Ch. 2331..2340

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2331-Almost everyone in the room was stunned when the two entered. Lily shouted, “Nicky!” She had never expected to see him there after searching for him for so long.

The boy smiled cheerfully like a little gentleman, saying, “Hey, Lily.” “You still remember me!” Lily was ecstatic and wanted to rush over to hug him, but she was still tied up.

“Of course I do!” Nick nodded but did not walk toward her.

Lily noticed the other person holding Nick’s hand. In other words, they were still holding him captive. Lily looked at the queen, alarmed. “Your Majesty?” The queen only glanced at her and then shifted her gaze to Fred. “How about it, Fred?” He was just as shocked as Lily and did not expect the queen to bring Nick over.

Fred looked at the boy and then at the queen, speechless. He knew it was pointless to say anything now.

The queen asked, "I've brought him here. Are your claims valid, Fred?"

Despite her gentle voice, she sounded like a devil to Fre.

Lily said, despite herself, "Your Majesty, what are you up to?"

"Stay out of this!" the queen commanded. She was not only severe but had put on airs.

"You're truly something else, Your Majesty," Fred said as he slowly looked up.

Not knowing what he was going to say, the queen raised her brow.

Fred took a deep breath. "All right, I know it's useless for me to say anything now. However, are you sure you want to experiment on me and the boy now?

"I don't care about dying, but the success rate of the experiment is still important to you, right? If you begin the experiment now and it fails, you can make adjustments, but it won't be easy to find the next pair of test subjects, will it?"

Although he tried to sound objective, everyone knew he was just trying to save himself.

The queen shrugged. "I don't care. There are many people in Yudonia, so it's not that hard to find other test subjects. Many will volunteer, even if I tell them the truth. So all you need to do now is tell me whether you're willing to do it."

She gazed calmly at Fred.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2332 -How can I die just like that? How can I undergo an experiment that we can’t prove will work?’ Fred knew the success rate was low and only dared to proceed with the experiment because he was not the test subject. Now that he had become one, he would never do it.

"It's okay. I was just asking for fun." The queen smiled, having guessed his response correctly. She waved and said, "Let's begin now."

Someone soon seized Fred and brought him toward the operating table.

"No! No!" Fred shrieked. "You can't do this to me, Your Majesty! The experiment still needs me. You still need me!"

The queen sneered. "You acted so differently when I was the test subject. Why?

Is the experiment scary? Didn't you claim the success rate is high and there won't be any risks? What are you afraid of now?"

She spoke coldly and turned toward the person holding Nick's hand. "Hurry up!"

The person holding Nick brought him to another operating table. At that moment, one of the guards pinned Fred onto one while one of the surgeons prepared the drug. Fred became wide-eyed when he saw the surgeon prime the syringe.

Finally, he realized that the queen arranged the experts he had hired. She had outsmarted him entirely.

"No, you can't do this to me… Your Majesty!" Struggling, Fred looked toward Rhea desperately.

However, Rhea could only stand aside with a pale expression. She only cared about saving herself.

“Your Majesty, the prince… Prince Ross is under my control!” Fred thought of Ross and quickly said, “He’s at Hyderland’s remote mountains. If I die, no one will know where he is, and it’ll be hard for you to find him.

“He won’t be himself even if you do. Don't you want your son anymore?!" he shouted, trying to bargain for a chance to live.

"You're talking about Ross?" the queen asked blandly.

"Yes, Prince Ross!" Fred caught his breath. "He has gone to the remote mountains in Hyderland to save you. He probably can’t even get a phone signal —"

"He's fine!" the queen interrupted with a smile, “Even if he’s not, I’ll remember him for what he did for me. Just as I’ll remember what you’re doing for me.” She then grew impatient and looked toward the surgeons. “What are you waiting for? Begin!” She could hardly contain her excitement.

Meanwhile, Lily realized the queen had manipulated her as well. The older woman had shown her selfish and ugly side in the face of temptation.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2333-Nick obediently let the person holding his hand lead him to the operating table.

Lily felt sorrowful as she watched. The boy probably did not even know they were going to experiment on him.

The organization had taken him away from his father, and he was about to die as a lab rat.

"You can't do this, Your Majesty!" Lily looked over her shoulder and said to the queen, "You know how risky the experiment is. How can you still proceed? You should stop the whole thing immediately!"

Fred frantically nodded as he lay on the operating table, agreeing with Lily for the first time. "That's right! You should stop it right away!"

The queen ignored him, slowly turned toward Lily, and said calmly, "You're right.

It's risky, so I need someone to test it for me."

Lily was at a loss for words.

"You're smart and observant, Lily. You knew from the start that I was aware of what Fred was doing. So you should understand that someone as intelligent and capable as me shouldn't die so soon, right?"

