"What do you think?" Hannah let out a sigh and asked angrily.After blinking a few times, Ralph suddenly laughed. "You're Annie! You're my Annie! You're my Annie, who never curses or beats anyone! Oh, my beloved Annie! Hehehe…"His smirking face was flushed from the alcohol, and his eyes were lost. Even his smile looked goofy.However, Hannah was overjoyed. He recognized her, even when he was so drunk. He knew that it was her and not Heather. He was the only person who knew and cared about her. "Enough with that silly smile!" Hannah held his face with both hands and looked into his eyes before asking earnestly, "Let me ask you, do you like Heather Riggs or Hannah Riggs?"She had always wanted to know if, deep down, he genuinely liked her or not. If he liked her, was it because she looked like Heather, or was it for Hannah herself? This was important to her!The intoxicated Ralph felt a little dizzy after being held that way by Hannah. He blinked and thought for a moment before s
He looked down at her, and his breath reeked of alcohol. However, Hannah did not find it unpleasant at all. Instead, she felt a little special.Ralph was still drunk as he stared at her face with blurry eyes. Then he softly muttered, "Annie, don't go. Don't leave me. You're the only one I have. You…"He lowered his head and planted a firm kiss on her lips. Hannah did not resist as she closed her eyes obediently, wrapping her hands around his neck and welcoming the kiss.With the alcohol in his system, he kissed her roughly yet tenderly. One moment, he was like a storm trying to swallow her, and the next, he was gentle for fear of hurting her.Hannah had never experienced anything like it before. Ralph had always been her first for everything, from the first time she held a man's hand to her first kiss. Now… She could vaguely guess what would happen next, but she did not want to stop. Even more so, she looked forward to it.The temperature in the room rose quickly, and the empty
As their boss had ordered, they should be courteous first before using force. If Ralph were willing to go with them without much trouble, everything would go smoothly. However, they would not need to be polite if he resisted. They were given orders to shove their way in and drag him away. These words successfully woke Ralph up. The memories of what happened came rushing in. He remembered the fire he set, the raging flames, and his mother's words. How did they find him so quickly? Were they going to drag him back as a convict?The colors of his face immediately drained, but Hannah had already opened the door before he could decide what to do. The man outside stopped ringing the doorbell and looked at her. With a men's shirt on, Hannah stood there calmly. Her two long, slender legs were exposed. "What do you guys want?" Hannah held the door frame with one hand and pulled the door open a crack with the other. She had no intention of fully opening the door.The man outside the do
Hannah leaned very close to Ralph, with one hand on the door and the other on his shoulders, looking at him affectionately. "What are you afraid of?""I-I'm not afraid!" He replied with trembling lips. He was terrified but could not let it show in front of the woman he liked.However, Hannah smiled and said, "It's okay to be scared. Nothing is embarrassing about that. With me here, you don't have to be afraid."Ralph noticed her exaggerated tone and nonchalant gaze. He thought she seemed different from before and not the same gentle and docile Hannah he once knew. Ralph was a little confused as he stared at her, frowning. "Are you genuinely Annie or…"'Or are you Heather pretending to be Annie?' Why were the two so alike?’Hannah's face immediately dropped when she heard what he said. "What did you say?! Repeat it!""No, no, no. I-It's nothing! I'm just spouting nonsense!" Startled, Ralph quickly took back what he said and waved around as he struggled to explain himself. For a mo
When Hannah heard this, her anger disappeared utterly. Instead, she casually said, "Who do you take me for? As long as you have me in your heart, there’s nothing you need to be sorry for!"With that, she leaned into his arms.Although this beautiful woman had snuggled in his chest, all Ralph could think about was how Alexander was looking for him. Was it illegal for Ralph to burn his own house? If Alexander took back his properties, would it be considered arson?Although Hannah was a little unhappy when she sensed his absent-mindedness, what he said just now had piqued her interest. "Why would you go to jail? You didn't break any laws.""I…" Ralph trailed off. After licking his dry lips, he continued, "I burned down my house yesterday."You burnt down your own house?!" She looked up at him in surprise and bewilderment. "Why would you burn down your house? Do you mean the Russell Estate?""No!" He sighed. Then with her support, the two sat on the sofa, and he roughly told her what
"What's wrong? Don’t you believe me? I'll take you home to have a look then." Upon saying that, Hannah pulled Ralph up with her. "Follow me!""Wait, hold up!""What's the matter? Do you distrust me that much?" Hannah was starting to lose her patience.On the other hand, Ralph did not know whether to laugh or cry as he said, "We need to change before we leave!"Then he gestured to the two of them. How could they leave the house dressed like that?Ralph had a lingering feeling of surrealness on the way to Heather and Hannah’s place. It was not that he had never been here before, but he would usually stay outside. He went in only when Heather was in a good mood.Now, he was sitting in their family car with the daughter of the Riggs family next to him. Then the two walked in together openly. At the door, the servants humbly greeted them and took Ralph’s coat.Even as he stood in the middle of the house, he was still in a daze. Although this house was nothing compared to the Russell
The door opened, and a musty smell came from inside. Ralph quickly covered his nose, and his eyes were greeted with an unbelievable scene. There was only a single light bulb in the dungeon. The interior was small, with only a bed in the corner. On the bed was a person, and because of the bad lighting, he could not see the person's face. However, he could easily guess who it was."Is that your sister?" Ralph asked softly as he turned to look at Hannah. Although his voice was soft, the drowsy Heather still heard it and frowned. "Who's there?!"Hannah smiled at Ralph before taking two steps inside. "My dear sister, it's me, of course. Are you still hoping someone else will find you at this point?""You think you've won now, don't you?" Heather spat with a sneer. "I don't 'think' I won because I already did. Don't you think so? Do you think you'd have another chance to stand, Heather? Don't be stupid! How long you’ll live will depend on my mood.""Why don't you kill me right now?
"Today was just a setback. As for you two, you've been losers your whole life and will always be!" Heather stared at the two of them mockingly, as if they were the ones that lost. Her gaze was piercing. Despite the situation she was in right now, she did not show any weakness at all. Her words struck a chord with Ralph.She was right. His whole life, he had been a failure. Although he had been doted on by his mother since childhood, his father had never seen him in a good light. Ralph used to think his father was biased, but now he finally understood the real reason behind it. Ralph was not Hugo’s biological son. He was not a Russell. That was why Hugo had never planned to hand over the Russell family to Ralph.From the very beginning, he was not qualified to fight for the family properties. Still, for years, he continued doing so. Now, all his plans became the joke of the town. In the end, even his mother, who loved him the most, abandoned him. Ralph had nothing left. All he c
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