All his efforts had gone to waste, just as he was about to achieve success.

"All right, the show's over for you," the queen sighed regretfully. "I gave you a chance, but you chose to betray me. You've truly let me down, Fred."

As Fred had served her for many years, the queen wanted to show him mercy. However, his attempt to replace her left her no choice.

"This is all a mistake, Your Majesty. I've always told you the experiment would benefit you, haven't I? Yes, I've taken some wrong turns and gotten greedy, but I only restricted your freedom for your sake! Think about it. Why have I put so much effort into this?" Fred pleaded. "When the experiment succeeds, you'll live forever. What do I gain from this?"

"Cut the act, Fred!" Lily's cold voice interrupted. "You're using the queen and me as guinea pigs. If the experiment succeeds, you'll repeat it on yourself to achieve immortality. If it fails, you'll just keep adjusting until you succeed. The queen and I are nothing but lab rats to you!"

Fred looked disturbed. "That's a lie! You're trying to turn the queen against me! Your Majesty, don't believe her. Hylanders can't be trusted. We spent a long time finding a compatible vessel for you, considering blood type and physique. Even if I plan to experiment on myself later, I'd need a suitable vessel. I did all this for you, Your Majesty. My only mistake is that my eagerness offended you. You mustn't believe a word she says."

"And who says you don't have a vessel?"

Lily's words stunned Fred, making him turn toward her. "What do you mean?"

Even Rhea looked at Lily, puzzled. Unable to fully grasp the experiment, she found the current situation even more confusing. She felt a strong urge to flee, remaining silent.

Rhea initially hoped to establish herself by gaining Fred's trust, but now it seemed he couldn't even save himself. As she took a step back, Lily looked at her.