The queen looked at the back of her skinny and wrinkled hand and continued, "Look at me. No matter how powerful I am, age has caught up with me." Tilting her head back, she let out a long and helpless sigh.

She could feel herself running out of time. Even if she had the best medical team, no one could slow down her aging. She was unwilling to die because she had so much more to do.

Therefore, she was thrilled when she heard about the R10 experiment. Not to mention, she was finally close to realizing her dream. Fully aware of Fred's actions behind her back, she had always turned a blind eye to his selfish endeavor.

She knew about the experiments on living human beings and other creations but chose not to do anything.

She could not get involved because of who she was, not wanting to taint her reputation. Hence, the fault would lie with Fred, and it would have nothing to do with her.

Now, it was time to see if their efforts paid off.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2334-"You don't want to die, but neither does he!” Lily pointed at the operating table and said, "Have you ever considered that he's still a child? You're a mother, too, and you even have grandchildren. What if someone else treats them like this—"

"That would be their fate!" the queen sternly interrupted.

Lily was stunned.

The queen glared at Lily and continued, “The world is all about survival of the fittest. If your country isn't strong enough, I wouldn't even need to bother about the ties between our two nations.

"If Yudonia is a strong country, we wouldn't need to yield to other countries or care about what the world thinks of us, would we? If you aren't strong enough, you would have died a hundred times instead of questioning me now!"

The queen did not think it was wrong for her to make herself and her country stronger. Although she pitied those who died for not being strong enough, she did not think it mattered to the bigger picture.

Lily noticed the look in the queen's eyes and knew it was impossible to talk sense into her. Since the old woman was stubborn, no one could do so.

"Have you considered what would happen if you rushed the experiment? It will be tough to find new test subjects when it fails." Lily could only talk about what the queen cared most about.

"Yes, you're the queen, and many of your subjects will be willing to sacrifice themselves for you, but what will happen when people find out about it before the experiment succeeds?

"You also said Yudonia isn't strong enough to ignore what other countries think.

Besides, this isn't just about public opinion. Guess what will happen when everyone knows what you're up to."

Lily saw the change in the queen's expression and knew her words had affected the old lady. "When that happens, many will fight over the formula. Do you think you'll still achieve what you want?"

The queen began to waver at Lily's reasonable argument. The former might not care about the lives of others, but what if people found out about the drug and took it from her? The queen had carried out her plan in secret to avoid people finding out about it.

She was too close to success to fail.

At that moment, Fred no longer joined the conversation because he had passed out from the anesthetic.

Lily continued, "Now that we've come to this point, everything is under your control. What do you have to worry about? Whether it's Fred, me, or Nick, we're all in your hands. There's no need for you to rush things now."

The queen looked at her with a frown.

Lily got up and approached Nick while secretly untying the ropes around her wrist. With her gentlest voice, she said, "As the saying goes, haste makes waste. Since everything is within your grasp, give me some time to make adjustments.

“I promise I'll increase the success rate, okay? You wish for the experiment to succeed instead of failing due to haste, don't you?"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2335 -Don't listen to her, Your Majesty. She's just trying to trick you!" A sudden voice interrupted Lily.

Lily had almost swayed the queen, but the person’s words made her catch herself. The old woman looked toward the source of the voice, and so did Lily.

Rhea, who had been hiding in the corner, walked over. When the guards stopped her, she looked expectantly toward the queen.

The queen waved, and the guards allowed Rhea to hurry over. Rhea then curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, Lily said all that just to save the boy. All her warnings are nothing but an excuse."

"Who are you?" The queen had never met Rhea before.

"I'm Rhea. I used to work in the research center."

The queen caught on. "I heard about you."

Rhea was pleased that even the ruler of Yudonia knew about her. "I didn't know I'd been working for Your Majesty all along. Now that I do, I feel truly honored."

The queen held up her hand. "No, you've worked for Fred, not me."

Rhea looked over her shoulder at the unconscious Fred and said, "No, I've worked for science and the experience. I don't care who's in control. Since you are now, then I'm working for you."

She was good with her words and managed to sound reasonable.

The queen looked at her intensely. "What can you do for me?"

"I can get the R10 experiment done now," Rhea spoke confidently, puffing out her chest.

"Rhea, you don't know what you're talking about!" Lily snapped with a frown.

Rhea glanced at Lily disdainfully and looked back toward the queen, saying, "Your Majesty, Lily told you to delay the experiment not to increase its success rate but to save the boy.

"He’s the son of her good friend, and she has come here partly for him. Of course, she'll lie through her teeth to save him!" Rhea sneered at Lily. "Isn't that so?"

Lily was stumped. Indeed, she tried to stall the experiment to save Nick. She had even managed to sway the queen, but Rhea made the latter grow suspicious.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2336-Lily took a breath and answered, "Yes, I want to save Nick, but it doesn't make me wrong. I’ve told you how risky the experiment is, Your Majesty. I'm sure you remember."

