Ch. 2251..2260

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2251-Fred was in disbelief as he stared wide-eyed at Ross. The former thought he was hallucinating. He had planned to get Ross to leave the embassy. Even if nothing happened to the prince, it would buy Fred time to do what he needed.

Still, Ross wanted Fred to leave instead. For a moment, Fred even thought he had a point.

‘This is not happening!’ Thinking so, he quickly explained, “Your Highness, it’s not that I don’t wish to go, but—” “So you’re willing to go, huh?” The prince interrupted, “I knew you’re most loyal to my mom despite the rumors. Anyway, this is the best opportunity for you to prove yourself. Just go, Fred. I’ll take care of everything here.

“I’ll get two of my best bodyguards to protect you along the journey,” he said, “I thank you on behalf of my mom and the people of Yudonia!” As he spoke, he rested his palm on Fred’s shoulder. The latter was at a loss for words.

He didn’t even know how he left the prince’s room. He could only remember Ross saying, “You better depart as soon as possible to ensure nothing bad happens. I’ll have a plane ticket and travel route ready for you.

“Don’t worry. I’ve traveled around Hyderland several times and understand it well. As for any foreign affairs or reception, I’ll handle them for you. I’ll tell others you’re going on an official trip.” As these words rang in Fred’s ear, he wondered how things had ended up like this.

‘Didn’t I try to get rid of Ross? Why am I the one leaving instead?’ Fred was still dumbfounded as he stood in the elevator.

‘Ross is more difficult to deal with than I imagined. I can’t allow this to happen! How can I leave here? If I do, he might discover my secrets.’ While deep in thought, he reached his office floor. However, he did not exit the elevator and pressed the floor button again. He took a winding path and arrived at the secret underground laboratory.

After passing the security checks, he saw the employees working as usual and felt slightly relieved. He proceeded to the innermost part of the laboratory and saw Rhea working diligently.

Rhea did not realize he had arrived because she was preoccupied with her experiment. She was focused and serious as she extracted juice from a plant.

Seeing her so, Fred did not disturb her. Instead, he waited until she injected the juice into a tube, mixed it with a few drops of other liquids, and then began observing the data. Rhea caught herself and glanced to the side. She hurried over, saying, “Your Grace!” Fred grunted but looked pleased. “How’s the progress?” “I’m still working on it. I’ll try to make it work as soon as possible,” Rhea said, then added, afraid he would get upset, “Since we don’t have any relevant data to refer to, everything is still in the experimental stage.

“I’ll hurry, but I can’t guarantee I can get it to work in just a few days.”

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2252-She tried to look sincere, but Fred was surprisingly calm. He only nodded to show he understood her, then beckoned, "I know it takes time to develop the invisibility potion, so don't worry about it as long as you continue to work on it."

He held her shoulder and lowered his voice, saying, "I have something more urgent I need you to do. Once done, I'll give you everything and all the time you need for your research."

Rhea looked up at him in surprise. "Is it about the hypnosis?"

Fred nodded and asked solemnly, "Yes, I need it done as soon as possible. Can you do it by tonight?"

Rhea was shocked and not confident. She wondered, 'I only succeeded in hypnotizing Mike because I knew much about his character. I don't even know the prince and have only read about him.’ "Can you do it or not?" Fred tightened his grip on her shoulder, looking sinister.

Rhea said through clenched teeth, "Yes, I can."

She worried Fred would kill her if she said no.

"That's great. I knew I could count on you. I'm beginning to believe you're as good as Lily. No, you're better than her!" He suddenly stopped and frowned when he thought of something.

Rhea was pleased to hear him say so. However, she noticed his expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

Fred shook his head thoughtfully and asked, "Do you know what would cause someone to become severely ill?"

Rhea was puzzled.

Fred rephrased himself, "Why would someone healthy suddenly become very sick?"

"Very sick? Like having a tumor or an untreatable disease?"

"No, the heart rate has suddenly slowed where it almost stopped, but the medical equipment couldn't tell what's wrong with the person," Fred said with a frown.

He was frustrated after encountering many troubles lately. Not only had he failed to get rid of Ross, but the latter even tried to send him on a search for the queen, not to mention Lily's current condition.

Fred wondered if he would fail after so many years of scheming.

