Ch. 2361..2370

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2361-The man didn't do as Yasmin said and turned to place the tray on the nearby coffee table. His gentle voice seemed out of place with his sturdy frame, “Your Majesty, if you don't eat, your body won't be able to cope."

Yasmin frowned and continued to stare out the window, saying, “I said I don't want to. Are you defying my orders, too?” The man turned and walked up to her, his large body blocking the moonlight from outside. Upset, the queen looked up at him. "What are you doing?"

"Your Majesty, you know I'll never defy your orders. However, I'll stay here to keep you company until you eat something," he spoke stubbornly, remaining where he was.

Yasmin glared up at him, but he didn't even look away and stood placidly with his arms crossed. After a while, her eyes grew sore, and she looked down, rubbing them. "Just go. I'll have the dinner later."

The man didn't budge. "I'll take the tray away when you finish the food."

In other words, he wouldn't leave until she ate.

Yasmin grew upset. "I don't need your supervision, okay?"

"Your health is my top priority, Your Majesty," he said impassively.

"Rick, do you think you're special? Or do you think you've done a great service by helping me spy on Fred?" Yasmin said, narrowing her eyes.

The man standing before her was none other than Rick. As he was backlit, one couldn't see his expression. However, his standing there gave off a sense of loneliness.

"I don't, Your Majesty."

"You don't? Then why aren't you following my orders!" She suddenly grabbed the glass beside her and smashed it onto the floor.

Still, Rick remained where he was as if nothing had happened. He said blandly, "You shouldn't get so worked up, Your Majesty.” "All thanks to you!" she retorted. Although she sounded upset, she appeared more like she was sulking rather than rageful.

Rick bent over, took a glass of milk from the tray, and handed it to her. "If you don't have an appetite, at least have some milk. It'll help you sleep."

Yasmin accepted the milk and was about to take a sip when she realized what he said. She then sighed and put the glass down. "Sleep? It's not so easy to fall asleep, okay?"

Besides thinking about Dominic said, she had sat there because she couldn't sleep.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2362-No one except Dominic knew Yasmin had insomnia. In fact, she sometimes worked until midnight only because she couldn't sleep. Her condition was too unbearable for her. Worse, she had to guard against any attempts to seize her throne constantly.

Unable to share her agony with anyone, she could only keep it to herself.

Rick noticed the queen had stopped moving. He raised his brow but said nothing.

Yasmin thought for a moment and looked up at him, asking, "Rick, are you afraid of dying?"

Rick hesitated.

"Forget it. I'm sure you're going to say no."

Rick said, "It would be my honor to die for you, Your Majesty."

"Please. Fred also said that before." Waving it off, she had grown numb to such claims. After all, regardless of what people said, they were all selfish.

Rick fell silent, knowing how much Fred had hurt her. Although Yasmin had long guarded against the duke, what he did was cruel.

Rick still remembered how astonished he was when Yasmin asked him to spy on Fred. As he slowly gathered and handed bits of evidence to Yasmin, she grew from anger to calm in the end.

She was angry about being betrayed, and her calm was a result of numbness.

Rick slowly crouched down and looked up at her. "I know you don't believe me, but you saved my life. Without you, I wouldn't be here today. Am I afraid of dying? Yes, I am. However, if I must sacrifice myself for you, I would. I owe you that much."

Yasmin looked at him intensely and held up the glass of milk before downing it.

She then set it aside and said, "I need to rest now."

Rick then turned and wheeled her to the bed. After helping her lie down on and tucking her in, he cleaned up the shattered glass and exited the room.

Left all alone, Yasmin suddenly felt cold and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. The weather shouldn't be too cold now, but she felt it was frigid.

She wrapped the blanket around her even tighter and considered the things that happened and the words said in the past two days. Yasmin seemed to ask everyone if they feared death. It was as if she was trying to affirm her stance.

However, instead of getting the answers she wanted, she seemed somewhat disappointed by them.

Later that night, Rhea quietly arrived at the laboratory. After printing out the formula, she went through it again and again. Finally, she thought she could proceed with the experiment.

Rhea was ecstatic, thinking she could go anywhere she pleased if she could create the invisibility potion.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2363-Due to the previous drama, no one could enter the laboratory without permission except Rhea. She was able to impress Queen Yasmin, who had given her the privilege of conducting experiments there.

