Rhea held her fingers together, then slowly loosened them as she walked over and extended her hand. As she gradually parted her fingers, revealing a small, translucent bottle lying in her palm, the man hesitated.

Without a word, Rhea simply held out the bottle and looked at him, a slight curl to her lips.

The man retracted his hand, crossed his arms, and narrowed his eyes. "Open it!" His arms crossed, he looked even more insignificant, yet absurdly attempted an authoritative demeanor.

Rhea complied, twisting the cap. A slight popping sound followed, and a delicate, sweet scent filled the air.

The man frowned, uncrossing his arms and producing a handkerchief to cover his nose and mouth. "Who told you to hold it so close? Move it away!"

His voice muffled, a trace of panic flickered in his eyes.

"Sir, this 'perfume' only works on contact with skin. Inhaling it won't affect you," Rhea said, leaning closer to the bottle and taking a deep whiff. She closed her eyes and declared, "What a wonderful smell!"

The man narrowed his eyes, his guard still up, though his nervousness seemed lessened. He pinched his nose. "Are you sure it works?"

"Sir, do you believe Lily's words so implicitly?" Rhea casually recapped the bottle, noticing he was still pinching his nose. "I don't understand. Even if she is Dominic Fike's last apprentice, she isn't that special. Many other herbal medicine experts exist, and with the organization's influence, we could easily find a replacement. As for perfumery, kidnapping a world-class perfumer or two is simple. Is Lily that good? Why must we use her? What do you see in her?"

Rhea genuinely didn't understand their insistence on Lily. She hadn't been confident in Lily's abilities from the start.

The man chuckled, lowering his hand. "Then let me ask you, Rhea. What does the organization see in you? Why did we choose you?"

Rhea faltered momentarily. "My talent, of course! I'm not like her. You picked me when I was fourteen! I've never let you down in all these years."

"You've never let me down, but..." He paused. "...you've never surprised me either."

Rhea was speechless.

"The organization chooses candidates for a reason, whether it's you, Lily..." He trailed off. "Regardless, this isn't the time for competition. Remember, personal feuds are irrelevant to our plan."