Damien Gray spoke plaintively, "Wasn't it you, Princess Consort, who provoked me?"
"Me?" Morgan Shangguan raised her eyebrows, looking a bit confused. She didn't think she had done anything to upset him!
Damien Gray glanced at her, clearly dissatisfied. "Last night you hugged me and said you missed Susie Yun. How do you expect me to feel?" His serious demeanor made Morgan Shangguan burst into laughter again.
"So you want to learn how to make tea, just to steal Susie Yun's place in my heart?" Morgan Shangguan's eyes sparkled with amusement. She pulled his head down and kissed him lightly on the lips, laughing softly. "My lord, you're not only petty, but also quite greedy!"
Damien Gray gently stroked her hair and said matter-of-factly, "Your whole heart belongs to me. There shouldn't be room for anyone else!"
Morgan Shangguan rested her head on his shoulder, fiddling with the front of his robe. She sighed, "But what can I do? I find myself missing Susie Yun more and more!" The laughter in her eyes was impossible to hide, and she wasn't afraid for Damien Gray to see it.
Damien Gray tightened his arm around her waist, his voice full of warning. "Is Princess Consort hoping to see a tragedy of two lives lost?"
Morgan Shangguan laughed and hugged his waist, nuzzling his shoulder, eyes closed as if preparing for a nap. Although Damien Gray could be reckless, she wasn't worried he would truly harm Susie Yun—because Susie Yun was hers.
Damien Gray would never allow anyone to hurt her, nor would he ever permit himself to do such a thing!
"Damien... I think I'm falling more in love with you..." she murmured, as if talking to herself, yet her words instantly brightened Damien Gray's expression.
He gently kissed her on the temple. Damien Gray frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Are you very tired?"
"It's nothing, I'm just not fully awake yet." After a pause, she suddenly said, "My lord, stop worrying about your shortcomings. Just keep playing to your strengths!"
Damien Gray asked with great interest, "And what strengths might those be?" He seemed to be looking forward to Morgan Shangguan's praise.
Morgan Shangguan opened her eyes and looked at him, smiling as she uttered two words, "Sleeping companion!" After speaking, she rested on his shoulder and closed her eyes again. In truth, she woke up as soon as Damien Gray left, thinking he had important matters to attend to, but he had just come to make tea. The thought made her lips curve upward again. She hugged his arm tighter, their bodies pressed close and warm—her heart felt so content, she didn't want to let go.
Maisie couldn't help but steal another glance at Morgan Shangguan, a bit in awe of her boldness. Even if she was favored, such words were too much—who ever asked the lord to be their sleeping companion? If anything, it should be the other way around. After all, the Ghost King's consort was the Prime Minister's eldest daughter; how could she be so unruly? She'd always heard Morgan was not favored at the Prime Minister's Estate—maybe this was why.
Of course, Damien Gray wasn't angry. His fingers teasingly brushed the skin of Morgan Shangguan's neck. He smiled, "You can't sleep without me? Then I never have to worry about you leaving me!"
Morgan Shangguan smiled, just about to say something, when suddenly someone came to report: the Prime Minister requests an audience.
Morgan Shangguan raised her eyebrows. What could Minister Magnus Shangguan want? He hadn't mentioned anything yesterday, but today he specifically requested to see her. Could it be that Adrian Yarrow had made a move?
Damien Gray spoke coldly, "Let him in."
As soon as Minister Magnus Shangguan entered, he saw Maisie kneeling before the couple and quickly asked, "Your Highness, Ghost King, did the servants fail to serve you properly?"
Damien Gray glanced at Maisie, held Morgan Shangguan close, and smiled warmly. "Prime Minister, you jest. Your country's etiquette is impeccable, and the servants are very attentive. This girl knelt here of her own accord—perhaps she finds the floor cooler!"
Maisie froze for a moment, unable to process what was happening. She had knelt down on her own, but only out of fear—she was scared of being punished and begged for mercy, not because the floor was cool. Besides, it wasn't even hot today!
Feeling a bit wronged, she pouted and glanced at Damien Gray, but dared not speak up.
Minister Magnus Shangguan was momentarily stunned, but as the Prime Minister of a nation, he quickly regained his composure and smiled. "Your Highness, Ghost King, you jest!"
Damien Gray simply smiled and said nothing more, his palm gently caressing Morgan Shangguan's back. Whether it was Minister Magnus Shangguan standing or Maisie kneeling, both were thoroughly ignored.
Morgan Shangguan kept her eyes closed, nestling comfortably in Damien Gray's embrace, as if she had fallen asleep.
Minister Magnus Shangguan couldn't help but frown. His impression of Morgan Shangguan was at an all-time low. Watching Damien Gray's increasingly intimate gestures—even slipping his hand inside her robe—he could only see Morgan's back, but Damien's actions were enough to make anyone blush. The Prime Minister clenched his fists, his face flushed with anger. Damien Gray was clearly humiliating him on purpose!
Furious, he wished he could slap Morgan Shangguan awake, but in the end, his status forced him to hold back. He sighed bitterly—what misfortune for his family! How could he have such a shameless daughter? They were siblings, yet why was Xuanxuan so refined and well-mannered?
Truthfully, he was overestimating himself. Damien Gray didn't need to go to such lengths to embarrass him, nor would he use Morgan Shangguan for that purpose. The Prime Minister was really giving himself too much credit!
Morgan Shangguan hadn't actually fallen asleep. Damien Gray's increasingly bold gestures made her frown. Because they'd been traveling, Damien hadn't touched her last night, and now, out of nowhere, he seemed to be in the mood again!
With her level of skill, traveling hadn't tired her at all, but Damien Gray always cared for her more than she did herself. She had gotten used to it.
Morgan Shangguan paid him no mind; Damien Gray knew his limits. She had simply woken up a bit too early and didn't feel like moving.
Minister Magnus Shangguan saw her frown and realized she wasn't asleep, his expression growing even darker. He recalled how, during the treasure hunt, Morgan Shangguan had been just as intimate with a martial artist, openly affectionate without a care. Did the Ghost King know? He frowned, glancing at Damien Gray. Morgan Shangguan's actions affected the peace between two nations—if her impropriety led to war, he'd be the one held responsible!