The Alchemists

"Sorry if we came to you unannounced like this, I just wanted to make sure it really is you." Takeshi sounded rather apologetic, "We thought you were dead, and today I saw a lot of news about you on Splitz all day long; you can imagine my surprise."

Marion looked at Takeshi as if trying to remember him, "Uhm ... now I remember, you are Takeshi, right? Who are you and what is our relationship?"

"Wow ... I'm flattered because Miss remembers me." Takeshi laughed softly. "Do you remember this house?"

Marion looked around and shook her head. That meant that Aleksis had been to this house before, she thought. Whose house was this?

"I don't remember," Marion said. "I don't remember ever being here. Whose house is this?"

"This is your home," Takeshi answered. "It's okay. Sooner or later, your memory will recover. You'd better rest first. Feel free to walk around, who knows if you can remember something."

Marion nodded. After speaking briefly with Takeshi, she now truly felt sure that she was not in danger. She cleverly hid the mini bomb back into her bag. She would not need it.

Marion followed Takeshi's advice and walked around the side of the mansion to try to obtain information. Of course she didn't forget to make sure that her expression showed that she was trying hard to remember something, though she was secretly making mental notes and analyzed what the owner of this house was like.

Takeshi said this was Aleksis' home? It must mean that Aleksis came here often, even though the girl hadn't stayed long in Singapore.

When exactly did Aleksis come here? Marion knew that Aleksis was protected by two bodyguards. Why weren't they aware of this place?

She walked into the library, study room, dining room, and the other rooms in the house, one by one. There was absolutely no sign of anything meaningful. There were no photos or decorations that were of personal nature.

She then walked toward the large black door on the left. This may be the master bedroom.

Marion was astonished because Takeshi did not say anything nor did he prevent her from entering any room. It was as if the young man really wanted her to regain her memory by exploring every corner of the house.

Finally, Marion entered the main bedroom. Her guess was correct. This must be the homeowner's room because of its enormous size and grandeur. All the decorations were dark and looked very masculine. Marion stepped into every corner of the room and looked for whatever she could get.

It seemed that this house was still actively used by its resident considering that there were many personal items lying around such as clothes and other items. Marion examined the men's clothing and belongings that were kept in a walk-in closet and realized that she was quite familiar with the owner's choice of clothes.

The room reminded him of Lauriel. Everything was very simple yet elegant. She was very familiar with Lauriel's style of dressing because he was different from all the men she knew. Lauriel was, after all, a royal from the most influential family in Italy centuries ago; he always looked elegant.

Inwardly Marion became even more interested in meeting the mysterious owner of the house. Could this be Alaric Rhionen's own home?

What did this have to do with Aleksis?

Marion only pursed her lips because she was unable to answer her own questions.

She must find out the answer.

"Takeshi, I don't remember anything. The more I try, the more my head hurts," Marion said as she left the room. Her steps stopped immediately as she bumped into a woman who was now standing next to Takeshi in the living room. Marion immediately took a cautious stance and kept a distance from the two of them, "Who are you? Didn't we bump into each other on campus? Are you following me??"

Rosalien just stood there staring at her with a complicated look. She didn't care about Marion. She turned towards Takeshi.

"She doesn't remember." Her eyes pressed urgently toward Takeshi, who just stayed quietly, "It's not too late to get rid of her."

Marion was surprised to hear the hateful tone in the voice of the girl in front of her.

Wait ... that meant that not all members of Rhionen Assassins were kind to Aleksis. This one looked like she wanted to kill Aleksis!

Marion slowly pulled out her mini bomb.

"She is just experiencing temporary memory loss. This is natural for people with head injuries like her," Takeshi finally answered. "You must not do what isn't ordered to you."

"What are you talking about?" Marion said, "Do you want to kill me? Who are you really?"

"Don't be afraid, Miss. Rosalien isn't serious." Takeshi smiled at Marion to calm her down. "This sister of mine is indeed quick-tempered, but she has a kind heart."

Sister? Marion looked at the girl next to Takeshi who was subtly trying to hide her face. She would later have to find out her identity. The two could not be siblings; Takeshi was clearly Japanese, while the girl next to him had white skin and red hair, so she must be from Europe or America. But why did Takeshi call her his sister?

It was very surprising. She and her friends at the Wolf Pack were also as close as siblings, but even they didn't call each other brother and sister.

"I want to go home," Marion uttered in a firm voice. "I only know your name is Takeshi, but the rest, I don't remember. I don't know who you are, and I also don't remember this house ... Please tell me what really happened. I don't like unnecessary puzzles and mysteries. Who are you guys and whose house is this? I know for sure that this is not my home. There are none of my personal belongings here."

Takeshi nodded, "We will surely will take you home, but please be patient for a while."

He looked at his watch and sighed softly.

Marion immediately understood that Takeshi was waiting for someone. It was now 1 pm in Singapore. Who was he waiting for?

Lest he was waiting for the morning to come in another part of the world ...

Marion was very smart and she immediately connected all possibilities. The owner of this house was not in Singapore. He was probably somewhere in a different time zone, most possibly in a time zone that was behind Singapore.

Was it America? But it was still midnight in America, of course Takeshi would not let her to wait for that long if the person he wanted to contact was in America.

Europe? It was currently 5am in the UK and 6am in Germany.

So, maybe it was Europe, Marion thought finally. Takeshi was waiting for morning to arrive in Europe so he could talk to someone about Aleksis and then decide on what to do.

"Please relax in our garden, I will ask the waiter to serve tea and snacks or books for you to read. Miss can calm down while looking at the garden," Takeshi told her. "I promise, it will only be one more hour."

Marion, who was very curious, finally agreed to Takeshi's suggestion. She walked toward the door to the courtyard that Takeshi pointed to and opened the door.

When she saw the beautiful and elegant bonsai garden in the backyard, Marion was astonished. She did not expect that the back garden was far more beautiful than the courtyard of any mansions she had even seen.

The homeowner seemed to have a very talented gardener. Marion had never seen a collection of such beautiful bonsai before. The garden was beautifully decorated with a fish pond which gave off a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

She immediately felt very much at home. Feeling at peace, she sat on the marble steps and admired the view in front of her. This was truly extraordinary.

After several minutes of awe, Marion took out her cellphone to take a photo. Her lips pouted when realized that the signal in this house was still jammed and she couldn't connect to the internet. She was still alone and wasn't able to contact anyone.

All right ... I'll wait another hour, Marion finally decided. Morning would soon arrive in Europe and whoever the person whom Takeshi wanted to contact would wake up soon.