Rhea shared Yasmin’s belief to a certain degree. Or rather, Rhea pretended to do so. She needed no help finding all she needed in the laboratory. Although it wasn't a huge place, it had everything. She wondered how long Fred took to gather these materials.

Experimenting in excitement, she grew oblivious to her surroundings, let alone notice someone coming in. The visitor stood at the doorway momentarily before clearing his throat.

Startled, Rhea jumped and took two steps back before turning toward him. "It's you?” She was surprised to see someone she knew.

Rick asked blandly, "What are you doing here?” “Experimenting.” Rhea calmed down and turned to resume her experiment. "Not everyone can come in here. I suggest you leave as soon as possible.” Since she was officially part of the organization, she no longer feared Rick. She even wondered why the guards hadn't arrested Rick because she thought he had been working for Fred.

Still, Rhea didn't want to bother herself with Rick. All she cared about was the experiment.

"You're right that not everyone can come in here. That's why you shouldn't be here,” Rick said coldly.

"Me?" Throwing him a sidelong glance, Rhea sneered. “I'm different, okay? Only I can come and go as I wish. Do you know who I'm working for? Oh, don't tell me you don't know your master's plan has failed?"

Rick frowned. "My master?"

"Isn't the duke your master? Didn't you report to him when you kidnapped Lily?"

Rhea said as she continued with her work.

Rick thought it was understandable that Rhea was misled into thinking so. Back then, even Fred didn't know who he was truly working for.

“Why do you care who I work for? What about you? Who's your master then?"

Rick asked.

He had found Rhea there while patrolling. He would patrol the building every day after Yasmin went to bed. As he was quiet, few people knew he had been inspecting every floor unless he showed himself on purpose.

That was why no one had ever discovered that he had been spying on Fred for so long. Rick had obtained his combat and analytical skills through professional training. As Yasmin’s loyal guard, he had devoted his life to serving her.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2364-“Me? I have no master.” Rhea shook her head and chuckled.

"I'm different than you people. I only have working partners.” Possessing such cutting-edge know-how, she was reluctant to serve anyone, not even the queen. If the invisibility potion worked, Rhea no longer needed to fear anyone, and she could choose who to work with.

"Such arrogance!" Rick snorted, upset by what she said. He couldn't tolerate anyone so rude to Queen Yasmin, no matter who the person was.

Rhea didn't know how he felt. Or rather, she didn't even bother.

"I deserve to be arrogant, okay?” Rhea said as she cocked her head to see the changes in the liquid inside a container. ”All right, stop disturbing me. If you're bored, go talk to Lily.” "Why do you bring her up?” Rick asked.

"Why can't I? You brought her here, didn't you?" Rhea looked over her shoulder at him. “Hey, why are you still here?"

She was somewhat curious.

"Why can't I be?” "Because Fred's plan has failed, and he’s been imprisoned.

How come they've done nothing to you?" Studying him with a frown, Rhea thought for a moment and then said, "Did you and then said, "Did you… sell him out?” Rick was speechless.

"Forget it. It's none of my business." Rhea shook her head, not interested in his answer. Her focus now was on the formula.

"What experiment is this?" Rick asked, narrowing his eyes. He was concerned for Yasmin’s safety and had to find out if there were any potential dangers.

"An interesting one. You won't understand even if I told you about it.” Rhea waved him off. "Hey, I have no time to talk to you. Just leave!” She then stopped paying any attention to him.

Since she was just experimenting, Rick glanced around and left. It was now quiet in the laboratory except for the sounds Rhea made as she experimented.

She stretched and checked her phone, realizing it was past I am.

Still, Rhea was too excited to sleep. As she scrolled through her phone, she looked at the formula with a Still, Rhea was too excited to sleep. As she scrolled through her phone, she looked at the formula with a happy smile before checking her WhatsApp. She saw her mother's chat pinned at the top and fell silent for a long moment.

Although Rhea had pinned the chat, she had muted it and never read or replied to Maria’s messages. Rhea did not know why, but she instinctively tapped on the chat and saw a long string of messages.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2365 -Rhea didn't bother reading so many messages. However, she saw the most recent message about how her mother had missed her.

