Adolfo strode through the academy corridor, his dark coat flowing behind him, his expression as unreadable as ever. Beside him walked Roiselin, his ever-loyal yet insufferably perceptive attendant, who had taken it upon himself to be a nace today.
"You seem livelier these days, my liege," Roiselin mused, his smirk brimming with mischief. "Could it be because a certain lady has arrived in Athens?"
Adolfo didn’t even glance at him. "Keep talking, and I’ll personally arrange your transfer to Albania to assist Devrien. I hear he’s been looking for an experintal subject—I an, an assistant—in the magic tower."
Roiselin clutched his chest in mock horror. "So cruel, my liege. Though I must admit, the thought of being at the rcy of Devrien’s unstable potions is terrifying. Almost as terrifying as the great Count Adolfo—Athens’ Phantom Magus—being utterly undone by a lady’s re presence."
Adolfo sighed. "You truly don’t value your life, do you?"
"Oh, but I do! That’s precisely why I find joy in watching you struggle with your feelings." Roiselin’s grin widened. "How tragic! The Phantom Magus, known for his ruthless precision, now prone to distraction because of—"
"Finish that sentence, and I will personally test my latest sealing spell on your mouth."
Roiselin humd, unfazed. "Ah, but that would only prove my point, wouldn’t it? You’ve never bothered to waste your magic on before. My liege, could it be that Lady Katherine truly has you spellbound?"
Adolfo finally turned his head, fixing him with a glare sharp enough to cut steel. Roiselin rely smiled, ever the embodint of shaless amusent.
Before Adolfo could decide between strangling him and simply ignoring him, they reached the garden.
His steps slowed.
There, under the warm midday sun, Katherine sat with Laura and Florante, their conversation filled with light laughter. Her red hair shimred in the light, her green eyes crinkled in amusent at sothing Florante had said.
Florante.
Adolfo’s gaze lingered on the young swordsman, who was seated just a little too comfortably close to Katherine, his expression effortlessly charming.
Sothing unpleasant twisted in Adolfo’s chest.
Roiselin, naturally, didn’t miss a thing.
"Ah, what a sight," he sighed dramatically. "The princess... and a certain lady who seems to have caught your attention, my lord. I must say, it’s fascinating watching you discover jealousy in real-ti."
Adolfo shot him a withering glare. "Keep talking, and I’ll send you on a one-way trip to the spirit realm."
Roiselin placed a hand over his heart. "An impressive threat, but unfortunately, it lacks impact when your glare is currently aid at Sir Florante instead of ."
Adolfo exhaled sharply, his coat billowing as he stepped forward with purpose.
Roiselin chuckled to himself. "And here I thought my day would be boring."
***
"Good afternoon, ladies. Lord Florante."
Adolfo’s smooth greeting was accompanied by his ever-present smirk, the very picture of effortless confidence.
Laura, who had been mid-laugh at sothing Florante said, imdiately scowled. "Oh. It’s you."
Adolfo let out a quiet chuckle, completely unbothered. "Chard as always, Your Highness. Truly, your warmth knows no bounds."
Florante, always the polite one despite their past clashes, inclined his head. "Count Adolfo. I trust your studies are going well?"
"As stimulating as ever," Adolfo replied lazily. "And yours? Still managing to uphold your reputation as Athens’ golden boy?"
Florante gave him a practiced smile. "I do my best."
Katherine barely contained her amusent at the obvious tension. For soone vilified in the novel, Adolfo behaved more like an insufferable older cousin who thrived on irritating people.
"Why don’t you join us, Lord Adolfo?" Katherine suggested, her voice light as if she hadn’t just invited chaos into their peaceful afternoon.
Florante and Laura both turned to her in disbelief, while Adolfo raised a brow, intrigued. Without a shred of hesitation, he settled himself beside her, entirely ignoring the discomfort radiating from the other two.
"How gracious of you, Lady Katherine," he mused. "What riveting discussion did I just intrude upon?"
"Classes," Laura replied flatly, as if hoping the topic alone would bore him into leaving. "Perhaps Politics, Law, Philosophy, Foreign Language, and a few magic courses."
