Claire Yi's already pale face turned even more ashen. "You knew?" She had always assumed Damien Gray was unaware that she had drugged his meals. Back then, she found it strange that, after he woke up, he never pursued the matter. She kept thinking perhaps he believed he had made a mistake when taking the medicine, so he never held her accountable. She never imagined he knew everything. "Is that why you don't like me? I didn't mean to..."
Back then, all she knew was that Damien Gray was in poor health and spent most of his time bedridden. She didn't realize that his body wasn't so weak as to require lying in bed all day—the suffering was all due to the aftereffects of the medicine. She was still young and ignorant then, so it was out of childish mischief that she put medicine in his food.
She just wanted to see if the medicine was really as miraculous as rumored—capable of making someone lose all their inner strength in an instant. Back then, she already liked Damien Gray, so naturally he became her test subject. During that period, Damien was in a constant haze, never suspecting anything was wrong with the food. He had just begun learning martial arts, and his aptitude was far better than most, but because of his health, his skills weren't exceptional. Still, he believed he could handle a snake on his own.
As for the so-called life-saving favor, it was just Claire Yi pushing him aside, then getting bitten by a venomous snake herself. Actually, Master Ethan Yi's pharmacy had plenty of antidote pills, but because the aftereffects kicked in, Damien Gray fainted on the spot. Claire Yi was so frightened she could only cry, unable to tell which medicine was the antidote among so many. Fortunately, her crying drew someone over and saved her life. Damien, however, was less lucky—if Master Ethan Yi had come even a moment later, Damien might truly have died!
Damien Gray ignored her words, his voice cold: "Since you love me so much, I'll give you a chance!"
Claire Yi's eyes lit up—her senior brother did care for her after all! She glanced at Morgan Shangguan, her gaze carrying a hint of provocation. Even the pain in her body was temporarily forgotten.
Morgan Shangguan raised her brows, completely unfazed by Claire Yi's provocation.
Just as Claire Yi was imagining how to deal with Morgan Shangguan and avenge herself after Damien Gray accepted her, she heard Damien's chilling voice: "Leave or die—which will you choose?"
Claire Yi snapped her gaze to him, eyes wide in disbelief. "Senior brother..." Wasn't he just giving her a chance?
Damien Gray ignored her shock and continued, "If you leave, never appear before me again. If you choose death, I can keep your ashes in the palace. The choice is yours! Let me see just how much you love me!"
Claire Yi's body trembled, as if drenched from head to toe in icy water. She knew that if she truly loved Damien Gray, she should choose death—at least then she could remain by his side. Suddenly, her heart jolted. Was her senior brother testing her, trying to see if she really loved him before deciding whether to accept her?
Gritting her teeth, Claire Yi said with difficulty, "I choose death!"
Damien Gray raised his brows, a cruel and seductive smile playing at his lips. He spoke slowly, "Very well. Maxwell Jing, do it!"
As Maxwell Jing approached, Claire Yi's eyes widened in terror, but she gritted her teeth and waited for Damien Gray to call it off. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
Maxwell Jing played along perfectly, moving agonizingly slowly. The wait was enough to drive anyone mad.
With a crisp "ding," the tip of Maxwell Jing's folding fan revealed a blade, glinting coldly—its sharpness obvious at a glance.
As that chillingly sharp blade moved toward her chest, Claire Yi squeezed her eyes shut and finally cried out, "I don't want to die... I don't want to die... I'll leave!"
Not feeling the expected pain, Claire Yi opened her eyes, gasping for breath. She'd been so tense she forgot to breathe. Looking at Damien Gray, she saw his indifferent expression, and tears welled up again. Her senior brother truly didn't care whether she lived or died. He'd been bewitched by that demoness Morgan Shangguan, tormenting and humiliating her so mercilessly!
Was she too foolish or just too cowardly? She'd never seen through the fact that Damien Gray didn't care for her at all. Now, with his obvious disgust, she still blamed it on Morgan Shangguan's enchantment, refusing to accept Damien's cold-heartedness.
Until now, she'd never truly witnessed Damien Gray's cruelty. The man she loved was always the gentle Damien she'd imagined—a person who never existed. Faced with the real, cold-hearted Damien, she couldn't accept it at all. So she stubbornly believed it was Morgan Shangguan's spell that had made him lose his senses, convinced he was still the man she dreamed of.
Damien Gray paid no attention to Claire Yi's feelings, idly playing with Morgan Shangguan's fingers. He ordered coldly, "Dig out her eyes, cut out her tongue, break her limbs, and throw her out! I only let her choose death or leaving—I never said she could leave unharmed!"
"Yes!" Maxwell Jing replied, moving just as slowly, continuing the psychological torment.
"No..." Claire Yi couldn't help but scream. What was the point of living like that? "Senior brother... you can't do this to me..."
"Oh, right," Damien Gray suddenly added, "and her ears too!"
Morgan Shangguan raised her brows at Damien Gray, a faint smile on her lips. She leaned close to his ear and whispered with a laugh, "You're truly wicked!"
Damien Gray turned his head and kissed her cheek, the cold aura around him fading away. He chuckled softly, "Princess Consort, you really do understand me!"
In truth, Damien Gray never intended to let Claire Yi go. He hadn't acted directly, dragging things out not only to inflict physical pain but also psychological torment—like a beast toying with its prey, whose struggles only amused him. Now, Claire Yi was that pitiful creature, desperately struggling with no hope of escape.
Morgan Shangguan wrapped her arms around his neck, curiosity in her voice as she asked, "If she'd kept choosing death, what would you have done to her?" She knew that, no matter what Claire Yi chose, her fate would be miserable. Still, she was genuinely curious about Damien Gray's intentions.