On the second day, Alexander learned that the situation was far less optimistic than he had imagined. Dominic had fallen unconscious.Early the following day, Austin went to cook porridge and served it to Dominic. However, Austin noticed his granduncle’s face was unnaturally red when he got upstairs. He seemed to be in a deep sleep and could not wake up.When Austin touched his granduncle's forehead, it was burning hot. He quickly took a thermometer to check on Dominic; the thermometer read 102 degrees. If it were just a regular fever, Austin would have given Dominic some antipyretics, but that was not the case.‘Who knows how the symbiote will react to the antipyretics? It might cause a reaction.’Therefore, Austin could only try to physically cool Dominic by wiping his body repeatedly. After some time, his body temperature dropped a little, but he was still unconscious.Alexander came over to take a look, but he could not come up with any better solutions either. He even conside
"He's a friend." After a pause, Alexander continued, "I'll hang up first and call you again when I need your help.""About the doctor…""It's okay for now," Alexander said after some thought. Then he put away his phone, walked toward Austin, and asked, “Why not?”"The doctors out there are useless. This isn't a common disease. You know that!" Austin replied in a deep voice.Alexander nodded. "I know, but right now, there's no better option. The old man is down with a high fever, and none of the servants’ conditions are improving. We can't keep going like this. Maybe a doctor outside can help relieve…""I'm a doctor!" Austin exclaimed.Alexander immediately fell silent.“I started as a doctor. As you know, I studied under many famous doctors,” Austin emphasized again. The tone he spoke in was very different from usual.He used to be proud, confident, and even slightly arrogant when he spoke about this. However, his voice was gentle yet heavy this time. His gaze was firm, and eac
The hands on the clock ticked, indicating every passing second. Lily sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her lower abdomen with one hand and gently rubbing her phone screen with the other. It would be a lie to say that she was not nervous. This was the first time she felt this anxious.In the past, she knew she could overcome any difficulties. This time, it was not a simple success or failure. It was something that could endanger many people.She was the only one in the room. Mike agreed to meet downstairs in the office when the time came. Although they could not escape the organization’s monitoring systems, there was always a gap in them.The "boss" was at his weakest and most lax at noon. Mike naturally tried to lure away the few bodyguards around the "boss."Meanwhile, the remaining lackeys would not be a problem for Lily. Now, she could only think about whether she could get what she wanted in less than an hour. That was the risk she was taking.She had immersed herself in he
Indeed, Lily was not lying. After all, she had no time to do anything else because she was trapped in this place as if locked in a cage. Even if she managed to leave here one day, she would have forgotten what the outside world was like and if she could completely withdraw herself from this project.Therefore, she wanted to put aside her perfumery business and not think about it for now.Olivia, who had always obeyed Lily's words, was hesitant. "But they’re the royal family of Yudonia, and they're already in the country. You should be arriving at Operose in two days. I thought you agreed to this.""When did I agree to this? I…" Just as Lily was about to refuse, she suddenly thought of something and paused. Her eyes widened as she asked, "Where did you say they were from?""Yudonia.""Who are they?" Lily asked nervously.Oliva froze for a moment before subconsciously replying, "T-The royal family! I told you this before. Although our range of customers is wide, it's not like we ha
"Is there anything else?" Since Olivia had yet to hang up, Lily assumed there was more to the conversation.Olivia had always been decisive with her actions and would hang up once she finished talking. On top of that, she had not been in the best shape recently."Lily, have you been swamped these days? It seems like Alex is as well."Lily thought for a while and asked straightforwardly, "Do you want to ask about Edward?""Is there any news about him?" Olivia immediately asked, anxious. Just these few words were enough to reveal the anxiety she felt. It was the main reason why she called."Are you two not in contact?" Lily was also a little surprised.Although Edward seemed under control, he could live with Olivia before leaving. After all, he had been with her since returning to the country. Afterward, it seemed like those controlling him were targeting Alexander, as they tried to sow discord between them and split their relationship.Later, when the whole thing was exposed, Edw
Olivia was confused. “Why?”She noticed Lily’s odd words and continued asking, “Wait a minute. What do you mean by the situation outside? Are you inside somewhere? Where are you?”Lily sighed. “You shouldn’t ask that much. It’s a long story. I know what I’m doing, so just listen to whatever I tell you.”Olivia stayed silent for a moment. Just as Lily was about to continue, she spoke, “Okay. I got it. Lily, I’ll take your words to heart.”Due to Edward’s matter before this, Olivia almost had a fallout with Lily. Fortunately, she realized something was amiss later and regretted her actions. After that, she trusted Lily even more.Some things were difficult to bring up, but Lily had to say those things for Olivia’s sake.“Liv, Edward’s matter affected you greatly, but you must believe everything will get better eventually. At the very least, Edward isn’t acting based on his intentions. Just think of him as a patient that will recover one day.”Lily knew her words could not do much
“They’re still working. It’s just that there are disturbances on the screens.” Lily softly said, “But it can’t go on for long. Otherwise, they’ll notice something is off.”If she could use this method for a long time without exposing herself, she would have used it long ago. It was a unique case this time, so she pulled this trick.Mike stared at Lily in surprise as if he had discovered something new. “I’ve thought about this before, but the more I think I know you, the less I do. Is there anything in this world you can’t do?”Lily helplessly glanced at him and shook her head. “I’m just a jack of all trades at most.”She was not humble, but it was true that she only knew the basics about all these other things. On the contrary, she was well-versed in perfumery, combating, and medicinal herbs.However, Mike disagreed. He shook his head and expressed his thoughts, “If I were a jack of all trades like you, my business wouldn’t be where it is today. If that were the case, Nicky wouldn
Lily glanced at the bodyguards, wanting to identify the easiest target to take down first. However, the four bodyguards suddenly swayed left and right before she could move.“Be careful!” Mike subconsciously stood before her to block them off. Although he was nervous, he still protected her.Lily looked at him, then at the four falling bodyguards.Bang!They collapsed to the ground, looking senseless. Lily took a few steps back, but when she noticed they were lying dead on the ground, she continued to observe them for a while longer.“Are they dead?” Mike’s eyes widened as he asked carefully. His voice was low, sounding like he was afraid of being heard.Lily shook her head because she was unsure as well. However, her gut feeling told her they were not pretending, judging from their lack of aggressive aura. Plus, there was no reason for them to play dead. After some thought, she stepped forward, wanting to find out for herself.“You…” Mike pulled her sleeve subconsciously. When
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