faint sounds of two people talking could be heard.
"Your Highness, I personally saw that woman come out of the Ghost King's Manor," said a voice, humble and eager to please.
Another voice mused, "Oh? So the Ghost King's Manor has another woman. It seems her relationship with Damien Gray is quite deep, and she looks heartbroken. In that case, let's do her a favor!" After a pause, he added, "I can't believe it's only now that we've noticed another woman in the Ghost King's Manor!"
The person who had been waiting for a reward broke out in a cold sweat, just about to beg for mercy, when he heard, "I'll leave this matter to you. Do it well and you'll be rewarded; if not..." The drawn-out tone carried a chilling threat.
"I will get it done!"
Claire Yi absentmindedly walked toward her own courtyard, and accidentally bumped into someone.
Thinking it was just a servant from the manor, she didn't bother to apologize. Nor was she in the mood to hold anyone accountable, so she hurried on, only to be stopped by a voice, "Miss, wait!"
Claire Yi paused and turned to look at him. The servants in the manor all called her Miss Yi, so maybe this person wasn’t from the manor?
Liam Duanmu noticed her staring at him and frowned, about to ask where Morgan Shangguan was, but Claire Yi spoke first. "Who are you?" Could he be a spy who sneaked in?
Facing her suspicious gaze, Liam Duanmu explained, "Princess Consort brought me into the manor. I was just hoping to ask you where Princess Consort lives." He still had matters to discuss with Morgan Shangguan, but she hadn’t shown herself.
Claire Yi observed him closely and noticed that his expression changed noticeably when he mentioned Morgan Shangguan. Boldly, she asked, "Do you like Morgan Shangguan?"
Liam Duanmu was taken aback and awkwardly dodged the question. "Could you tell me where Princess Consort lives?" Morgan Shangguan was now Damien Gray's Princess Consort; admitting his feelings for her in front of outsiders would surely cause her trouble.
His evasiveness confirmed to Claire Yi that he did like Morgan Shangguan. She snorted inwardly—how shameless, chasing after one woman after another!