Got it! Here’s the corrected version:
Katherine leaned back in her seat, swirling her teacup thoughtfully. "You’re awfully chatty today," she said, raising an eyebrow as she gave Adolfo a side-eye.
Adolfo smirked, unfazed. "Am I? I was under the impression that you were the one bombarding with questions. Should I start keeping track?"
Katherine scoffed softly. "And yet, you answered every single one. Eventually. I almost had to start offering a prize for each answer."
His grin widened. "I aim to please."
Katherine rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a smile. This banter, as infuriating as it sotis was, had a way of settling her nerves. She didn’t know whether it was his devil-may-care attitude or the fact that she was too tired to argue, but sothing about him made her feel at ease. Well, as at ease as one could feel when they were stuck in a bizarre situation, wondering if her brother was secretly plotting an escape from a parallel universe.
Adolfo’s voice cut through her thoughts. "Anyway, I do hope my service satisfies you, Lady," he added with an exaggerated bow. "Noraleigha."
Katherine’s hand froze, and she nearly dropped the teacup. "Wait, did you just say that na? How do you—"
"Noraleigha," he repeated, sounding completely unbothered, as if this was the most natural thing in the world. "It’s a rather familiar one, isn’t it?"
Katherine blinked. Her heart was doing backflips, and she was pretty sure she felt her soul leave her body for a second there. Noraleigha. That na. The one she hadn’t heard in forever. The one from her past life.
Professor Sophanes had dropped it at the symposium as if it was just another Tuesday. The casual way everyone reacted to it still made her itch with confusion. And now, Adolfo—Adolfo—was saying it like it was a common na.
Her mind imdiately went into overdrive. Had Jonathas been going around ntioning their old world? Sharing details about her like she was so character in his latest ’I-have-a-sibling-that’s-way-cooler-than-’ rant? Was this his fault?
She shot him a flat look. "Does everyone know?"
Adolfo took a slow sip of his tea, eyes gleaming with mischief. "You? Oh, absolutely. Your brother is a walking gossip machine. Overshares is an understatent."
Katherine let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her forehead dramatically. Of course. Jonathas. Of course he would let everyone in on every embarrassing detail of her life. Like that ti she tripped and face-planted in front of a whole crowd because her heels were too high—he’d never let that one go.
"That man talks way too much," she muttered under her breath.
Adolfo chuckled, low and amused. "That he does. But hey, I guess it worked out in your favor this ti. At least no one’s questioning your presence here."
Katherine raised her eyebrows. "Oh, well, great. That’s one small victory in this entire ss I’ve found myself in."
I swear I’m just waiting for soone to cue the laugh track, she thought.
Katherine tilted her head slightly, her brow furrowing. "Speaking of which... why did Marchioness Yevon call her niece?"
Adolfo paused for a split second, his smile never faltering. "Ah, that."
She raised an eyebrow. "You know sothing, don’t you?"
He leaned back in his chair, clearly enjoying the ga. "Naturally. But weren’t you just asking about my relationship with your brother? Suddenly, you’ve shifted your focus. Getting curious, are we?"
"Don’t play that ga with ," she muttered, rolling her eyes.
Adolfo chuckled, but relented. "Well, your brother—" He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "Or rather, the Marchioness—acquired a noble title for him. They probably thought it would make things easier for him to move around with that status."
Katherine frowned slightly. "Bought a title?"
"More or less," he admitted, shrugging. "The Baron Jonathas title originally belonged to a family that fled to another kingdom during the war. They didn’t want to be caught up in political matters, so they sold their na and title. The Marchioness picked it up."
She set her teacup down with a soft clink, absorbing the new info. So, she wasn’t even borrowing a title, but a whole na—like a borrowed coat. It felt a little strange, but not necessarily bad.
Adolfo, noticing her quiet contemplation, added, "It’s not as bad as it sounds. If anything, I agree with the Marchioness. Having a proper noble title makes things easier for you."
Katherine sighed, leaning back a little. "I suppose you’re right."
Well, this is fascinating, she thought. You can just buy a na and title? Like it’s so kind of shop sale. All for the right price—imagine what you could do with a bit of money.
She smirked to herself. I an, even Jeffree Star got himself a last na with enough cash, didn’t he?
Katherine glanced at Adolfo, who was still watching her with that smirk tugging at his lips, like he knew sothing she didn’t—and honestly, she was starting to feel like that was his superpower.
He’d been teasing her for most of their conversation, but, if she was being honest, he had answered everything she asked. It was just his way—dancing around the point like a pro, only to finally give her the answer she needed. She could almost picture him as a cat playing with a mouse, only the mouse was her.
Then, a thought popped into her head.
