The Alchemists

It was a beautiful morning, not only because the falling autumn leaves could be seen flying softly from the window, but because after ten years, Aleksis was finally able to wake up feeling Alaric's presence by her side without having to fear it was only a dream.

After the wedding and the brief meeting between the families, the two spent the night m.a.k.i.n.g. .l.o.v.e. Then they chatted the rest of the time away to vent off their longing. Amidst that, they were also exchanging news. Their hearts were content with each other.

Then they fell asleep in a very comfortable position. Alaric had not been able to sleep very well for a long time. Yet this was already the second day that he had slept soundly because Aleksis was in his arms.

When the woman woke up in the morning, she could not bear to move, because she was worried that her husband who was sleeping so peacefully would wake up. This was why she simply decided to stay still and enjoy Alaric's breath on her hair, and the man's heartbeat in her ear. Aleksis was insatiably staring at his face and body which she thought to be very beautiful.

She couldn't help thinking, Alaric hid his appearance and made her think that he was an older looking man who was also disfigured, when in fact he was very handsome.

In her heart, Aleksis thought that even though Alaric was ugly, she would not mind it one bit, because all this time, it was not his physical appearance that made her fall in love with him. All her life, she was surrounded by physically fit and beautiful people. Not even Alaric's power and wealth could shake her will, because Aleksis also came from a very rich and powerful family.

Hmm ... come to think of it, although Alaric hated people and could be really cruel, it was actually his kindness that first made Aleksis fall in love with him. He had a gentle heart and he never thought twice about helping people who were troubled. So, even though she had heard about Alaric's terrible background, she still thought positively that someday Alaric would change ...

After they were reunited, Aleksis really hoped to see some changes in him because she did not want their children to see their father destroying humankind as he had originally intended.

Hmm ... such a gentle person, does he still want to eradicate most humans? Aleksis thought as she watched Alaric's face, which looked very peaceful.

The man's eyes suddenly flew open and looked right into the woman's face, making her blush.

"Hey .. good morning, Honey. We did not oversleep anymore, did we?" Alaric asked, rubbing her head which was leaning against his c.h.e.s.t.

Aleksis answered his question by shaking her head. "Haha ... no. I will be very embarrassed if we are to be late again."

"Hmm ..." The man kissed his wife's forehead and tightened his arms entrapped her. "Is there an event today?"

"Nothing important. Uncle Rory only wants to invite you and Nicolae to go fishing in the lake. If you don't mind, you can accept the invitation. The kids and I will be having a picnic at Butterfly Hill. Aside from these, nothing else. We just need to relax and enjoy the holidays."

"Hmm ..." Alaric nodded. He also wanted to spend time with his father and brother.

They had agreed to spend a week in Grosseto to get to know each other better and, of course, to re-establish the correct relationsh.i.p.s as father and son. It was also to give Altair and Vega a year with Nicolae, a transition period per se.

This was indeed a very difficult decision for Aleksis and Alaric because up to this date, she had never been separated from her children. As for Alaric, he simply wanted to be present in Altair and Vega's lives as soon as possible, but for the sake of the two children and also for Nicolae, they both relented.

Altair and Vega had to learn to accept that their mother was reunited with their biological father. But since it would not be an easy process, they were given time, a year to be exact, to be with Nicolae.

"I hope you both don't give Daddy Nic too much trouble ... Your father and I will come to see you once a month, but whenever you want to meet us, you just need to contact me. We will come," Aleksis said when they were on a picnic on Butterfly Hill, explaining their plans going forward.

Altair and Vega just nodded. They were old enough to understand the dilemmas their parents were facing. This was why they tried to be as understanding as they could.

"But Mommy, you won't leave us, right?" Vega asked in a low voice. Aleksis hurriedly embraced her daughter and shook her head.

"No, Honey ... I really want to be with you both... but if I stay, I will feel bad for Daddy Nic, because I know that Daddy still can't forget me. So we gave in. Father Alaric also gave in. He doesn't want to force you to go with him ..."

