Ch. 2221..2230

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2221 -Fred left his underground laboratory and went upstairs to the queen’s bedroom. He pushed a food cart in, smiling, “Your Majesty, it’s time for dinner.”

“Time for dinner or time for me to die?” The queen scoffed and turned her wheelchair around.

“How could you say that? You’re going to live for a long time, okay?” With a smile, Fred uncovered the cloche. “These are all your favorite dishes.”

The queen glanced at the food dismissively before asking, “Fred, be honest. What on earth are you up to?”

“Your Majesty, I told you, but you didn’t believe me. I’m trying to help you lead Yudonia forever as our greatest queen,” he said, “Don’t let Lily fool you. She just wants to save herself.”

“What if the experiment fails?” the queen asked, “You can’t guarantee it’ll succeed, can you?”

“Hey, I’m sure it will. We’ve done many similar experiments before this. I’ll never put your life at risk.”

The queen gazed at him but said nothing. Instead, she turned her wheelchair around and started to eat.

Fred’s smile deepened. He slowly crouched and said gently, “Your Majesty, you shouldn’t question my loyalty. I’ve only taken extreme measures due to the circumstances. I—"

Before he could speak about his loyalty, there was a sudden knock on the door. Fred looked upset. “Don’t disturb us!”

“Your Grace!” a weak yet insistent voice answered. “The prince is here.”

The queen stopped eating and became still.

Fred was surprised. “I’m coming!”

He glanced at the queen and murmured, “Enjoy the meal. I’ll be right back.”

He quickly left the room and closed the door before turning to the man outside with a frown. “What did you say?”

“The prince is here. He’s downstairs reviewing some documents. He’ll be coming up shortly,” the man said nervously.

“Which one?” Fred asked.

“Prince Ross…”

“What the hell is he doing here?” Fred frowned. “According to the itinerary, he shouldn’t have come here. Tell him I’m busy with an urgent matter and will meet him shortly.”

He then returned to the room.

The queen was still eating and feigned ignorance of what was happening outside.

Fred stared at her back and said, “Your Majesty, you must have heard it, right? Your eldest son, Prince Ross, is here. What do you think? Is he here to see you, or is he up to something?”

“He doesn’t know I’m here,” the queen said while eating.

“No, he does. You’ve left the palace for a long time and haven’t checked your phone recently. How could he not know you’re here after not hearing anything from you?” Fred spoke steadily, showing no panic.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2222-The queen put down her utensils and stopped eating. She could not overeat at her age since her appetite was not as good as it used to be. She calmly looked over her shoulder at Fred, saying, “Then what do you think? What do you want him to do?”

Fred burst into laughter. “My dear queen, Prince Ross isn’t a child. He wouldn’t do what I want, would he? Still, I’m confident he’s not on your side.”

He spoke confidently, wagging his finger.

The queen chuckled. “He’s my son. Shouldn’t he be on my side instead of yours?”

“No, you’re wrong. You and I are on the same side, Your Majesty,” Fred said seriously.

“Fred, are you joking?” The queen laughed. “It’s funny, I’ll give you that.”

“Cut the act, my clever Queen. You know better than anyone that none of your sons wishes for your longevity. Who would want to remain a prince forever?

“They’re eager to replace you as the head of Yudonia,” he said with conviction, “I’m the only one who wishes you to remain in power forever. I’m your closest aide. It'll affect me if you step down or are no longer around.

“That’s why you and I are on the same side, Your Majesty. I’m the only person who truly cares about you!” He sighed, shaking his head.

The queen remained quiet, neither retorting nor agreeing.

Fred looked at her for a while. “Okay, I have to go and find out why the prince has come here. Have a good rest, Your Majesty. You’re about to be reborn!”

He smiled meaningfully and ordered someone to push the food cart away before leaving the room. However, he did not go straight to the prince. Instead, he got changed first.

