The Alchemists

"My own anti-hangover pills," Rune replied.     

"You made this yourself? Is it safe? Are you a doctor?" asked Rose, amazed.     

"I'm not a doctor. Doctors can't make medicine," said Rune. "I make it from a variety of headache and pain relievers that have been proven to work. It can relieve any pain quickly."     

Rose frowned, about to refuse, but she saw Rune's eyes gleam with intelligence and somehow the girl felt that Rune was telling the truth.      

After all, they'd known each other for a while at this point. She already knew that Rune had never done anything strange to her.     

Rose had also met Nicolae and Marie, his brother and sister-in-law, and thought that apart from his other brother-in-law's family, who may be involved with the mafia, Rune seemed to come from a good background.     

"Very well," said the girl. She took the red pill from Rune's hand and drank it with the warm water the man provided. "Thank you."     

"Would you like to drink hot tea to freshen up?" Rune asked as he went to the kitchen to boil water in a pot to make tea. "You said you wanted to tell me about Leon earlier. I think it's best if we chat over tea? I don't want you to drink any more wine."     

Rose was stunned at Rune's words. Ah .. she almost forgot. Earlier she had planned to tell Rune all about Leon, and who Rose really was.     

"Yes," said the girl finally. "Thank you."     

Rune nodded. He boiled water and prepared tea for the two of them. Ten minutes later, he returned to the living room, carrying a tray containing a pot of tea and two cups. He poured tea into their respective cups and handed one to Rose.     

"How's your headache?" asked the man.     

Rose blinked, and a moment later her beautiful eyes went round. "My headache is gone!"     

"Good," said Rune with a smile. "I told you the pill works."     

"Yeah, but it works really fast," said Rose. "Is it true that you made the pills yourself?"     

"Correct."     

"Don't you want to patent it? I'm sure there will be lots of pharmaceutical companies willing to pay big bucks for the formula!" said Rose enthusiastically.     

Rune shook his head hard. "Uhm ... no need. Thank you."     

Why would he sell the formula to big pharmaceutical companies and make big bucks? He didn't need money as his family had plenty. And it was even more important for his current persona, the poor scientist, to stay poor. Didn't Rose said she only wanted to marry a poor man?     

No, thank you. Rune didn't want to be a rich man if that meant Rose wouldn't need him anymore.     

"No, the raw material as the main ingredient is almost extinct," said Rune looking for an excuse. "The main ingredient for the pain relief is a plant endemic to the Amazon. This plant does not grow anywhere else, and the population itself is now very rare. I just took a little and made it for you. I have to save the raw material for future needs. So, please don't have a hangover too often so that the pills don't run out quickly. "     

"Oh, is that so?" Rose, who was so excited, became a little disappointed.     

Uff ... she had hoped that this quirky man before her could become a successful person, so he could have a better life. But, it seemed like Rose was expecting too much.     

"That's right," said Rune. "Ah .. I have no business acumen to make money and become rich. I can only do research and other works that do not make money. I think I will remain poor for the rest of my life."     

Rose frowned when she heard the young man in front of her claim that he would remain poor for the rest of his life, but didn't have the expression to match the words. He seemed 'excited' about being poor.      

Very weird. Rose had never met a man who was so happy to be poor.     

"You're weird." That was all Rose could say. She took a sip of her tea and stopped discussing how Rune could become rich from his homemade headache reliever pills.     

"Alright .. where were we?" asked Rune as he put his cup on the table. He sat with his hands folded on his lap and stared at Rose closely. The man really wanted to know what was the secret between Rose and Leon.     

He suspected that Rose had not even disclosed the secret to her good friends. From what he had noticed earlier, Helene and the others only discussed that Rose and Leon were lovers who now had turned into siblings.     

"Hmm .. alright. I guess, it's time," said Rose after taking a deep breath. She stared back at Rune and started her story.     

"My name is Rose Fournier. I am the only daughter of Duke and Duchess Fournier of Medion," said the girl. "My family is the high nobility of the Medion kingdom. My father is a second cousin of the king, King Henry Camille. In a way, we are the king's closest family."     

BADUMP!     

Suddenly Rune's chest thumped violently. He remembered where he had heard the name Fournier before. He recently read it in various news.     

Ah ...     

Apparently... it's Leon.     

Rune stared at Rose's lips closely, as if he didn't want to miss a single word from her beautiful lips. Slowly, he could guess what was going on. However, he waited for Rose to tell him everything.     

"You already know that I have a childhood friend named Leon ... He was also my first love," said Rose in a low voice. It was clear that she felt very sad at the mention of Leon's name, but the girl braced herself.      

Rune touched Rose's hand and squeezed it gently. He didn't press Rose at all. He knew that girl would tell him everything, because she had promised.     

"I know that," said Rune.     

"Leon and I loved each other, but our relationship was not approved by my parents. My mother thought he was not worthy of me because he was not a noble. He was also an illegitimate child who didn't know who his father was. After all, his mother was only a servant in our house."     

"Oh ..." Rune listened carefully. He felt there was something bigger behind it all. He had heard from Helene that two years ago, Rose's father, Duke Fournier confessed that Leon was actually his illegitimate child.     

That was what made the love relationship between Rose and Leon impossible. Rose couldn't possibly marry her own half-brother, could she?     

But .. what did it have to do with the status and power that Rose mentioned while she was drunk?     

"As you already know .. two years ago, my father made a statement that Leon was his son, as a result of an affair with our servant. Feeling guilty, he finally recognized Leon as his son and gave Leon the status of a legitimate son by giving him the last name Fournier and raised his status as a nobleman. He became my father's heir apparent and inherited his dukedom status."     

"I've known that much," said Rune, nodding in understanding. "Then, your uncle, the childless King Henry Camille, finally announced that he would make Leon the heir to the throne, right? As Duke Fournier's son, Leonard Fournier, becomes the king's closest male relative who was entitled to the throne."     

Rose stared at Rune, almost without blinking, as the man told her everything he had read about Leonard Fournier from the news last week. Her eyes were filled with pain, and seeing it ached Rune's heart.     

"I read the news in the newspaper. He was appointed the crown prince early this year, and next month, Prince Leon will marry Princess Anne of Moravia." Rune squeezed Rose's hand. "Is that true?"     

Rose nodded, and her tears started pouring down. "Yes."     

Ahh .. now, Rune understood why last week Rose looked so sad and heartbroken. She also just read the news of Leon's engagement to the princess from the Moravia. Because she was so sad, Rose ended up drinking her pain away, and finally, she got drunk.     

Oh ... poor, poor Rose, thought Rune. That girl's situation was very difficult indeed. As a member of the royal family, of course, she had to attend this grand wedding.      

Otherwise, her family would become the talk of the town. All the other noble families and the media would ask questions. This would look bad on the royal family.     

However, if she came ... she would have to endure grief and hurt, seeing the man she once loved marrying another girl. It must be so unbearable...