"Where could he be if not the palace?" Rhea mused, then a sudden realization dawned. "Wait a minute. How do you know he's not in the palace? Who told you that?"

Mike startled. His composure faltered, the uncertainty of his son's whereabouts unsettling him, but Rhea's question snapped him back. 'Oh, shit! I can't tell her Prince Ross told me, can I?' he thought frantically.

"I..." He paused. "Based on what Alex found out, Nick isn't even in the palace. It's all a smokescreen. Since you're established in the organization, help me find my son, okay?"

Rhea frowned but found Mike's explanation plausible. Alexander had indeed been assisting Mike in his search, to no avail. This explained Rhea's ability to tempt Mike.

"How could you believe Alexander? Has he visited the palace? Did he take you there, or does he have relatives or friends in Yudonia?" Rhea retorted skeptically. "He can't even save his own wife. Do you think he can save your son? Don't be naive, Mike."

Mike, having fabricated the excuse, remained silent. "If you're so confident, why don't you help me rescue my son?" he countered.

"I will. But first, what about the invisibility potion? You promised you'd find out about it, didn't you?" Rhea pressed.

Mike remained quiet, his silence conveying guilt, making Rhea believe she'd swayed him.

After a moment, she said, "Be patient, Mike. Agitating them might harm your son. What matters is finding the formula for the invisibility potion."

"Oh, yeah, do you know who Dr. Blanc is? Which hospital or lab is his team from? I've never heard of them."

Having lived in the country for some time, Rhea possessed a solid understanding of the local medical community, yet Dr. Blanc was unknown to her. Mike's description suggested Dr. Blanc and his team were highly skilled.

Mike mumbled, "I have no idea; they haven't told me everything. Dr. Blanc's always been secretive and hasn't visited often. However..."

"However, what?" Rhea prompted, intrigued.

"I've learned something about the invisibility potion. Dr. Blanc said they had a breakthrough but were still working on it. He couldn't guarantee success. I think he only said that to prevent theft," Mike added.

"You're right!" Rhea agreed. "If they hadn't succeeded, they wouldn't mention it, would they? And they can't let outsiders know they've succeeded."

The more she spoke, the more excited and convinced she became. "You must get your hands on the formula. Once I develop the potion, rescuing your son will be easy." Mike remained hesitant.

Rhea's nervousness grew. Her hypnosis wasn't always foolproof, and his inaction worried her.

"Did you hear what I said?" she asked, her voice sharper.

Finally, Mike said, "Okay. I believe you."

Rhea breathed a sigh of relief.