Chapter Text
“And here, we have our probably most precious item. ‘The Rose of the North’!”
The man with the sunglasses turned his attention to the young museum guide, slightly annoyed. But this was why he had come here in the first place, so he had to sit this through.
The young museum guide stood on his tiptoes and looked at the audience eagerly. Next to him was a big glass vitrine with a beautiful silver necklace lying within. At first sight, it didn’t seem that special, just like an ordinary necklace with a huge pendant in the shape of a flower. Even the flower seemed ordinary. It had five petals and looked like it had been designed by a two-year-old. But if you looked closer, the necklace seemed to glow.
But that was just the first impression. It was a rainy day today, the sky seeming like a solid, gray ceiling. Only occasional, a ray of sunshine would interrupt this dull weather. And one of the rare moments was now. A faint beam of sunshine fell onto the flower pendant of the necklace and hit the small gems which were embedded in the petals. They had to be hundred, at least. When the flower had seemed equally dull as the weather before, it now suddenly sparkled and shone in a bright, emerald green. It laid on a patch of bronze silk that made it look even more beautiful – and expensive. After all, the price tag read fifteen million six hundred thousand dollars. But it seemed worth every penny.
For the first time during the exhibition, the man with the sunglasses turned his full attention to the museum guide. Unlike just seconds ago, he listened carefully to what the guide was telling.
“The ‘Rose’ is made of two hundred and fifty Alexandrite gems, fifty per petal, with weighing only two carats each.” Now, the guide seemed to shake with excitement, as if he was hearing all this for the first time and wasn’t the one who was telling it. “The Alexandrite was first found in 1834 in the Ural Mountains in Russia and was named after tsar Alexander II. Maybe the fascinating thing about this specific gem is that it appears to change its color under the influence of light. Like here, we can see a nice emerald green. But look now –” He pulled a remote controller from out of his pockets and pressed a large button on it. The lights in the room were instantly dimmed. “The Rose glows in a beautiful ruby red.”
He had created the effect he wanted: the tourists aah-ed and ooh-ed at the sight of the necklace. The man with the sunglasses, however, rolled is eyes in annoyance but kept his gaze fixed on the necklace with an almost hungry look.
“Apart from red and green, the Alexandrite is also often found as a yellow, golden, brown or even pink stone, depending on the region. But in general, the way the stone was forged and made during the centuries is responsible this fascinating phenomenon. If the metal components change, the color changes.” He turned on the lights again.
“Well, this chemical trivia might be very interesting, but the Alexandrite, and with it, the Rose, is said to have special powers.” The guide wore an expression on his face as if this was the most exciting thing he had ever heard in his life. “In Russian legend, it is associated with discipline and self-control and can promote concentration and the ability to learn. It also is supposed to evoke the wearer to strive for excellence and increase self-confidence. But that’s not everything! Russian lore also states that the Alexandrite has special healing powers that will help the wearer to overcome illnesses."
Huh, superpowers. That was new. But not long, and then everyone would see that any kind of superpowers it had wouldn't stop it from being stolen. Again, the man with the sunglasses thought with a smirk.
“This specific necklace was made in 1952 by Joseph Quinn, as a present for his wife, Alexandra. Mr. Quinn himself was on vacation in St. Petersburg when he met Alexandra. They instantly fell in love, and for their wedding, he gave her the necklace. However, Mrs. Quinn only owned the Rose for about twelve days, when someone came to their mansion in St. Petersburg, stole it and murdered the new family. Tragic, I know!” He faked a sob. “Anyways, let’s keep going! We have a lot more here that is worth seeing!” He turned around, the group of tourists following him.
Except for the man with the sunglasses. He stayed behind, still staring at the Rose. It indeed was a little fortune and above all, very beautiful. Of course, he didn’t believe that the Rose actually had special powers or other crap like that. He was more of a rational person who concentrated on the facts. But he couldn’t deny that it was certainly appealing to own something which wasn’t only pretty and expensive but also had some symbolic character.
The man smiled. Soon enough, he would hold the Rose in his hands. It would be his and his alone.