The Alchemists

"I feel unwell," said Rose to Rune. Her voice was barely audible. "Can you take me home?"

Her face paled and her body staggered. Rune quickly held her shoulder and supported her body. The man's face was filled with worry.

"Oh, no... do you need anything? A drink?" He asked Rose.

The girl shook her head. "No. Just... take me home, please..."

"Okay." Rune waved at Jan and Terry. "Rose is unwell. I will go home with her now. Can you go back on your own?"

"Yes, sure," said Terry calmly. He turned to Jan. "We have Jan here. I am sure we can get a ride from him."

"That's right," said Jan in confirmation. "You can just take Her Grace home. I will handle everything here."

"Thank you, Jan. I know I can rely on you."  Rune turned to Rose and smiled dotingly at her. "I will carry you because you look very pale. Will that be all right?"

The girl nodded. Her vision was blurry and she didn't care about their surroundings anymore. "Please.. just take me away from here."

From her voice, Rune could conclude that Rose was feeling sad by Leon's treatment earlier. Her resolve to look okay during Leon's wedding wavered because of their conversation earlier.

Somehow, Rune could understand what Rose was thinking.

Leon didn't care enough about her to set Anne and her friends straight. 

However, when Rune asked Leon to make his wife apologize publicly for her treatment toward Anne by threatening him with dissuading the Schneider Group and other investors not to invest in Medion, Leon seemed to relent.

This meant, the investment was worth more than Rose's feelings to him.

This was the final nail in the coffin. Finally, Rose could not take it anymore. She didn't want to stay at the wedding for much longer. 

Rose had sacrificed so much to save their family's face and Leon's reputation, and now she had come to a point that she had had enough.

Rune lifted Rose and carried her in his arms. The girl automatically wrapped her hands around the man's neck and closed her eyes.

"Let's get out of here," whispered Rune.

He walked gently with Rose in his arms, not caring what other people would think of them. He actually wanted to stay longer so he could see whether Leon would really make his wife apologize to Rose publicly or not.

However, that didn't matter now. What's important was he already got his message across. Leon now knew who Rose was involved with. 

Today, Rune felt grateful for his background. Even though for him, wealth and power didn't mean anything, but they did to other people.

So, with his family background, Rune could elevate his value as a man who was in love with Rose. If he was just a regular man from the middle class, Leon might think Rose was downgrading her dating game.

However, since she was dating Rune Schneider, Rose was obviously going for an upgrade. This felt so satisfying on so many levels.

"Where are they going?" Lisa asked Sarah who was standing beside her, watching Rune walked with Rose in her arms. "Is she sick?"

"Tch.. I think she is just whoring for attention," said Sarah, rolling her eyes. "It's obvious that she wants to steal the spotlight from the bride. So shameless."

Leon who was standing close to them couldn't help but overhear their conversation. His ear immediately turned red and his c.h.e.s.t was filled with anger.

He could understand why Anne treated Rose that way. It was because she was feeling insecure, thinking Leon was still in love with Rose, which, even if it was true, shouldn't mean anything because... Anne and Leon were already married.

However, Leon couldn't justify the hatred on Sarah and Lisa's part. They didn't have any personal issues with Rose. They were not married to Leon.

In fact, they were actually long-time acquaintances with Rose. They all went to school together.

Of all people, they should know Rose was nothing like they accused her of. Rose was not shameless. It was actually the opposite. She was selfless and kind.

Ah.. maybe, Sarah was still holding a grudge because Leon rejected her to date Rose?

Leon's mind wandered to the past when they were all teenagers. Even though he was only a maid's son, he could attend the prestigious school where children of Medion's high society went to study.

That's where he and Rose got to know Sarah, Lisa, and many other people. Leon was two years their senior and was very smart. His intelligence and also good looks attracted so many girls from the upper class.

Sarah was one of them. She was not shy to show her fondness to Leon and she went so far as to confess her love to him. However, Leon, who was in love with Rose, rejected her flatly.

And that's when Sarah started to treat Rose like she was her mortal enemy. Apparently, even after so many years, the grudge didn't subside.

Today, Rose was not even together with Leon, but Sarah still kept her hatred in her heart. Leon really didn't understand this wicked woman.

"Could you both please stop?" The man finally decided to scold Sarah. He looked at her dead in the eye. "Pleas shut up. I won't tolerate such behavior from now on."

Leon continued his words with an expression of contempt. "If you don't want me to ask the staff to kick you both out of this event, I suggest you shut up. You know full well that Rose is not how you claim her to be. She is kind and noble. Unlike... certain women who only know how to gossip and bring down other women."

Sarah pressed her lips when she heard Leon's harsh words. She turned to Anne and asked for her help.

"Your Highness... your husband is defending Rose Fournier," she pouted. "He said I only know how to gossip and bring down other women. It's obvious, he is still in love with Rose. That's why he keeps defending her. I am so sorry that you have to hear this."

Anne could only bit her lip and didn't say anything. She already had an argument earlier with Leon regarding Rose. She surely didn't want to ruin the atmosphere further by bringing that up.

No. Not on her wedding day.

"Anne, if you still hang out with these two snakes, I will be very disappointed in you," said Leon seriously. "Today, they conspire with you to bring down Rose. Next time, they will do the same thing to you. Once a snake, always will be a snake."

He spoke while throwing a serious side-eye toward Sarah and Lisa. The two women looked shocked that the quiet prince suddenly talked so much and ended up scolding them.

This was so embarrassing!

"No... we just..."

"How could you do this to me...?" Sarah shook her head and then ran away from the ballroom, crying. Lisa immediately followed suit.

Anne stared at Leon said with pursed lips, "Thank you for kicking out the only people I call friends in this country. Now, I have no one."

"You are wrong. You have me. You will always have me," said Leon impatiently. "They are not really your friends. They only approached you because they were jealous of Rose and wanted to destroy her."

"Why would they do that? If Rose is so innocent, surely she wouldn't have so many women who hate her," said Anne stubbornly.

"If you meant Sarah, she hated Rose from when we were teenagers," said Leon. His voice sounded tired. "She was in love with me but I rejected her for Rose."

"Oh..." Anne's eyes widened when she finally heard this fact from Leon.

Now that she thought of it clearly, Leon's words made sense. That explained why Sarah was so vicious when it came to Rose. She couldn't possibly do all those for Anne's sake.

"That's the truth," Leon continued. "If you want to make real friends here in Medion, I suggest you stop hanging out with Sarah and Lisa."

Anne pursed her lips. She knew Leon was right. However, she was still stubborn.

"But... the fact remains that Rose is your half-sister and she harbors feeling for you," she said bitterly. "Even if Sarah didn't have any personal grudge toward her, it doesn't change the fact that Rose is in love with her own brother. How disgusting."

"No, Anne... you are wrong," finally, Leon couldn't take it anymore. "We are not related. She is not my half-sister. I am not Duke Fournier's illegitimate son."

Anne thought she misheard him.