After riding the elevator, the doors opened, and he saw Ross. The latter was angry and impatient. Fred saluted him and said, “My Prince, I’m sorry I’m late. I’ve been so busy with work lately.”

Ross glared at him. “How dare you keep me waiting?”

“I apologize, Your Highness!” He bowed deeply. “Punish me any way you like. I deserve it.”

Ross stared at him and snorted. “Forget it. You were working hard. What kind of message would I be sending if I punished you? Take me to your office. Let me see how heavy your workload is.”

“Well…” Fred hesitated.

“Why? Can’t I go to your office?” Ross asked.

Fred quickly answered, “No, no, you can! It’s just that my office is messy, and I don’t want to be disrespectful to you, Your Highness.”

“Give me a break. I’m not a clean freak.” Ross joined Fred in the elevator and turned to face outward. “What are you waiting for? Press the button.”

Fred caught himself and nodded repeatedly. “Yes, Your Highness.”

After pressing the floor button, he sized up the prince from the corner of his eye, wondering why he had visited.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2223-Fred stood in the elevator with unease. Although Ross did not hold much real power as a prince, he had some ministers’ support.

‘Just what the hell is he up to coming here so suddenly?’ Fred wondered.

The elevator soon reached his office floor. Fred stepped aside to let the prince exit, then followed him.

“Where’s your office?” Ross asked.

Fred led the way. “This way, Your Highness.”

He brought the prince to the office respectfully and unlocked the door. The moment he did, Ross opened the door before he could.

Indeed, there were piles of documents on the desk and floor. Some items were haphazardly stacked on one side, and the computer was still on. At that moment, Fred’s phone rang on the desk.

“See?” Fred smiled apologetically. As he marched over and was about to pick up the phone, the prince said, “Wait a minute.”

He joined Fred and stood beside him. Giving him a look, he pressed the speakerphone button and gestured for the duke to proceed.

Fred shrugged nonchalantly. “Hello, this is Fred.”

“Your Grace, the envoy from Zavonia will arrive tomorrow and has scheduled a meeting with you at 3 pm. There's also the envoy from Mythora...”

The person reported many official matters, and Fred responded steadily. When the caller finished, Fred glanced at Ross. Since the latter did not react, Fred hung up the call.

“You’re swamped, as you said, huh?” Ross asked as he sat in Fred’s chair.

Fred smiled. “Well, it’s all part of the job.”

“It must be hard to deal with diplomatic tasks while caring for my mom. I’ll tell her you’ve done a great job,” Ross said placidly.

“I appreciate it, Your Highness. I’m just doing my job,” he replied smilingly.

Ross turned and glanced at the computer screen full of various documents and data. He asked casually, “Oh, yes, my mom hasn’t been in the palace lately. Do you know where she went?”

Fred paused momentarily before saying, “Her Majesty did come here, but we didn’t announce it because it isn’t an official visit. She left afterward, but I’m unsure where she went.”

“She only said she wanted to travel,” he added thoughtfully.

“You follow her everywhere, yet you don’t know where she is?” Ross raised his brow doubtfully.

“Don’t listen to the rumors, sire!” Fred exclaimed innocently, “I don’t mind if people say that about me, but it’s terrible for the queen’s reputation. People always see me with her only because of work.”

Fred was eager to prove his loyalty and innocence.

Ross smiled faintly and asked, “Why are you so worried? I’m not insinuating anything.”

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2224 -“No, no! I’m just worried about those rumors affecting your relationship with Her Majesty,” Fred murmured.

Ross shook his head. “I won’t let them. So, my mom was here, but you don’t know where she is now, right?”

Fred nodded. “I'm afraid so.”

“Hasn’t my mom contacted you for the past few days? Don’t you need to report these administrative matters to her?” Ross picked up a random document and tossed it onto the desk with a thump.

Fred stiffened from shock and smiled fawningly. “If you must know, Her Majesty has been in a bad mood lately. She doesn’t want anyone to accompany her except for her attendants.

