The Alchemist's Journey | Book 3

Chapter VIII

Rose walked through Neserdnia with Varian right by her side as he clung to the skirt of her dress.

"Rosie!" A voice called and Rose turned to see her childhood friend waving to her with a little girl in her arms as well as a young boy standing by her side.

"Lu! It's so good to see you again!" Rose went over excitedly and Varian looked at the woman curiously.

"Is this the famous Varian you told me about?" Lucia asked as she smiled at the young boy who hid behind his mother.

"Yes it is. Varian, this is Lucia," Rose introduced as she looked down at her son. "And her children Michael and Camila."

"He's so cute!" Lucia gushed with a light giggle and Michael waved to Varian.

Varian just buried himself into his mother's dress, not saying a word.

"He's just shy. He'll come around to you guys eventually," Rose explained and Lucia smiled.

"It's alright. Come on. My mother is waiting with Peter," Lucia said and they all went to find Carmen and Lucia's husband.

🌟

"How was your trip, darling?" Quirin asked once Rose and Varian returned home.

"It was wonderful. We tried to get Varian and Camila to play together, but they don't seem to care much for each other," Rose explained and Quirin hummed softly.

"I'm glad you had fun though. I missed you," Quirin said as he hugged his wife, kissing her lips tenderly.

Rose couldn't stop smiling as she kissed him back happily, her entire being floating on air.

She had thought that the world hated her when her brother murdered their parents and started hunting her down, but she knew that wasn't true. She never would've met Quirin if Dante didn't kill their parents and Varian never would've been born.

She considered herself very lucky to have Quirin and Varian by her side.

Rose missed her parents, and if she was honest, she missed her brother too. Even though he hated her and killed their parents, she still remembered the good times she'd had with him.

"I love you so much, Rosie," Quirin murmured as he gently caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead.

"I love you so much more, Quirin. You mean the world to me," Rose whispered back as she leaned into his touch.

Her eyes closed in bliss as she enjoyed the warmth of his embrace.

As they held each other close, silence consumed them. They began to sway ever so slightly as the world seemed to stop spinning.

To the two of them, everything in that moment was pure perfection.

💧

"I can't wait for you to get a proper tour of Arendelle. Last time you came, you were only here for an hour or two," Aqua spoke excitedly as she sat with Varian at the bow of the ship.

"Yeah," Varian mumbled as he scratched the back of his head.

Aqua immediately knew what he was thinking so she grabbed his hands gentle as she said, "it wasn't your fault, Varian."