In the evening, Ross sent Rhea a location; the IP address, of course, had been altered according to his itinerary. A while later, Rhea video-called him. Fortunately, Alexander had prepared the set, and Ross simply had to answer the call.

When the call connected, Rhea scrutinized his background. "The woods behind you look dense, Your Highness. Have you reached the outskirts?"

"It's a rather remote location. To avoid attention, I can't use the main roads," Ross replied. "Is everything alright at the embassy? Can Fred manage?"

"Of course. We're more concerned about you," Rhea said.

Ross shook his head. "I'm fine. I'm simply doing what I must for my mother."

"That's good to hear. How's the trip going? Have you encountered any problems?" she asked, her gaze searching his surroundings.

Ross answered, "Everything's fine. Don't worry."

"Good." Rhea chuckled. "Can you move to another spot, Your Highness? There's some glare, and I can't see you clearly."

Stunned, Ross instinctively glanced around. "I'm outside right now, and the signal isn't great. We'll talk more later." He disconnected the call.

Mike hurried over. "Why did you hang up? She might become suspicious."

"Wouldn't moving to another spot give myself away?" Ross worried she would realize he was on a set.

"No, she wouldn't." Mike slapped his head. "We spent a fortune building this set and even hired a special effects artist. You can move around freely."

Ross was incredulous. "Are you sure?"

Alexander nodded. "Absolutely. Come take a look."

Ross jogged to the camera and studied the set through the viewfinder. No matter where he moved within the set, the background remained realistic. The trees and branches swayed naturally, and the reddish glow of the setting sun was convincingly depicted.

"This is amazing!" he said, marveling at the lifelike effect. He'd seen similar effects in movies, but experiencing it firsthand was profoundly different.

"Should we call her back? Rhea is naturally suspicious. Will she suspect something?" Mike asked Alexander.

"Give it a moment," Alexander said, holding up a hand. Calling back immediately would be even more suspicious. He could simply claim a bad connection, but calling back too soon would seem like a cover-up.

Meanwhile, Rhea was puzzled by Ross's abrupt call termination. He shouldn't have hung up without her permission. She gently touched the wine bottle she had used during their previous call. She hadn't even touched it, yet Ross seemed alarmed.