After hearing what he said, Rhea guessed who he was talking about. Still, she was unsure. "May I ask if the person is male or female? How old are they?"

Upset by her question, Fred waved dismissively and said, "Why are you asking so much? Am I the one asking questions, or you?"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2253 by Luminous Night0-Knowing he was irritated, Rhea said soothingly, "Your Grace, I wasn't trying to pry, but I needed information to give a proper answer. Men and women have different physiques, and their age makes a difference, too.

“If it's someone old, it's normal if their heart rate slows. Even if the person looks healthy, heart failure is possible if there are underlying conditions. If there aren't any, then it might be a sudden illness—"

Fred interjected impatiently, "That's not possible! She's so young!"

Although he was upset, Rhea gleaned a bit of information from his reply. She continued, "Even young people can have sudden heart problems. Furthermore, there are differences between men and women, as well as factors like physical fitness—"

"The person is neither a man nor elderly, and she has no underlying conditions.

She has always been in good shape." Fred grew increasingly annoyed by Rhea’s explanation.

He might have revealed it was Lily, but he did not want to. "Is it possible she has done something to herself? Is there anything that could slow down her heart rate?"

Having said so, he thought it was unlikely and shook his head. "No, she could die from this. It doesn't make sense if she wants to kill herself."

‘Lily has a strong will to survive and never stopped trying to escape after going through so much. Why would she suddenly try to kill herself?’ Rhea was more or less sure who Fred was talking about. However, she played along because Fred did not mention the person’s name. She said, "No, you could be right."

Fred was puzzled.

"I've encountered techniques for slowing one's breathing in a few novels. They also discuss drugs that can induce a state of simulated death."

"Simulated death?" Fred's eyes lit up.

"Yup!" Seeing he was intrigued, Rhea continued, "It's a state where the heart rate is so slow that the person only appears dead. However, if the person takes a certain drug or when it is time, they will wake up again."

Fred caught on. "So she might have taken some drug or used a certain technique, huh?"

"That's right," Nodding, Rhea said meaningfully, "If the person happens to have fighting skills, it's even more likely!"

"Yes, she does—" Fred caught himself and stopped talking. He looked at Rhea deeply, saying, “Don’t pry. I'm only asking you questions. Just focus on the hypnosis, understand?"

Rhea answered, "Yes, Your Grace."

He looked her up and down thoughtfully. "When will you finish your work?"

"I'll be done in 30 minutes as soon as I collect the data and stow the stuff away,"

Rhea said, checking her watch.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2254-"Okay," Fred said, "I'll give you an hour. After you finish, shower, change, and come to my office. There's something I need you to do."

Puzzled, Rhea answered, "Okay."

… A while later, she went to Fred's office. The backless dress Fred had sent her revealed her alluring figure. However, Rhea was somewhat uneasy. She had worn clothes like this but felt like Fred was using her as an escort.

Rhea was upset because she only allowed others to exploit her intellect and talent, never her body.

Fred sized her up and nodded. "You look great! Tell me about your plan."

Rhea tried not to show her frustration, saying, "I'll spike the drinks and hypnotize him as we chat. Then, he'll unwittingly fall under my control."

"No!" Fred met her puzzled gaze. "He's a cautious man. He won’t drink what you bring him."

Rhea said, "I'll coax him, okay? I'll think of ways to get him to take the drug."

"You underestimate him." Fred knew how difficult Ross could be.

"Then what?" Upon hearing Fred's words, Rhea no longer knew what to do.

"Don't worry about the drug. I'll find a way." Fred leaned against his desk and said thoughtfully, "Just ensure you hypnotize him and that your drug will work."

Rhea straightened up and smiled. "I promise it’ll work!"

Although nervous, she could not show it and kept telling herself her drug worked on Mike. Even if it was easier to hypnotize Mike, Rhea should be able to reproduce the same results.

'Life’s a gamble. I just have to take a risk!' She tried to give herself a pep talk. When she got changed in her room, she called Mike again to ensure her experiment had worked. She asked Mike what Alex and others had been doing and learned about Prince Ross from him.

As his information was similar, she knew her target was the prince. Rhea also asked a few questions about Ross and discovered how long he planned to stay.