Maria informed Rhea they had lost their house and that she would wait for her daughter to return. Still, Rhea pursed her lips and closed the app. Although she had no patience to read the messages, she had an indescribable feeling.

She had always wanted her mother's attention, but she never got it when she was young. No matter what Rhea said, her mother would always prioritize Anastasia.

As time passed, Rhea grew accustomed to not saying anything to her mother.

She thought it was unnecessary since Maria didn't care about her.

When Rhea no longer needed her mother's attention, Maria tried to make amends. To Rhea, it was too late. She felt restless and tossed her phone aside before continuing with her experiment.

Only experiments could bring her joy and an endless sense of accomplishment.

She didn't need anyone to wait for her or miss her. She just wanted to overwhelm the world with fear upon hearing her name.

Only the sounds of her tinkering and dripping liquid echoed in the laboratory as her phone remained quiet on the table. Meanwhile, several men gathered around a piece of equipment sitting on a table at Alexander's house.

Alexander and the others were quiet after hearing the conversation just now.

Mike turned off the equipment and said, “That was a recording of what they said, but there's not much information. What do you think?"

"I think there's… quite a lot of info here," Austin said. He looked toward Ross and noticed he looked relatively calm.

"So you guys planted a bug in her phone?" the prince asked. The others were surprised that was what he cared about.

Mike cleared his throat and explained, "Not really. I just installed a virus on my phone, so Rhea's phone got infected when she sent the formula to herself. Now we can monitor her conversation and data."

Surprised, Ross raised his brow. "So you've hacked her phone."

"That's right," Austin nodded and said, "But do you understand what they just said?"

"Yeah. Rick and Rhea were talking about who they were working for." The prince tried to summarize.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2366-Austin felt Ross didn't completely understand what was going on, so he explained, “No. Based on the conversation, Fred has failed and been imprisoned. It sounds like Rick and Rhea haven't been punished."

"Fred failed?" Ross knitted his brow and thought momentarily before saying, "So he has started the experiment? Then, my mom—"

"She should be fine now," Alexander quickly said, "Based on the conversation, Fred has failed, and the one in charge now should be Her Majesty."

"My mom's in charge?" Ross was surprised. "But didn't Fred hold her captive?"

"Her Majesty is a smart woman. Perhaps she was only playing along,"

Alexander said solemnly.

Although the conversation didn't seem like much, it provided the crucial information. The group discovered the queen had taken control of the situation.

"You're saying my mom purposely led Fred to believe that he had the upper hand?" Catching on, Ross said, "I was so worried about her. Looks like I've underestimated her, huh?"

'If even I managed to avoid Fred's control, I bet my mom would be able to do it as well. What was I thinking?' Thinking so, the prince happily stood up. "Then we have nothing to worry about.

What are we waiting for? I'll go back to the embassy and tell my mom to set Lily free."

He looked elated, but not the others who remained in their seats.

Seeing their gloomy expressions, Ross was puzzled. "Aren't you happy? Didn't you want to rescue Lily? This is great news! Now that Fred has failed, everything should be fine now, right?"

Exchanging a look with others, Austin, who was closest to him, said, "Have you wondered why Lily hasn't returned even though Her Majesty has taken over?

Also, why hasn't my granduncle returned?"

"Well…" Stumped, Ross hesitated for a moment before saying, "Perhaps my mom wants to talk to them, and they'll be back in a few days. Don't worry, I'll go back now and tell her to release them."

"It won't work." Mike narrowed his eyes and spoke bluntly, "Now that the queen has regained control, Rhea is still conducting her experiment while Lily and Dominic haven't been set free. What does it mean?"

Looking up at Ross, he said solemnly, "It means the whole plan isn't Fred's idea, but."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Ross understood his meaning. Stunned, he blurted out, "You're saying this is all my mom's idea?"

The others didn't reply, but the answer was clear.

"No. Absolutely not!" the prince said in agitation, "My mom would never do anything like that. Besides, she's the queen. Why would she want to conduct those experiments? I'm sure she didn't know anything!"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2367 -The others remained quiet. Everyone, including Ross, knew what was going on.

