Yasmin smiled at Dominic once more and left. Her bodyguard then approached and grasped the handlebars of her wheelchair.Holding the handrims to stop the wheels, she looked up at him. "Place Lily and the miracle doctor in the same suite. Make sure it's spacious and comfortable." "As you say, ma’am," the bodyguard replied and went to handle the task. Yasmin looked over her shoulder at the closed door and let out a long sigh. ...Mike had not gone far from the embassy's entrance when a car pulled up beside him. He stopped in his tracks and got in.Alexander, who was inside, asked solemnly, "How did it go?""I gave it to her," Mike said flatly. "Did she buy it?" "I think so."Alexander nodded in satisfaction. "Rhea is suspicious by nature and a self-centered person. She might suspect something if it was just handed to her. The more she has to work for it, the less suspicious she’ll be." Austin shook his head. "That's human nature for you." "Well, human nature is complex
"But you can’t escape that terrible feeling, right?" Alexander knew how Mike felt. If someone had told him his children were dead, he wouldn't be able to take it either. He couldn’t even describe how anxious he was while awaiting the twin’s return."Don't worry, I'm just feeling a bit upset." Mike looked up. "But I'll never give up on finding Nicky, whether he's alive or not.""You shouldn't." Alexander said, "She was probably just trying to provoke you. They’ve had Nick for quite some time. Why would she suddenly tell you that? Why would they kill him now?"Alexander didn't think it made sense. 'The fact that Nick has been held captive in the Royal Palace of Yudonia shows that they're only using him to control Mike. Why would Rhea suddenly tell him that the boy is dead? Even if they were to kill Nick, there must be a reason. 'Not to mention they wanted Mike to give them the invisibility potion formula. They’d be foolish to kill Nick now.'Mike nodded. He knew he couldn't trust
Mike didn't reply. He suspected that was not it but couldn't tell why. Just as they pondered about the matter, the car suddenly braked, causing them to lurch forward. Alexander reseated himself and looked ahead. "What happened?""Sir…" The chauffeur pointed. Alexander saw a woman blocking the car with her arms outstretched. Seeing the car had stopped, she hurried over and banged on it. Austin was shocked when he recognized the woman. "Why's she here?" The woman was Rhea's mother, Maria."Sir?" The chauffeur looked over his shoulder at Alexander. Alexander waved his chauffeur off and opened the door to get out of the car. He asked, "What can I do for you?"Maria threw herself over. "Where's my daughter?! Did you kidnap her?"Alexander blocked her assault and said casually, "She's not with us.""You're lying! I saw you guys taking her away." Initially, Maria thought Alexander would hand Rhea over to the police. Yet, after a long while, she discovered that wasn't the case.
"No, that's impossible! Why wouldn't my daughter want to see me?" Maria found Austin’s reasoning hard to accept. "I bet she must be in some kind of danger."Austin shook his head. "She's now under the embassy’s protection. Also, she's a danger to others, not the other way around.""That's a lie!" Maria shouted and glared at Austin. “Rhea is very well-behaved and smart. You guys only took her away because you're jealous of her!"Austin was at a loss for words. He glanced helplessly at Alexander and saw him frowning at Maria. She looked as if she hadn't rested for several days—not only was her hair disheveled, but her clothes were a mess, and her eyes were bloodshot."She's not with us," Alexander said blandly. To him, Maria was just an ignorant and rather pathetic woman. She wasn't aware of the many things Rhea had done behind her back and Rhea's resentment toward her.When Maria realized what had happened, she blamed herself and indulged Rhea’s wishes. Maria wanted to make amend
Austin craned his neck as he gazed at Maria lumbering away. "Has she gone insane?""Perhaps." Alexander let out a gentle sigh. Instead of resenting her, he felt she was just a pitiful woman. Although she was responsible for what happened to his family, it wasn't entirely her fault. Besides trying to comfort her, Alexander could do nothing for her now. Austin said sadly, "I wonder how Rhea would feel if she were to find out what happened to her mom.”"I doubt she would care." Alexander turned and got back into the car. After all, he had seen how coldly Rhea had treated her mother. "What a piece of work Rhea is, huh?" Austin sighed, thinking Alexander was right. 'Would a cold-blooded and selfish woman like Rhea care? I don't think so.'Alexander sat in the car and looked over his shoulder at Mike. The latter asked curiously, “What happened?”"Do you still remember Rhea's number?" Alexander asked thoughtfully. Mike nodded. "I do." He worried about losing his phone, so he m
The man didn't do as Yasmin said and turned to place the tray on the nearby coffee table. His gentle voice seemed out of place with his sturdy frame, “Your Majesty, if you don't eat, your body won't be able to cope."Yasmin frowned and continued to stare out the window, saying, “I said I don’t want to. Are you defying my orders, too?”The man turned and walked up to her, his large body blocking the moonlight from outside. Upset, the queen looked up at him. "What are you doing?""Your Majesty, you know I'll never defy your orders. However, I'll stay here to keep you company until you eat something," he spoke stubbornly, remaining where he was. Yasmin glared up at him, but he didn't even look away and stood placidly with his arms crossed. After a while, her eyes grew sore, and she looked down, rubbing them. "Just go. I'll have the dinner later." The man didn't budge. "I'll take the tray away when you finish the food."In other words, he wouldn't leave until she ate.Yasmin grew
No one except Dominic knew Yasmin had insomnia. In fact, she sometimes worked until midnight only because she couldn't sleep. Her condition was too unbearable for her. Worse, she had to guard against any attempts to seize her throne constantly.Unable to share her agony with anyone, she could only keep it to herself. Rick noticed the queen had stopped moving. He raised his brow but said nothing. Yasmin thought for a moment and looked up at him, asking, "Rick, are you afraid of dying?" Rick hesitated. "Forget it. I'm sure you're going to say no." Rick said, "It would be my honor to die for you, Your Majesty." "Please. Fred also said that before." Waving it off, she had grown numb to such claims. After all, regardless of what people said, they were all selfish. Rick fell silent, knowing how much Fred had hurt her. Although Yasmin had long guarded against the duke, what he did was cruel. Rick still remembered how astonished he was when Yasmin asked him to spy on Fred. As
Due to the previous drama, no one could enter the laboratory without permission except Rhea. She was able to impress Queen Yasmin, who had given her the privilege of conducting experiments there.Rhea shared Yasmin’s belief to a certain degree. Or rather, Rhea pretended to do so. She needed no help finding all she needed in the laboratory. Although it wasn't a huge place, it had everything. She wondered how long Fred took to gather these materials. Experimenting in excitement, she grew oblivious to her surroundings, let alone notice someone coming in. The visitor stood at the doorway momentarily before clearing his throat.Startled, Rhea jumped and took two steps back before turning toward him. "It's you?" She was surprised to see someone she knew. Rick asked blandly, "What are you doing here?""Experimenting." Rhea calmed down and turned to resume her experiment. "Not everyone can come in here. I suggest you leave as soon as possible." Since she was officially part of the o
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