Na-Isekai Ako
Chapter 54: Ruel, Stop Encouraging Him!

Chapter 54: Ruel, Stop Encouraging Him!

Katherine stared at Adolfo, her mind still struggling to process his sudden appearance. He casually sat on the empty seat in front of them and ordered coffee like he was part of their conversation.

Of course, he would show up now. The universe was playing some kind of joke on her.

Ruel, sitting across from her, leaned in slightly and muttered under his breath, "Kat, ’yung jowa mo ang creepy ng ngiti." (Kat, your boyfriend’s smile is kinda creepy.)

Katherine elbowed him. "Shhh!"

Adolfo’s gaze flickered between them, his smile unwavering. "Hmm?"

Ruel grinned. "Oh, just reminiscing about our childhood. You know, family things."

Katherine barely resisted rolling her eyes. That was a blatant lie, but Adolfo only smiled.

He glanced at Ruel, then back at her. "I heard you wanted to visit the North."

Katherine stiffened. "Ah—well, um..."

Ruel leaned back, crossing his arms. "Yeah, Kat here wants to go on ’vacation.’" He made air quotes with his fingers.

Adolfo chuckled. "No one goes to the North for vacation."

"That’s what I said!" Ruel smirked at Katherine.

Katherine cleared her throat, trying to keep her composure. "I just... I think it would be an interesting place to see."

Adolfo tilted his head. "It’s not easy to travel there. Not without a valid reason."

Katherine frowned. "Why not?"

Adolfo’s gaze was thoughtful, but his smirk remained. "Because it’s not a tourist destination.

The North values its privacy. We do have a property there, but not just anyone can enter freely."

Katherine blinked. "We?"

Ruel glanced between them, interested. "Oh? You have property there?"

Adolfo nodded, his red eyes gleaming. "My mother was from the North."

Katherine nearly dropped her coffee. "What?"

Ruel, for once, looked genuinely surprised. "Huh. Didn’t see that one coming."

Adolfo chuckled at their reactions. "Though, I suppose it isn’t obvious. I take after my father more."

Katherine’s mind raced. Adolfo, with his silver hair and red eyes, didn’t resemble the Northerners she had heard about.

Adolfo leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on his hand. "If you really want to go, I suppose we could find a reason." His smirk deepened. "Perhaps we should get engaged.

That would certainly give us an excuse to visit my mother’s homeland."

Katherine choked on air. "Excuse me?!"

Ruel burst out laughing. "Oh, I like this guy."

Adolfo just smiled, clearly enjoying her reaction.

Katherine buried her face in her hands. "Diyos ko..." (My god...)

Ruel, still grinning, patted her shoulder. "Relax, Kat. It’s not like he actually—"

"Unless you’d consider it," Adolfo interjected smoothly.

Katherine shot up from her seat. "ANYWAY!" She glared at Ruel, who was barely holding back his laughter. "The reason I want to go isn’t because of some ridiculous engagement."

Adolfo leaned back. "Then why?"

Katherine hesitated, feeling her heart race.

"My brother."

Adolfo’s smile didn’t fade, but there was something unreadable in his expression.

"You’re similar to your brother in all angles," he said casually.

Katherine froze.

She had heard those words before.

Back when she first met Adolfo, she had suspected that he knew her brother, but she never confirmed it. Now, hearing him say it so easily...

She looked at him carefully. "Do you... know my brother?"

Adolfo met her gaze, then, ever so casually, he smiled. "Yes."

Katherine inhaled sharply.

Ruel raised an eyebrow, now fully interested. "Oh? Well, that just got interesting."

Katherine swallowed. "How?"

Adolfo tilted his head. "He was a professor in Athens. He used our villa in the North when he traveled there."

"WHAT?"

Katherine felt like the world had just shifted beneath her feet.

Her brother—Marquis Jonathas—had been to the North? He had stayed in Adolfo’s villa? Why hadn’t she ever known about this?

Adolfo remained as composed as ever, sipping his coffee as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on her.

Katherine’s mind whirled, trying to piece everything together. "Why have you never mentioned this before?"

Adolfo only smiled. "You never asked."

Katherine’s grip tightened around her coffee cup. Her thoughts spun wildly as she tried to absorb everything Adolfo had just revealed.

Her brother. The North. Adolfo’s villa.

He had known all along.

She slowly placed her cup down, took a deep breath, and exhaled sharply. Then, she turned to Adolfo, her green eyes flashing.

"You knew I was looking for my brother." Her voice was quiet but firm, her emotions barely contained.

Adolfo met her gaze with his usual calmness, his red eyes unreadable.

Katherine clenched her fists. "You knew, and yet you never told me?"

Adolfo blinked, then tilted his head slightly, as if considering his words. "It never came up."

"Never came up?" Katherine repeated, incredulous. "You knew how important this was to me! You let me run around searching when you could’ve just—" She exhaled, shaking her head. "Diyos ko..."

Ruel, who had been quietly watching their exchange, leaned in. "Damn, Adolfo. That’s kinda cold."