Finally, Vega nodded, albeit reluctantly, "Alright, Mom. I understand..."

***

A week passed just like that. After spending time every day with his family, Alaric slowly warmed up as a person. He always smiled around Aleksis or their children. He really looked like a totally different person. It was to the point that even Lauriel was having a hard time believing how much Alaric had changed from his time at Grosseto.

Suddenly, he remembered his old self who had also turned happier after meeting Aleksis. The girl was truly the source of happiness for so many people. Lauriel was really happy that she was married to his son which meant that she didn't need to be shared with outsiders.

During the week spent together, the bond between Nicolae and Alaric as twin brothers became stronger and their relationship became very close. Only, toward Aleksis, Nicolae could not behave as usual. He tended to avoid the woman and everyone could understand the reason. He still could not recover from the pain incurred by the fact that she didn't get to marry him.

Nicolae became very relieved when Aleksis and Alaric finally left for Stuttgart to visit the Schneider family. Alas, he would not have to see her being with Alaric constantly.

***

In Stuttgart, Aleksis and Alaric were welcomed by her family. Caspar found that he and Alaric had a lot of things in common. This included, but not limited to their love for privacy, their love for Aleksis and how they did anything for the girl's sake. These similarities gradually brought the two men with different backgrounds and views closer to each other.

Alaric also spent a lot of time with Rune who liked him a lot due to his wealth of knowledge in technologies. They frequently discussed a lot of the latest inventions and technologies that interested them both.

"I love your family," Alaric whispered to her on their last night in Stuttgart.

"Oh, you do?" Aleksis asked, "Actually you and Dad are quite similar in many things. I'm glad you can respect and accept each other."

"Hmm ..." Alaric nodded. "I will think about what your father told me. I will not necessarily cancel all my automation projects, but I will try to find ways for all the features we provide to instead help humans to become better creatures so that they become more worthy of inhabiting this earth. "

Aleksis could only sigh at his words, "I hope for the best... I don't want to see war or people doing evil anymore. Unfortunately, I don't think you can force your way on humans. They won't learn and instead think of you as a dictator who wants to rule them. Nobody likes dictators. All you can do is to make them aware of their own mistakes so they would want change. Make it so they will recognize that change is good for them. "

Alaric did not answer. He knew Aleksis was right.

"Where do you want to live?" Alaric asked as he and Aleksis got off the car that took them to the airport. "Sorry, I forgot to ask. I'm too excited about living with you forever. I forgot that I have houses all over the world."

Aleksis just laughed at his boasting. "I like our home in Singapore, but I know you are a busy person and have a lot of work to do, so I will go wherever you go."

"Hmm ... alright." Alaric nodded, "I will slowly reduce my workload and hand it over to someone capable. But in the meantime, I need to take care of something in England."

"Alright. I can come with you to England, and we can also stop by Glasgow and visit Aunt Portia," Aleksis answered.

"Great idea." Alaric helped her board his plane. They then sat side by side while waiting for the plane to take off. "I have to attend the big celebration for the fourth anniversary of the launching of Virconnect. The event will be very lively. I want you to come with me."

"My p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e," answered Aleksis smilingly. "Hmm ... will you introduce me to everyone as your wife?"

"That's right," he said. He remembered the various gossip that had associated him with Elien Mikhailova and the other famous girls. He needed to kill the gossip at once. Previously, he was too lazy to care about them, but now that Aleksis was back in his life, he did not want his wife to be misunderstood. "But my name outside is now Elios Linden, so in public, you will be Mrs. Linden."

"Ah ... I would love to be Mrs. Linden," Aleksis said, kissing Alaric's lips lovingly. "I love you, Mr. Linden."

"I love you more, Mrs. Linden." Alaric warmly kissed his wife back. He ignored the shocked faces of his staff on the plane who, for the first time, got to see their big boss kiss a woman openly.

They never even saw him as much as held a woman's hand before, but today they saw him kiss his wife so lovingly, without caring what other people think.