"Lock him up," Fred said coldly."I'm staying," Dominic said after some struggle. "You have to kill me to make me leave." Fred snorted. "Do you think I won't?" "Do it then." Dominic plopped down by the head of the bed and held on to the bedpost. Although he was scrawny, Dominic proved rather strong. As several guards tried to drag him away, they pulled the bed along with them.Lily then frowned. "Dom…" She coughed. "S-Stop!"Happy that she could speak, Fred gestured for the guards to stop and went up to her. He said, "You really are something else. Do you think you can mess up my plan by dying?" "I've no idea what you're talking about." Still trying to process what was going on, Lily turned to look at Dominic. "Dom shouldn't be here. Let him go." "Let him go?" Fred chuckled. "So that you can try to kill yourself again?" He believed that Lily must have done this to herself. Even if there was a traitor among them, the person would not have tried to kill Lily and was more l
"Don't talk like that. It’s not your style at all," Dominic said in an upset tone. Lily smiled. "It's not your style to come here either." "I…" Dominic was stumped. "I-I'm just here to see what you're up to!" Lily laughed. Embarrassed, Dominic waved his hands. "Okay, okay. I only came to see how you were doing. You really enjoy teasing me, huh? Feeling all better now?""Yeah, I do." Lily let out a sigh, then saw the needles were yet to be removed and tried to pull them out."Stay still!" Dominic removed the needles and continued, "I was shocked to learn that you suddenly went into a coma. When I heard that your heart was so slow that it was on the verge of stopping, I knew you…" Pausing, he glanced at her and did not finish his sentence. "How could you do this to yourself?" he told her off as he shook his head. "You know why I did it."He snapped, "I don't. "You're not Mother Teresa. You shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place!"Lily could not see his face as
Cocking her head to see his face, Lily held onto his hand. "Were you hit?" Her voice carried shock and anger.Unable to hide it from her, Dominic looked away. "I'm fine.""How is it fine? You were hit!" Having just regained consciousness, Lily struggled to sit up, and her breathing became rapid. "Who hit you? Was it Fred?""Do you think he could do it if I hadn't let him?" Dominic said as he waved dismissively. "How dare he!" Lily gritted her teeth. Enraged, she was oblivious to what Dominic said. Although she seldom treated him courteously, she regarded him as her grandfather. He had taught her a lot, so to her, he was both an elder and a benefactor.Furthermore, he had spent his whole life treating people and was well-respected, even among the rich and powerful. It was unimaginable that anyone would beat him, let alone because of her.Lily was so angry that she blamed herself. "This is all my fault." "No, it's not. Don't think like that. I… " At a loss for words, Dominic e
In the evening, Ross sent a location to Rhea. Of course, the IP address had been changed according to his itinerary. A while later, Rhea video-called him. Fortunately, Alexander had long prepared the set, and Ross only had to answer the call inside. When the call connected, Rhea scrutinized his background. "The woods behind you look dense, Your Highness. Have you reached the outskirts?""It is a rather remote location. To avoid attention, I can't take the main roads," Ross replied matter-of-factly, "Is everything okay at the embassy? Can Fred cope?" "Of course. We're more concerned about you," Rhea said. Ross shook his head. "I'm fine. I'm just doing what I should be doing for my mother." "That's good to hear. How's the trip so far? Have you encountered any problems?" she asked, gazing searchingly at his surroundings. Ross answered, "Everything’s fine. Don't worry." "Good." Rhea chuckled. "Can you move to another spot, Your Highness? There's some glare, and I can't see you
As she was pondering over this, her bedroom door opened, and Fred strode in. "Has he contacted you yet?" he asked.Rhea knew who he was referring to. "Yes, the location is correct, and we had a video call just moments ago," she answered readily. Although she was somewhat puzzled by what happened, she did not dare to tell Fred about it. She could not let him know that her creation was not 100% reliable. Fred nodded in satisfaction. "Great. Make another call now." Rhea hesitated."Why? Is there a problem?" Fred asked, upset. "No, but I just called him. Is there anything you want to ask him?" Rhea was puzzled as to why he wanted her to call him again. "I just want to talk to him." Fred looked at her. "Can't I?" Rhea could only nod. "Of course, you can." "Then hurry up!" he said impatiently. Rhea made the call and tightened her grip on the wine bottle, hoping that nothing would go wrong.The call was picked up after a moment, and Ross showed up on screen. A hat and a p
Seeing this, Rhea added, "Fred has more questions for you, and I think you understand that he's doing this out of goodwill. Please answer his questions, all right?" She flicked the wine bottle again.Ross frowned as if hesitant, then nodded. "Okay." Rhea gave Fred a look, then moved behind him. Leaning in, Fred looked toward Ross and cleared his throat. "Your Highness, have you gotten any leads in tracking down the queen?" Ross shook his head. "No. But I think it's because I haven't gone far enough. You said my mom went to places like West Virho? It’ll take me several more days to get there."Fred nodded, thinking that this made sense. "Her Majesty did say so, but I’m not so sure either. Anyway, it's not good that you and Her Majesty are both away, Your Highness. Someone should take charge of this place.""You're around, aren't you?" Ross looked puzzled. As this was the answer he wanted, Fred grinned. "Well, I'm just the chief minister. As you know, many in the country are a
Rhea was happy. "For real? Then I—" Before she could finish, Fred said, "Remember, you can go anywhere you like except out. If you do, I can't promise that you’ll be safe." He patted her shoulder. Rhea's mood dampened. For a moment, she thought she could come and go as she pleased. On second thought, however, she knew he was right. Alexander and Cameron would catch her if she were to leave.Thinking of her uncle, Rhea recalled her parents and the research center that was raided.After she escaped from the Russell Residence, she went to her parent’s house and saw people moving stuff inside from a distance. From the conversations among the onlookers, she learned that her father had been arrested and that her family had lost the house.Although she resented her parents, she was still upset upon learning what had happened to them.How could Cameron do this to them?Her parents treated Anastasia like a princess, and yet Cameron sent Fabian to jail and caused her family to fall apar
Rhea noticed Fred’s eagerness and asked, “What if it fails?”Based on past data, she had little confidence his experiment would work. However, she dared not say it aloud because Fred did not want to hear such a thing. Still, she selfishly wished the experiment would fail. Fred would be happy if it worked, but it would do Rhea no good. If it failed, he had to start over again with her help. "Work hard, okay? I'll ensure to reward you well." Patting Rhea's shoulder, he said, "Keep a close watch on Prince Ross and Mike Corden." After a pause, he thought of something and asked, "Has Mike tried to look for his son again?" "Yes, he even found out that his son is in the Royal Palace of Yudonia, but there's nothing he can do about it," Rhea answered truthfully. "He wouldn't dare!" Fred snorted and said, "Since he's under your control now, tell him his son is dead, so he’ll give up." Rhea was stunned. "Why? Is there a problem?" Fred narrowed his eyes and asked in a threatening to
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