Katherine followed. "Economics, History, Alchemy, and Horseback riding. I’m also interested in Foreign Languages and Religion."
Adolfo quirked a brow. "I wouldn’t have pegged you for the religious type, Lady Katherine."
Katherine chuckled. "Oh, I wouldn’t either. But I saw the curriculum and noticed that literature is included."
"Ah," he mused, lips twitching in amusent. "So it’s not faith, but fiction, that calls to you?"
"I prefer to call it knowledge," she corrected with a smile.
Laura sighed dramatically. "You’re both ridiculous. Lady Katherine, you’ll drown in all that coursework. I don’t know how you can handle so many subjects."
Katherine laughed. "Oh, you think too highly of , Your Highness. I just like to learn as much as I can while I have the chance."
Florante nodded approvingly. "That’s admirable. A curious mind is a valuable thing."
Adolfo tapped his fingers idly against the table. "Curiosity is a double-edged sword. So things are better left undiscovered."
Katherine tilted her head at him, her bright green eyes twinkling with mischief. "And yet, isn’t that what makes discovery exciting?"
A slow smirk curved his lips. "Perhaps. Or perhaps, so things exist solely to lure the overly curious into trouble."
Their exchange held an unspoken challenge—one Katherine found unexpectedly entertaining.
Laura cleared her throat loudly, slicing through the mont. "Well, this has been... sothing," she muttered.
The conversation might have been civil, but the underlying tension remained. Laura, for all her noble grace, clearly had little patience for Adolfo, and he, in turn, seed to take great pleasure in testing it.
At last, Adolfo stood, flicking an imaginary speck of dust from his sleeve. "I’ll leave you all to your lovely afternoon. Enjoy your ti at the academy, Lady Katherine. And do be careful—so things here aren’t as harmless as they seem."
His gaze flicked briefly to Florante, unreadable but deliberate, before he turned away.
Then, as if he hadn’t just dropped a cryptic warning, he smirked. "By the way, my workshop is always open for portraits. Beautiful ladies get a free session."
Laura scoffed. "As if I would."
Adolfo rely winked. "Your loss, Your Highness."
And with that, he strode off, perfectly at ease, leaving behind a grumbling Laura, a slightly puzzled Florante, and a thoroughly entertained Katherine.
Yes, she thought, being around the so-called villain of this novel was far more amusing than she had anticipated.
***
Adolfo sat in his private study behind his workshop, the scent of parchnt and ink settling into the dimly lit space. Stacks of letters and docunts were spread across his desk—business contracts, research notes, and diplomatic correspondences—but his attention remained fixed on a single envelope.
Sealed with familiar handwriting.
A letter from Katherine. Addressed to Maestro Eldritch.
He leaned back in his chair, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. She still didn’t know.
Breaking the seal, he unfolded the letter and read:
---
Dear Maestro,
How are you doing? I am not sure if I ntioned that I would be in Athens for a month, but I wanted to thank you for the ice magic stickers. They helped a lot. I hope you are well.
P.S. There is a student here that reminds of you, though his presence feels quite different. For so reason, he still makes think of you.
Sincerely,
Katherine
---
Adolfo chuckled under his breath, his fingers idly tapping against the parchnt. So, she’d noticed the similarities, but she hadn’t pieced it together yet. How amusing.
He reread the letter, lingering on the postscript. A student that reminds her of Eldritch? That was rich.
Leaning his elbow against the desk, he rested his chin against his fingers, smirk widening. Despite being in Athens, surrounded by new experiences, Katherine still took the ti to write to him—well, indirectly. A sha she hadn’t bothered to inform him of her arrival beforehand. That had been quite the surprise.
His musings were interrupted by the sound of footsteps, followed by a familiar voice.
"My liege," Roiselin drawled from the doorway, arms crossed. "Wouldn’t it be easier to just pursue Lady Katherine instead of the princess?"
Adolfo raised a single unimpressed eyebrow. "Your sense of propriety is as nonexistent as ever."
Roiselin sighed dramatically, stepping further into the room. "Don’t chase out again, Master. I’m just being honest. Katherine suits you far more than the princess does."
