“No, the outsider wouldn’t be innocent at all.” Ralph interrupted. He could not allow Alexander to persuade the other elders.‘What a joke. If the outsider were innocent, Alex would be innocent, and everyone would forgive him. If that’s the case, I can’t claim my seat as the family patriarch.’“If the outsider enjoyed our family’s privileges, they would be at fault. How can an outsider be so entitled when they aren’t one of us? If the outsider is already an adult, they can make a living independently. Since our family has already nurtured the outsider, we must not allow them to take anything more from us.”It was evident that Ralph aimed his speech at Alexander. Some had already realized who he was talking about and looked at Alexander with unreadable expressions. If Ralph were right and Alexander was not a blood relative to the Russell family, then who was he? Does that mean his mother had an affair?When the elders realized who Ralph aimed his speech at, they chose to remain sile
Most were worried for Ralph when he took Heather’s hand since they heard she was a strong and scary woman. Even Ralph was not confident when he grabbed her.However, he had to do something since he had already claimed that Heather was his fiancee. If he did not show the elders he and Heather were close, especially to his mother, they would only be suspicious of their relationship.Ralph was sweating as he smiled stiffly and looked at the woman beside him. He was trying to send her a message through his eyes that it was an important day and not to make him look like a fool.Although it seemed like his message had gotten through, it could also mean Heather was in a good mood and might have even changed her mind about working with him again.In short, “Heather” did not shrug his hand off or give him an over-the-shoulder throw—instead, she allowed him to touch her and smiled. “I hope everyone doesn't mind me intruding.”“Not at all.” Most shook their heads. Since she was Ralph’s fianc
Alexander could not deny the results because Ralph had told everyone to vote anonymously. Ironically, Alexander’s uncle was the one trying to overthrow him.He continued to remain silent, looking calm and collected, as always. No matter the adversaries, he would always face them head-on without faltering.Lily did not care whether or not her husband was from the Russell family. She only cared about him as a person, not his bloodline or family background. After all, the man Lily loved and trusted wholeheartedly was Alexander.She looked at him with steadfast eyes as she smiled while stroking her baby bump gently.The first round of voting ended shortly, and Ralph announced, “To ensure the voting session is fair, both Alexander and I will stay out of it. This will be everyone’s opinion and not dominated by a single person.”“Okay,” Alexander readily agreed.Ralph turned to one of the housekeepers and instructed, “Go and get Mrs. Russell.”“As this is an important matter, we’ll nee
Moments later, the housekeepers finished counting the votes. Interestingly, both for and against were close, but ultimately, votes for the outsider to leave were slightly higher than those who voted for things to remain unchanged.Of course, some family members were dissatisfied with Alexander’s reign. After all, it was difficult to satisfy everyone as the head of the family. So, the unsatisfied family members used this opportunity to vote against him.The result had only a two-vote difference, and Ralph revealed a smug expression when he saw the results. “So, most of our family members have agreed to honor our family’s tradition that the Russell family’s pure bloodline is most important.“Those who aren’t part of the Russell family should not be allowed to stay and continue enjoying the privileges that come with being a Russell.” He raised his hand, which was holding onto the votes victoriously.Ralph was about to obtain what he had always dreamed of. He could imagine Alexander kn
Margaret was making things difficult for Ralph. She would have destroyed his current plan without him having a few contingencies up his sleeves.She ignored him and continued to address the surrounding family members, “I would like to say something important today. I hope every one of you will be able to overlook today’s incident on my behalf. Whatever Ralph had said today was just some joke, and you should not listen to him nor continue to question this issue.”Even though the other family members would love to listen to Margaret, unfortunately, this issue had already escalated to the point of no return. Everyone was curious and wanted to know who Ralph was referring to, but Margaret was trying to protect Alexander.Lily was astounded. Alexander’s relationship with his grandmother had always been less than civil, so she wondered why Margaret would change her attitude toward him and try to protect him.“No! That’s unacceptable!” Ralph was shocked by what his mother said and immedia
Even if this matter was out of control, Alexander was not a Russell, and Ralph intended to remove him from the family tree. If so, Ralph would be successful with or without the family’s support, and he would have nothing to fear.What Lily found interesting was “Heather's” reaction.She and Alexander had already noticed Heather’s two different temperaments. One was steady and calm, while the other was weak and docile. Now “Heather” was like the second one, sitting there quietly.When “Heather” entered the courtyard previously, Lily could not feel the aura a kickboxer should have, nor did “Heather” have the imposing manner of a family matriarch. It was all too strange.‘She must be hiding some shocking secrets from everyone.’As the atmosphere deadlocked, Ralph winked at Celine anxiously. They had agreed, but Margaret suddenly changed her mind, and Ralph did not want Celine to do the same. She must try harder to let Margaret announce the truth.Celine said softly after looking at
