"Well, I have news about Her Majesty."Ross sat up straight and stared at Fred solemnly. "You do?""Yes." Fred nodded. "Her Majesty told me where she was going before leaving, but…" "You knew?" Ross said menacingly, dragging out the last word. He snorted, "How dare you, Fred? You told me differently back then."Fred looked apologetic. "I had my reasons for lying to you, Your Highness. Her Majesty forbade me from telling anyone." "So you're saying my mom didn't want you to tell me where she is?" Knowing so, Ross relaxed and leaned back, gazing suspiciously at Fred with a raised brow. "I'm afraid so." Fred nodded. "Her Majesty said I must keep it a secret before she left. Her Majesty hasn't contacted me since. She probably doesn't want me to know where she is, either. That's why I didn't tell you about it immediately, Your Highness.""So mysterious, huh?" Ross smiled. "Then why are you telling me now? Aren't you defying my mom's order?"Fred frowned and clenched his fists. Tak
"Your Highness, I know you're upset and worried about Her Majesty's safety, but what matters most is to locate her now. You can punish me however you like after she returns safely. I know I've failed you and her," Fred said earnestly. "Then tell me, how am I supposed to find her?" Ross gazed coldly at him.Fred answered, "It's best if someone could look for Her Majesty so we know she's safe.""Are you suggesting I approach the Hyderland government?" Ross said, raising his brow. Fred shook his head. "Of course not! The less people know about it, the better. If not, this would put Her Majesty in even greater danger.""You don’t want to alert the authorities here? Fred, do you think we're in our country? Would they let you do whatever you like in Hyderland?" Ross slammed the coffee table. Startled, Fred continued, "Your Highness, I know I might sound unreasonable, but think about it. If this gets out, it’ll endanger Her Majesty, and the government here will know she has been secr
"Why don't you tell me how we're supposed to find her?" Ross asked steadily. "Well, we can get a few trusted men to look for her secretly. It's better if they are close to Her Majesty so they can persuade her," Fred studied Ross’s expression and answered carefully, "If not, she might not want to return, even if we find her."Nodding, Ross said, "According to you, it seems I'm the only suitable candidate, aren't I?""You?" Fred looked astonished, then nodded as if catching on. "That's right! You're the perfect candidate for the task, Your Highness! You're supposed to be returning to Yudonia soon.“If we tell others you've returned, no one would know where you are. You can look for the queen secretly—when you do, you're the only person who can change her mind. You could make her if she refuses to listen, and no one would hold it against you."Fred nodded as he spoke, as if he grew increasingly convinced of his own words."That was an excellent suggestion, Your Highness. “He gave R
Ross nodded, "Of course, no one will. That’s because I've found a better candidate." "Who?" Seeing his smile, Fred had a hunch it was something terrible. He said, "Whoever it is, no one is more fitting than you, Your Highness. After all, you're—"Before he could finish, Ross interrupted, "Fred!"Puzzled, Fred answered, "Yes?""I'm talking about you," Ross said with a chuckle. He got up and slowly paced around the room. "You're my mom's most trusted right-hand man, and she listens to you.“You also know her the best. You're the best candidate there is. Besides, I'm sure you're worried about her safety, right?"It was a casual remark, but Fred was stumped. Ross was trying to put him in a dilemma like Fred did to him just now. If Fred said he was worried, he must follow Ross' plan. "I—"Ross continued, "It's fitting for me to go, but what if I have an accident or encounter any danger? What will happen if my mom and I can't return?""Your Highness, I—""You're afraid to say it
Fred was in disbelief as he stared wide-eyed at Ross. The former thought he was hallucinating. He had planned to get Ross to leave the embassy. Even if nothing happened to the prince, it would buy Fred time to do what he needed. Still, Ross wanted Fred to leave instead. For a moment, Fred even thought he had a point. ‘This is not happening!’Thinking so, he quickly explained, “Your Highness, it’s not that I don’t wish to go, but—”“So you’re willing to go, huh?” The prince interrupted, “I knew you’re most loyal to my mom despite the rumors. Anyway, this is the best opportunity for you to prove yourself. Just go, Fred. I’ll take care of everything here.“I’ll get two of my best bodyguards to protect you along the journey,” he said, “I thank you on behalf of my mom and the people of Yudonia!”As he spoke, he rested his palm on Fred’s shoulder. The latter was at a loss for words. He didn’t even know how he left the prince’s room. He could only remember Ross saying, “You better d
She tried to look sincere, but Fred was surprisingly calm. He only nodded to show he understood her, then beckoned, "I know it takes time to develop the invisibility potion, so don't worry about it as long as you continue to work on it."He held her shoulder and lowered his voice, saying, "I have something more urgent I need you to do. Once done, I'll give you everything and all the time you need for your research." Rhea looked up at him in surprise. "Is it about the hypnosis?"Fred nodded and asked solemnly, "Yes, I need it done as soon as possible. Can you do it by tonight?" Rhea was shocked and not confident. She wondered, 'I only succeeded in hypnotizing Mike because I knew much about his character. I don't even know the prince and have only read about him.’"Can you do it or not?" Fred tightened his grip on her shoulder, looking sinister.Rhea said through clenched teeth, "Yes, I can."She worried Fred would kill her if she said no. "That's great. I knew I could count o
Knowing he was irritated, Rhea said soothingly, "Your Grace, I wasn't trying to pry, but I needed information to give a proper answer. Men and women have different physiques, and their age makes a difference, too.“If it's someone old, it's normal if their heart rate slows. Even if the person looks healthy, heart failure is possible if there are underlying conditions. If there aren't any, then it might be a sudden illness—"Fred interjected impatiently, "That's not possible! She's so young!" Although he was upset, Rhea gleaned a bit of information from his reply. She continued, "Even young people can have sudden heart problems. Furthermore, there are differences between men and women, as well as factors like physical fitness—""The person is neither a man nor elderly, and she has no underlying conditions. She has always been in good shape." Fred grew increasingly annoyed by Rhea’s explanation.He might have revealed it was Lily, but he did not want to. "Is it possible she has don
"Okay," Fred said, "I'll give you an hour. After you finish, shower, change, and come to my office. There's something I need you to do."Puzzled, Rhea answered, "Okay."...A while later, she went to Fred's office. The backless dress Fred had sent her revealed her alluring figure. However, Rhea was somewhat uneasy. She had worn clothes like this but felt like Fred was using her as an escort.Rhea was upset because she only allowed others to exploit her intellect and talent, never her body.Fred sized her up and nodded. "You look great! Tell me about your plan."Rhea tried not to show her frustration, saying, "I'll spike the drinks and hypnotize him as we chat. Then, he'll unwittingly fall under my control.""No!" Fred met her puzzled gaze. "He's a cautious man. He won’t drink what you bring him."Rhea said, "I'll coax him, okay? I'll think of ways to get him to take the drug." "You underestimate him." Fred knew how difficult Ross could be. "Then what?" Upon hearing Fred's w