“As for official matters, she told me to email the important ones to her, and she would look at them when free. I’ll just need to report to her about the unimportant ones when she returns.”

He then shook his head helplessly. “Look at the piles of documents here. Why don’t you help me process them since you’re here, Your Highness?”

Ross smiled coldly. “Why? Do you expect me to share your workload?”

“No, no, it’s just that… there’s a lot of work to do here. I might have no time to keep you company.”

Although Fred insinuated that Ross was disturbing him, he appeared respectful and somewhat humble. The former was always careful, so no one could hold anything against him.

Ross looked at him intensely and got up to head toward the door. Suddenly, he stopped after a few steps and turned to Fred. “Do you genuinely have no idea where my mom is?”

“If I know, I’ll inform you immediately, Your Highness.” After a pause, Fred added, “If you receive any news from Her Majesty, please let me know. After all, I have many official matters to report to her.”

“Sure!” Ross glanced at him sidelong before striding out of the office.

Fred tried to follow and heard him telling someone outside, “Take me to my room.”

The person had already led Ross away when he arrived at the office entrance. Fred straightened up as he gazed at the prince coldly.

‘Ross seems to be insinuating something. Does he already know something?’

Fred pondered carefully but was unsure. At a crucial moment like this, he preferred to wait and see just to be safe.

‘It’d be best if the prince would return to Yudonia as soon as possible instead of getting in my way!’

Thinking so, Fred called someone over and whispered something before waving him off. "Hurry up and get it done."

Fred stood alone and thought, ‘Ross has remained a prince because he hasn’t demonstrated the qualities of a king. If he hasn’t done that, even at this age, he has no hope of ever becoming a king!’

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2225 -Dr. Blanc went to Alexander’s place alone at night and woke him up. He also woke Austing and Mike before gathering them in a room. Dr. Blanc faced them grimly while holding a traveling case.

Austin was the sleepiest among them as he had grown accustomed to his healthy lifestyle. He yawned and asked, “Dr. Blanc, what’s so important that you had to wake us up in the middle of the night? Don’t you need to sleep?”

“This is important,” Dr. Blanc looked around and asked Alexander, “Is this room secure?”

Alexander nodded knowingly. “Don’t worry. I had the construction team build the walls with special materials to combat eavesdropping.”

“That’s perfect.” Dr. Blanc nodded and observed their expressions thoughtfully. “What I’m about to tell you is highly classified, so I need you all to pay close attention. After this, you must not tell anyone about it. Understand?”

Austin snapped to attention when he heard that. “Why all the secrecy?”

Mike, hugging a pillow drowsily, sat up slightly and looked alert. “What is it about? Am I… allowed to know about it?”

Alexander had been on good terms with Dr. Blanc and considered Austin one of his men. Only Mike seemed like an outsider.

“You stay here. You’re in the know also,” Dr. Blanc said, nodding.

“I am?” Mike was even more baffled.

“It’s about the invisible woman,” Dr. Blanc said hushedly.

The other three looked perplexed.

“What about her?” Austin said. “Are you saying the results of your analysis are out?”

Dr. Blanc nodded and opened the traveling case. He took out a document filled with data and records, with a single paper sheet attached.

The trio could not understand the data, but the wording was clear and direct. Based on Rhea’s fallen hair and analysis of the items they found at the scene, there were traces of an invisibility potion.

In other words, it was possible to turn invisible.

“What the hell?!” Austin chuckled, holding the piece of paper. “But how is this proof? Why would you say there are traces of an invisibility potion? How do you even know what it is?”

After all, no one had seen such a potion before. Even if someone had, they could not make such a conclusion.

Dr. Blanc was not upset. Instead, he revealed another document. “We conducted experiments using Rhea's hair and skin flakes. We discovered that changes would occur under specific conditions.