“Ralph is not my son!”Ralph smiled while happily waiting for his mother to say what he expected her to but was stunned when he heard what she said. His smile froze while staring widely at Margaret. He was confused and wondered if he had misheard his mother.The commotion among the surrounding family members resembled a dropped bomb that instantly detonated. Everyone was dumbfounded.They guessed and waited for Margaret to announce that Alexander was not a Russell. However, they never expected Margaret to mention her son.“Ralph?!”“He’s not Margaret's son?!”“Oh my, what’s happening?”Everyone in the Russell family knew Ralph was Margaret's most beloved son. She often quarreled with Hugo because of him, and everyone knew she favored Ralph. Therefore, everyone wondered why Margaret would announce that Ralph was not her son.It was unexplainable."Mom, what are you saying? You're wrong! It's Alex!" After recovering from his shock, Ralph hurriedly said to his mother, "It says Al
Ralph seemed to remember something as he turned around. He saw other family members passing DNA test reports around while he said crazily, “No, it can’t be. That lab report must be fake!”"The results don’t only include you, but also me and mom, Alexander and mom, me and Alexander, and of course, you," Celine spoke while supporting her mother and looking at Ralph. "The results prove the three of us are blood-related, except for you."If Margaret's words resembled arrows striking Ralph’s heart, Celine's words were knives stabbing him. Ralph looked at his sister as if he heard so much but could not listen. "Y-You conspired to trick me! You planned this! I don't believe it. I don't believe you!”Then without knowing where his extra strength came from, he suddenly broke free from those who held him down and rushed toward Margaret. He knelt at her feet, hugged her legs, and said, "Mom, how could you do this to me? Don’t you love me the most? Why did you work with those people to frame me
Lily tilted her head up to fight back her tears, saying, “There’s something I find strange.”“What is it?” Mike asked after comforting his son.“Instead of detaining Prince Ross, Her Majesty has sent him back to Yudonia. If so, why couldn’t we reach him?”After some thought, Mike answered, “There are two possibilities. It’s probably due to poor signals, or he doesn’t want us to contact him.”The two shared a look, knowing what each other was wondering.‘Why can’t we contact Ross? Is he planning something?’…Three days later, Lily inserted the last needle into the queen’s leg and looked up at her, saying, “You should start feeling your legs tomorrow. Still, it’ll take some time before you can stand.”Suddenly, Lily chuckled.“Why are you laughing?” Yasmin touched her legs. She had begun to regain sensation in her legs over the last two days. She then began to believe that she could get up. However, the queen was hesitant when the queen heard Lily chuckle.Lily shook her head
Lily straightened up and said without resentment, “Of course, you wouldn’t.”“That’s… quite a pity,” the queen murmured thoughtfully.“Well, there’s a price to pay for everything. That’s how the world balances itself,” Lily continued, “I can’t stop you if you must carry on with R10. Still, I won’t witness whether or not it succeeds. I just wish the outcome isn’t something you’ll regret.”Lily smiled and turned to head out the door.Rick heard their conversation as he stood guard outside. After exchanging looks with Lily as she brushed past him, he entered the room and saw the needles in Yasmin’s legs. “Your Majesty, those needles—”The queen waved dismissively. “It’s okay. Lily will remove them later.”Even so, Rick was wary. “You’re being too careless, Your Majesty. What if that woman—”“She wouldn’t,” Yasmin interjected, shaking her head."Why do you trust her so much?" Rick asked despite himself. The queen fell silent. If Rick had not asked her that, she would not have rea
Lily took out a cloth and unfolded it, revealing a row of silver needles inside. Yasmin was surprised she carried the needles with her.“Tell me. What do you want?” The queen took a deep breath to calm herself. She then reminded herself that she could always say no to Lily’s request. Still, Yasmin was cautious about Lily trying to trick her.Lily casually said, "I left because Prince Ross wanted to help me. I hope you don’t punish him.""That's it?" Yasmin thought she had misheard Lily. 'Is she trying to talk terms with me just so that I won't punish my son?' she wondered in disbelief."Ross is my son. I won't harm him. Don't you think you've wasted an opportunity by making such a request?" The queen shook her head. "I wasn’t sure if you’d blame him, but he did rescue me once. If I don't do anything, it would be ungrateful of me," Lily said gently, "Also, didn’t you already lock him up?"Yasmin was puzzled. "No, I only sent him back to Yudonia. He kept trying to get me to sto
