The Alchemists

The passengers in the plane that Terry and Nicolae had boarded never knew that they were transiting for an hour in Rome just to take the two young men to Italy before continuing their journey to Paris.

The flight attendants who served both of them on the journey gossiped about the two mysterious young men. They had no idea who exactly they were, but because of these two special passengers in the first-class cabin, they were to transit in Rome instead of directly flying to Paris. They were certainly not backpackers like what they appeared to be.

Their good looks also made the flight attendants kept making excuses just so they could pass by their aisles. When the two mysterious passengers got off, the atmosphere in the plane became very boring for the flight attendants.

Terry and Nicolae rushed to buy new clothes at a  fashion shop at the airport and half an hour later they transformed into two young masters from the upper-class families.

Terry, who liked to appear neat and expensive, wore an expensive gray suit with leather shoes; while Nicolae still liked to look casual with a dress shirt, jeans, and boots. As usual, he carelessly tied his hair with a blue ribbon.

To save time, the two directly ordered a private helicopter and flew to Medici Castle in Grosetto, so they could arrive there before the party was over.

In the magnificent Medici Castle, there were already many guests who looked young and good-looking. And Lauriel was almost going crazy because it was almost 9 pm and his son still hadn't shown up. He tried to reach Nicolae through his phone but his call was not picked up.

"The party is about to end... Is he really not coming?" Lauriel complained to Aleksis. The plan was, he would end the party at 10 pm, by sunset. In summer, the sun sets late in the evening.

The atmosphere in the garden party held by Lauriel was lively as there were musical performances and many young people were dancing to the tune happily. The sun that had begun to gush orange at the horizon also looked beautiful.

This was the right time to introduce Nicolae as the heir to the Medici family, but alas... the man of the hour was not yet here and had not even shown his nose.

"Terry said they missed the plane because of the sandstorm. But they should have reached Rome by now. Maybe they will get here soon. Uncle Rory, please be patient..." Aleksis coaxed him.

She smiled in amusement, seeing Lauriel looking quite unlike his usual self. Her godfather was known for being a quiet guy who always appeared cold and indifferent. However, right now, he just really seemed like a father missing his son.

"Mummy, who is it that grandpa was waiting for?" asked Altair, who wore a white shirt and pink shorts. people who did not know him would definitely assume the five-year-old kid was a girl. "Grandpa's voice sounds like a sour berry."

Lauriel turned and stroked the boy's head, "Is that so? If grandpa is worried, my voice changed taste? Yesterday, you said it sounded like a sweet berry."

Altair nodded. Since last year, his family finally realized that this child had synesthesia, a.k.a his brain perceived sounds using several senses apart from hearing. He could visually see or taste the form of every sound he heard. So they were not surprised when they heard the boy making strange comments about the sound he had listened to.

His sister did not have this condition, but she really liked plants. Vega loved singing to the plants at home, and for some reason, her family observed that the plants she often sang to were growing healthier and more beautiful.

Every time she saw Vega 'gardening', Aleksis would always be reminded of Alaric who liked plants and had a beautiful bonsai garden.

Aleksis loved her two children and, for her, they were the best gifts to her life. She still could not tell her children about their father, because remembering Alaric still made her heart sad, but she promised them that one day they would hear about him.

"Sir, a helicopter is about to land," a staff member told Lauriel, who was busy talking with Altair and peeling fruit for him.

"Oh ... maybe it's them," Aleksis commented. She, Lauriel, and the guests immediately turned their gaze to the black helicopter that swirled in the sky over the sun and slowly landed in the castle's courtyard, a few hundred meters away from the party.

Dozens of pairs of eyes seemed to be watching attentively as one by one the passengers descended gracefully. The girls who were invited to the party began to smile and talked to each other, admiring the two young men who got off the helicopter and started walking towards them.

Terry and Nicolae were both very handsome and each of them had their individual charms. Terry had a unique face because he had some Asian genes. He also had a tall body and a good fashion sense that made him look like a famous movie star, just like his 'late' father.

Nicolae too, although he was only wearing casual clothes and appeared rather careless about his appearance, he still looked very handsome and gave out a mysterious vibe like his father.

His face, which was very similar to Lauriel, made it easy for guests to guess that he was the prince from the Medici family whom they had been waiting for. When Nicolae got to his father's location, Lauriel immediately approached Nicolae and rubbed his son's head impatiently.

"Where have you been? I almost ended the party by apologizing to the guests because you have not appeared until now," Lauriel chided. However, a moment later, he hugged his son very tightly.

"Ah ... Dad... I'm running out of breath. You don't want me to die before this party is over, right?" Nicolae complained, jokingly. He knew his father just really missed him.

When Lauriel was finally content from hugging his son, he let him go. Nicolae looked around to see what kind of party his father had organized to celebrate his 100th birthday.

Subconsciously his eyes stopped at one spot. His gaze went stiff when he saw Aleksis standing behind his father, smiling sweetly.

Oh, God ... why did Aleksis get prettier? Nicolae complained inwardly. He continued to curse himself who had involuntarily advanced toward the girl and hugged her warmly.

Nicolae you are stupid.

You should have stayed away from Aleksis.

"Hey ... you look more beautiful than ever," Nicolae greeted Aleksis after kissing her cheeks.

Okay, it's OK, can't cry over spilled milk. Now, for damage control... you just need to hug and greet other girls, Nicolae told himself.

"Ah ... you can always make people smile," Aleksis replied. "How was your adventure around the world?"

You must reply that you are very satisfied with your adventure around the world and that once the party is over you will be back to going to more adventures , Nicolae kept giving instructions to himself.

Unfortunately, his heart was too stubborn ... or too stupid ... or maybe, too in love.

"I'm glad to see your smile," Nicolae replied.

Stupid Nicolae , he cursed himself inwardly.