Now that Rhea was trying to disrupt Lily’s plan, the latter could only rely on her relationship with the queen to salvage the situation. However, the queen did not respond and grew pensive, trying to recall what Lily had told her.

Rhea noticed Lily had swayed the queen again and said, “Don’t believe her, Your Majesty! Indeed, the experiment is risky, but she only wants to save the boy. You mustn’t fall for her tricks.” Lily glared at Rhea. "Hey, even if I'm trying to save Nick, I'm just stating the facts!"

Rhea scoffed and said, "Yeah, right. For his sake, you wouldn't even wish to make the experiment work."

"Can you guarantee it’ll work now?" Lily asked.

Rhea smiled. "Of course not."

"Since you can't, why conduct an experiment that is most likely to fail?" Lily looked toward the queen and said gently, "Your Highness, what you want is a successful experiment, not a failed one that serves no purpose."

"Hmm…" Conflicted, the queen frowned.

At that moment, Rhea sneered. "Who says it’ll serve no purpose?"

"Rhea!" If the queen had not been around, Lily would have knocked Rhea out cold.

However, Rhea was pleased to see Lily look so exasperated. The former pointed at Nick and then at Fred. "Your Highness, you do need a successful experiment, but it doesn't have to be this one."

Intrigued, the queen asked, "What do you mean?"

"What you want is for your own experiment to work, but they are the current subjects. What does it matter if it fails?" Rhea gazed at Fred and Nick coldly. "As Fred said, if the experiment fails, we can learn from it.

“Since we stand to gain from it whether or not it succeeds, why shouldn't we go ahead?"

The queen was swayed when Rhea mentioned Fred.

'Rhea's right! Why should I care about Fred after what he did? She's right that we can at least learn something if the experiment fails. Who knows if it will work the next time?' The queen smiled.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2337 -“You make a lot of sense, Rhea." The queen gave her an approving smile.

Rhea felt reassured. It showed she had successfully read the queen's mind.

Lily could only threaten, "Your Majesty, if you insist on proceeding with the experiment, I won't be part of it. I won't do something, knowing it'll fail."

When the queen frowned, Rhea said, "Well, I can do it."

"Rhea, you—"

"Your Majesty, I may not surpass Lily by much, but I've won many international awards. Although I couldn't create the R10 drug like Lily did due to my limited knowledge about herbal medicine, I'm highly experienced in conducting experiments and surgery."

She added with a smile, "Trust me. I can do it well."

She knew she had nothing to lose. Previously, she was worried because Fred demanded she make it work despite its low success rate. However, the queen knew it would surely fail and would not blame Rhea if it did.

Besides, Rhea would no longer need to bother with Fred when he died during the experiment. She always had to be cautious while serving such an unpredictable man. However, the queen differed. Rhea suspected dealing with her would be easier.

‘I can kill Fred through the experiment and gain the queen's trust. Oh, I can also sabotage Lily!' Rhea would burst out laughing if there weren't so many people around her. She was anxious just minutes ago, but she had gained the queen's trust and secured her safety.

Still, the queen merely smiled at her and showed no intention of letting her spearhead the experiment.

"Your Majesty, you can have someone look into my background if you don't believe me. I wouldn't lie to you. I really can do it!" Rhea grew flustered.

"I believe in your abilities," the queen spoke blandly and looked at Lily.

Rhea was puzzled. 'She believes in me, but she chooses not to put me in charge? Does that mean the queen only trusts Lily?' With that in mind, Rhea urged, "Should we begin the experiment now, Your Majesty? Everything is in place, so we can start right away. I'll show you how capable I am!"

She wanted to start soon so the queen would not change her mind.

However, Lily and the queen seemed to be in their own world/ Suddenly, Rhea had a hunch she could never replace Lily or gain the queen's complete trust, no matter what she said or did.

“Take them away," the queen said with a slight wave, her gaze still on Lily.

Rhea was stunned. "Your Majesty?"

"You must be tired. Go get some rest now," the queen said gently.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2338-Despite her caring tone, the queen continued to look at Lily.

Rhea looked at the latter and noticed she was ignoring her, too. She hated being ignored ever since she was a child. Rhea had achieved so much, yet people still treated her like nothing.

As long as Lily was around, Rhea could only play second fiddle to her. Rhea could not help but try and persuade the queen again, “We have all the right people and resources to experiment today. Your Majesty, you shouldn't give up now!"

She knew things would be different if they proceeded with the experiment.

However, the queen lost her temper and glared at Rhea, scolding, "I told you to leave!"

Rhea was startled. She dared not push her luck anymore and bit her lower lip, saying, "If you need anything—"

She quickly shut up and left with the others when she saw the queen's impatient expression.

