Almost everyone in the room was stunned by their entrance. Lily cried out, "Nicky!" She had never expected to see him after searching for him so long. The boy smiled cheerfully, like a little gentleman, saying, "Hey, Lily." "You still remember me!" Lily was ecstatic, wanting to rush over and hug him, but she remained bound.

"Of course I do!" Nick nodded, but didn't approach her. Lily noticed the other person holding his hand; they were still captive. Alarmed, she looked at the queen. "Your Majesty?"

The queen merely glanced at her before turning to Fred. "How about it, Fred?"

He was as shocked as Lily, unprepared for the queen bringing Nick. Fred looked from the boy to the queen, speechless. He knew further argument was futile.

The queen asked, "I've brought him here. Are your claims valid, Fred?" Her gentle voice belied the devilish glint in her eye.

Lily blurted out, "Your Majesty, what are you doing?"

"Stay out of this!" the queen commanded, her tone severe and condescending.

"You're truly something else, Your Majesty," Fred said, slowly looking up.

The queen raised an eyebrow, uncertain of his next words.

Fred took a deep breath. "All right, I know it's useless to argue. However, are you sure you want to proceed with the experiment on the boy and me now? I don't care about dying, but the experiment's success rate is important to you, right? If it fails, you can adjust, but finding another pair of subjects won't be easy."

Though he tried to sound objective, his self-preservation was evident.

The queen shrugged. "I don't care. Yudonia has many people; finding more subjects won't be difficult. Many will volunteer, even knowing the truth. So, tell me: are you willing to proceed?"

She gazed calmly at Fred.

"I..." Fred gritted his teeth, reluctant to agree. His unspoken thought: 'Of course I'm not!'