Jade Yarrow frowned and said, "Don't talk nonsense!" Then she followed them inside.
As they entered the courtyard, they saw Morgan Shangguan lying on the soft chaise, basking in the sun as if asleep. Damien Gray sat beside her, gently stroking her cheek, a soft smile on his lips.
Jade Yarrow stopped in her tracks, gazing at the beautiful scene before her, her heart filled with envy.
"Please, Princess, have a seat!"
The sudden voice snapped Jade Yarrow back to reality. Morgan Shangguan had already opened her eyes to look at her, but she remained lying on the chaise, unmoving and a bit lazy.
Jade Yarrow sat down on a stone bench nearby. A maid hurried in and reported, "Prince, Princess Consort, the Grand Astrologer has arrived!"
Morgan Shangguan raised her brows—how lively it was! "Let the Grand Astrologer come in."
A trace of displeasure flashed in Damien Gray's eyes. He pulled Morgan Shangguan into his arms and sat on the rocking chair beside the chaise. Morgan Shangguan sat on his lap, leaned against him, yawned, and sighed, "The calm before the storm is rather dull, isn't it?"
Damien Gray tightened his arm around her waist, a bit dissatisfied. "With me here, you still feel bored, Princess Consort?" Before Morgan Shangguan could reply, he added softly, "The storm isn't far off."
Jade Yarrow listened to their conversation, but it was all a fog to her—she had no idea what they meant. Just then, Jin Locke walked in, clearly distracted.
The group sat in the courtyard, but it seemed no one had anything to say. The atmosphere grew awkward. Jin Locke glanced at Morgan Shangguan and Damien Gray, his eyes complex and conflicted, his mind echoing with Blood Wraith's warnings and those words that had stirred his heart.
With nothing left to say—and mainly because the courtyard's owner seemed to dislike outsiders—Jade Yarrow and Jin Locke could only take their leave.
Another two days passed peacefully. Just as Damien Gray wondered whether to stir things up, Minister Magnus Shangguan finally sought him out.
Minister Magnus Shangguan didn't beat around the bush. He said directly, "I have a way for Prince Damien, the Ghost King, to escape this marriage alliance."
Damien Gray lowered his gaze, hiding the strange smile in his eyes. When he looked up, excitement filled his expression. "Does the Prime Minister truly have a way?" The reason he'd tolerated Jade Yarrow's constant presence was to lure Minister Magnus Shangguan in.
Minister Magnus Shangguan nodded and added, "But Prince Damien, the Ghost King, must help me with something—in fact, it's also helping yourself."
He already knew Damien Gray was the Ghostmaster. But as Minister Magnus Shangguan wasn't from the martial world and lived in Azure Kingdom, he only knew the Ghostmaster had some influence. He had no idea how terrifying that power truly was. In the martial world, such an organization could easily kill someone, and he'd heard the Ghost Guild's assassins were formidable!
But he didn't realize this was information Damien Gray had deliberately revealed to him!
The next few days brought gloomy weather, making people restless. Morgan Shangguan should have been enjoying the show, but she felt inexplicably uneasy. Damien Gray sensed her agitation, and though he didn't ask, he stayed by her side.
That night, Minister Magnus Shangguan led his troops straight into the palace. Adrian Yarrow was completely unprepared.
The civil ministers naturally held no military power, but no one knew that the Grand Marshal and Minister Magnus Shangguan were sworn brothers. Back when the Grand Marshal was unknown, Magnus Shangguan had saved his life. He'd promised to repay him, and he truly did!
Adrian Yarrow had only just ascended the throne and was busy with state affairs, so he paid little attention to Minister Magnus Shangguan. In his eyes, Magnus Shangguan had no intention of rebellion, but he didn't realize he'd offended someone he shouldn't have.
Damien Gray not only revealed to Minister Magnus Shangguan that he'd drugged Mona Shangguan, but also secretly helped him in many ways. Otherwise, Magnus Shangguan wouldn't have so easily led troops into the palace.
Bursting into the imperial study, Magnus Shangguan saw Adrian Yarrow still seated, reviewing memorials, and couldn't help but sneer.
Seeing the scene, Adrian Yarrow's eyes flashed dangerously. He said in a deep voice, "Prime Minister, you enter the palace with troops in the dead of night—what is your intention?"
Magnus Shangguan bowed respectfully and replied, "Your Majesty, I heard assassins had broken in, so I brought men to protect you!"
"Assassins?" Adrian Yarrow slammed the memorials onto his desk, his voice cold. "Why am I unaware of any assassins?" He wondered why there was no commotion outside.
Elsewhere, Logan Qian pulled off his black mask and looked at the corpses scattered across the floor. He asked the two beside him, "Why are we working so hard? Is the Guild Master really planning to help Magnus Shangguan rebel?"
Maxwell Jing dragged the person beside him away, answering Logan Qian's question, "If we don't work hard, we won't make it to the next assignment!"
"Huh? There's another one?" Logan Qian pulled his mask back over his face and ran after the two, followed by a group of men in black.
In the imperial study, Magnus Shangguan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, there's no need to stall for time. I've brought troops in—if any guards were still alive, there wouldn't be such silence."
Adrian Yarrow's expression darkened. Magnus Shangguan seemed quite pleased and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, you have only yourself to blame. Why insist on marrying Princess Jade Yarrow to the Ghost King? If you must blame someone, blame yourself for being so cruel to Mona."
Adrian Yarrow's face grew grim. "Damien Gray!" He hadn't expected Damien Gray to deal with him in this way.
Damien Gray entered with Morgan Shangguan in his arms, casting a cold glance at Adrian Yarrow. His lips curled in a sinister, captivating smile. "Adrian Yarrow, did you think I would fear a mere emperor?"
As he finished speaking, a group of men in black rushed in but only stood there without acting. Magnus Shangguan knew they were Damien Gray's people. He looked at Adrian Yarrow and smiled, "Your Majesty, I truly only came to protect you, but I was a step too late—the assassins have already killed you!"
Magnus Shangguan raised his hand to order the men in black to act, but suddenly Damien Gray's strange voice rang out, "It seems the Prime Minister has misunderstood something."
Magnus Shangguan's face changed slightly as he looked at Damien Gray and said in a low voice, "Ghost King, are you planning to back out? Don't forget—it's too late to stop now!"
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