“For example, her hair would slowly turn invisible to the naked eye under high temperatures. However, the hair’s form and molecular structure were still visible under a microscope. From our repeated experiments, we have reasons to believe the invisibility potion does exist.”

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2226 -The trio could not help but exchange looks, especially since Dr. Blanc sounded severe and produced two documents as evidence.

Although no one had discussed it for the past two days, they had concluded that Rhea could not have become invisible—she must have resorted to some other means.

To their utter disbelief, Dr. Blanc had proof of an invisibility potion.

The world would be in shambles if Rhea had invented such a thing. Many would try to get their hands on the potion, which would cause endless trouble.

“T-That's impossible, right?” Mike stammered. “Can such a thing exist?”

“Although it sounds ridiculous, nothing is impossible. Thanks to science, our understanding of the world has kept evolving. Some medications can speed up cell division and growth, drugs that can manipulate a person’s mind.

“Even substances can be passed from one person to another, leading to illness and death. Nothing is impossible, whether invisibility, growth acceleration, teleportation, or even time travel and immortality.”

After a pause, Dr. Blanc continued, “At least this is based on the results we’ve obtained using our lab equipment. What else would it be if it’s not an invisibility potion?”

“I have… no idea.” Austin narrowed his eyes as he read the documents. He shook his head as his frown deepened before looking at Dr. Blanc, then Alexander.

Austin asked thoughtfully, “What do you think?”

“I think Dr. Blanc is right. Perhaps nothing is impossible. We don’t believe in something only because we haven’t seen it. If Rhea were still here, we could ask her about it,” Alexander continued, “If the invisibility potion is real, it could come in handy now.

“For example, we can search for Lily in the embassy and rescue Mike’s son. It’s going to be so easy.” He shrugged. “Unfortunately, we don’t have it. If Rhea has it, I would love to try it.”

Alexander sighed and looked at Mike. “Mike. Mike?”

Mike snapped out of his trans and blinked. “What?”

“Didn’t you notice anything strange about Rhea when you delivered meals to her? Where did she hide the potion? How come we never discovered it?” Alexander asked.

Mike shook his head. “I have no idea. There was nothing unusual then. She never looked at or talked to me. God knows where she kept the potion.”

“It looks like she had prepared herself well,” Alexander sighed and looked at Dr. Blanc. “So you came in the middle of the night to tell us about this?”

“That’s right,” Dr. Blanc nodded and said, “If she has an invisibility potion, finding her will be challenging. She can turn invisible and go anywhere in the city, but you won’t be able to see her.”

“That sounds fun, doesn’t it? Austin said half-jokingly.

When Alexander shot him a look, he shrugged and sighed. “Okay, I was kidding. But seriously, using it to save people would be perfect.”

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2227 -After relaying the news to the trio, Dr. Blanc left quickly, taking the documents with him. Alexander, Mike, and Austin discussed it but could not conclude anything.

If the invisibility potion existed, finding Rhea would be even more challenging. They would have no way to track her.

Austin could no longer stay awake and went to sleep at daybreak. After some silence, Mike said he was sleepy and also left. Alexander returned to his bedroom shortly after.

After some time, Austin opened his room door and stood quietly in the hallway. Then, he headed to Alexander’s room and motioned to knock. However, the door opened before he could knock.

Alexander stood at the doorway as if he had expected Austin to come. The former gestured for him to be quiet before letting him in. After glancing around the hallway, Alexander turned and closed the door behind him.

He remained quiet and signaled Austin to enter the inner room with a wave. After sitting down, Alexander said, “You saw through it, huh?”

Austin nodded. “Those documents had too many mistakes. When I saw how serious you and Dr. Blanc looked, I figured you two must be up to something.”

“That’s right,” Alexander said, “Good thing you didn’t expose us.”

“The data in the document had nothing to do with the analysis. Aren’t you afraid Mike might see through this?” Austin couldn’t help but say so.

Alexander shook his head. “Do you think he can tell?”