Adolfo’s gaze flicked back to the letter, his expression indifferent. "What nonsense are you spouting now?"
"It’s not nonsense." Roiselin leaned against the desk with all the smugness of a man who knew he was right. "Even Marquis Jonathas thinks you and the princess are an ill match. You two will only clash."
"It’s a political arrangent," Adolfo replied coolly, "not a romantic pursuit. Whether we suit each other is irrelevant."
Roiselin scoffed, exasperation evident. "Why are you so stubborn? Have you ever considered—just once—that there might be sothing worth pursuing outside of your ambitions?"
Adolfo’s fingers drumd lazily against the desk. "You certainly like to echo my ntor’s words."
"Perhaps because he’s right," Roiselin shot back. "Tell , when was the last ti you were genuinely pleased over a letter? You always claim to chase after what benefits you, but have you ever considered what actually makes you happy?"
Adolfo narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing.
"You wanted to compete with the Duke’s son," Roiselin continued, relentless. "But you’ve already surpassed him in magic and alchemy. Your na carries more weight than his ever will. And yet, you’re still chasing after things that might not even be worth your ti."
Adolfo let out a slow breath, his gaze flickering to Katherine’s letter once more. Not worth my ti, huh?
"You’re awfully chatty today," he remarked.
Roiselin exhaled in frustration, throwing his hands up. "I just want you to be happy, my liege. Even if you’re insufferable and make work far too much."
That finally earned a chuckle from Adolfo.
Adolfo reached for a fresh sheet of parchnt, twirling his pen between his fingers. "Perhaps I should write back."
"My master will kill , Roi," he added with a smirk, closing one eye in a mock expression of despair.
Roiselin rolled his eyes. "As if you’ve ever cared about what the Marquis wants. You always do the opposite anyway."
Adolfo let out a low laugh, shaking his head. "You might be right about that."
The room fell into a comfortable silence as he dipped his pen into the ink and began drafting his reply. The parchnt filled with smooth strokes of his handwriting, but his thoughts remained elsewhere—lingering on a certain red-haired noblewoman who, whether she realized it or not, had captured his interest in a way he hadn’t quite anticipated.
***
After sealing his response, Adolfo leaned back in his chair, stretching slightly as the late afternoon sunlight slanted through the window. The golden glow bathed the room in warmth, but his thoughts remained sharp, lingering on the ink-dried words he had just penned.
He was about to return to his other work when Roiselin cleared his throat.
"You know," Roiselin began, casually leaning against the desk with all the ease of soone who had no fear of getting kicked out, "if Lady Katherine amuses you so much, why not spend more ti with her? She’s right here in Athens—seems like the perfect opportunity."
Adolfo gave him a flat look. "And give you even more reasons to run your mouth? No thanks."
Roiselin smirked. "Oh, Master, you wound . But you know I only ever speak the truth."
Adolfo rolled his eyes but didn’t bother arguing. Instead, he pressed his insignia onto the cooling wax of the letter and handed it off with little ceremony. "Have this delivered."
Roiselin accepted it with an exaggerated sigh, holding it between two fingers as if it were so great burden. "As you wish, my oh-so-difficult lord."
Adolfo didn’t dignify him with a response. Instead, he stood, shrugging on his coat before stepping out of his study and into the academy corridors.
Cool air greeted him, a welco contrast to the warmth inside. His mind was already drifting elsewhere—calculations, research, plans—until his gaze landed on a familiar figure in the courtyard.
Katherine.
She stood in the middle of a lively discussion, surrounded by students. There was an ease in her posture, a natural confidence that made it seem as if she had always belonged. She listened intently, her expression thoughtful, then responded with sothing that made the group laugh.
Adolfo slowed his steps, watching her for a mont longer than he intended.
It was troubleso, really, how effortlessly she settled into new places, as if the world itself adjusted to accommodate her.
His lips twitched. How irritating.
Exhaling, he shook his head and turned away. "Troubleso woman," he muttered under his breath.
And yet, as he continued down the corridor, the smallest hint of a smile remained.
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