Adolfo didn’t react to Ruel’s remark. Instead, he simply said, "I thought you already knew."

Katherine stared at him, trying to figure out if he was being serious. "Knew what?"

Adolfo regarded her for a moment before answering. "That he was my mentor."

Katherine froze. "Mentor?"

Adolfo nodded. "Yes. Just as Florante had Antenor, I had your brother—Marquis Jonathas."

Katherine’s breath caught in her throat. She had been expecting many things—maybe that they had crossed paths briefly or exchanged formalities as nobles—but mentor? That was something entirely different.

Her brother had taken Adolfo as his apprentice?

"Why didn’t you tell me something this important?" Her voice was softer now, almost hesitant.

Adolfo studied her, his usual smirk nowhere to be seen. Instead, his gaze held something else—understanding, maybe even regret.

"I assumed you knew. It was quite a well-known fact in Athens and Albania when your brother took me as his apprentice."

Katherine felt something ache in her chest. Of course, everyone else had known. Of course, it had been news in other places—just not in the one place she had been.

For the first time since the conversation started, she lowered her gaze, feeling an unexpected wave of sadness.

She had spent years longing for any information about her brother, only to find out that someone close to her had always known the answers she sought.

Adolfo must have noticed her expression because his tone softened.

"Sorry, Lady Katherine." His voice lacked its usual teasing edge. "I didn’t think you were unaware."

Katherine swallowed hard, but she didn’t respond immediately.

Ruel, watching the two of them, whistled low. "Oof. That’s rough."

But Katherine barely heard him. Her thoughts were elsewhere. On her brother. On Adolfo.

On the fact that the connection she had been searching for had been right in front of her all along.

And she hadn’t even known it.

Katherine looked up at him again, searching his face for any sign of dishonesty, but all she found was quiet sincerity.

She swallowed hard, trying to gather her thoughts. "...Then tell me everything. Everything you know about my brother."

Adolfo leaned back, a knowing glint returning to his eyes. "That, my lady, is quite a long story."

Katherine straightened her posture. "I have time."

Ruel leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms. "Well, this just got even more interesting."

Katherine barely paid him any mind. She was only focused on one thing now—finally uncovering the truth about her brother.

Adolfo’s gaze lingered on Katherine, amusement flickering in his red eyes as if he enjoyed watching her try to piece everything together. But before she could demand more answers, he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed in a relaxed posture.

"I’d love to tell you all about it," he said smoothly, "but it would be better to save it for another time."

Katherine narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"Well, because—"

Before Adolfo could finish, a new voice interrupted.

"You were here, Master."

Katherine and Ruel turned to see a young man standing by the entrance. He had a composed demeanor, his sharp gaze scanning the scene before settling on Adolfo.

"Roi," Adolfo greeted, turning toward him with an easy smile.

Roiselin sighed the moment he took in the situation, glancing at Katherine and Ruel before looking back at Adolfo. His expression shifted slightly, as if he had already figured out what had transpired.

"Master, please don’t disappear. We only came here to finish your unfinished duties, not to stay longer than necessary."

Adolfo chuckled. "I was merely taking a break."

Roiselin didn’t seem convinced, but he refrained from pressing the issue further.

Adolfo then turned to Katherine, still wearing that infuriatingly charming smile. "As you can see, Lady Katherine, I won’t be able to stay much longer."

Katherine frowned slightly, still feeling the weight of his earlier revelation. She wasn’t satisfied with his vague answers.

But before she could protest, Adolfo suddenly turned to Roiselin and gave him a look.

"Roi," he said simply.

Roiselin, as if understanding immediately, let out another sigh before turning on his heel and walking toward the counter.

Katherine blinked. "What was that?"

Adolfo’s smirk widened. "To make up for making you sad, Lady Katherine..." He gestured toward the counter where Roiselin was speaking to the café owner. "From now on, you can buy whatever you like in this café for as long as you stay in Athens—for free."

There was a beat of silence.

Then—

"FREE?!" Ruel suddenly leaned forward, his eyes wide in disbelief.

Adolfo chuckled. "Yes, free."

Katherine gave him an incredulous look. "That’s not necessary, my lord."

Adolfo tilted his head. "Consider it a small token of apology."

Ruel, still grinning at the thought of unlimited free food, nudged Katherine. "Kat, I like this guy more and more."

Katherine rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t help but smile at Ruel’s excitement.

Adolfo, still looking pleased with himself, added, "And if you have any more questions, you can always visit the workshop anytime—"

Roiselin coughed loudly.

Adolfo sighed dramatically, then corrected himself with an amused glint in his eyes. "I mean, anytime other than today."

Katherine couldn’t help it—she laughed. Something about the way Roiselin and Adolfo interacted was oddly entertaining.

"Okay, my lord," she said, smiling.

Adolfo returned her smile, this time softer, before calling Roiselin over.

As the two prepared to leave, Ruel leaned over and murmured, "In fairness, masigasig siya, Kat." (In fairness, he’s quite diligent, Kat.)

Katherine shook her head, unable to disagree.