‘What the heck?! Speak of the devil!’ Well, Lily did not even speak of Melanie. She just thought of her.Seeing Melanie walking toward her step by step, Lily rubbed her eyes and turned to look into the distance. ‘It can’t be! I’m in Woodland, and this is the review competition’s reception banquet. Melanie couldn’t come as she pleased even if she wanted to! It must be a doppelganger.’With that thought in mind, Lily turned to look at the person again. The person standing before her looked just like Melanie. Her face, eyes, and especially the tone of her voice were annoyingly familiar. "What's the matter? Are you surprised to see me?" Melanie just wanted to see the surprise and displeasure in Lily’s eyes.‘Did Lily think she’s the only one who’s good enough to be here? Well, if there’s a will, there’s a way. I can use my brain to get what I want.’Lily sneered when she confirmed it was indeed Melanie, "You have no self-awareness at all, do you?"Melanie was pleased with her resp
“What did you say?!" Melanie’s face dropped. She was about to continue when someone walked in their direction, "Hi, Ms. Christian. We meet again."Lily raised her eyebrows. ‘Is that Frank? It seems these two came prepared. Did they come all the way here for me?’Well, whatever it was, Lily was not the type to back down easily. She looked at them and smiled slightly, “It would seem you didn’t learn your lesson, Mr. Moreau. Are you asking for another round?”Frank was embarrassed by her sarcasm and mockery, and he recalled the defeat he had faced the last time. "This is a public place, Ms. Christian. I don't think you would be so reckless." He was confident Lily would not dare do anything to him in public, so he continued to provoke her.He did not expect a little lady like Lily to be so skilled at kickboxing, which made it tricky for him to get his way with her. However, this aroused Frank’s desire to conquer Lily. It would be such an incredible feat for him to get such a woman.
"Giselle, you must understand that respect is mutual. There's no reason to be polite if the host doesn’t treat us as valued guests." Lily found the environment uncomfortable. She would have left long ago if she were not here as Rebirth's representative."Still…" Giselle wanted to continue, but someone interjected, "I'm sorry. The two of you mentioned something about the host not respecting their guests. Am I right?"The two turned their heads simultaneously and saw an older man. The man sported a head of silver hair, but he took good care of his skin, so he did not look his age. He gave off a sophisticated vibe as he directed his inquiry at Lily and Giselle.Giselle recognized the older man at a glance—Wesley Parker.She drew a sharp breath and blurted, "M-My apologies, Mr. Parker. That wasn't what we meant…""Are you saying I misheard you?" Wesley touched his earlobe and said, "I think my hearing is fine, though.""Mr. Parker, you're mistaken." Giselle tried to explain, but Li
Even with all the noise going on, Frank was unperturbed. He had a wineglass in one hand and a smug grin on his face as he glanced over at the commotion. “Do you know who that man is?”Melanie shook her head as she looked at the man and then back at Frank. Given that this was her first visit, she certainly would not have known anyone.“He’s Wesley Parker, a top perfumer from Westwood. This time around, he’s also serving as the competition's chairperson. He is one of the world's top eight perfumers, a talent that only emerges once every few centuries,” Frank explained, forming the number eight with his fingers.In a deep tone, he continued, “Do you think that woman can leave this place like nothing had happened, or rather, make a name for herself in Westwood’s perfumery industry now that she offended him?”Melanie understood the situation after listening to Frank’s explanation. She could not conceal her joy. “That means she’s dead meat!”“Not necessarily.” Frank shook his head. “Mr.
A young lady dressed in a princess gown with ash brown hair made her way through the crowd. She held Wesley's arm with a radiant smile on her youthful face.Her smile relieved the awkwardness in the air. When Wesley looked at the young lady, his tense and solemn expression turned into a look full of adoration for her. “You’re running all over the place again.”“I did not! I was there just now…” She paused as she realized the strangeness of the situation. Glancing around, she asked, “Why are all of you looking at me?”When she looked around again, she realized that the crowd’s attention was not only focused on herself and her father but also…“Lilsy!” Her eyes lit up, and she excitedly called out Lily’s nickname. She released her grip on Wesley’s arm and went up to hold Lily’s arm instead. “It is you! I’m not just seeing things! Lilsy, it’s really you! Why are you here? Are you here to visit me?”Everyone, including Lily, was rendered speechless.At this very moment, the happiest
Melanie was the most disappointed person at this turn of events. She was waiting to watch Lily get into trouble, but Lisa came out of nowhere and disrupted everything. ‘How annoying!’Melanie gritted her teeth with resentment and watched Lisa smiling in joy. To her, Lisa was the one who ruined her plans and everything great that was about to come her way.‘Wait! Why do I feel like I’ve seen her before? She looks familiar. Earlier, she said she met Lily in Hyderland, but I’ve known Lily since we were at university. I’ve met most of her friends, and there weren’t that many. Why does Lisa sound so familiar then?’Melanie continued staring at Lisa’s face for a moment, and a memory fragment flashed across her mind. ‘That’s her?’On the other side of the hall, Lisa was still talking to Lily after the crowd dispersed. “Lilsy, I sent you my new phone number after I returned to Westwood. Why didn’t you contact me? I thought you didn’t want to be my friend anymore.”“You sent it to me befor
“Thank you, nonetheless. You still saved me there earlier!” Lily found Lisa’s description of the scenario earlier hilarious.No matter what, Lisa was kind enough to help her.Lisa smiled sweetly. “No worries! You just need to teach me how to make a scented sachet. I loved it so much, so I tried to create one by myself by recalling how you did it, but all my attempts failed.”“Your dad is a top perfumer. Do you not like any of the fragrances that he had created?” Lily asked after giving it some thought.“There are, but perfumes differ from the sachet you gave me. I can bring the scented sachet everywhere, which would have a long-lasting scent. I also like to put it next to my pillow when I sleep. I feel like that helps me sleep better. Did you put any drugs in it? I think I’m addicted!”“Haha! Your dad would notice it immediately if drugs were in the sachet.” Lily looked around; Wesley was already nowhere in sight.“Quit looking around. My dad was just here to make an appearance.
“Sorry, you’re?" Lisa did not recognize the woman.Melanie acted like an old friend of Lisa’s and patted her shoulder with a smile, "Hey, don’t you remember me? I'm Mel! Melanie Thayer!"Lisa was quiet and looked like she was trying to recall. Lily was speechless. ‘Melanie’s such a kiss-a*s. When was she ever close to Lisa back in university? To be honest, most of her friends back then were guys. She would only make friends with girls if she could gain something from them. Otherwise, she wouldn’t even bother making small talk.’At that time, Lily was socially inexperienced and could not see through Melanie. Melanie took the initiative to befriend her and gain her favor, but it was all a calculated move.Now, knowing that Lisa was Wesley Parker’s daughter, of course, Melanie would try to befriend her. Seeing no response from Lisa, Melanie felt somewhat embarrassed, but she would not back down so easily. She quickly turned to look at Lily, "Did you forget? I used to be in the sam
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