Na-Isekai Ako
Chapter 37: Recipe for Disaster: One Market Trip with Adolfo

Chapter 37: Recipe for Disaster: One Market Trip with Adolfo

As soon as class ended, Katherine returned to her room, grabbing her notes and reviewing her list of ingredients. Pastries were her main goal, but who said she couldn’t dabble in drinks too? If she was going to start selling sweets, she needed to experiment. And to do that, she needed the best ingredients the market had to offer.

The fact that Adolfo had offered to guide her was surprisingly convenient. Not only did it mean she wouldn’t get lost, but she’d have someone to carry the heavier bags if needed. What a fortunate coincidence.

She snorted at her own thoughts. Alright, maybe she was a little pleased that he had personally invited her. Just a little.

As she reached for her satchel, her gaze landed on the blank parchment Adolfo had given her earlier. A "map," he had called it.

"Are you sure this is a proper map?" she had asked, holding it up to the light as if that would reveal some secret inscription.

Adolfo had smirked. "Of course. It’s imbued with wind magic. Just write where you need to go, and it will guide you."

A magic map. How convenient. And suspiciously cool.

Skeptical but intrigued, she dipped her quill into ink and wrote:

Adolfo’s Workshop.

The second the ink touched the page, delicate lines sprawled across the parchment, sketching out the academy in elegant strokes.

Katherine’s eyes widened. Okay, that was actually impressive.

A tiny handwritten arrow appeared, shifting directions as she moved. It was eerily accurate, adjusting with each step, like a self-updating GPS.

She stared at it for a moment, then whispered, "I need one of these for everything."

This was so much better than wandering around like a lost duck.

Following the magical map, she made her way through the academy, enjoying the way it updated at every turn. It felt like she had a tiny, invisible assistant making sure she didn’t embarrass herself by getting lost.

After several minutes, she finally approached Adolfo’s workshop—only to be greeted by a long line of elegantly dressed noblewomen.

She stopped in her tracks.

"...What in the world?"

It took her a moment to remember—Adolfo had mentioned offering portrait sessions for the lady guests at the Summer Symposium.

Judging by the sheer number of admirers crowding his doorstep, it was going very, very well.

Katherine tilted her head. There were a lot of them.

Like, a concerning amount.

Some were giggling and adjusting their dresses, others whispering excitedly to each other, and at least two seemed to be practicing poses.

Katherine narrowed her eyes at the line of eager noblewomen.

"...Is he secretly running a matchmaking service?"

For a brief moment, she debated turning around and just meeting him at the market instead. Did she really want to push through this sea of admirers?

She exhaled. No. She came all this way.

Rolling up the parchment, she straightened her shoulders and stepped forward. If Adolfo was going to drag her to the market, he’d better be ready to face her in the middle of his personal fan club.

Taking a deep breath, Katherine made her way to the door. Just step forward, act natural, and—

"Please don’t cut the line."

Katherine blinked, turning to see one of the young women eyeing her with a raised brow.

"Oh—sorry," she said quickly. "I didn’t mean to. I just have an appointment with Lord Adolfo."

The lady folded her arms. "Everyone who cuts the line already used that excuse. Fall in line."

Katherine blinked. Excuse me?

"But I’m not a customer," she insisted, thrown off by the immediate accusation.

The woman’s skeptical gaze didn’t budge. "Mhm. That’s what they all say."

Katherine opened her mouth to respond, but before she could defend herself further, the doors to the workshop suddenly swung open.

"Lady Katherine," Adolfo’s familiar voice rang out, smooth and composed. "Pleasure seeing you."

All heads turned toward him.

Katherine immediately felt the shift in the air. Several of the ladies gasped softly, some covering their faces with their fans. A wave of excitement rippled through the line. Oh, wow. It was one thing to know Adolfo had admirers. It was another to see them in action.

She crossed her arms, tilting her head at him. "I can see you’re quite busy, my lord."

Adolfo chuckled, stepping forward with that effortlessly graceful air of his. "A little more than I expected, I’ll admit."

Before Katherine could respond, a delicate voice interrupted.

"Good day, Count," the woman from earlier—Lady Cleimore, apparently—spoke again, her tone noticeably softer now. A faint blush dusted her cheeks.