"Three days," Lily replied.“That’s it?!” Yasmin was in disbelief. She thought Lily would try to buy some more time and suspected she would say the process would take several months or even years.‘I haven’t felt my legs for over a decade. I wouldn’t mind waiting for three more days.’“Are you sure I can get up and walk in just three days?” Yasmin pressed her legs hard but felt nothing. She would have treated her legs long ago if it were that easy.The queen had visited many famous doctors from various countries, but they could only stop her legs from getting weaker. However, Lily confidently told Yasmin that she could fix her legs so quickly.Yasmin wanted to believe it.After some consideration, Lily said, “I can’t guarantee that you’ll walk as fast as you once could. After all, you haven’t used your legs for a long time, and your muscles have atrophied. Still, you’ll recover slowly.”Yasmin nodded repeatedly, thinking it was good enough. She never dreamed of walking as well a
“Because only our opinions matter." Lily thought of something and said, "Unless you choose to believe Rhea.""I… don't trust anyone." Yasmin’s expression stiffened as she turned her wheelchair away."Your Majesty, I know you're dedicated to the experiment, but there are other things in life. Have you ever considered letting go of your burden to sightsee? You’ve done enough as a queen over the last few decades. Aren’t you tired of living a lonely life?”Lily gently spoke as she gazed at Yasmin’s back.The older woman caressed her knees with both hands and stared down at her legs, murmuring, “Sightsee, huh? I’ve forgotten what that’s like.”Yasmin had not used her legs for many years. Initially, she could still stand up and sometimes took a few steps. However, she could no longer get to her feet.She had grown accustomed to sitting in a wheelchair, but she felt a pang of sorrow after hearing Lily’s suggestion.Lily asked, “What if I can help you stand again? What if you can walk a
"Yes, I returned not just for him but also for you," Lily said, "I'm sure you were anxious for my return, weren't you?"Yasmin scoffed dismissively. "Why would I be? I have my bargaining chip. Besides, did you honestly think I couldn’t bring you back?""Bargaining chip? Do you mean Nick?" Lily shook her head with a smile. "Don't forget that he's not my son. Do you think he'll be much of a bargaining chip to you if I choose to ignore him for my three children?"She did not wait for Yasmin to reply and continued, "Besides, Nick still has a father who’s willing to die for him. If Mike decides to take drastic action against you— Yes, you're a queen, and you don't care much about an insignificant businessman.“However, don't forget that his business spans worldwide. There's no guarantee what he might do. Who knows, he might spread information that can affect Your Majesty and Yudonia's reputation?""You…" The queen was exasperated but could not retort.Lily noticed it and casually said
Rick could only remain silent at that moment.Yasmin then turned her wheelchair around and blandly said, “Bring Lily over. I’d like to see what excuses that sly woman can come up with.”"Your Majesty?" Rick was puzzled. "You know she'll just lie to you. Why must you—"Yasmin interjected, "I'd like to hear what she has to say."Rick had no choice but to leave and do as she said.As Lily was about to doze off, she heard noises from outside and opened her eyes. Immediately after, the door opened, and Rick appeared. He glared at her and spoke coldly, “Her Majesty wants to see you.”Lily glanced at Rick calmly and stood up as if she had expected his appearance. On the other hand, Mike rose before her and headed out.However, Rick stopped him as he reached the door. “You stay.”"But we came together!" Mike glanced over his shoulder at Lily, signaling her to persuade the man. Rick added, "The queen doesn’t wish to see you. Just stay here!"Lily patted Mike's shoulder and said gentl
Everyone was shocked when Lily returned to the embassy with Mike. One of the staff members quickly left to report the news to Queen Yasmin.Meanwhile, Lily saw people peering at her and Mike from the corner. Afterward, several guarded-looking men appeared. Lilt recognized them as the queen’s attendants. They brought Mike and Lily inside and then gave the duo a thorough search.The men only relaxed after finding nothing suspicious about the duo. Even so, Lily could not see the queen as the men told her to wait in an innermost room instead.After returning to the embassy, Lily felt a sense of strange familiarity. Although she knew the place well, her mindset had changed.She previously hated the embassy and simply wanted to escape. However, she had returned with a critical mission. Not only did she have to complete it, but she also needed to leave the place in one piece.While she was calm, Mike was somewhat anxious. He clasped his hands on his knees and glanced around as he sat dow
"I promise I'll do anything you want, okay?" Mike begged. He was desperate to see his son, so he decided to follow Lily when she insisted on returning to the embassy.Mike continued, “If any of you go with her, they might stop or suspect you. They won’t do that to me. It’s natural for me to want to see and rescue my son. I’m the best candidate because it makes sense for me to sacrifice myself for him.”After a short silence, Lily said, “You’re right.” She then looked at Alexander, who pondered before slowly raising his head and saying, “Me too.”Dominic tapped the table. "So do I."Cameron thought for a moment before saying, "I've no objections."Seeing this, Austin spread his arms and said, "Since you all agree, what else can I say? Let's do it!"It did not matter whether or not he agreed, but he just wanted to support Mike. The latter nodded and became emotional, saying, “Thanks, you guys!”"Why are you thanking us? Just be careful, and don’t be rash like you promised," Aust