Damien Gray softly snorted, "The Princess Consort simply chooses not to compete with her!"
In Damien Gray's eyes, Morgan Shangguan was the best. Indeed, Morgan was in no way inferior to that woman; she simply knew how to restrain her own brilliance instead of desperately gathering all her light to illuminate the world. Such radiance would be as fleeting as fireworks—dazzling, yet short-lived.
But for Sophie Qiu, it didn't matter whether it was fleeting or whether she was willing. What she needed was that kind of brilliance that everyone yearned for.
Morgan still wanted to ask something, but Damien Gray, taking advantage of everyone's attention being drawn to Sophie Qiu, suddenly pulled her in and kissed her on the back of her head. The kiss was brief—the occasion was far too 'dangerous'—but even so, quite a few people saw it. After all, there were plenty of attendants present, though the palace maids and eunuchs, having witnessed it, could only pretend not to have seen.
Morgan glanced at him, not blaming his impulsiveness, and simply said, "It seems you know more than I do!"
After Sophie Qiu paid her respects, she stepped onto the stage to perform a dance. Her graceful movements were poetry in motion, captivating everyone’s gaze. Adrian Yarrow was equally entranced, though it was impossible to tell if his fascination was genuine.
Damien Gray seemed completely uninterested, merely watching Morgan as he asked, "How much does the Princess Consort know?"
Not far behind each table stood a young palace maid. Whenever the wine ran low, she would immediately refill it. Just then, one of the maids who had been standing at a distance suddenly stepped forward. Morgan was about to speak but swallowed her words. The maid approached with a teapot, intending to refill the tea. But when she lifted the lid, she found the cup was already full. She was momentarily stunned—she had clearly seen the Ghost King drink several times and thought he would need more tea!
Suddenly, a fair hand appeared before her. The maid was momentarily dazed as the teacup was placed back on the table. She stared blankly as the hand slowly withdrew. Damien Gray spoke with some displeasure, "Aren't you going to pour the tea?" If not for his current status as Ghost King, he would have already lost his temper!
He turned and glared at Morgan, clearly dissatisfied—how could she even captivate the women!
Morgan couldn’t help but laugh. The maid had only glanced at her hand—and she was a woman herself. Yet he was jealous even of this!
Although Damien Gray had drunk tea, it was Morgan who fed it to him, so naturally, it was Morgan’s cup that was empty. The maid, blushing and flustered from seeing their intimacy, dared not look closely and missed this detail, leading to her mistake.
Sensing Damien Gray’s displeasure, the maid’s face turned pale, clearly frightened. After all, a single misstep in serving these masters could mean punishment—or worse, losing her life.
The young maid hurriedly refilled the tea, placed the cup back in its original spot, and retreated, finally breathing a sigh of relief. After that scare, she had no mood left to admire beauties, feeling lucky to have escaped trouble. She was grateful to have served the gentle Ghost King; if it had been the Crown Prince... remembering the fate of the last maid, she shivered and thought, the Ghost King truly is kinder!
Morgan glanced at Sophie Qiu on stage and continued the earlier topic, "Sophie Qiu, Chief of the Celestial Maiden Sect, is known as Silvermoon’s greatest beauty. The Celestial Maiden Sect isn’t aligned with the orthodox or demonic paths; its members—handsome men and graceful women—are famous for their looks rather than martial skills. They rarely appear unless major events occur. Now it seems the Celestial Maiden Sect may be Emperor Alexander’s influence in the martial world."
Although the Celestial Maiden Sect is renowned for beauty and Sophie Qiu is a rare beauty herself, the martial world seems to favor Quentin Hua even more. If people could only choose to meet one, most would pick Quentin Hua. The title of Silvermoon’s greatest beauty falls to Sophie Qiu only because Quentin Hua is a man. No doubt, Sophie Qiu must be frustrated—she didn’t lose to a woman, but to a man!
Because of Quentin Hua’s personal tastes, the Lotus Sect is also filled with beauties. But their reputation isn’t based on looks alone. Even though Quentin Hua is stunning, he’s far from just a pretty face. No one dares provoke him lightly. The Lotus Sect wants nothing and rarely joins martial disputes, but everyone knows Quentin Hua’s martial arts are unfathomable—he has few equals.
After hearing Morgan’s words, Damien Gray smiled, "The Princess Consort knows almost everything. What she didn’t know, she’s surely guessed by now, hasn’t she? Before you, all the women Emperor Alexander sent me came from the Celestial Maiden Sect!"
Those women’s identities were secret and hard to trace, but Sophie Qiu is famous in the martial world. Emperor Alexander’s move has exposed the Celestial Maiden Sect’s involvement, which is why Damien Gray said he was willing to pay such a price this time!
It seems Emperor Alexander is truly determined to go to war with Azure Kingdom. Peace between the two nations may not last much longer!
When the dance ended, Emperor Alexander applauded and laughed, "Wonderful! Miss Qiu’s dance is so graceful and captivating—it’s no wonder she’s called Silvermoon’s greatest beauty!"
Mona Shangguan’s eyes were full of disdain. Silvermoon’s greatest beauty? Compete with her for the Crown Prince? Not a chance! She understood that Emperor Alexander wanted to give this woman to Adrian Yarrow, but she would never allow it. She had already decided to challenge Sophie Qiu herself.
But unexpectedly, Emperor Alexander didn’t ask Adrian Yarrow about Sophie Qiu. Instead, he looked at Damien Gray and asked, "Damien, what do you think of Miss Qiu? If you’re satisfied, shall I grant you a marriage?"
Emperor Alexander’s face was filled with affection, just like a doting father who wants to give his child the best of everything.
Hearing this, Damien Gray was caught off guard and glanced at Sophie Qiu, secretly cursing Emperor Alexander for being a sly old fox—always scheming, no matter the occasion!
Morgan narrowed her eyes, realizing Emperor Alexander didn’t truly intend to give Sophie Qiu to Damien Gray. At this moment, Emperor Alexander didn’t suspect her of bewitching Damien, so there was no need to plant someone at his side. Even if he wanted to give Damien another beauty for safety, he would never bestow Sophie Qiu—such beauties are rare. Clearly, Sophie Qiu was meant for Adrian Yarrow!