The Alchemists

"What do you think about Medion so far?" Then, Jan turned to Rune and asked his opinion.

The man was all smiles when from the corner of his eyes he could see Sarah Miller and Lisa Bisset were talking to Anne and they all looked so confused.

Gosh.. this was sweet, he thought. He just wished those cowardly bitches would come to them and heard what he was about to say next.

"Oh, I think Medion is really beautiful. I have yet to explore the country to give my opinion on it as a whole. The capital is okay, I see some potential. I am not sure about the other parts."

Then, he looked at Leon and smiled at the man.

He knew Leon wanted to bring as much investment as possible from the big corporations and wealthy conglomerates to Medion as a way to 'prove his worth' to his biological father, the king. People had so much hope put on him and he wanted to make them proud.

He was liked by the people and he wanted them to think he deserved his title and the throne.

So, obviously, getting on the Schneider family's good side was important to him, since the family controlled a very big group with thousands of subsidiaries that would surely make a significant difference to a small kingdom like Medion.

If they could get the Schneiders to invest in this country, they would also look attractive to other potential investors, who in turn would come and invest as well.

Another important thing to note was that the Schneider family had a really good relationship with RMI, Rhionen-Meier Industries, which was currently the largest conglomeration that controlled media and technology.

Rune never thought his position as the son from the Schneider family would matter so much, until today. He always took it for granted since power and wealth didn't interest him.

However, Rose interested him. And right now, it was important to use his status as a tool to teach those people, who always tried to hurt Rose, a good lesson on humility.

Rune also didn't want to lie to himself and pretended he wouldn't enjoy teaching Leon the same lesson as well.

That's why the handsome man just shrugged nonchalantly and added, "To be honest, Medion is too small to do anything worthy of our time. I am only here for my girlfriend."

Did he just call her 'his girlfriend'?

Was she really Rune's girlfriend?

Whoaaa... this is big news, Jan thought to himself.

He observed the woman and realized she was Rose Fournier, the woman who was said to be the crown prince's half-sister and recently was being gossiped as his... ex-girlfriend?

Jan loved a good gossip every now and then. It was a good distraction from his hectic life. In this regard, he was a bit like Terry. He read a little bit about the royal family before he came to Bacilia to find a topic for conversation when he met the prince and the monarchs later. 

From his research, he found some disturbing news that made his brows twitch. The gossip was new and was quite scandalous. He had heard about how Leon could become the crown prince and his complicated relationship with the Fournier family.

Now, he finally met those people in person. He looked at Rose and realized the quiet girl looked so beautiful and graceful. At a glance, she and Rune could pass as siblings, since they both had a similar physical appearance with their long blonde hair and slender body. 

Rose looked nothing like her so-called half-brother, Prince Leon. And they also seemed to have an awkward relationship. Even though both people maintain civil and respectful attitudes, Jan could see they were holding back something.

This whole situation made the man feel interested. Now, when he heard Rune's remarks about Medion being too small to be worthy of their time, Jan could guess that Rune didn't have a good impression on the royal family.

Leon was offended by Rune's remark. He knew the man was throwing shade on him and the whole kingdom because he disliked Leon.

The prince was still struggling to accept the fact that Rose's 'boyfriend' was actually the real Rune Schneider from THE Schneider family.

However, for the past two years, Leon had been trained with royal etiquette and knew he shouldn't be agitated. So, Leon kept his smile. 

"I am sorry to hear that Mr. Schneider doesn't find our kingdom worthy of investment," he said politely. "Perhaps you could share what is it that you think we can do better in the future?"

Rose who initially enjoyed how Rune's exposed identity made Anne feel embarrassed and looked for an excuse to leave, now started to feel uncomfortable by the obvious rivalry between the two men, Leon and Rune.

She knew Rune didn't like Leon and the feeling was mutual. But the way they talked with each other, pretending to be polite but secretly hostile made her feel bad to be in the middle.

"I need a drink," she said.

Rose wanted to walk away and left both men, but Rune held her arm and asked her to stay.

"Rose, sweetheart, I have something to tell Leon and this is related to you," he said gently." Would you please listen to what I am about to say?"

"Okay," she said flatly.

Rune turned to Leon and spoke firmly. "I like Medion because this is Rose's homeland. However, I don't like the way she is being treated by some people, including by the woman you just married, when all Rose did is protect you and her family's honor. They intentionally spread gossips that are damaging her reputation and even threatened her with certain pictures. If you can do something about it, punish those who are responsible or... let's say, make them give a public apology, I can reconsider my recommendation."

Jan smiled when he heard Rune's words. He had a feeling that there was something interesting happened between the three people.

Ahh.. Rune, were you truly in love? You had never done anything like this before, Jan thought to himself.

However, Rune was not done. The man continued his words. He spoke calmly and he was well articulate, but every single word was a thinly-veiled threat.

"For me, giving a good recommendation is hard, but I can easily give a dissuasion if I really don't like something. I can imagine if the Schneider Group and RMI decided to blacklist a certain country, others would only follow."

Leon stood still in his place. He looked at Rune who no longer paid him any heed.

The man's undivided attention was solely focused on Rose, the beautiful woman who was standing beside him.

Meanwhile, Rose looked at Rune with her mouth agape. She was surprised by what Rune did just now.

She didn't expect the man to threaten Leon to set his wife straight or else he would use his voice to punish the whole kingdom.

By now, she could kind of understand the power that his big family could have over a small kingdom like Medion.

Leon swallowed. He, too, understood pretty much the same thing. Who would have thought Rose would meet a man from one of the most powerful families in the world after he left her?

And now, the man who seemed to love her was determined to impress Rose by doing all these things for her.