Ross had thought his mother was unaware of Fred's attempts to control him, but he now realized she knew everything. Although seemingly held captive by Fred, Yasmin was clearly in control. She could have intervened, but she allowed Fred to mislead Ross and force his departure, feigning ignorance. He even wondered what she would do if Fred had truly succeeded in dominating his mind.

“Would she try to save me or abandon me? No, she would never save me. She didn’t even try to warn me, even though she knew I was in danger. I guess I’m nothing to her compared to her throne, huh?” The thought was almost unbearable.

Yasmin looked at him without remorse. “Yes, I knew,” she said flatly. “I also knew about Fred telling Rhea to hypnotize you and get you to search for me in Hyderland’s mountains. I even thought it was foolish of you to fall for it.”

“Indeed, I was stupid enough to believe you needed help,” Ross replied, nodding.

The queen was momentarily speechless. Then, slowly, she said, “I have my reasons.”

“You didn’t want me to interfere and ruin your experiment, did you?” Ross glared at her, desperate for confirmation of his suspicions. Yasmin sighed. “Yes.”

Her frank admission was a crushing blow. He would have clung to a denial, but her confession left him devastated.

“Ross, my child… you have no idea how miserable I’ve been these past several years,” Yasmin said, pressing a hand to her forehead. “I couldn’t sleep, my health deteriorated… I feel like I’m dying. I’ve been overwhelmed. You can’t understand.”

She doubted her son, a robust middle-aged man, could comprehend her suffering. Therefore, she’d kept it from her children until now.