Austin pondered.

‘He’s right! I knew the data didn’t add up only because of my career. Mike can’t understand the data, even if he studied them.’

“So, what's all this about?” Austin asked, cocking his head.

“We wanted to see how they would react to it.” Alexander looked grim.

Austin knew why he was so severe, asking, “So you think he did it?”

Since Alexander had set the trap, it showed he was sure the incident had something to do with that man.

“Well, I’m also trying to give him a chance,” Alexander sighed.

‘He can redeem himself if he can admit it and work with us, right?’

...

Fred could not continue the experiment because of Ross’s visit. It was even inconvenient for Fred to visit Lily and the queen now. He could only tell his men to provide for their essentials.

Luckily, there were many buildings, and Ross could not notice anything unusual if they were careful. Still, the prince was standing in his way. Fred could not help but wonder when Ross would leave the embassy.

Bored, Fred opened the drawer and saw a small box. It contained the bottle Rhea had given him, but he did not have time to confirm what it contained. After some thought, he pocketed it and headed toward Rhea’s room.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2228-Fred wondered if the drug Rhea had developed was as effective as she claimed.

…

Meanwhile, Rhea grew somewhat depressed. It was bearable when Alexander held her captive because she was busy plotting her escape. However, she felt trapped forever in the embassy, wondering when the organization would take her seriously.

She could only wait. As for the experiment involving Lily, she was eager to witness it. Back in the laboratory, she was awed by the concept. Immortality was tempting for people like her.

‘No one can resist immortality. If the experiment succeeds, it’ll be a monumental breakthrough in humankind’s history. I want to see it myself, even if it isn’t my experiment.

‘Of course, I know the risks. My experiments continuously failed. Also, the number of failures far exceeded the number of successes.’

As her mind wandered, the room door opened. Fred entered and looked at her.

“Your Grace!” Rhea quickly got up and said excitedly, “Can I start my work now?”

“What work?” Fred took a seat. “Is there anything you can do here?”

Stunned, Rhea chuckled, “Stop teasing me, sir. I’m serious about serving you.”

“Tell me first. How do you use this thing?” He removed the box from his pocket and opened it. The small bottle sat inside, looking like a perfume but somewhat different.

Rhea chuckled and took the bottle. “It’s simple, but it’ll only work best if we hypnotize the target simultaneously.”

“Hypnotize?” Fred was suspicious and curious. He thought using hypnosis alongside the drug was interesting.

“Yes!” Rhea nodded thoughtfully. “I learned hypnosis for some time but discovered it would only work for a while. The person would regain their will under certain circumstances. It wasn’t the effect I wanted, so I developed the drug to be used alongside hypnosis to put someone completely under control.”

Fred stared at the small bottle pensively. “Will it work on anyone?”

“Yup!” Rhea added, “However, it’s best not to choose someone with strong willpower. People like that can quickly wake up from the hypnotic state.”

“Strong willpower?” Thinking about it, Fred shook his head. “No, his willpower isn’t strong.”

Most knew Ross for his kindness and benevolence. However, it meant he was soft-hearted and weak to Fred.

‘I wouldn’t have gained so much power if Ross were tougher, would I?’ he thought.

“Then there shouldn’t be a problem.” Rhea studied his expression and said, “I wonder who you plan to hypnotize. Perhaps I could be of help to you.”

Fred smiled meaningfully at her.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2229-Rhea paused momentarily, saying, “However, I hope you can give me detailed information about the person you want to hypnotize.”

Fred was puzzled. “Is that necessary?”

“It is.” Rhea nodded. “It's not easy for hypnosis to work. I must learn about a person’s life, habits, and weaknesses before putting them into a deep hypnotic state.”

“So what’s the use of your drug?” Fred grew somewhat upset. “Do I need to provide detailed information on every target next time? Also, are you saying you’re the only person who can do it?”

