As the doctor’s capture must have put the organization on guard, Alexander and Edward felt it was wise to stay low for now. They already knew not to do anything reckless after their search for Lily at the embassy.The atmosphere at Alexander’s home was stifling. Without any positive development, their only good news was the twins’ return and Lily still being alive. However, no one knew why the organization returned the babies to Alexander.Worried, he asked Austin to examine the babies several times. He was relieved after ensuring they were not infected with any viruses. Still, he remained cautious. Thinking Lily must have fought for their release, he told himself he must protect the twins well.Although the old maid cared for the babies, Mike checked on them whenever possible. He told the others he wanted to channel his love and attention toward the twins since Nick was not around.Although they knew where Nick was, they could do nothing about it. Mike was anxious, but Alexander
Anastasia on the sofa, asking, “I’m not disturbing you guys, am I?”Alexander shook his head. They were only waiting for news anyway. However, it was strange that he had not received helpful information from his local and foreign networks.“What would like you like to drink?” Alexander asked, then added, “Fruit juice, cola, or—” “Just plain water,” Anastasia said with a smile.Surprised, Alexander nodded and told a maid to serve two glasses of purified water.‘She seems different than before. She used to be plump and was proud yet insecure. Sometimes, she liked junk food; other times, she ate nothing.’Alexander only had a vague impression as he did not have much direct contact with her. He only occasionally heard about Cameron expressing his regret for not spending much time with his daughter.However, Anastasia became close to Lily. After Lily helped neutralize the toxin inside Anastasia, she lost a lot of weight. Now, she was confident and a bit slimmer. Alexander thought Li
“Wait a minute!” Alexander said. After a closer look, he added, unsure of his answer, “He’s…a prince from Yudonia?”Anastasia nodded. “That’s right. He’s Prince Ross of Yudonia. The queen’s eldest son.” “Your dad sent you here?” Alexander caught on. Anastasia replied, “He’s tied up at work and can’t let others see him frequenting your place. So he asked me to visit you and tell you that Prince Ross would visit Hyderland in two days.” “I think I’ve heard about it.” Alexander did not pay much attention to the news since he was preoccupied with saving Lily.Moreover, the prince was nearly forty, but the queen had no intention of abdicating. Like her many other sons and grandchildren, Prince Ross had no absolute authority and would only occasionally pay courtesy visits to other countries. “My dad says it’s an opportunity.” Anastasia was just repeating what her father said. She did not fully understand what it meant or why the visit was an opportunity for Alexander. When she as
“Your father knows what he’s doing. Let’s just do whatever he tells us to,” Alexander said. “Oh.” Anastasia frowned, slightly puzzled. “Well, at least I’ve passed the message. Oh, I heard the twins have returned. Can I see them?” Her eyes gleamed with excitement. “I’ve never seen fraternal twins before!”“They’re upstairs, but I don’t know if they’re awake. Go take a look,” Alexander nodded. Anastasia got up and ran upstairs.“They’re in the third bedroom on the left of the stairwell—” Anastasia had gone out of view before he could finish.Anastasia quickly found the room because the door was open, and the two babies cried. Austin and Mike were in the room since the nanny had probably gone to prepare milk formula.Anastasia saw Mike holding one baby when she entered. The adorable child stopped crying and looked curiously at her with teary eyes. However, the baby in Austin’s arms cried inconsolably, and he seemed flustered.“Please don’t cry. I’ll have to give you a shot if you
“She must have stopped crying because she’s tired,” Austin refused to admit Anastasia was better than him. After all, he had tried tirelessly to calm the baby down, and she hardly needed to do anything.“Yeah, right!” Anastasia scrunched her nose. Her mood improved after seeing the baby lying peacefully in her arms. The babies’ smiles seemed to have made all their recent troubles disappear. “Wow, she knows how to hold a baby better than you,” Mike said, “Why’d you mention giving the baby a shot? Don’t you know children are scared of getting shots the most?” Austin mumbled, “I was just saying. The baby wouldn’t understand, would she?”“Don’t think they wouldn’t. They know if we say nice or bad things about them. When Nicky was little, he would look sad if I scold him.” Mike probably could not stop thinking about his son. That was why he kept mentioning Nick.However, Austin did not stop him because he noticed Mike did not look as sad as before whenever he mentioned Nick. Austin t
“He’s an expert in herbal medicine. Don’t you know?” Anastasia said smilingly. “Really? Can you feel my wrist, too, Mr. Austin?” The nanny was curious. “Of course.” Austin did not turn her down. “I’ll wait until you finish feeding the babies.” “Thanks in advance then, Mr. Austin,” the nanny said happily.Austin looked at Mike. “Would you like me to take your wrist pulse too?” Mike shot him a sidelong glance. “What for? I’m not sick, okay?”“Hey, some illnesses are latent. Maybe you have weak kidneys or something.”Mike snorted and turned away. “My kidneys are working fine. Both of them are!” The two women chuckled. “Come on, it’s like doing a body checkup.” Austin was about to approach Mike when he heard, “Austin, can I have a word with you?”Puzzled, Austin looked over his shoulder and saw Alexander standing at the doorway. The former asked, “What is it?”“It won’t take long.” Alexander turned and left. “Oh, okay.” Austin shrugged and pointed his chin at Mike. “I’ll
Austin and Alexander fell silent before the latter asked, “Who was the first to realize Rhea went missing?”“I was,” Austin pointed to himself, adding, “But I only peeked through the window. I didn’t have the key. Who else could open the door besides you?”Alexander did not answer, but they exchanged a knowing look.“It can’t be him!” Austin shook his head after some thought. “He hates Rhea as much as me. I don’t believe he opened the door for her, let alone free her.”Alexander said, “I agree, but we must think logically. As you said, she couldn’t have vanished. Even if she could become invisible, she’d need to open the door. That means there’s only one possibility. Perhaps it wasn’t Mike, but someone must’ve opened the door for her.”After pondering for a while, Austin said, “Did she only run away when we opened the door?”He shivered, thinking, ‘Did Rhea become invisible and escape when we inspected the seemingly empty house? She could have murdered us!’“That’s unlikely,” Al
Alexander was just as concerned but knew he could do nothing about it. He said, “I think they still need Lily for the experiment. Even if Rhea wants to harm her, they won’t let her.”Austin nodded, “I know, but…”He wanted to say anything could happen but decided against it. However, Alexander knew what he wanted to say. He added thoughtfully, “We must hold on for two more days. Things might improve for us then.”“Two days?” Austin was curious how Alexander was so sure. He soon noticed Alexander’s firm gaze and dropped the subject, saying, “So, should we talk to him about the incident?”The two glanced toward the room at the back.Alexander nodded. “Let’s put that aside first. We shouldn’t assume it was him without concrete proof. It could hurt his feelings.”“You’re right.” Austin sighed and stretched, then curiously looked at Alexander. “Seriously, have you not suspected me before?”Seeing his curious look, Alexander nodded. “To be honest, yes.”Austin was speechless.“Howev
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