The Alchemists

Katia took Karl's hand and pressed it to her own cheek. Her mind flew to 60 years ago when she first met Karl. They were still teenagers and shared the same interests. The two were inseparable after the two families attended a party at the royal palace.

After Katia moved to London, she and Karl were able to spend more and more time together. However, her relationship and friendship with Carl ended after she met and fell in love with Caspar. For the sake of the man, she had to leave her family and friends.

Ugh... all her sacrifices were in vain, because after decades, Katia finally realized that the man didn't really love her.

The thought made her chest feel tight. Her tears dripped without her realizing.

"Katia..."

Katia gasped at the sound of Caspar's voice, but she cleverly refrained, not turning her head.

"Hmm... you are here… What do you want?" Katia asked in a flat tone.

"I want to apologize to you personally. I have never done it before, and I realize that what I did to you was wrong..." Caspar walked over to Katia and stopped when he arrived beside the girl.

"This is not like you. You are the most selfish person I know..." Katia finally looked up and stared at Caspar with a reproachful look, "What made you change?"

"Love changed me..." Caspar said firmly. "I'm sorry that I wasted your time and selfishly bound you without fulfilling my promise to you. I have taken you from your family and friends. I have felt the karma for my actions, as for the past 3 years I have been punished and I understand how you felt... I'm sorry."

"You DO NOT KNOW how I feel!" Katia stood up angrily. She hit Caspar's shoulder harshly, but the man did not budge nor shield himself from Katia's punches. "I don't have anyone now... you still have your family! YOU should have been my family. I should have married you and given birth to our children and we will live happily ever after... You took away my only dream in life. This... You're so mean...!!"

Tears welled up as Katia hit Caspar's chest, who received her anger calmly.

"I can't return the lost time, Katia. Tell me what I can do to relieve the pain you feel..." Caspar said softly.

He looked at Katia with a sad face. After all, this girl was the closest woman to him for decades. You could say that Katia was his best friend... He regretted breaking the relationship between them, because it was him who asked Katia to hurriedly leave her life to be with him, when he wasn't really in love with her.

Katia bit her lip and looked at Caspar for a long time.

She then cupped the man's face and unexpectedly landed a kiss on his lips. Caspar, who was surprised by the gesture, quickly pushed Katia away out of reflex.

"Katia... I'm married. You can't do this..." he said quickly.

"You were engaged to me for decades, but that didn't stop you from sleeping with so many other women..." hissed Katia.

"I know what I did was wrong, but I'm not like that anymore," Caspar shook his head. "I've changed now."

"Tsk... Am I hearing this right? You turn loyal to a woman who doesn't love you. Finland doesn't love you back, and that's the only reason you are after her. You've never been rejected by any woman, and her refusal drives you crazy. You knew she loves Jean so you sent Famke to kill him..." Katia crossed her arms in front of her chest and pursed her lips, craving for revenge," After you got rid of Jean, Finland still didn't love you back, and she left you for Lauriel and had a child with him... Oh... can't you just accept her rejection and stop deceiving yourself that none of that is true."

Caspar shook his head when he heard Katia speaking delusional. He was tired of all her games.

"I already know everything, Katia. I know your plans and what you did to Aleksis. Finland and I have resolved the problem between us, and Lauriel is not willing to fulfill your request..." Caspar extended his hand towards Katia, "Please give the antidote for Aleksis to me now, I don't like to use violence..."

Katia looked a little surprised at Caspar's words, but quickly her face gave a cold smile.

"Oh... really? Ah... that's why we couldn't trace Finland's whereabouts over the past week. Apparently she came to you. Well... then you already know." Katia brushed her hair nonchalantly, "I hope you have prepared a nice little grave for your kid."

"I didn't expect that you have the heart do such a thing to a child. You should punish me, not my daughter..." Caspar said, holding out his hand, "The antidote."

