Amused, Alexander quickly asked his housekeepers to prepare a meal. Dominic later wolfed down the food as the trio looked on. "Didn't the embassy provide any food?""So what if they did?" Dominic took a burrito. "I'm not used to Yudonian dishes."He shook his head as if disgusted by their food. Austin pushed a bowl of mushroom soup over. "Eat slowly, Uncle Dom. It's all yours.""So why did they let you go?" Mike asked curiously. Dominic glanced at him and fell silent for a moment. He then grabbed a napkin to wipe the corner of his mouth. "That little brat found a way to get me out."The trio was puzzled for a moment but soon realized he was referring to Lily. "But why would they agree to let you go?"Indeed, it was surprising. After all, Nick and Lily had never managed to escape before this. "Well, I'm not very important to them." Dominic leaned into his chair and said casually, "What matters to them is the experiment, not an old man like me."Nodding, Alexander knew he w
Alexander said, "If we can show her the experiment is doomed to fail, she might change her mind.”Austin shook his head. "Well, you may be right, but how are we going to do that? We can't take over the experiment, can we? Unless she sees it, a suspicious person like her will never believe it."Dominic nodded repeatedly. Based on his conversation with Yasmin, he could tell how stubborn she was, even though she might waver sometimes. That was why it was difficult to persuade her. "That's what we have to do—conduct the experiment!" Alexander said, "Let’s show her how it'll fail."Austin was bewildered, but Mike had an inkling of what Alexander meant. "You're not talking about hypnosis, are you?"If they could perform hypnosis on Yasmin the way Rhea did to Ross and stage the experiment, they might be able to mislead her into thinking it had failed. "No, no, no! That won't work." Austin shook his head. "What about Mike and Prince Ross? Since the hypnosis failed on them, it shows it
"It's just an idea." Alexander looked toward Dominic. "I think Queen Yasmin is obsessed with the R10 experiment because she hasn't completed it. If she thinks she has, perhaps she might not be so hung up on it.""I think so, too." Nodding, Dominic said thoughtfully, “It makes sense from a psychological standpoint." Austin leaned into his chair and sighed in relief. "So, here comes the crucial question: who’s going to hypnotize her? She has her guard up against us. Besides, it's not easy for commoners like us to meet a queen." He spoke half-jokingly and spread his arms, yawning."Me!" Dominic suddenly said, startling Austin so much that he almost fell backward. "Uncle Dom?" Austin reseated himself and looked toward the old man. "Are you out of your mind? You just got back, for goodness' sake! No, you can't take such a risk."He shook his head vigorously. He could not let his granduncle put himself in danger again.“Who else can go? You?” Dominic gave Austin a sidelong glance a
"Do you think I need your protection?" Dominic knocked Austin’s head and said bluntly, "More like you're going to mess things up for me.""Hey! Uncle Dom, I—"Dominic interrupted, "What will you do while I hypnotize the old gal? Sing her a lullaby? Do you think I can hypnotize her with you hanging around?"Austin was stumped."I'm going to hypnotize her, not move furniture. I don't need you." Dominic then turned to Alexander. "Give me two days to prepare. I need to return to my estate to take care of something."Alexander nodded. "Okay. If you need anything, just let me know."With that, the group concluded their meeting. Although it was only two days, the wait was distressing enough. For them, each day delayed was unbearable.Meanwhile, Rhea and Lily put their best efforts into their experiments as if competing against each other. Yasmin had never visited the laboratory, not even once. It was as if she had forgotten about the place. All she did was bask in the sun and feel th
Yasmin looked at Rick. "How are their experiments?""They are still working on them."The queen knew it meant the two had made little progress."Can I trust them?" She could be asking herself or him. After not getting a response, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “How’s Fred?”"He's been quiet," Rick answered.Fred had not spoken a word since Yasmin’s visit. It was as if he had accepted his fate."Did you give him the supplements?" Yasmin asked.Rick nodded. "Yes, just as you instructed.""Good." Yasmin nodded thoughtfully and then turned to look out of the balcony. The lush greenery around the place lifted her mood. However, many yellow leaves fell from the branches when the wind blew. "I don't wish to wait forever." Gazing at the fallen leaves on the ground, Yasmin said thoughtfully, "Inform all the experts to get prepared. I want to proceed with R10."Rick was somewhat surprised. "Now?""Tell them to prepare and await further instructions," she said solemnly an
‘Not again!' Rhea exclaimed inwardly. She knew she should not be so impatient but could not help it. Somehow, she felt threatened by Lily also experimenting.Rhea took a deep breath and looked up at the apparatus and the data on the screen. She then threw everything into a specialized trash bin and marched out to see Lily’s progress. Rhea soon reached Lily’s area and realized she was sleeping inside.Rhea rubbed her eyes and looked again to ensure Lily was indeed asleep. The latter lay comfortably on a rocking recliner with a thick blanket over her. Lily looked like she was on vacation, with tea and snacks on the table beside her.Rhea grew even more frustrated when she saw how smoothly Lily’s experiment went.'How can she be enjoying herself here while I've been working my ass off? Instead of experimenting, she just found an excuse to slack off! No, she came here to agitate me. That must be it!'Thinking so, Rhea glared at her and had an evil idea when she turned to look at the s
Finally, Lily opened her eyes and slowly sat up. “You studied medicine, yet you can’t tell me what it contains?”Rhea turned and studied the contents of the apparatus with a frown. However, she still could not tell even after sniffing at it. She roared, “You’re just bluffing!”She noticed her hand was reddish on one side as if it had been scalded. Even so, what she touched was not hot. Some liquid flowed out from the several bottles that she knocked over.Still, Lily did not look nervous, as if she did not mind them. She even refilled her teacup and casually took a sip. She then said with a half-smile, “Why? You don’t know what they are? It's okay—you can tell me.”"They’re just some corrosive chemicals. What's so special about them?" Rhea said, "I only burned my hand because you tricked me.""I warned you, didn't I?” Glancing at her, Lily put down her tea while glancing at Rhea before heading toward her.The former looked at Rhea’s injured hand and then at the table, continuing,
Rhea had no idea what sort of deal Lily had made with Yasmin. After all, the queen had only put Rhea in charge of the laboratory two days ago.Rhea knew Lily was different from her. The former was upset that almost everyone favored Lily. From the look of it, Lily was not serious about her experiment at all."Whatever." Lily glanced at Rhea casually. "Snitch on me if you want."Rhea’s hand hurt, making Lily’s attitude agitate her further.“Do you think I won’t? You’re not the queen’s only favorite! Don’t forget why you’re here, Lily. There are no VIP guests in the embassy,” Rhea mocked and turned to leave. Lily remained seated as she gazed after Rhea’s departing figure. As the former’s smile faded, she grew solemn. Lily knew she was not the queen’s favorite. Although Yasmin seemed kind and friendly, she was highly selfish.If not, she would not have held onto the throne for so many years without abdicating and ignoring her son’s advice to stop the experiment. Therefore, Lily thou