However, Mike was not as calm or relaxed. He kept switching channels and was unable to finish a complete news report or TV episode.Ross noticed it and said, “Hey, take it easy.”“I wanted to be like you and enjoy the afternoon tea, Your Highness,” Mike let out a bitter smile, “But I just couldn’t.”“I know the situation is tough, but you can’t let it take a toll on you.” He pondered and pushed a plate of snacks toward Mike. “At least things aren’t entirely out of our control, right?” Having no appetite to eat, Mike hesitated whether or not to say something. “Do you have something to tell me?” Ross cocked his head.Although the TV was on, he noticed Mike had kept looking at him. “I do.” Nodding, Mike interlocked his fingers. He hesitated for a long while before asking, “Have you seen a little boy in the palace, Your Highness?” “A little boy?” Ross frowned, puzzled. “Yes, he’s around ten. A smart and well-behaved Hylander…” Mike gestured hopefully. As Ross lived in the p
“But…the palace is huge, right? Could it be—” Mike still refused to give up.“It’s just not possible,” Ross interrupted, “I was born and raised there, and I know the palace inside out. They couldn’t have held a child there without me knowing.”Mike’s eyes glazed over as he fell into deep thought. What the prince said was a huge blow to him.Mike always thought Nick was in the Yudonian palace. Although he could not see his son, he knew Nick was in a safe place and would be able to reunite with him. Yet, Ross told him that Nick was not even there. ‘Where could Nicky be if not there?’Ross softened when he saw how lost Mike looked. “Don’t lose hope. Even if your son is not in the palace, he could still be in another place. Could he be in Fred’s residence instead? You know, since he’s behind this.""Do you think it's likely?" Mike asked hesitantly. Ross fell silent because he did not know for sure. Seeing his expression, Mike knew the prince could not be sure as well. After some
"Where could he be if not the palace?" Rhea thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute. How do you know he's not in the palace? Who told you that?" Mike caught himself. He lost his cool, not knowing where his son was, but Rhea's question brought him to his senses. 'Oh, shit! I can't tell her Prince Ross told me, can I?' he thought in alarm. "I…" After a pause, he said, "Based on what Alex found out, Nick is not even in the palace. Everything is nothing but a smokescreen. Since you've established yourself in the organization, help me find where my son is, okay?""Alexander?" Rhea frowned but thought Mike’s explanation was reasonable.Indeed, Alexander had been helping Mike find Nick, but to no avail. That was why Rhea could tempt Mike. "How could you believe what Alexander told you? Has he visited the palace? Did he take you there, or are you saying he has relatives or friends in Yudonia?" Rhea retorted dismissively."He can't even save his wife. D
Soon after Rhea hung up the phone, someone called her to the laboratory. Since it was so abrupt, she felt uneasy and thought something was up.The truth was that she had her own plans—if she could develop the invisibility potion and her hypnotic drug could work consistently, she would no longer need Fred. With those two creations, she could secure her safety and go anywhere she liked.The immortality experiment was absurd to her because it was impossible to integrate two human beings, no matter how compatible they were. Even organ transplants faced rejection issues, let alone a major surgery like that. Of course, she would never share her opinion with Fred because he firmly believed in the experiment and would not listen to her anyway.Besides, making the queen immortal was all he cared about—an obsession that puzzled Rhea.‘Can he ensure a lifetime of wealth and glory by doing this? Why wouldn’t he try to achieve immortality himself? It puzzles me why an ambitious and scheming m
A commotion broke out, and Rhea frowned—she did not expect Fred to do this all of a sudden.Fred held up his hands to calm everyone down, saying, “We can’t afford to make mistakes due to the experiment’s complexity. So you all must stay here to make preparations. Besides…”After a pause, he glared at everyone. “As I said before, I don’t tolerate betrayals or people who can’t keep their mouths shut. So please bear with me for the experiment’s sake.“Rest assured that I will provide meals as usual, but you’ll have to hand over any communication devices.” As soon as he said that, the guards took away everything they had on them. Before Rhea could protest, one of the guards snatched her phone away. As no one was allowed to bring any communication devices into the laboratory before this, most devices the guards confiscated consisted of media players like iPods.Fred nodded in satisfaction when he saw what they were.“Your Grace.” Someone could not help but come forward. “We have all
Fred stopped and looked at Rhea solemnly. He told her to follow him and turned to leave.Rhea hurried after him and glazed over her shoulder at the others, feeling uneasy.Instead of leaving the floor, Fred led her into an office and pointed his chin at the door. “Close it.” Rhea quickly did so and turned to see him also sitting down. Fred lit a cigarette and took a puff before looking at her with narrowed eyes, asking, “You wanted to tell me about the invisibility potion?”Rhea nodded. “Yes, Your Grace. Mike said I should be able to get my hands on the formula in two days. It’s not that I don’t want to stay in the lab, but I’m afraid of missing out on important updates.” “Your phone is with me,” Fred tapped the desk and said indifferently, “If there are any updates, I’ll tell you right away.”“But…” Rhea noticed his warning expression and said carefully, “Only I can control Mike. If anyone else were to answer his calls, it might affect the effectiveness of the hypnosis.“If h
Rhea frowned as she sat alone in a corner, not understanding Fred’s actions and the sudden notice. ...Fred knew the decision was indeed sudden, but the queen could not hold on much longer. He knew she was in terrible shape from day one. That was why he desperately tried to find a healthy candidate to be her vessel. Since he had to postpone the experiment due to various troubles, the queen’s organs continued to weaken despite the medical team’s efforts. Her aging instilled a deep fear in Fred. Even though he was still in his prime, he knew he would also become old and die one day. After all, no one could escape death. ‘So what if I can’t obtain supreme power? I’ll still die one day and have nothing left.’Fred could not accept that, so he never stopped researching R20. Nothing could make him stop, either. Nothing else mattered once R10 succeeded. If he could live forever, he would not have to care about invisibility potions or controlling others.He knew life was limited, bu
As everything came too suddenly, no one else knew about it. After making all the necessary arrangements, Fred proceeded to the queen's room.He had stationed his trusted aides there to give her the best possible care, but her condition had worsened over the past two days.Initially, Fred even suspected she and Lily had conspired on this as they both experienced health issues simultaneously. However, upon reflection, he realized they had no reason to work together. Besides, they could not have planned it, even if they wanted to. After all, Fred had locked them in separate areas.He entered the room and saw the queen breathing weakly in bed. He hurried over and bent down, warmly calling her, “Your Majesty? Your Majesty?” The queen’s eyes remained closed despite some movements. It was unclear whether she lacked strength or simply did not want to look at him.Fred waved the others off and held the queen’s hand. He said softly, “It’s me, Your Majesty. I’ve come to see you. You can h