The Alchemists

Aleksis finally regained consciousness half an hour later. Her head hurt and for some time she had to gather her thoughts to remember what had happened.

"Ugh... where am I?" she muttered. Aleksis blinked and looked around. It seemed like she was in a medium-sized bedroom. There was only one bed and a small work desk there.

A moment later she remembered what happened before she passed out. Someone told her that the Prince Siegfried she was looking for was already dead... That was so shocking that Aleksis could not help but feel extremely sad and collapsed.

The wait and expectations of eight years ended in a sad anticlimax...

Without being able to hold back, she started crying uncontrollably.

Aleksis was an expressive girl. She spoke bluntly, she cried and laughed so easily, and now she was lamenting in deep sorrow that her first love was gone.

The sound of her crying made the man sitting outside intrigued. He got up from his office chair and walked slowly to the door of the room and opened it carefully. He was stunned to see such a beautiful girl now in tears and crying so sadly.

Why was she so sad? he thought, confused.

He then opened the door and entered the room. He stretched out a handkerchief in front of Aleksis' crying face, which made the girl gasp.

She turned to the side and found the masked man standing beside the bed holding out his handkerchief.

Apart from her fathers, Caspar and Lauriel, Aleksis had never seen another man carry a handkerchief before, and for a moment the sight stunned Aleksis.

"Th... thank you," she whispered softly as she took the handkerchief and wiped her tears and wet nose. "Where am I?"

"Hmm... in my office. You fainted, and I thought you wouldn't want to wake up in the middle of a crowd, so I brought you here..." the man replied.

"Oh..." Aleksis remembered that Rhionen Industries had an office on ten floors of the Continental Building. Meaning, that guy had an office here too?

"Why are you crying so sadly?" asked the man. His voice was gentle and attentive, which made Aleksis frown. She was trying to think hard, where she had heard this voice before.

"I... I'm sad because you said my Prince Siegfried is dead..." Aleksis answered in a bitter voice.

"YOUR Siegfried Prince?" The man seemed amused by Aleksis' behavior, which he thought was cute. "When did you become his owner?"

"Ugh... that's not what I meant..." Aleksis said. "I am not his owner. I am indebted to him and I would love to meet him again to repay his kindness to me... So, I am very sad to know that he had died."

"Hmmm..." The man nodded. He then left the room without another word. His behavior made Aleksis curious and she hurriedly got out of bed and followed him into the living room.

This man must be someone important in the company. His office had a room for resting, and his living room was quite large.

In the next room, there was a workspace containing a large work desk and a very comfortable chair, almost like a king's throne, with large floor-to-ceiling windows that showed a beautiful view of the city from 39th floor.

The masked man took a bottle of red wine and two glasses then poured wine for them. "Drink up, so you can calm down."

Aleksis received the glass gratefully.

Ugh, after receiving bad news like that, she felt like she could use a stronger drink. She imagined whiskey or vodka... But for the time being, wine was fine too, she thought.

Aleksis sipped her wine and after a moment her head felt lighter.

"Who are you?" she asked him after her mind had calmed down. "Do you know my Prince Siegfried? Can you please tell me... how he died?"

The man turned his glass around and seemed to think for a long time. He was contemplating on how much he could tell about what he knew to the girl. Finally, he nodded.

"Alaric died during one of his dangerous assignments." He shrugged, "That is the risk of his profession."

Aleksis covered her mouth in shock. Since she learned about the possibility of Prince Siegfried's profession, Aleksis' heart often palpitated at the thought that one day he might be killed in one of his jobs, because he told Aleksis eight years ago that he was not sure whether he would still be alive to compete with Aleksis in a Go match.

"Who... who killed him? Do you know?" Aleksis asked, biting her lip frantically.

"What would you do if you knew?" the man asked in amazement.

"I will avenge him!" Aleksis answered firmly.

"Little girl, Alaric was indeed very formidable, but even he was killed on his job. How can a young woman like you, who couldn't even do anything against Pavel, get revenge for him?" asked the man, shaking his head, "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you should just forget about Alaric and move on with your life..."

Aleksis clenched her jaws and shook her head firmly, her lips were almost bleeding from being bitten. Her voice was hoarse but firm, "I may not be too strong myself, but I can ask for my father and uncle's help... They will do anything for me... His death must be avenged. Please tell me who killed him..."

The man was amazed at Aleksis' determination.

"Why are you being so stubborn? I'm only giving you advice for your own good. Forget about Alaric and your revenge... get on with your life. You're still very young. Don't torture yourself with unnecessary things."

Aleksis put down her glass and shook her head stubbornly, "I'm sorry, I'm still grieving. Don't tell me what to do. I am thankful that you helped me tonight, but my life is my business. And now I have decided to avenge Prince Siegfried. I will kill everyone who hurt him..."