Connaughton Lane in Kingsland had always been notoriously lively at night. There were all sorts of bars with people from all walks of life.However, few knew about a secluded alley a few miles away from Connaughton Lane. There were a few bars, but there were not as many people. The people who went there were niche. Small shops catering to all sorts of hobbies were in that alley, allowing like-minded people to meet.However, because of the small crowd, the alley was also quiet. Few people were around, and only a few signboards had lights, indicating they were still open for business. A slender figure appeared at the store door and looked up at the signboard on the left. 'Underground Perfumery. This is it!'Although Underground Perfumery might be unknown to others, it was an interesting place for perfumers. Anyone who had an interest in fragrances or was into researching scents would gather here. However, this shop was only open at night.One could also find unique and exclusive perf
The fact that the whole place was quiet amplified the noise in the corner. "You're going to lose this time!""Don't speak too soon. That might not be the case!" "We've already had a whiff of Ben's. I don't believe that yours can be better than his."Lily glanced over, and the waiter soon arrived with a few glasses of water and set them all in front of her, one after another. She took the opportunity to ask him, "What are they doing?"She assumed they were drinking shots if this were a regular bar. However, it did not sound like that was the case. The waiter followed Lily's line of sight and smiled before explaining, "It may not be obvious for you since it's your first time here, but I assume you must be a perfumer yourself. Do you not know what scent work is?" "Scent work?" The first thought that came to Lily was, “Isn't that something police dogs do?”"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about a game! They are two different things!" Seeing that there were no customers around,
Out of curiosity, Lily got up and approached the group.When she got closer, she could finally see what was in the middle. It was a piece of grass—at least that was what it looked like."You don't understand! Take a proper sniff if you don't believe me!" The girl refused to back down. She held her head up high as if the piece of grass was something rare.This attracted sneers from the people around. "Forget it. This is just a piece of grass. I'm sure it'll just smell like grass anyway. What else could it smell like? Barbeque sauce? Hahaha."Immediately, a burst of laughter followed. Some onlookers patted the girl on the shoulder. "Forget it. It's not embarrassing to admit defeat, but if you persist like this, it's a little embarrassing…"At this point, everyone was probably bored as the victory was clear-cut. Slowly, they began to disperse, and no one paid attention to the girl's grass. Once everyone left, Lily thought it was a good time to approach the girl, who had her head bowed an
"Are you a perfumer?" The girl asked as soon as she heard what Lily said. Lily sounded like an expert."Yeah." Lily nodded. Her focus was still on the piece of grass. "Now, can you tell me where you found this, or…could I buy it from you?"Lily assumed that she might want to make a profit out of the grass. After all, it seemed like the girl valued it.Unexpectedly, the girl refused. "I'm not selling it." Then, without waiting for Lily to speak, the girl got up and walked toward the scattered group of people that she was with. "You lot don't know how to appreciate good things! Look, this perfumer said this is great!" The girl exclaimed with her head held high, like a child who had just received praise. Lily was startled. She did not expect that this girl would directly reject her and go off to flaunt. This was bewildering to Lily."What perfumer? Stop lying. Although we don’t have the title yet, we’re professionals with equivalent skills too. Rachel's uncle is also an internationally
The man was surprised because Lily was supposed to be in the courtyard. The gate was locked, and the walls were nearly five meters high. ‘Did she fly out of there?’On the other hand, Lily was so focused on the raw material before her that she did not notice the others."Here's the deposit if you don't believe me." Lily took out her purse and a small stack of cash, stuffing it into Kasey's hand. "You can give me your address, and I will drop by one day. Let's sign an agreement."When the youngsters noticed Lily's seriousness, they could not hide their surprise. However, they still found it ridiculous."Congratulations, Kasey! You found someone that appreciates your little grass!" The girl next to Kasey patted her on the shoulder with a hint of mockery in her voice.However, Lily could not care less. If everyone could identify raw goods so quickly, there would not be so few perfumers around, and if others easily recognized raw materials like these, they wouldn't be considered rare.
‘This girl is so bizarre. She’s young and competitive, but what’s the point of arguing about who’s the winner in this sort of thing? How uninteresting!’When Lily did not speak, they assumed she was afraid and laughed. "It's so obvious that she got caught. Are you throwing in the towel already?""What should we compete with?" Lily's statement was so sudden that they all froze and could not react for a while."We'll see who knows their scents better," The girl who mocked Kasey spoke up. Although she was not tall, she still looked imposing. It was apparent she was the ringleader."Am I competing with you?" Lily asked in surprise. Hearing this, the group burst into laughter."Are you looking down on her? Do you know who she is? It's time you get humbled!""Kasey, shouldn't you keep your actress up to date before bringing her here? How dare she look down on Rachel like that? Now you're just digging your own grave!""Everyone knows Rachel is the queen of scents. She has her uncle's no
Lily knew this game was difficult for beginners like them but a piece of cake for her. However, it was not her fault that she was bullying kids here. She never wanted to participate in such a childish game but wanted that raw material.The results of the game were indisputable. Lily had won by a mile. At that time, the faces of the people around her darkened. They were in utter shock, as they had never expected Lily to win in such a dominant manner.On the other hand, Lily did not care about the game, as she took the box back from Kasey. "Remember your promise. I will pick up the goods in two days."The little girl was completely stunned!Although Kasey felt that Lily was knowledgeable enough to appreciate the grass she brought, Kasey did not expect Lily to win with such ease. Even Kasey herself was not confident that Lily could win it. Now, she was beginning to look at Lily in a different light.While Kasey was still in a daze of admiration, Rachel exclaimed, "Hold up!" After a
Lily took a step back. She was getting a little impatient with these kids."I can only admit defeat if I'm defeated. Do you think you're so great?" Rachel looked at her provocatively, with no hint of allowing Lily to leave.Then, she took two steps toward Lily with fire in her eyes. Rachel was determined to win.Just as the atmosphere began to tense, a voice called out. "Rachel!"Although it sounded casual, Rachel was startled and immediately tensed up. Panic flashed across her eyes as she turned around and greeted awkwardly, "Hi, Uncle." "What are you doing here?" The man who came over was dressed casually, but his extravagant aura was prominent. His simple question was putting Rachel in the spot. "I-I just came with my friends." "Is the competition over?" he asked again."Y-Yeah, it is," she replied in a low voice. She did not expect her uncle to show up here at all. The man took a few steps toward her and rubbed the top of her head. "Well, since it's over, hurry home. It's getti
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