It was just that Ross was reluctant to face the truth.

"No, I don't believe it!" the prince said grimly, one hand propping against the table. Although politicians often operated in grey areas, he knew what those experiments were all about. Many died in Yudonia during the pandemic, and even those who received a cure still suffered from it.

Having visited those patients around the country, he felt terrible for them. When Ross found out that the virus might be related to Fred and even spread from Yudonia, he was both shocked and angry. He then started to think about ways to deal with the duke.

Yet, they now told him that his mother was the mastermind.

All this while, he had looked up to her. Although she hadn't spent much time with him, he knew she was busy running the country. He understood how difficult the job was and how great a person she was.

As Ross was still a prince even at his age, some laughed at him behind his back, and some criticized Queen Yasmin for not giving up her throne. However, he could understand the decision.

He knew his mother was the most suitable ruler for the country, and he didn't mind who was in power as long as it was the best choice for Yudonia. Ross was okay with continuing his duties as a prince.

Therefore, it was hard to believe that his kind and gentle mother, who was even friendly to the servants, would be involved in such evil creations.

"Well, perhaps things aren't what we thought," Austin said, trying to console Ross.

Ross nodded repeatedly. "I'm sure they aren't! I'll go back to the embassy now to find out what really happened."

He was desperate to know the truth.

"Ross…" Austin tried to stop him, but the prince rushed away.

"Austin," Alexander said, "Let him. You won't be able to stop him."

"But it's clear that Queen Yasmin is the one behind the whole thing. If he confronts her—"

Alexander interrupted, "Come on, she's not Fred, okay?"

Austin was puzzled.

"Even if the queen is behind this, she won't do anything to Prince Ross,"

Alexander explained, "After all, he's her son." "It's hard to say." Mike shook his head. "Not all families are close. Look at how Rhea treats her parents. Besides, Yasmin is a queen, not an ordinary person.

"She has held onto the throne for decades and even carried out the experiment.

She wants to live and rule her country forever. I doubt she cares about her son."

Mike shook his head and sighed.

'Even ordinary family members hurt each other due to self-interest, not to mention royal ones.' Alexander and Austin knew Mike had a point, but it was inappropriate to say so in Ross's presence.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2368-Alexander was right. They couldn't stop Ross because he was determined to go back.

More than twenty minutes after the prince left, Mike suddenly slapped his thigh.

"Shit!"

Busy with their tasks, the other two turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"Now that Ross is going back, won't Rhea find out that her hypnosis didn't work?" Mike asked.

After a moment of silence, Austin said, "Actually, I don't think it matters anymore.

She has failed to control you. If she's smart, she should know that her drug and hypnosis didn’t work. It's crazy that she even wanted to control a person's mind."

Austin was shocked when he knew what her purpose was. After all, the human spirit was something mysterious.

No one could control a person's mind through alternative medicine. Even if it could work, the side effects would be tremendous.

Therefore, it was absurd that a mainstream medicine practitioner like Rhea would even think about doing so using drugs and hypnosis.

Alexander nodded. "I think so, too."

They tried to fool Fred into thinking that he had everything under his control, but Yasmin had taken care of him. Since she had planned this for so long, Fred was nothing but a pawn to her.

It was almost dawn when Ross returned to the embassy. As he came without informing anyone, a worker there was shocked to see him. Ross approached the accommodation area at the back and asked, "Is Her Majesty here?"

"Well…" The worker hesitated for a moment.

"Is she?" Ross looked angry.

Rick walked over and waved off the worker, saying, "Your Highness, Her Majesty is still resting. Please wait till she wakes up."

"And you are?" Ross felt he looked familiar.

"I'm Rick," he introduced himself, reclining his head slightly.

Ross suddenly remembered. "I remember seeing you by my mom's side, but.

After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Didn't you work for Fred?"

I'm a subject of Her Majesty, and I work for Yudonia," Rick said meaningfully.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2369 -It was clear what Rick was implying. Ross nodded and said, “I see. I didn't know.

Is my mother still asleep?"

Rick glanced over his shoulder and grunted a yes before saying, "She might wake up later than usual since she slept late. I'm afraid you'll have to wait for a while, Your Highness."

