"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
Rhea stood outside a room and steadied her deep breath before knocking on the door. After a while, someone inside said in perfect Yudonian, "Come in."She checked her dress, opened the door, and entered with a tray. She lowered her gaze and curtsied, saying, “Your Highness.”Having studied abroad for many years, she could speak fluently in Yudonian. Meanwhile, the casually dressed Prince Ross was reading a document behind the desk. There was a half-filled glass of wine, various beverages, snacks, etcetera. They made what Rhea was holding somewhat redundant. "Yes?" Ross only glanced at her despite her sexy outfit. Rhea bit her lower lip and approached with the tray. "I'm a waitress working for the Yudonian Foreign Ministry. Duke Frederick asked me to send you some drinks and snacks and keep you entertained." "Oh?" The prince looked up and studied her. "It was Fred?""Yes, sir, Duke Frederick sent me," Rhea quickly said. "Hasn't he left?" Rhea smiled embarrassedly. "The
“Oh?” Ross raised his brow and asked, "Are you sure I've never tasted that wine before?" "Of course, I’m sure." Rhea leaned forward to place the exquisite-looking wine bottle on the desk. "It's a specialty wine from Hyderland.""I've visited Hyderland many times and have tried food and beverages from all over the world. How are you so sure I haven't tasted something like that before?" Ross remained unconvinced. Rhea smiled, "That’s because it's home-brewed.""Oh?" Rhea poured the wine as she spoke, "My dad made it when I was born, and I just retrieved it from the cellar. It smells amazing."Its aroma filled the room. Ross sniffed the air, praising, "It smells like a good wine, all right.""Try it, Your Highness," Rhea said as she handed the glass to him, "See how different it is from the ones you had before."Although he complimented the smell, he did not take it.“I just had red wine. I might get drunk if I drink more." Indeed, Ross was cautious. "Since your dad made it fo
Ross's eyes lit up. Although he said nothing, Rhea knew he liked the wine when he took one sip after another.He soon finished the glass of wine, and Rhea knew her gamble had paid off. Fabian had not made the wine because he would never do anything like that for her. Rhea had only gotten it from a renowned wine collector in the country.Of course, Fred had spent a fortune on it. Still, it was indeed a good wine, and Ross enjoyed it. Most importantly, Rhea got him to consume R20 with it. She asked warmly, "It's not bad, right, Your Highness?""It's not bad indeed." Nodding, Ross finally smiled. "Although I've tasted many good wines in Hyderland, this one’s unique. Does it have a name?""It does." Rhea smiled. "What is it?" he asked curiously. Rhea touched the wine bottle and flicked it. She said smilingly, "It's called Pinot Le Héros, which means The Hero.”Ross nodded. "It's a good name for a good wine.""Well, since it's a good wine, you should drink more." Rhea tried to pou
Ross answered, “Of course, provided you perform well and have a clean history." "You can count on it, Your Highness," Rhea nodded and touched the wine bottle again. "It's getting late. How about another glass before you rest?" "No," Ross turned her down again, "As I said, I don't want to get drunk.”"Fred should be leaving now, right?" he asked, glancing at the clock on the wall. Rhea again flicked the bottle and murmured, "Oh, yeah, it's late now. You should rest, Your Highness.""I still have work to do. You should leave now." Ross picked up a document to read. As he did, he suddenly felt dizzy and unbearably sleepy. He frowned and tried in vain to shake off the sleepiness."It must be so tiring to handle so much work, right? You don't have to work so hard, you know." Rhea stayed put and continued, "Why don't you get an early sleep? I bet you must be sleepy."She repeated, and Ross felt he could hardly keep his eyes open hearing the word "sleepy." He felt as if a powerful
"You're…" Ross was still in a daze. Rhea looked into his eyes and rhythmically flicked the bottle, "I'm Rhea, your friend and master.""My friend and my master?" Ross frowned, looking and feeling uncomfortable."Yes, I'm your friend and master. Do you remember who you are?" Rhea asked. "I'm Ross, the Yudonian prince." He remembered who he was but was puzzled about Rhea's identity. Rhea nodded. "That's right. You're the prince. What are you doing in Hyderland?""I came to Hyderland… to look for my mom, the queen," he responded cooperatively. Rhea was surprised because she did not know the queen was also there. After all, interacting with the prince already seemed incredible to her. She held her breath and patiently asked, "Why are you looking for her? Has something happened to Her Majesty?""I don’t know. My mother has been missing since a few days ago." Ross shook his head, looking confused. "My mom is missing!""The queen is missing?!" Rhea exclaimed but soon covered her
"That's right. You're her son, and it's most fitting for you to go,” Rhea’s gentle voice enchanted Ross, leaving him unable to say no."Yes, I'm her son. I should be the one who finds her," Ross said, nodding. Rhea smiled, knowing she had proved herself. She stressed, "Go to sleep then. You'll depart early tomorrow, okay? Remember that.” "Okay!" Ross answered, nodding again. Rhea then tapped on the bottle to make it ring. Ross blinked, then fell asleep for real this time. Rhea got up and strolled out of the room. Someone soon brought her to Fred's office, where he waited. Since Ross demanded removing the surveillance devices from his room, Fred could not see what happened. Fred looked at Rhea, questioning, "Did it work?""Congratulations, Your Grace. You got what you wanted," Rhea said, bowing respectfully. Fred was thrilled because he could control Ross and target anyone through the drug and Rhea's hypnosis. Although Fred was more interested in the invisibility potion, h
Rhea would control everything and possibly threaten Fred if that were the case. "Not yet." Rhea looked troubled. "I understand your concerns, but R20 can only work alongside hypnosis now, which takes time to learn. We must lay the groundwork and give commands to hypnotize someone, especially in the early stages."For example, flicking the wine bottle was a subtle suggestion to Ross, conditioning him to the hypnosis. "Enough!" Fred held up a hand and grew impatient. "Just hearing that gives me a headache. Remember, you must still listen to me, even if you can control many people. Is that clear?""Yes, Your Grace." Rhea lowered her head. However, Fred did not trust her completely. To be precise, he would not trust anyone wholeheartedly. The queen served as a cautionary tale for him. She trusted him even though he would later betray her. That was why he would never believe in anyone so quickly. "Don't ever think about using R20 on me. You’re in my place and can’t escape if you