Na-Isekai Ako
Chapter 53: When Red Meets Red

Chapter 53: When Red Meets Red

Katherine exhaled, slumping against a nearby pillar. Her legs were sore, her nerves fried, and her mind still reeling from the lesson. But despite all that, one thought comforted her.

"I am so glad Roiselin dragged her master away from me for a second," she muttered, rubbing her temples.

Arianne, ever composed, handed her a handkerchief. "With how he behaved in the library, it seems he would have followed you all the way here, my lady."

Katherine groaned. "Exactly. At least Roiselin has some sense."

Arianne coughed lightly, then reached into her apron pocket. "By the way, my lady, I was supposed to give this to you earlier." She held out a neatly folded letter.

Katherine blinked. "A letter?"

Arianne nodded. "It’s from Ruel. I didn’t get the chance to hand it over earlier because... well..." She trailed off, giving Katherine a knowing look.

Katherine frowned. "Because of what?"

Arianne smiled sweetly. "You seemed to have some business with the young Count."

Katherine choked. "Arianne!"

The maid merely hummed, unfazed.

Katherine sighed and took the letter, unfolding it. As her eyes scanned the words, her brows lifted slightly.

"Looks like Ruel wants to meet at a café," she murmured.

Arianne tilted her head. "Shall we go, my lady?"

Katherine hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I could use the breather."

And with that, they made their way toward the café, where a certain red-haired man was waiting with his usual easygoing grin.

***

Katherine stepped into the café, the scent of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries instantly calming her nerves. Compared to the lively pub where she first met Ruel, this place was far more peaceful. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a golden hue over the wooden tables and shelves lined with jars of coffee beans.

Ruel was already there, lounging comfortably with a lazy grin. As soon as he spotted her, he waved.

"Look who finally decided to show up," he teased. "’Kala ko gusto mo sa pub ulit." (I thought you’d like to meet in the pub again.)

Katherine rolled her eyes as she sat across from him. "Sus, lasenggo." (Sus, you drunkard.)

Ruel chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "Well, this is a better choice. No drunks yelling, no shady types lurking around—just good coffee and even better company." He smiled happily.

Arianne, standing beside Katherine, placed a small package on the table. "My lady brought some sweets," she informed him.

Ruel’s eyes lit up. "Oh? Aba, may pa-treat ka pa?" (Oh? You even brought a treat?) He eagerly unwrapped the package, revealing neatly wrapped pieces of yema. "Kat, pina-pamper mo naman ako masyado. Should I be worried?" (Kat, you’re spoiling me too much. Should I be worried?)

Katherine smirked, resting her chin on her hand. "Hindi ka libre, siyempre may bayad ’yan." (You’re not getting it for free—of course, there’s a price.)

He popped a piece into his mouth, letting out a satisfied hum. "Sweet and creamy—just the way I like it." He leaned back, crossing his arms. "Alright, let’s hear it. What do you want?"

Katherine tapped her fingers against the table, eyeing Ruel with curiosity. "You mentioned before that mana affinity can change a person’s appearance," she said, tilting her head. "But you never got to finish explaining it."

Ruel hummed, lazily swirling his coffee. "Yeah, well, your friend was there," he said with a smirk. "Didn’t exactly seem like the right time to talk about things other people wouldn’t get. Okay lang nandito ’yang kasama mo?"

Katherine looked at Arianne, Arianne bowed but before she decided to leave, "Arianne, can you sit in the other table please, and order a coffee or something."

"Yes?" Arianne blinked.

"Why you think I will throw you out, just stay but enough distance. We would like to speak privately."

Arianne smiled appreciating her mistress’ generosity, "Yes, my lady." And she proceed to take her seat on the other table across them, far enough not to hear them but near enough that her mistress is in sight.

Katherine leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. "So? Are we related to fire mages or not?"

Ruel snorted. "Nope."

She narrowed her eyes. "Then explain. I thought pula meant fire. Makes sense, di ba?" (Red = fire, right?)

He clicked his tongue. "Not always. Yellow and orange are more commonly tied to fire. Sometimes blue, too. But red? Not necessarily."

Katherine frowned. "Eh? So parang napag-trip-an lang tayo ng universe?" (So the universe just randomly gave us red hair?)

Ruel chuckled. "Something like that." Then, he suddenly tilted his head, his grin fading just a bit. "Actually... you mentioned before that you knew someone with red eyes, right?"

Katherine blinked, caught off guard. "Uh... yeah? Why?"

"If it’s a really vibrant, striking red, then I doubt it’s connected to fire magic," Ruel said, drumming his fingers against the table. "If anything... that could mean forbidden magic."

Katherine froze mid-sip of her coffee. "Sorry—what?"

"Forbidden magic," Ruel repeated, completely unfazed by her reaction. "It sticks. Once you practice it, it leaves a mark. On you, your kids, your future grandkids—congrats, it’s a family heirloom now. Even if they never touch magic, the trace is still there."