Adolfo turned to her smoothly, offering one of his most charming smiles. "Pleasant day to you, Lady Cleimore."

The lady’s eyes widened slightly. She touched her fan to her lips, flustered. "You... know me, my lord?"

Adolfo’s smile didn’t falter. "Of course. Your family is well-regarded, and it would be a shame not to recognize a lady of such distinction."

Oh no. He’s good.

Lady Cleimore turned even redder, and before Katherine knew it, the floodgates had opened.

"Good day, my lord!" one of the ladies called sweetly.

"Oh, Lord Adolfo, it’s a pleasure to see you again," another added, fluttering her fan dramatically.

"Such a fine day, wouldn’t you agree, my lord?" someone else chimed in, voice practically dripping with enthusiasm.

Katherine blinked. What just happened?

It was like watching a social domino effect—one greeting turned into three, then five, then suddenly every noble lady in line was angling for Adolfo’s attention.

And Adolfo, to his credit, handled it all with the precision of someone who had absolutely done this before.

"It is indeed a lovely day, Lady Beaumont," he said smoothly.

"And even lovelier now that I see such esteemed company," he added, tilting his head just slightly, making yet another girl nearly drop her fan.

Katherine crossed her arms, watching as his admirers practically melted under his attention. She knew Adolfo was charming, but this was on another level. Was this his daily life? No wonder he acted like it was nothing.

She sighed. Okay, enough of this. They’d be here all day if she let him keep going.

Adolfo must have noticed her expression because after one last graceful nod to Lady So-And-So, he suddenly turned back to Katherine with an amused smirk.

"Shall we?" he asked, as if he hadn’t just been swarmed.

The murmurs around them grew louder. Katherine could feel the weight of dozens of curious stares settling on her.

Oh, great. The last thing she needed was to be mistaken for one of his admirers.

She let out a small sigh. "Yes, my lord. We should get going before it gets too late."

Adolfo extended a hand toward her, effortlessly elegant as ever. "Then let’s not keep you waiting."

Katherine hesitated for half a second before placing her hand in his. The moment she did, she swore the air crackled with anticipation.

Oh no.

She was sure the whispers would start the second they walked away.

Ignoring the intensity of the crowd’s stares, Adolfo simply led her into the workshop, leaving behind a room full of flustered, whispering noblewomen.

Katherine exhaled.

This trip to the market was going to be... interesting.

***

As they stepped further into the workshop, the muffled chatter of the ladies outside faded behind the door. Katherine let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

Adolfo glanced at her, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Something wrong, my lady?"

She turned to him, still a little bewildered. "Is it really okay for us to just... leave like that?"

Adolfo arched a brow. "Why wouldn’t it be?"

Katherine gestured vaguely toward the door. "You have a line of ladies waiting for you. Isn’t it rude to just walk away?"

Adolfo smirked. "Not at all. They’ll be fine. They came for a portrait session, not to keep me company."

She shot him a skeptical look. "Are you sure about that? Because from what I saw, they seemed far more interested in you than the portraits."

"That tends to happen," he admitted, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. He leaned against a nearby worktable, arms crossed. "But I left instructions with my assistant. Everything will proceed smoothly, even without me."

Katherine blinked. "So you knew this would happen?"

"Anticipated, not knew," he corrected smoothly. "I simply prepared for the possibility that I’d have other obligations."

Katherine narrowed her eyes slightly. "You really are used to handling situations like this, aren’t you?"

Adolfo chuckled. "Comes with experience."

She sighed, shaking her head. "Well, I suppose I should be relieved that you’re not abandoning them completely."

Adolfo tilted his head, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Are you worried for their sake, or do you feel guilty for stealing me away?"

Katherine nearly choked. "I—I am not stealing you!"

His smirk widened. "Oh? Then what do you call this?"

She huffed, crossing her arms. "An errand."

Adolfo laughed, the rich sound filling the room. "Fair enough. An errand it is, then." He pushed off the table and gestured toward the back exit. "Shall we?"

Katherine exhaled, trying to shake off the lingering heat of embarrassment. "Yes. We should get going before your admirers decide to chase us down the street."

Adolfo chuckled as he opened the door, letting in a cool breeze. "Then we best hurry, my lady. The market awaits."

With that, they stepped outside, leaving the workshop behind as they set off toward the bustling streets of the city.