The Alchemists

The barbecue party was finally over and all the guests were stuffed with food and drink. Everyone was excited and happy. One by one they excused themselves and finally, at 7 pm, the only remaining attendance were the Schneider family, Lauriel, all the guards and staff, and Jean and Franka.

"We have to go now. Tomorrow I have a press conference in LA..." Jean told the host. "Thank you for inviting us... the party was very fun..."

"Thank you for coming..." Finland hugged Jean and then Franka. Caspar nodded and smiled.

After Jean and Franka left, Jadeith and his friends turned back to return to downtown San Francisco. Only Ben and two bodyguards stayed to help Kathy and Luke take care of the rest of the party.

Lauriel had withdrawn to the library and was enjoying a glass of wine with Aleksis, who was drinking milk. The two seemed to be in their own world, and both Caspar and Finland could only let watch from afar.

Caspar could guess what had happened, that made Lauriel so sad. Surely, he had tested the DNA of the blood on Luna's ring he was keeping and found that it indeed did not belong to his girlfriend. He then probably searched for information on Luna's whereabouts and found that the girl had indeed died, but he couldn't find her grave.

If Luna were still alive, she would definitely look for Lauriel, and it wouldn't be difficult for Lauriel or Caspar to find her.

After making sure that everything was fine, Caspar invited Finland into the library. They brought with them a pot of tea and two glasses.

"How are you, Lauriel?" Caspar asked, placing the teapot on the table. He then sat on the sofa and Finland sat next to him.

Lauriel looked at them and took a deep breath.

"Bad. I checked Alexei's story, and he did not lie... The blood on the ring was not Luna's."

Finland looked at Caspar and Lauriel alternately. She did not know who they were talking about. Caspar turned to Lauriel as if asking for his approval, and after Lauriel nodded, he explained.

"Luna was Lauriel's girlfriend. She died in World War 2, when the allied forces bombed her family's manor in Germany... At least that's what we thought,"

"Oh..." Finland covered her mouth in surprise. There were so many things that she didn't know about Lauriel, even though they had been close friends for more than two years. She did not expect Lauriel's fate to be so unfortunate. "I'm sorry, Lauriel..."

Lauriel looked at her in grief. "Luna, my girlfriend... was pregnant when she returned to Germany. I planned to come after her after finishing my business in Asia. We wanted to get married... But then there was a massive bombing, and I was not there to protect her... That is why, when I met you in San Francisco, I felt like I was given a second chance... I loved Aleksis because she reminded me of my child who never had the chance to live..."

Finland involuntarily shed her tears. She was very sad to hear Lauriel's story. It turned out that for the past two years, she and Aleksis had been basking on the man's kindness and affection because he was thinking of his own child... How sad...

"I'm sorry I didn't know..." Finland whispered in a choked voice. Unconsciously she approached Lauriel and hugged him, "I'm sorry..."

Lauriel nodded slowly, "Thank you... no need to apologize, you have no fault in this. I feel fortunate to be able to meet you and get the chance to be a godfather to Aleksis..."

Caspar looked at the scene with a complicated look. He was no longer jealous of Lauriel, but still, in his heart, he was worried that the man would take his family from him. Lauriel had lived with Finland and Aleksis for 2 years; even Caspar didn't have the privilege to live with them for that long.

"I heard that you are pregnant with another child..." Lauriel said. Finland let go of her arms and sat down next to Caspar. Her husband quickly grabbed her hand and placed it on his lap, as if to mark his territory. Lauriel, who noticed the scene, smiled faintly. "You are very lucky..."

"Thank you," Caspar nodded.

"I don't have anyone..." Lauriel said softly.

Aleksis, who heard his sad voice, immediately went up to Lauriel's lap and stroked his cheeks. "Uncle Rory, don't be sad... You have Aleksis, right?"

Lauriel nodded emotionally, then smiled and ruffled Aleksis' hair so that their appearance were equally messy. Caspar could only stare at the scene sadly.

Lauriel looked up and spoke in a firm voice.

"I have no more reason to live. I found Luna's trace in Romania and most likely she had long died. I will try to find her grave... but I think it is unlikely. I have finally decided to give up on life..." He closed his eyes and pulled a deep breath, "I've decided to take Death."

Finland and Caspar sighed together. They didn't expect Lauriel to decide on such a thing.

"Wh... why do you have to die?" Finland looked shocked, "What about Aleksis? She will definitely be very sad..."

"Lauriel... please think about this again..." Caspar tried to persuade him.

Lauriel shook his head softly, "As I said, I had decided to die two years ago, because I had no reason to live. Aleksis gave me a new reason to move on, but now she has met her biological father and she will slowly forget about me... I'd better go now rather than later, when she is older. She will be sadder then..."

"Lauriel..." Caspar then lost his words and fell silent.

"Without Aleksis... I don't want to live anymore," Lauriel said, making up his mind. "If I may, I want to ask for a few months with her... I want to say goodbye."

On the one hand Caspar was very reluctant to part with his daughter whom he had only met less than two months ago after being separated for so long, but on the other hand he could not refuse Lauriel's request.

"Uhm... how about you live with us?" Finally, Caspar made a decision. "You can be with Aleksis, but I don't need to lose her either. Please understand my situation... I missed so many moments with her – since she was in the womb until she is two years old..."

Finland stared at Caspar. She did not expect her husband to act so wise and understanding. He had really changed much.

Lauriel seemed to think for a moment, and a while later he nodded. "Alright... thank you. I really appreciate it..."