“No, no! I’m just worried about those rumors affecting your relationship with Her Majesty,” Fred murmured.Ross shook his head. “I won’t let them. So, my mom was here, but you don’t know where she is now, right?”Fred nodded. “I'm afraid so.”“Hasn’t my mom contacted you for the past few days? Don’t you need to report these administrative matters to her?” Ross picked up a random document and tossed it onto the desk with a thump.Fred stiffened from shock and smiled fawningly. “If you must know, Her Majesty has been in a bad mood lately. She doesn’t want anyone to accompany her except for her attendants.“As for official matters, she told me to email the important ones to her, and she would look at them when free. I’ll just need to report to her about the unimportant ones when she returns.”He then shook his head helplessly. “Look at the piles of documents here. Why don’t you help me process them since you’re here, Your Highness?”Ross smiled coldly. “Why? Do you expect me to sha
Dr. Blanc went to Alexander’s place alone at night and woke him up. He also woke Austing and Mike before gathering them in a room. Dr. Blanc faced them grimly while holding a traveling case.Austin was the sleepiest among them as he had grown accustomed to his healthy lifestyle. He yawned and asked, “Dr. Blanc, what’s so important that you had to wake us up in the middle of the night? Don’t you need to sleep?”“This is important,” Dr. Blanc looked around and asked Alexander, “Is this room secure?”Alexander nodded knowingly. “Don’t worry. I had the construction team build the walls with special materials to combat eavesdropping.”“That’s perfect.” Dr. Blanc nodded and observed their expressions thoughtfully. “What I’m about to tell you is highly classified, so I need you all to pay close attention. After this, you must not tell anyone about it. Understand?”Austin snapped to attention when he heard that. “Why all the secrecy?”Mike, hugging a pillow drowsily, sat up slightly and
The trio could not help but exchange looks, especially since Dr. Blanc sounded severe and produced two documents as evidence.Although no one had discussed it for the past two days, they had concluded that Rhea could not have become invisible—she must have resorted to some other means.To their utter disbelief, Dr. Blanc had proof of an invisibility potion.The world would be in shambles if Rhea had invented such a thing. Many would try to get their hands on the potion, which would cause endless trouble.“T-That's impossible, right?” Mike stammered. “Can such a thing exist?”“Although it sounds ridiculous, nothing is impossible. Thanks to science, our understanding of the world has kept evolving. Some medications can speed up cell division and growth, drugs that can manipulate a person’s mind.“Even substances can be passed from one person to another, leading to illness and death. Nothing is impossible, whether invisibility, growth acceleration, teleportation, or even time travel
After relaying the news to the trio, Dr. Blanc left quickly, taking the documents with him. Alexander, Mike, and Austin discussed it but could not conclude anything.If the invisibility potion existed, finding Rhea would be even more challenging. They would have no way to track her.Austin could no longer stay awake and went to sleep at daybreak. After some silence, Mike said he was sleepy and also left. Alexander returned to his bedroom shortly after.After some time, Austin opened his room door and stood quietly in the hallway. Then, he headed to Alexander’s room and motioned to knock. However, the door opened before he could knock.Alexander stood at the doorway as if he had expected Austin to come. The former gestured for him to be quiet before letting him in. After glancing around the hallway, Alexander turned and closed the door behind him.He remained quiet and signaled Austin to enter the inner room with a wave. After sitting down, Alexander said, “You saw through it, huh?
Fred wondered if the drug Rhea had developed was as effective as she claimed.…Meanwhile, Rhea grew somewhat depressed. It was bearable when Alexander held her captive because she was busy plotting her escape. However, she felt trapped forever in the embassy, wondering when the organization would take her seriously.She could only wait. As for the experiment involving Lily, she was eager to witness it. Back in the laboratory, she was awed by the concept. Immortality was tempting for people like her.‘No one can resist immortality. If the experiment succeeds, it’ll be a monumental breakthrough in humankind’s history. I want to see it myself, even if it isn’t my experiment.‘Of course, I know the risks. My experiments continuously failed. Also, the number of failures far exceeded the number of successes.’As her mind wandered, the room door opened. Fred entered and looked at her.“Your Grace!” Rhea quickly got up and said excitedly, “Can I start my work now?”“What work?” Fred t
Rhea paused momentarily, saying, “However, I hope you can give me detailed information about the person you want to hypnotize.” Fred was puzzled. “Is that necessary?”“It is.” Rhea nodded. “It's not easy for hypnosis to work. I must learn about a person’s life, habits, and weaknesses before putting them into a deep hypnotic state.”“So what’s the use of your drug?” Fred grew somewhat upset. “Do I need to provide detailed information on every target next time? Also, are you saying you’re the only person who can do it?” “Please don’t get mad, Your Grace,” Rhea quickly explained, “That’s not what I meant. Although R20 has succeeded, it’s still in the preliminary stages. I need time to perfect it to be more effective, but for now…”She didn’t finish her sentence, but what she implied was obvious. The drug was imperfect, and the process needed extra work. It was not as simple as Fred had thought.He scoffed, “I thought it was amazing, considering how you bragged about it last time.
"Mike, it's me," Rhea said hushedly.Fred became wide-eyed when he heard the name. He stared at her, surprised she would call him out of everyone."Huh?" Mike seemed puzzled.Rhea was so anxious she started sweating. She did not know if Mike was still under her control since she could not see him in person. Nonetheless, she continued, “It’s me, Rhea.”"Oh, are you there? Did you find my son?" Mike hastily asked."Not yet. We'll discuss that later." Embarrassed, she glanced at Fred and noticed he looked even grimmer now. She felt a chill run down her spine, saying, "How's the situation?""They haven't taken any action. Oh, yes, Dr. Blanc came last night and said they found traces of an invisibility potion on your hair," Mike truthfully answered as if reporting to his superior.Rhea nodded initially, but her jar dropped when she heard the last part. “What?!”"That's it." Mike sounded like he had just accomplished a mission."What invisibility potion? What's that?" Rhea was baffl
After hanging up the phone, Rhea glanced nervously at Fred. Although she was not hiding anything from him, she knew how suspicious he was. Moreover, Mike’s words could have a significant impact on her.As Rhea expected, Fred asked, “Invisibility potion?”He seemed interested.Rhea quickly explained, “No, no, there’s no such thing as an invisibility potion. After I put Mike under my control, I wanted him to spy on the others for me. I made up the invisibility potion to mislead Alexander and others. I just never thought they would believe it.” She felt amused that they would believe such an absurd explanation.“If I had an invisibility potion, I’d certainly hand it to you, Your Grace.” Knowing what Fred must be thinking, she eagerly explained lest he suspect her.Since Fred did not trust Rhea, she could not establish herself there and achieve her dream, especially if his suspicions toward her grew.“Oh, yeah?” Fred looked her up and down and snorted. “That was not what he said.”
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