When Rhea reached the door, she could not help but look over her shoulder at them. She grew envious and resentful, seeing the two gazing at each other.

Only Lily, the queen, and her attendant remained in the room. The queen turned and said gently, "Leave us."

"But…" The attendant noticed the queen's expression and then knowingly did as the queen said.

The queen looked at Lily and sighed. "Are you going to tell me to stop the experiment?"

"Will you listen?" Lily said hoarsely. After all, she was frustrated. She could hardly breathe when she realized they were going to experiment on Nick.

'How can they do such a thing to a child? How could Fred think of prolonging his life through Nick? Who the hell does he think he is?' The queen raised her brow without answering.

They both knew they could not persuade each other, and their relationship was somewhat peculiar now.

As the queen wanted to use Lily's body to prolong her life, Lily should fear and resent her. However, having gone through so much and being forced to work together, they became friends to an extent.

After a long while, Lily said, "Are you that scared of death?"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2339-The queen sighed and said, "You aren't afraid of death because you're not old like me. I used to think I didn't fear death and that I could conquer every problem."

After a pause, she continued, "However, I've realized that there are many things I can't control. I don't want to die, either!” Suddenly, Queen Yasmin looked at Lily helplessly. The former became emotional, saying, “I still have many important things I've yet to do. Do you know what it feels like to be unable to do everything you want to?” "I do!" Lily answered.

"No, you don't!" Yasmin retorted, "How could you? You're so young, beautiful, and full of energy. Not only are you young, but you also have a good family and career. How could you possibly know how I feel? I used to be like you, but now I'm old!"

Yasmin looked exhausted. She spoke more like an ordinary aging woman than a monarch. She had desperately struggled to defy her fate, unwilling to accept her aging and death.

Lily gazed at her and knew how frustrated she must feel. The former felt terrible for Yasmin. However, death was part of nature, and it was futile to resist. Lily sighed and asked, “That's why you refuse to give up on the experiment?” “Yes, it is!” Yasmin nodded. “I don't want to die, and I can't afford to. I'll give the experiment a shot, even if there's only a glimmer of hope, not to mention—” Although she did not finish her sentence, the look in her eyes showed how excited she was about immortality.

“I can understand your feelings, but I can't help you!” Lily spoke bluntly, not wanting to lie to the queen.

Yasmin looked up at Lily with an unreadable gaze. The former calmly asked, “Do you realize that saying that would get you killed even sooner?” Lily nodded. "I do."

“I promise to keep you alive if you help me.” Yasmin took a deep breath as she caressed her wheelchair's armrest. “I've thought it through. Although you're my most suitable candidate, it doesn't mean I must use you.

“I can get my men to search for a substitute. I won't mind if she's not as good as you. I'll also spare your family if you're willing to help me.” Yasmin's offer was tempting. After all, Fred had never made such a promise before.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2340-Fred had always treated Lily as the queen's vessel. He would take good care of Lily but could never spare her in the end.

Lily looked at Yasmin quietly as the latter raised her brow and said, "You don't believe me? If you don't, I can—"

Lily interrupted, "No, I do. You're the queen, and I know you keep your promises. You wouldn't say so if you haven't considered sparing my life."

Lily smiled somewhat mockingly. "I should thank you for willing to do so."

It sounded awkward coming from her, but she meant it. Yasmin did not need to care about Lily's life, but she was willing to trouble herself with finding a new vessel. Still, that was not what Lily wanted.

Yasmin noticed Lily was not overjoyed. The former grew puzzled, asking, “Then why can't you help me? Don't you want to reunite with your family? Don't you want them to achieve immortality, too?” "No." Lily readily shook her head.

Yasmin looked at her in disbelief. "Why wouldn't you? Everyone wants to live forever. I'm sure you're only saying that because you're not old enough.” Still, Lily shook her head and said, "No, it's not that. I'm not old, but I am going to die soon. I've always been on the brink of death here, and you guys can kill me anytime. Isn't that so?"

Yasmin was stumped, knowing Lily was right. After some hesitation, the former asked, "So you really don't fear death?"

'How could anyone not fear death?' Yasmin thought in disbelief.

Lily looked at her and said, "Honestly, I do. I have three—no, four children, and they're still very young." She said she had four because she regarded Debbie as her own, "They still need me, and I'd feel horrible for them if I were to die.

"What about my husband? We love each other so much. He would be heartbroken if I died." Lily revealed a sweet smile as she thought of Alexander.

Yasmin asked, "Then why won't you help me? Why must you antagonize me?"

Lily shook her head. "I'm not. I just disapprove of this inhumane experiment. I also fear death, but I know I must accept it because that's what makes our lives so precious.

She spoke gently and soothingly, "How meaningless would it be if we lived for hundreds or even thousands of years? If we continue to live while those around us grow old and die, wouldn't each separation be worse than death?"