"Your Highness!" Alexander stepped closer, offering his hand. Ross gave him a deep look and shook it.

"This way, please!" They led the prince into the house and to the study. Alexander closed the door, activated the surveillance system, and sat down with the others. He poured them coffee. A moment of quiet followed.

"I'm sorry you had to come here, Your Highness," Alexander said.

"Don't be," Ross replied, shaking his head. "I'm a prince, yes, but I've faced hardship before. Besides, you have a nice house." He glanced around and nodded approvingly.

"I'm glad you like it. You'll need to stay for a couple of days," Alexander said. Remembering something, he gestured to Mike. "This is Mike. You spoke on the phone."

"Oh, it was you," Ross said, nodding. "I'd like to thank you. If you hadn't warned me, I might have fallen into her trap."

"Don't mention it, Your Highness," Mike said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just doing my part."

"I truly appreciate it," Ross replied, looking excited despite his tiredness. He'd left the embassy early that day, switched cars after leaving Kingsland, and made several detours before returning. Fred, believing him hypnotized, must have assumed he'd left the city.

"I'm curious," Ross said, his demeanor friendlier than earlier. "How did you know they would try to control me?"

Exchanging a glance with the others, Mike replied, "It happened to me before."

"You told me on the phone that Rhea tried, unsuccessfully, to control you through hypnosis and drugs," Ross said, puzzled. "Why were you so afraid it would work on me?"

"I wake up easily, so hypnosis is difficult," Mike explained. "And I was on guard. I couldn't be certain her drug wouldn't work, though. Better safe than sorry. Fortunately, you decided to work with us. Without your warning about Rhea, we wouldn't have anticipated it."

"I was curious about a Hyderland woman at the embassy," Ross said, nodding pensively. "I had to be careful." He hadn't initially trusted Alexander and the others completely. He'd only noticed Fred acting strangely after returning to the embassy. Although he found nothing unusual there, the people seemed anxious, as if hiding secrets. Most worked for Fred, making it difficult to pinpoint the problem. When he realized Rhea was trying to hypnotize him, he'd decided to play along, pretending to leave the city to see Fred's reaction.