Wait... hold up. So that means... Adolfo’s family... or Count Adolfo himself... Her grip on her cup tightened. Is that why people find him suspicious? He never denies the rumors, but knowing him, he probably just lets them think whatever they want because it’s entertaining. That smug—

Then, another horrifying thought struck her. "Wait—Ruel. We have red hair."

Ruel didn’t even hesitate. "Yup. Which means we might be connected to forbidden magic too." He grinned, resting his chin on one hand. "For all we know, it might even be forbidden for us to be here."

Katherine stared at him, processing that. Then, she groaned dramatically, dropping her head onto the table. "Oh, great

. Fantastic. Love that for us. Amazing."

Ruel burst out laughing. "Relax, Kat. It’s not like we’re getting kicked out of the world anytime soon."

She peeked up at him from the table. "You say that, but with my luck? I wouldn’t be surprised if some magical enforcer comes knocking on my door tomorrow."

Ruel smirked. "If that happens, let me know. I’ll bring popcorn."

Katherine huffed, sitting up straight. "Ugh. Next time, I’m making you panic about something."

"Sure, sure," Ruel said with a lazy grin. "I look forward to it."

Katherine tapped her fingers against the table, thinking. "So... does that mean our green eyes are connected to water people?"

Ruel shrugged. "Maybe. When I visited the North, they told me they’d never seen pure green eyes like ours before. But they didn’t say much else."

Katherine hummed, deep in thought. "ParangAvatar, waterbender chuchu." (Like Avatar, waterbender something.)

Ruel let out a short laugh. "Kung gano’n, sana may bending din tayo, ’no?" (If that’s the case, I wish we had bending too, huh?)

She smirked. "Why is it connected to water? You mentioned they can blend in—does that mean we blend in too?"

Ruel leaned back. "Honestly? No clue. I didn’t stay long enough to find out."

Katherine’s playful expression faded as a thought struck her. Wait a minute... Her mind raced back to the stories she had heard. Her brother, Marquis Jonathas, had traveled to the North—and never returned. The people who had an affinity with water lived in the North. Could it be...?

"Ruel, I think I just discovered something."

Ruel, noticing the shift in her tone, straightened up. "Yeah?"

"We should go to the North."

Ruel blinked. Then, with a dramatic groan, he slumped over the table. "Why? It’s freezing there. I barely lasted a week before I left."

Katherine crossed her arms. "Because the answers could be there."

Ruel sighed. "Okay, sure, but how exactly do you plan to go? We don’t know anyone there."

"You’re a traveler."

"Yeah, and as a traveler, I can tell you that going there recklessly won’t work. Do you actually know

anyone in the North?"

Katherine pursed her lips, deep in thought. Maybe Yevon or Laura could help... "I’m not sure—"

"What about the North?"

Katherine stiffened at the familiar voice. She and Ruel turned, only to see Adolfo standing there, grinning as if he had been part of the conversation the entire time.

Ruel raised an eyebrow, glancing at Katherine’s slightly horrified expression. "Hmm?"

Katherine groaned inwardly.

***

Katherine cleared her throat, forcing a smile. "My lord, I thought you had errands to do?"

Adolfo, still grinning, tilted his head. "I did. Managed to finish them early. Roi and I went to the market, actually..." His red eyes flickered toward Ruel. "And I happened to spot a familiar shade of red. Interesting."

Ruel raised an eyebrow and turned to Katherine. "Siya ba ’yung friend mo na may red eyes?" (Is he the friend with red eyes?)

Katherine leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "Dalawa sila." (There are two of them.)

Adolfo continued smiling at them as if he understood everything they were saying.

Katherine cleared her throat again, suddenly feeling awkward. "Ahem, my lord, this is Ruel. He is, uhh... from my homeland. Some sort of... uhh, relative."

Ruel gave a lopsided grin and nodded. "Pleasure to meet you, my lord. Me and Kat, we are... ano ba ’to, tropa? Uh, yes! We are very good relatives." (Me and Kat, we are... what is this, friends?)

He offered his hand for a handshake, but Adolfo simply looked at it.

"Ah, ’di nga pala uso shake hands dito." (Oh, right, handshakes aren’t a thing here.) Ruel awkwardly retracted his hand.

For a moment, Adolfo and Ruel simply stared at each other.

Then, Ruel leaned slightly toward Katherine and muttered, "Medyo nakakatakot ’yang jowa mo, Kat." (Your boyfriend’s kinda scary, Kat.)

"Hindi ko ’yan jowa!" (He’s not my boyfriend!)

Ruel blinked. "Hindi ba? Akala ko may something kayo." (Really? I thought there was something between you two.)

"Ruel!" she hissed, feeling her face heat up.

Adolfo merely tilted his head, still smiling. "So... what business do you have in the North?"

Katherine quickly composed herself. "We wanted to go there."

Adolfo’s smile didn’t waver. "For?"

"...Vacation?" she tried.

"Hmm." He still didn’t look convinced.

Ruel snorted. "No one would go there for vacation, Kat."

Katherine frowned. "What? But people vacation in snowy places all the time! Like—like Georgia!"

Adolfo chuckled.

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