“Please don’t get mad, Your Grace,” Rhea quickly explained, “That’s not what I meant. Although R20 has succeeded, it’s still in the preliminary stages. I need time to perfect it to be more effective, but for now…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but what she implied was obvious. The drug was imperfect, and the process needed extra work. It was not as simple as Fred had thought.

He scoffed, “I thought it was amazing, considering how you bragged about it last time. Turns out it’s just a substandard product.”

Embarrassed, Rhea said impatiently, “Well, I wanted to bring you the most perfect product, but I ran out of time. Even so, R20 is still highly effective. If not, I couldn’t have escaped and come here.”

“Oh, yeah? What proof do you have?” Fred glanced at her coldly, unconvinced. He had considered using Rhea’s drug to control Ross. That way, Fred would not need to fear him, and everything would go much smoother.

Fred never expected Rhea to tell him that the drug was imperfect.

‘Fuck! Why didn’t she do something about it?’

With that thought in mind, Fred could not help but get angry.

“Your Grace, I can prove it to you,” Rhea saw how upset he was and anxiously said, “Can you give me a cell phone to make a call?”

Fred looked her up and down, wondering if she was trying to pull any tricks.

Rhea was nervous, worried Fred would storm off without giving her the chance.

She had worked hard to get here. If Fred lost trust in her now, she would lose the chance to turn things around for herself. Therefore, she could not afford to let him walk away.

After a long while, Fred wanted to see what she was up to and said, “Okay, I’ll give you the phone. You better show me something worthwhile.”

He got someone to pass Rhea a phone and added before she made the call, “Don’t even consider calling the police or getting anyone to rescue you, got it? You know what I’m capable of. You’ll be sorry if you double-cross me.”

“I won’t, Your Grace. I’m here to serve the organization. Why would I call the police?” Rhea quickly dialed a number as she spoke.

The call rang for a long while. Rhea observed Fred’s expression as her heart pounded seeing his glare. After some time, someone answered the call groggily, “Hello?”

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2230 -"Mike, it's me," Rhea said hushedly.

Fred became wide-eyed when he heard the name. He stared at her, surprised she would call him out of everyone.

"Huh?" Mike seemed puzzled.

Rhea was so anxious she started sweating. She did not know if Mike was still under her control since she could not see him in person. Nonetheless, she continued, “It’s me, Rhea.”

"Oh, are you there? Did you find my son?" Mike hastily asked.

"Not yet. We'll discuss that later." Embarrassed, she glanced at Fred and noticed he looked even grimmer now. She felt a chill run down her spine, saying, "How's the situation?"

"They haven't taken any action. Oh, yes, Dr. Blanc came last night and said they found traces of an invisibility potion on your hair," Mike truthfully answered as if reporting to his superior.

Rhea nodded initially, but her jar dropped when she heard the last part. “What?!”

"That's it." Mike sounded like he had just accomplished a mission.

"What invisibility potion? What's that?" Rhea was baffled.

"Didn't you ask me to tell them you escaped using an invisibility potion? They didn't believe it at first, but people came and took many things from the house Alex held you in. They studied these things, and their analysis revealed an invisibility potion."

Mike was somewhat confused as he asked, "Did you develop the potion?"

“What nonsense are you spouting? Of course not!" Rhea replied, stealing a sidelong glance at Fred. She wanted to show Fred how obedient Mike was to her and that she could obtain any information from him. However, she never expected to hear about an invisibility potion.

Rhea thought, ‘How can they take an invisibility potion seriously and say it exists? Are they out of their fucking mind?!’

“According to them, your hair disappeared during their experiment. It would only reveal its…molecular structure under a microscope,” Mike said, “Rhea, you developed it, right?”

"I didn't! I was just bluffing, okay? She blurted out and caught herself before looking at Fred.

His glare made her hair stand on end.

"Mike, keep a close eye on them, okay? Report to me immediately if Alexander is up to anything."

This time, Mike answered obediently, "Okay."