Lily lay quietly in bed, having moved little. She remained recumbent most of the time, rising only to hold her babies when the nurses brought them. She hadn't given up; she had simply figured things out.
Meanwhile, the queen, watching the surveillance monitor, seemed concerned. "How will she recover like that? Hasn't the doctor told her exercise would help?" "Yes, that's why I said she's cunning. She's employing passive resistance," Fred retorted, glaring at the screen.
"Then we can only wait," the queen sighed, coughing.
Fred disagreed. "No, we can't wait. Her husband has arrived. Further delay will cause trouble. Let's move her to Yudonia. Things will be easier in our country." The queen coughed again. "But didn't you say the experiment works best here? That's why I came, remember?"
Her health was worsening daily. She felt progressively weaker. While she'd previously disregarded it, her decline recently concerned her. As she considered abdicating and awaiting death, Fred offered hope. He announced their research had yielded results, the experiment would likely succeed, and she could live on through a younger body, continuing her work.
The queen was elated, but Fred cautioned that the experiment was at a critical stage. First, it required royal funding—to which the queen readily agreed, confident her funds were sufficient. Second, she needed to return to Hyderland.
"I intended to send Lily back to Yudonia while you remain here," Fred said, gesturing towards the monitor where Lily lay, still and pale.
"Oh?" The queen was perplexed. "She returns while I stay? How will we complete the final phase? I don't understand."
"Your Majesty," Fred reassured, gently taking her hand, "this is for your benefit. Keeping her here risks exposure. Hyderland's government could intervene. Sending her away is best. Once recovered, we can retrieve her to complete the experiment. Isn't that perfect?"
The queen disagreed. Standing, she frowned. "No, it's too risky! What if they find her during transit? Isn't that riskier than keeping her here?" She rubbed her hands, recognizing the substantial danger.