She also found out Ross was not just there for official business but also to investigate Fred.

Having received unexpected information, Rhea was excited and satisfied because it showed the hypnosis worked on Mike.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2255 -Rhea stood outside a room and steadied her deep breath before knocking on the door. After a while, someone inside said in perfect Yudonian, "Come in."

She checked her dress, opened the door, and entered with a tray. She lowered her gaze and curtsied, saying, “Your Highness.” Having studied abroad for many years, she could speak fluently in Yudonian.

Meanwhile, the casually dressed Prince Ross was reading a document behind the desk. There was a half-filled glass of wine, various beverages, snacks, etcetera.

They made what Rhea was holding somewhat redundant.

"Yes?" Ross only glanced at her despite her sexy outfit.

Rhea bit her lower lip and approached with the tray. "I'm a waitress working for the Yudonian Foreign Ministry. Duke Frederick asked me to send you some drinks and snacks and keep you entertained."

"Oh?" The prince looked up and studied her. "It was Fred?"

"Yes, sir, Duke Frederick sent me," Rhea quickly said.

"Hasn't he left?"

Rhea smiled embarrassedly. "The duke had some work to hand over to his staff.

He might leave tonight after he finishes packing."

"I never expected an efficient man like Fred to drag his feet," Ross snorted and continued to read the document.

Rhea could only stand aside. She dared not speak again, fearing he would get upset and throw her out. She stood for almost half an hour, but Ross remained engrossed in the document.

Her legs felt sore from standing for so long in high heels. Even so, she dared not move about without permission.

Ross only realized she was still there when he finished reading the document and picked up his wine glass. He asked, "Why are you still here?"

"I brought some wine and snacks for you, Your Highness," Rhea said.

"I have enough drinks and snacks here," Ross said coldly.

He was also not into alcohol. His only weakness was his kindness. Because of that, the queen once said he was unfit for the throne. However, the Yudonian people loved him. He was their favorite among the three princes.

Based on what Rhea read and the information she gleaned from Mike, she said, "The wine I brought differs from yours. I bet you haven't tasted something like this before."

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2256-Oh?” Ross raised his brow and asked, "Are you sure I've never tasted that wine before?"

"Of course, I’m sure." Rhea leaned forward to place the exquisite-looking wine bottle on the desk. "It's a specialty wine from Hyderland."

"I've visited Hyderland many times and have tried food and beverages from all over the world. How are you so sure I haven't tasted something like that before?" Ross remained unconvinced.

Rhea smiled, "That’s because it's home-brewed."

"Oh?"

Rhea poured the wine as she spoke, "My dad made it when I was born, and I just retrieved it from the cellar. It smells amazing."

Its aroma filled the room. Ross sniffed the air, praising, "It smells like a good wine, all right."

"Try it, Your Highness," Rhea said as she handed the glass to him, "See how different it is from the ones you had before."

Although he complimented the smell, he did not take it.

“I just had red wine. I might get drunk if I drink more." Indeed, Ross was cautious. "Since your dad made it for you, you should save it."

Rhea said earnestly, "I don't drink much, Your Highness. I might as well give it to someone who can better appreciate a good wine.” Ross thought pondered while tapping the table. After a while, he said, "Leave it here then."

Rhea was not ready to give up. She continued to persuade him, "Why don't you try it now? Although it's an aged wine, one can’t get drunk by drinking it. Even if you do, I promise you won't wake up with a hangover."

Ross looked at her. "Is it that remarkable?"

"Well, why don't you find out yourself?" Rhea looked at him enchantingly.

Ross looked at her and then at the wine. He briefly raised the glass to his lips, then returned it to her. "It's your wine. Why don't you taste it first?"

Rhea chuckled. "You're scared I've poisoned it, huh? I wouldn't dare to do so.

Besides, I'm in the embassy. People will kill me if I try to poison you."

After getting no response, she continued, "Well then, it's my honor that Your Highness wants me to drink it."

She downed the wine with one gulp. While pointing at the emptied glass, she said, "That should put your mind at ease, right?"

Ross pondered momentarily, then pointed his chin at the bottle of wine. "Pour me a glass. I'll taste it."

Pleased, Rhea refilled the glass.

Ross took the glass and raised it to his lips. He sniffed the wine, seemingly still hesitant.

