Morgan Shangguan's face remained calm, yet in her heart she suddenly realized that Master Ethan Yi cared for Claire Yi far more than he ever did for Damien Gray! Simply because Claire Yi liked Damien Gray, he had gone to great lengths to bring them together, always focusing on Claire Yi's needs without ever considering Damien Gray's feelings!
And now, he had chosen to trust Claire Yi, not Damien Gray!
How could she have ever compared him to her grandfather? Her grandfather truly cared for her, while Master Ethan Yi did not genuinely care for Damien Gray. If you truly care about someone, you naturally think from their perspective, but Master Ethan Yi did not. Yet the concern she saw in his eyes back then was not fake, so it can only mean that Master Ethan Yi does care about Damien Gray, but not because of Damien Gray himself—there must be another reason. Whatever that reason is, this concern has already been greatly diminished.
Caring just for the sake of caring—no matter how hard he tries, he still can't avoid unconsciously forgetting to notice the other's needs.
She lifted her gaze to Damien Gray, whose eyes were half-closed and unreadable. A wave of pain swept through Morgan Shangguan's heart—perhaps no one had ever truly considered what he really needed from his own perspective!
Damien Gray met her gaze, slightly startled, then his lips curved into a faint smile. Reaching out, he gently stroked her cheek and said softly with a laugh, "Is my Princess Consort pitying me?"
Morgan Shangguan reached up and held the hand on her cheek, smiling with a sigh, "It's heartache, not pity. That's something neither of us needs, and you know it." They didn't need anyone's pity, nor did they have any extra feelings to pity others!
Damien Gray suddenly let out a soft laugh, the sound genuinely joyful. Master Ethan Yi frowned at him, eyes full of anger—Claire Yi was already in such a state, yet he could still laugh! He truly wondered if Damien Gray had been bewitched by that enchantress, to the point that he no longer cared about his own master!
Just as he was about to speak, his arms suddenly felt empty. Master Ethan Yi was startled and looked up—only to see Damien Gray gripping Claire Yi by the throat, his face cold. Watching Claire Yi struggle, Master Ethan Yi leapt to his feet and shouted sternly, "What are you doing? Do you really intend to kill your own junior sister?"
Seeing that Damien Gray remained unmoved, Master Ethan Yi grew anxious but dared not act rashly. Claire Yi was still in Damien Gray's grasp, and although he was Damien Gray's master, Damien Gray's martial skills were already far superior to his own!
Morgan Shangguan, Claire Yi has no grudge against you. Please make him stop!
Morgan Shangguan raised her brows and gave a light laugh, saying indifferently, "What does it have to do with me?" Though she said this, she still frowned at Damien Gray, signaling him not to kill Claire Yi. She didn't want him to feel guilty in the future—not for Claire Yi, but for Master Ethan Yi, who was probably the closest person to him.
Maxwell Jing and Ethan Gu exchanged glances, both frowning deeply. The prince had always respected the elder, but if he truly killed Claire Yi now, he would surely break with him.
Before they could think further, Damien Gray tightened his grip. "Crack!" The sharp sound pulled them back to reality, and they saw Damien Gray expressionlessly toss aside the corpse in his hand. Master Ethan Yi's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, seeming to age in an instant. Is it true that you can predict fate but not change it?
Although he was Grand Astrologer Simon's disciple, he was still just an ordinary person and couldn't foresee everything. Otherwise, he would never have let Claire Yi come to the Ghost King's Manor. But fate is such—he is powerless. Claire Yi was destined not to escape this calamity!
Demon Child... Demon Child...
Master Ethan Yi looked at the cold Damien Gray, doubting whether all his actions over the years had been right or wrong. Consort Bella Simon, if the Demon Child is destined to bring disaster to the world and fate cannot be changed, would you still do everything to protect him?
No need to think further, Consort Bella Simon's decision back then said it all. Master Ethan Yi slowly stood up, looked at Damien Gray, and said calmly, "From now on, our master-disciple relationship is severed!" With that, he picked up Claire Yi's corpse and left without looking back.
Damien Gray killed Claire Yi right in front of him. He couldn't pretend nothing had happened, but he couldn't kill him either. All he could do was sever their ties!
Damien Gray watched him leave and could only sigh, "What a pity!" He hadn't intended for Claire Yi to die so easily; at least this way, he gave Master Ethan Yi some face.
Maxwell Jing and Ethan Gu exchanged glances and quietly withdrew; at this moment, their presence was not needed.
Morgan Shangguan sighed, "Damien, you didn't have to do this." Although Claire Yi intended to harm her, she hadn't succeeded. After suffering and becoming crippled, she had already been punished. Even if the matter ended here, Morgan wouldn't blame him. He didn't need to kill Claire Yi in front of Master Ethan Yi; even if someone had to do it, it shouldn't have been him. She wouldn't mind doing it herself!
Damien Gray gently stroked her hair, kissed her forehead, and said in a low voice, "My woman shouldn't have to suffer!"
He saw the hatred in Claire Yi's eyes very clearly. If she was allowed to live, she would surely try to harm Morgan Shangguan again. Killing Claire Yi in front of Master Ethan Yi wasn't impulsive; he knew how much Master Ethan Yi cared for Claire Yi. Master Ethan Yi thought that taking her back to the Valley of Destiny would heal her, but he didn't realize that Maxwell Jing's handiwork wasn't so easy to cure!
Once he discovered that Claire Yi had become completely crippled, he would surely be unable to accept it. Judging by his previous actions, he already considered this Morgan Shangguan's fault. Claire Yi hated Morgan so much that, after crying and complaining, Master Ethan Yi would definitely blame Morgan and seek revenge!
He could never let Morgan Shangguan be harmed. In the end, he would still have to oppose Master Ethan Yi. So it's better to break things off completely now, to avoid worse consequences. Killing Claire Yi in front of Master Ethan Yi was also to show him how important Morgan Shangguan was, to make his stance and resolve clear. If Master Ethan Yi insisted on hurting Morgan, Damien Gray would have no choice but to become his enemy!