"That's okay, I can wait." Just as he turned to leave, he remembered something and asked, "Where's Fred?"

After a moment's hesitation, Rick answered, "We've arrested him."

"Where is he? Take me to him." Ross had questions for the duke.

However, Rick remained still and said blandly, "Her Majesty told me not to let anyone near or see him because he's a felon now."

"Not even me?" the prince asked, somewhat upset.

"Please understand, Your Highness," Rick said courteously and firmly, "I'm just following Her Majesty's orders."

In other words, he couldn't make exceptions for anyone.

Ross looked at him intensely and said coldly, "I know."

He then turned and headed toward the room where he usually stayed. While watching the floor indicator, he suddenly thought of something and asked, "Where's Lily being held?"

Caught off guard, one of the officers accompanying him said in hesitation, "I have no idea, Your Highness. Who are you referring to?"

Ross glanced at the officer. Suddenly, he realized someone had instructed these people not to tell him a thing. He didn't know what had happened at the embassy or who worked for Fred or Yasmin.

"Can you tell me who's in charge here now?" After a pause, the prince asked, "Besides Her Majesty, whose orders do you follow?"

"We only follow her orders, Your Highness."

Yasmin had given direct orders to the embassy staff, probably because she had learned her lesson.

Ross stopped prying and returned to his room. When it was dawn, someone knocked on the door. Ross opened the door and saw Rick standing impassively outside. "Your Highness, Her Majesty has woken up." "So I can see her now?"

Ross asked, raising his brow. Since he hadn't changed his clothes and the bed looked tidy, it was apparent he hadn't even tried to rest just now.

Rick nodded. "Yes, please come with me, Your Highness."

Ross then followed him and narrowed his eyes at Rick's sturdy frame. "How long have you served my mom?"

"A very long time," Rick answered vaguely without looking back. It was either he didn't want to say exactly how long or couldn't.

"You're good. I never noticed you before." Ross thought for a moment. "Are there others like you around her?"

As the crown prince, he knew secret bodyguards were protecting the royal family, including himself. He always thought that he knew all who protected his mother, but it turned out that he was wrong.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2370-Furthermore, Ross wouldn't have found out about Rick if the latter didn't show himself. Ross could not help but wonder if there were more like Rick.

Rick pressed the elevator button and stood aside to make room for the prince.

The former then lowered his head slightly. "I can't answer your question, Your Highness."

His answer was again courteous and firm.

Ross knew Rick couldn't tell him but was surprised he was so direct. Ross raised his brow and said, “Good. I hope you can stay loyal, unlike Fred.” Rick wasn't upset when the prince compared him to Fred. Instead, Rick remained impassive. Soon after, he led Ross to the reception room.

He was stunned when he realized it wasn't his mother's room. Ross sounded angry, saying, "The reception room?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Please wait for a moment," Rick said and left.

Someone else soon brought Ross a cup of coffee and went away. After a while, Ross heard a wheelchair and steady footsteps nearby. He knew his mother had arrived.

The door opened, followed by the sound of the wheelchair rolling over the floor.

Ross sat with his back toward the door but didn't turn to look over his shoulder.

Instead, he picked up the coffee cup and sipped it.

"Aren't you going to greet me?" Yasmin's dignified voice came from behind her son.

Setting his coffee down, Ross stood up and bowed ceremoniously. "Good morning, Your Majesty."

The queen frowned. "What is this? Can't I even ask you to greet me?"

"Of course, you can. You can even put me in jail now if you like," Ross said, looking down at the table.

"Why the hell would I put you in jail?" Yasmin frowned and gestured. "Take a seat."

"I don't deserve to," he said, remaining standing.

At that point, Yasmin could tell he was upset. She sighed and said, "What's the matter with you? Sit down, okay?"

"Is that an order?" Ross asked.

Yasmin grew upset. "Yes!"

He plopped himself down. "All right then."

She was at a loss for words. She then looked at Ross intensely before turning to Rick, saying, "Leave us."

The man then left and closed the door behind him, leaving Yasmin alone with her son. The queen stared at her son momentarily and then said, “It looks like no one is controlling your mind. That's good."

Ross looked up at her in astonishment.

"So you knew!" He suddenly felt a mix of emotions.