"You're quite a talker, aren't you?" the queen said coldly.

"I'm many other things as well," Fred replied, looking over his shoulder and smirking as Lily emerged from the room. He left without looking back.

The queen called after Lily, "Lily!"

Lily responded intensely, "Your Majesty, I know you're not foolish. Take some time to think about what I said." She then left.

Lily didn't see her babies outside the doorway. A guard held a miniature recording device playing their cries. "Where are my babies?" she asked.

"Oh, you still care about them? I was thinking of feeding them to the dogs," Fred said with an irritating smile.

Lily felt a surge of rage. "You'll be sorry if you dare lay a finger on them!"

"Your life is in my hands, remember? Who the hell are you to threaten me?" Fred snorted. "Take her away!" He ordered the guards to imprison her, yet remained apprehensive.

The embassy was no longer safe. Despite assurances from Hyderland officers, he doubted their word. A leak within the embassy must have revealed Lily's location.

He mused, "They might have found her if the queen hadn't relocated her. Lily's husband must have received government assistance with that sanitation diversion."

He asked coldly, "What about that guy?"

A guard answered, "We locked him up and interrogated him, but he refused to cooperate."

"You're not trying hard enough," Fred said. "Take me there."

The dark underground chamber was eerie, lit only by two dim lamps. The stench of blood and rust was nauseating. The iron door creaked open as Fred descended, a handkerchief held to his nose. "It smells horrible here!"

"Sorry, Your Grace. The conditions aren't ideal," the guard said apologetically.

"Get out of my way!" Fred waved him off. His injured arm, still in a sling, prevented him from using his cane; he needed assistance.

He approached the man bound in iron chains, his tone dripping with sarcasm and anger. "Look who we have here. How dare you betray me?!"