Rhea asked, "Are you still worried? Why don't I drink another glass?"

"Nah," Ross said, "I can't let you enjoy such a good wine alone, can I?"

He took a sip.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2257-Ross's eyes lit up. Although he said nothing, Rhea knew he liked the wine when he took one sip after another.

He soon finished the glass of wine, and Rhea knew her gamble had paid off.

Fabian had not made the wine because he would never do anything like that for her. Rhea had only gotten it from a renowned wine collector in the country.

Of course, Fred had spent a fortune on it. Still, it was indeed a good wine, and Ross enjoyed it. Most importantly, Rhea got him to consume R20 with it. She asked warmly, "It's not bad, right, Your Highness?"

"It's not bad indeed." Nodding, Ross finally smiled. "Although I've tasted many good wines in Hyderland, this one’s unique. Does it have a name?"

"It does." Rhea smiled.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

Rhea touched the wine bottle and flicked it. She said smilingly, "It's called Pinot Le Héros, which means The Hero.” Ross nodded. "It's a good name for a good wine."

"Well, since it's a good wine, you should drink more." Rhea tried to pour him more wine.

"No thanks!" Ross covered his glass and shook his head. "I don't want to get drunk."

Rhea did not insist and put down the bottle with a chuckle. "All great men have discipline, don't they?"

Ross glanced at her. "So why did Fred send you here?” "The duke asked me to attend to your needs, Your Grace," Rhea murmured, "Feel free to make any requests, and I'll do my best to fulfill them."

Fred told her to say the suggestive remark.

Ross looked at her intensely, asking, "What's your name?"

"I'm Rhea Moore, Your Highness," she murmured.

"Rhea Moore,” Ross nodded thoughtfully and said, "It's a lovely name for a lovely woman. Why are you working as a waitress? You seem overqualified, don't you think?"

"Although I was born here, I went abroad to study at a very young age and stayed in Yudonia for several years. To me, Yudonia is my second home and is closer to my heart than Hyderland. It's my honor to work for you, let alone serve Your Highness."

Rhea had long prepared her speech, and she spoke earnestly.

"I see. It looks like you love my country. Would you like to become a citizen of Yudonia?" Ross asked.

Rhea was stunned but answered with a chuckle, "Of course I do! It's been my dream to become a Yudonian. Do you mean it, Your Highness?"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2258-Ross answered, “Of course, provided you perform well and have a clean history."

"You can count on it, Your Highness," Rhea nodded and touched the wine bottle again. "It's getting late. How about another glass before you rest?"

"No," Ross turned her down again, "As I said, I don't want to get drunk.” "Fred should be leaving now, right?" he asked, glancing at the clock on the wall.

Rhea again flicked the bottle and murmured, "Oh, yeah, it's late now. You should rest, Your Highness."

"I still have work to do. You should leave now." Ross picked up a document to read. As he did, he suddenly felt dizzy and unbearably sleepy. He frowned and tried in vain to shake off the sleepiness.

"It must be so tiring to handle so much work, right? You don't have to work so hard, you know." Rhea stayed put and continued, "Why don't you get an early sleep? I bet you must be sleepy."

She repeated, and Ross felt he could hardly keep his eyes open hearing the word "sleepy." He felt as if a powerful force was dragging him down. He told himself he could not sleep, but another voice said, "Go sleep. It's late, and you're tired. Continue your work tomorrow."

There was also an unknown ringing that shook him to the core. The voice and sound overlapped and overwhelmed him. Ross only wanted to unwind after hearing the sounds.

"Sleep, Your Highness. You're exhausted," a gentle voice whispered. Ross wanted to deny it but was too tired to say a word. Soon, he shut his eyes and fell asleep.

Rhea stood aside and watched him lying down. She said after a while, "Your Highness? Your Highness, are you asleep?"

After getting no response, she carefully sat beside him. Then, she glanced around and leaned closer, saying, "Ross?"

It was disrespectful to say his name, but she was testing whether or not he was asleep.

"Ross? Ross?" Rhea called twice more, but there was no response. Soon after, she began the next step by moving the wine bottle closer and flicking it while calling out, “Ross… Ross…” Her distant voice and ringing sounds assaulted Ross’s eardrums, making him snap his eyes open. "Who is it?"

