"Fred," the queen said, gently touching his cheek. "How could you be so careless after serving me so long?"

Taken aback, Fred lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I was careless, but I didn't want to let them in—"

"Could you have stopped them?" The queen cocked her head, a smile playing on her lips. Her tone, however, sent a chill down Fred's spine. "Your Majesty?" he asked.

"Do you know other nations have unfavorable opinions about Yudonia? There's even a rumor that the pandemic virus originated here." Her eyes, though slightly clouded, held an undeniable threat.

A shiver ran down Fred's spine. "I'll find out who spread the rumor and silence them, Your Majesty. Leave it to me."

The queen smiled and shook her head. "No, Fred! Do you think you can silence them forever? Can you tell everyone in the world to be silent?"

"Your Majesty—"

"Don't be quick to resort to violence. Violence doesn't solve every problem, does it?" She spoke gently, yet her words were unnerving. "Tell me about the lab." She lifted his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze.

"T-The lab..." Fred's teeth chattered. He looked at the queen, sensing a vigor she hadn't possessed in ten years. "The lab is…"

He suddenly backed away, dropping to one knee. "Your Majesty, I admit I've done things without your knowledge, but I swear I did it all for you and Yudonia's future! Not for myself."

"Of course, I know you're loyal," the queen said calmly. A faint smile touched her lips. "But my dear Fred, I don't want to hear about your loyalty. I want to know everything about the lab." Her eyes widened.

Fred tried to hide his tremors, breathing deeply to compose himself. "Your Majesty, it's my fault for operating the lab behind your back. I didn't tell you because I didn't know if it would succeed. If it failed, and word got out, the media would have had a field day. It would have severely impacted you, so I decided to shoulder the burden."

After listening intently, the queen asked, "So, I should thank you for it?"

"N-No, no!" Fred shook his head vehemently. "I was just doing what was necessary. I only wish you would trust me and not let someone with an ulterior motive mislead you."

"Who are you referring to?"

"Well… you should know, Your Majesty," Fred answered, flustered. His eyes darted nervously as he gulped.

Silence followed. The queen sighed. "Fred, you still haven't told me what the lab has been doing." Fred fell silent, unprepared for her unrelenting persistence.