Lily wondered why there were so many plants and herbs around when she visited Anastasia’s house for the first time, even though the young woman did not particularly like them.It would be normal if Anastasia was into herbs and loved to study them, but she knew nothing about plants.‘Anastasia gave me such valuable agarwood, and several expensive medicinal herbs are all around her home. Some herbs with potent smells are in the yard, while those with mild or refreshing aromas are in the house.‘Such a variety of plants put randomly in one place could very well be the cause of the poisoning.’Of course, those were just Lily’s speculations, and she was unsure. It was why she visited Dominic, who was well-traveled and knowledgeable. Having been to many places, he might have studied these things.Since Dominic admitted that her theory was plausible, she could be right.Lily’s first step was to devise a proper diet plan so Anastasia could eliminate her food anxiety. If the young girl co
“No,” Alexander said. “We checked all surveillance footage and didn’t find anyone poisoning it. We also sent the food residue for testing and found no traces of poison.”“So, what about the water supply if it’s not the food?” Lily asked after some thought.“I thought about that too and had it checked as well.”‘If it’s not the food and water supply, and the mass poisoning is not an accident, then it’s rather bizarre.’“Can it be an accident? Where were the workers, or whom had they come in contact with?” Lily knitted her brow. She wanted to help her husband solve the problem as soon as possible.Since people had died, they had to find out what happened and give an explanation to those people’s families.“Based on our investigation, these workers stayed and had their meals at the factory. They haven’t been in contact with outsiders over the past few days.” After a pause, he said, “We’re still investigating, and I believe we’ll get to the bottom of what happened. Don’t worry too mu
“If that’s the case, it would be marvelous!” Maria got happy after seeing how confident her husband was. She saw the maid bringing a cup of tea over and waved her off. “To hell with tea. I’ll have wine.”Maria picked up a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. “Times have changed. It’s our turn to get filthy rich now. Things keep happening in our favor, don’t they?”“Why do you say that?” Fabian looked toward her.She took a swig of wine, felt her throat burning, and coughed a few times before saying, “I told you Tasia refused treatment, right? Today she saw the miracle doctor!”“She did?” The person who asked this question was not Fabian but Rhea. After taking a shower, she partially blow-dried her hair and let it loose as she descended the stairs.“Rhea?” Maria was surprised. “When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me? Fabian, you should’ve told me she’s back! Tell the maids to prepare some nice dishes. It’s a good day for our family, and we must booze it up today!”Hav
“What guinea pig? Why can’t I understand a word you say today?” Blinking, Fabian looked bewildered.Maria said eagerly, “Didn’t I tell you that Tasia trusts Lily and goes to have her meals at the woman’s house every day? She thought Lily was a good person who wanted to help her lose weight!“However, the miracle doctor told us that Lily is working with him at some lab and had only taught herself herbal medicine for a while. She lacks practical experience and uses Tasia as a guinea pig!”“Tasia is such a silly girl for thinking Lily cares for her! Who would be truly good to her besides her own family? Who doesn’t put self-interest before everything in our society? No one will help her if there’s nothing to gain!”Shaking her head, Maria remembered something and turned to Rhea as she said, “Fortunately, you’re smart and capable. If you were like that silly girl, I'd be worried sick!"Rhea curled her lips. “You used to say she was pretty and smart when we were young.”A look of emba
“Well…” Thompson was at a loss as the research on wilfordi roots had halted. He looked at Mike Corden, who sat beside him. Mike was present at the two recent meetings, and Thompson could tell his boss thought highly of Mike.Crossing his legs, Mike lowered his gaze while holding a cigarette and did not meet his eyes.Helpless, Thompson looked back at his boss. “Sir, about wilfordi roots and other herbs with stronger toxicity-”“I’ve found a capable person to experiment with those herbs. I believe it’ll succeed soon,” Mike suddenly said, looking ahead with his eyelids lifted.Thompson was stunned. Knowing nothing about this, he looked toward Mike in astonishment. “You found someone else? Who’s the person? How come I was unaware?”“Professor Thompson, you should just focus on your research. You’re too unadventurous, and this job isn’t for you. Just leave it alone.” Mike snuffed out his cigarette and frowned a little while blowing smoke out of his nose.In other words, he was asking
At this point, the office door swung open, and someone stepped inside from the outside. “Professor Thompson.”“It’s you?” Thompson looked shocked. “You…”“Why? Am I not welcome?” She came over with a half-smile on her face. However, one might think her smile was rather chilling.“No, but when were you…” Looking at her, Thompson was bewildered.Having returned from overseas, Rhea Moore was in charge of another research program at the institute, and he knew her, too. However, he had not expected that she would be involved in his project. “I’ve joined the research much earlier than you'd imagined, Professor Thompson,” Rhea said, then walked over to the seat before Mr. R and sat down, not showing the slightest qualm. “She…” Thompson looked toward Mr. R and then at Mike. It seemed that they all knew except him. Suddenly, Thompson felt he had been kept in the dark and was upset. “I was the one who proposed the program, and I’ve worked hard for it. You should at least consult me on
Thompson did not know much about perfumery. He was only aware that Lily was the leading person in the industry over the past two years and was also internationally well-known.After learning of Rhea’s impressive background, he looked her up and down in surprise. “Rhea, why haven’t you mentioned it before?”“It isn’t worth mentioning.” She let out a casual smile and did not seem to care much about her fame.Thompson was speechless.“So, what do you think, Professor Thompson? Am I qualified to join the project?” Rhea raised her head and asked.“You’re qualified, but—”“Has Lily brainwashed you?” Mr. R, who had remained quiet, spoke impatiently. “You keep coming up with excuses. Let someone take over if you think you can’t do it!”“No, no, I can!” Thompson said hurriedly, “I have no problem with it. I wish for the experiment to succeed too! Rhea, you…”“Rhea will be in charge of the experiment you’ve failed to handle!” The masked man said, “In the future, you must listen to her on
Austin was eager to show off his achievement for the past two days and perked up after seeing Lily now.“You’re early today. I thought you didn’t dare to return after succeeding one time by a fluke.” Austin clicked his tongue. “You have no idea, do you? I’m going to pull off what you’ve failed to do after researching for so long. I’ll surpass you in no time!”Lily did not bother to argue with him and was not interested in senseless comparisons like this. “Where’s Professor Thompson?”“It’s still so early. I think Professor Thompson should still be in bed.” Indeed, Austin had not seen the older man. More accurately, there were few people in the research institute so early in the morning. Besides the ones working the night shift, he believed that few were so dedicated and would work overnight like him.He glanced around himself and said, “Don’t change the subject! I know you surely don’t believe I can pull it off, but I’m going to show you my true capabilities using facts!”“You did
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