"Poison is indeed a woman's best weapon. I prepared this plan and came to Alexei. You think I didn't think it through carefully? You're wrong. I really want to punish you, and I think this is the most appropriate punishment. Even Lauriel would not be able to make the antidote… ha ha ha..."

"Katia, I don't want to use violence..." Caspar was still trying to be patient. "Please give me the antidote now."

"I don't have the antidote," Katia answered him.

"Call Alexei and ask for the antidote, otherwise I won't let you get out of here."

"Ha... Do you think Alexei will listen to me?" Katia almost laughed at Caspar's words. "I mean nothing to him. We are partners, because we have the same goal. Do you think that he will sacrifice his goal to save me? You're wrong. Alexei never loved anyone, he only loved himself. He could easily sacrifice Famke... let alone I."

"Katia..."

"You can kill me, if you can do it..." Katia smiled faintly. She reached for her bag and took out a gun from her handbag. For a moment, Caspar was surprised and wanted to stop her, but Katia quickly placed the gun in his hand. "Feel free to kill me with this gun if you hate me that much."

"You..." Caspar could not help but think of Katia's reaction. She did not care at all that Caspar could kill her to repay for what she did to Aleksis. "You want to die?"

The door opened and Marion suddenly entered. She was listening to what was happening inside and became impatient because Caspar had not yet succeeded in forcing Katia to hand over the antidote.

"Caspar... why is it taking so long?" she asked in a protest tone.

Katia turned to the door in surprise. "Who... who are you?"

"I'm Marion, we've never met. I poured some poison in your vodka. If you don't want to die horribly, you have to work with us to get the antidote from Alexei," Marion said impatiently. "You're not the only who can play with poison."

Katia frowned and at once she thought about the two glasses of vodka Marion prepared for her. Her heart rustled. She folded his arms across her chest and faced Marion defiantly.

"You poisoned me, and Caspar has a gun in his hand, he can shoot me and end it all. You think I'm afraid of death? I'm living on borrowed time..." said Katia in a cold voice. "I don't have anyone in this world. Karl will die soon, too."

That's when Neo woke up and removed his disguise, making Katia gasp in surprise.

"I'm not Karl. Karl is still alive and well. If you still want to see him, please help us capture Alexei," Neo said.

His voice sounded soft. Earlier, when Katia held his hand in sorrow, he felt touched and could not bear to see Katia really lose her best friend.

"You drank Lauriel's poison, and he made that poison with vengeful passion," Marion said. "You will die horribly if you fall asleep. Surely you do not want to be remembered in the history of the Alchemists as the only woman left at the altar who died horribly, right? We do not plan to give you a quick and easy death..."

Katia was now expressing her fears; Marion looked like a demon who pulled a life.

For a moment Katia looked daunted. She was surrounded by three people who looked dangerous and now she felt cornered.

"I know you want to pretend to look strong, but if you know the type of torture I can give you, you will beg for me to kill you." Marion pulled Katia's hand roughly and tied her with a rope she had prepared. She turned to Caspar, who looked at the scene in stupefaction. "You're too soft. Remember what she did to your child."

Caspar was speechless. He knew that Katia did a very evil thing to his child, but in his heart he could not bear to see the girl he almost married treated like this by Marion.

"We're about the same height," Marion commented as she threw Katia on the bed. "I will take your identity and go to Yorkshire to meet Alexei."

She took Katia's handbag and examined its contents. After being satisfied with her discovery, she gave a signal to Neo to follow her out of the room.

Only Katia and Caspar were left together in the room. Katia, who had been trying to look cold and indifferent, finally collapsed. She sobbed painfully.

"Just kill me, Caspar. I don't want to live anymore." Katia looked at Caspar with a pleading look, "Since you broke my heart three years ago, I don't want to live anymore. I only survived so far because of my grudge. But anyway... my revenge has failed. I have no more reason to live."

Caspar shook his head. "No, Katia. I won't kill you."

He placed the gun from Katia on his waist and then left Karl's room with a dark expression.