Rhea was startled, even though she knew that would happen. She calmed herself, looked at him, and said, “It’s me, Ross.”

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2259-"You're…" Ross was still in a daze.

Rhea looked into his eyes and rhythmically flicked the bottle, "I'm Rhea, your friend and master."

"My friend and my master?" Ross frowned, looking and feeling uncomfortable.

"Yes, I'm your friend and master. Do you remember who you are?" Rhea asked.

"I'm Ross, the Yudonian prince." He remembered who he was but was puzzled about Rhea's identity.

Rhea nodded. "That's right. You're the prince. What are you doing in Hyderland?"

"I came to Hyderland… to look for my mom, the queen," he responded cooperatively.

Rhea was surprised because she did not know the queen was also there. After all, interacting with the prince already seemed incredible to her. She held her breath and patiently asked, "Why are you looking for her? Has something happened to Her Majesty?"

"I don’t know. My mother has been missing since a few days ago." Ross shook his head, looking confused. "My mom is missing!"

"The queen is missing?!" Rhea exclaimed but soon covered her mouth, fearing others would hear her. She asked, “So, did you find her yet?” "No." Ross shook his head.

At that point, Rhea was almost sure her hypnotism had worked. She could hardly contain her excitement. If her hypnosis on Mike was a fluke, then her experimentation with Prince Ross proved her research was successful.

Otherwise, the prince would not be so cooperative. Rhea remained calm and continued, "So what have you asked Fred to do?"

"I want him to go look for my mom," Ross continued, "I must tell him to leave now."

He reached for his phone, but Rhea stopped him. "No, you can’t."

"I can't?" He looked confused. He wanted to do it but was supposed to listen to Rhea in the hypnotic state. He was so conflicted that he became distressed.

"I want to make him leave to find Mom. No, I can't," he said as if trying topersuade himself.

Rhea looked at him. "Your plan has changed. Fred must stay here because he has many important things to do. You should look for the queen instead."

"Me?" Ross pointed at himself with a frown, finding it hard to accept.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2260 -"That's right. You're her son, and it's most fitting for you to go,” Rhea’s gentle voice enchanted Ross, leaving him unable to say no.

"Yes, I'm her son. I should be the one who finds her," Ross said, nodding.

Rhea smiled, knowing she had proved herself. She stressed, "Go to sleep then.

You'll depart early tomorrow, okay? Remember that.” "Okay!" Ross answered, nodding again.

Rhea then tapped on the bottle to make it ring. Ross blinked, then fell asleep for real this time.

Rhea got up and strolled out of the room. Someone soon brought her to Fred's office, where he waited.

Since Ross demanded removing the surveillance devices from his room, Fred could not see what happened. Fred looked at Rhea, questioning, "Did it work?"

"Congratulations, Your Grace. You got what you wanted," Rhea said, bowing respectfully.

Fred was thrilled because he could control Ross and target anyone through the drug and Rhea's hypnosis. Although Fred was more interested in the invisibility potion, he was content with putting certain people under his control.

"That's great!" He laughed heartily. "Next, we start mass-produce the drug.

Everyone will have to listen to me soon!"

"Well…" Rhea hesitated.

"What is it?" Fred glared at her. "Just speak your mind!"

"Nothing." Rhea shook her head. She wanted to tell him the raw materials for R10 were scarce, so she did not have many finished products. Even if they mass-produced it, obtaining raw materials would be tricky.

However, she knew it would upset Fred, and her efforts would go to waste. She had just managed to impress him. It would be too stupid to throw him a wet blanket now. Therefore, she said, "I just wanted to say that the most pressing matter now is to send Prince Ross away."

"Didn't you say the hypnosis worked?” Fred frowned. "Is there a problem I should know about?"

"No, he already promised to leave early tomorrow." It was something Fred had tasked her with. Not only had she completed it, but she also discovered an unexpected piece of news.

The queen going missing in Hyderland was a big deal. She could use it as leverage against Fred if she could handle it well. However, it was not the time yet, and she had to remain obedient to him.

"That's good." Fred was pleased something had finally gone his way. He then asked the question he had brought up before. "Can I be the one who controls others? Must they only listen to you?"