There were only a few rooms on this floor, but guards stood at its two ends due to the shape of the building. Although Lily could not leave her room most days, she would carefully observe her surroundings, including the walls, whenever she had the chance.The floor where Fred stayed was relatively secluded. In fact, it was where Fred had confined Yasmin before this. No one would have expected two of the most influential Yudionians to be held captive on the same floor, let alone in a room.Lily looked left and right before coming through the window. Since no one was around during the shift change, she jumped to the floor quietly. At that moment, she heard footsteps. Lily quickly hid in a blind spot in a corner and waited until a guard went past.Suddenly, she immobilized him by hitting his acupuncture point. The guard could only sweat in fear, unable to move or shout. Since he had never experienced such a thing before, he thought he was possessed or something.Even Lily began to swe
"Don’t you realize your children are waiting for you?" Yasmin continued.Unperturbed, Lily lifted her chin. "Of course I do. So what? You won't let me go anyway! Since I can't escape, I might as well try to save someone."There was fierce determination in her eyes."You're truly unlike me," Yasmin said with a sigh."Indeed, I’m not, and I'm glad about that." "Well, too bad we're compatible in blood type and other aspects,” Yasmin said, "It doesn't matter if you're unlike me. God's will binds our fates together."Lily chuckled. "When did you become religious? Is it because you've gotten old?""Shut up!" Enraged, Rick suddenly moved. As if confident that Lily would not shoot, he tried to snatch her gun, but she moved away before he could. Lily and him then engaged in a fight in the small space. "Stop!" the queen shouted, "Rick!" Rick did as told and glared at Lily as he stood protectively before Yasmin. The queen pushed him aside, saying, "There's no need to protect me. If
Lily continued, "If you didn’t, Hyderland wouldn’t be responsible for anything, and people might start wondering why you trespassed on our country.”She had caught Yasmin off guard, and the latter shook her head. “Do you think things will be so simple? I’m a queen, damn it.”“So what if you are? You’ll age and die like commoners. Besides, I only care about what happens now,” Lily said coldly, “I’m running out of patience, just like you.” The queen fell silent for a long while. She gazed deeply at Fred and Nick. She wanted to see for herself how the surgery would go and whether it would succeed. She would only be convinced when she saw the outcome. But now…"What do you want?" After a pause, Yasmin asked, "Will you obey me after I let the kid go? Can I trust someone who's holding me hostage?""Your Majesty, you mustn't trust her!" Rhea suddenly said, worried the queen would listen to Lily. "If you free the boy, she's still going to hold you hostage next time. You're right. You s
Lily wrapped her finger around the trigger but could not pull it. After all, she had never killed anyone before, let alone a queen.At that moment, someone shouted, “Don’t shoot!”The person stumbled and banged against the door. As everyone turned to look, Rick tried to snatch Lily’s gun again. However, she dodged and backed away. By doing so, she had let go of Yasmin.Immediately after, the guards formed a protective circle around the queen while pointing their guns at Lily."Put down the gun!" Rick shouted.Since it was pointless to prolong the standoff, Lily tossed her weapon aside. She knew Yasmin was right. She would never shoot anyone. Because Yasmin knew Lily’s exact thoughts, the latter’s plan was doomed to fail from the start.“Seize her!” Rick waved, and the guards charged over."Wait!" Suddenly, Ross, the one who came in just now, dashed over and stood protectively before Lily. "Nobody moves!"Rick stepped closer and said, "Your Highness, you saw what happened. We ha
"Enough!" Yasmin suddenly exclaimed. "I won’t waste my time arguing over hypothetical issues. I've made up my mind, and no one can change it."After a pause, she said grimly, "Seize both of them!"When the guards charged forward, Ross tossed something forward and grabbed Lily's wrist. "Let's go!"Before she could react, the prince ran outside with her in tow. Suddenly, smoke rose and obscured everyone’s vision and made them cough. Immediately after, Rick rushed to the queen’s side and shouted, “Protect Her Majesty!”He then held up his walkie-talkie and said, "Do not let His Highness leave the embassy. Close the gate!"Chaos ensued with coughing and moaning everywhere. By the time the smoke disappeared, so did Lily and Ross."I'll tell our men to give chase now, Your Majesty," Rick said solemnly. "No need!" The queen stopped him. "Don't forget that he's my son. He can't stay away forever." She let out a long sigh with a conflicted look in her eyes. "But the woman…"Rick di
Lily only hesitated for a second before turning to run toward the street. Although she had many questions and Nick was still inside, she knew she would get caught again if she delayed any further. Ross stayed where he was with his gun and stopped anyone who tried to give chase. "Seize her!" someone shouted and tried to go past him.However, Ross quickly pressed his gun at his own temple. "Don't come any closer, or I'll kill myself!" He was so agitated that the veins on his neck bulged. As the others hesitated, Ross glanced over his shoulder and was relieved to see Lily had gone far. After thinking for the past two days, he had decided to stop his mother. If the experiment were to proceed, there would be no end to this, whether it succeeded or not.Lily ran with all her might, knowing she would be safe if she could reach a crowded area. In fact, she was already safe when she got out of the embassy. After all, it was daytime, so they would not dare abduct her in a public area.
Alexander was discussing a plan with Austin and Mike in the living room when he heard a car screech to a stop in the middle of his yard. Alexander was surprised even though he knew it was Dominic.“What happened?” Austin looked at the car. “Why’s Uncle Dom back so soon?”“Let’s check it out,” Alexander said gravely, removing his hands from the table and striding toward the yard. As the car door opened, Alexander hurried over to support Dominic, only to learn it was not the old man who exited the car.“Alex!” Lily looked at her husband gently. Although she had many things to tell him, his name was all she could utter at that moment.Alexander halted, wondering if he was dreaming.“I’m back.” Lily took a deep breath and intended to grin, but her eyes grew teary instead.Alexander marched over and embraced her. As he felt her warmth, he knew she was real and that he was not dreaming. He became teary-eyed as he spoke with a quivering voice, “Y-You’re back. You’re finally back!”“I a
This time, Mike did not break down in tears like he used to. Instead, he was disturbingly calm.“I’m sorry, Mike,” Lily did not know what else to say.Mike grunted and turned to head inside. Although he did not blame Lily, it still made her feel miserable.Alexander wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulder and said, “It’s not your fault.”Lily looked over her shoulder and nodded. She knew she had tried her best but could not help but feel guilty.Once inside, the living room was unusually silent. No one babbled in joy despite the reunion. A while later, Mike broke the silence, saying, “Congrats on regaining your freedom, Lily.”Lily smiled embarrassedly. “Thanks.”Mike asked, “How’d you escape? Or did they let you go?”Everyone else wanted to ask those questions but hesitated in his presence. Since he had asked first, the others felt relieved. One of them asked, “Yeah, how’d you get out?”"Prince Ross helped me escape," Lily said solemnly. "His Highness?!" Austin was shock
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