Her fingers curled slightly over the armrest of her chair as she watched him, feeling like she was about to crack a mystery.
"Adolfo," she said slowly, "do you know about—"
His lips twitched, like he’d been expecting this. "About?"
She t his gaze head-on. " and my brother."
He humd, tilting his head like he was debating whether to tease her more. "I do know both of you."
Katherine narrowed her eyes. "Don’t answer like that."
A chuckle escaped his lips, rich and amused. "My lady, you’re the one being all vague here."
She huffed, crossing her arms. "I an... our past. Did my brother tell you?"
Adolfo paused, just for a second. His usual smirk faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression, before he t her eyes again. "Yes," he said simply.
Katherine let out a slow breath, setting her elbow on the table and resting her chin against her palm.
Of course, he knew. She’d had a feeling, but hearing it out loud was another thing entirely. It didn’t hit her like a ton of bricks or make her panic—more like realizing the plot twist in a rom-com, where you kind of knew it was coming, but it was still a little surprising.
She sighed. "Figures."
Adolfo smiled, clearly enjoying the mont. "Disappointed?"
"Not really," she muttered, "Just... resigned."
She grabbed a cookie, nibbling on it like it was her only defense against this entire conversation.
Adolfo chuckled, raising his teacup. "Smart choice."
She shot him a side-eye but said nothing.
So, he knew. Well, that ant she had a lot more questions. Like a LOT more. Adolfo seed to be the human equivalent of one of those mystery boxes you couldn’t stop opening, except each ti you did, it was sohow both a treasure chest and a new headache.
Katherine sighed, leaning back a little, then tilted her head at him. "I’ve got more questions now."
Adolfo’s smirk turned into a full-blown grin. "Ask away. I’ve got all the ti in the world, if you’ll have ."
Katherine’s tea almost spilled out of her mouth. She coughed, her chest warming for so ridiculous reason. Great, now he was sticking around for more of this banter. Like a never-ending sitcom she couldn’t cancel. She quickly shoved the fluttery feeling aside and folded her arms. "How much do you know about us?"
Adolfo leaned back in his chair, his eyes twinkling with amusent. "Well... aside from the fact that your brother is basically obsessed with you? He talks about you constantly. Every ti he invents sothing new, it’s always ’My sister is going to scold for this,’ or ’My sister would love this.’ And then there’s always, ’I rember when my sister and I did this...’" He paused for dramatic effect before adding with a grin, "I think I figured out pretty quickly that neither of you are from Albania."
Katherine clicked her tongue in mock annoyance. "Why didn’t you ever tell ?"
He leaned in, looking like he was about to drop so serious wisdom. "Well..." He pretended to consider it. "Do you think it would’ve been smooth to just walk up to you and say, ’I know exactly what kind of person you are’?"
Her stomach did a little flip—and not the fun kind, like when you’re on a rollercoaster. No, this was the kind you got when you realized soone had read your search history. Mortifying. She had barely wrapped her head around things herself, yet here was Adolfo, casually analyzing her like a character in a book he’d already read.
What else did he know? Was there so kind of secret biography about her floating around that she wasn’t aware of? It was bad enough that her brother had apparently been running his mouth, but was there an entire backstory being passed around behind her back?
She swallowed, forcing down the creeping panic. At least Adolfo had the decency to hold back. He hadn’t hit her with a dramatic revelation or tried to psychoanalyze her the mont they t. He let her put things together at her own pace. Which is more than I can say for a certain duo. Zamir and Ruel? Guilty. Oh, they knew sothing, all right—but instead of giving her straight answers, they’d handed her a bunch of cryptic riddles wrapped in a headache.
Her gaze flickered back to Adolfo, catching that ever-present, infuriatingly charming smirk. He was like a walking contradiction—arrogant and teasing, yet oddly patient. And the worst part?
She didn’t mind. Not one bit.
"Also," Adolfo continued smoothly, "I presu you were hiding the fact that you’re from sowhere... different. You already stand out as it is—with your red hair." A knowing glint flickered in his crimson eyes. "Sothing we seem to have in common."
Katherine blinked. Oh. Well, that was true. She had noticed it before, of course—his ridiculously striking red eyes made him just as much of an eye-catcher as her hair did. He understood what it was like to stand out. The struggle of being visually distinct in a world of brunettes.
"And," he added with a lazy smirk, "it’s not really my style to pry into a lady’s affairs. Though..." He cast her a sidelong glance, voice laced with amusent. "I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to share."
She exhaled, shaking her head. "There’s nothing to share. Back in my ho, I was just working my ass off, that’s it."
"Yes, your brother ntioned you were quite the workaholic."
Katherine narrowed her eyes. Oh, really?
Adolfo’s smirk widened.
She groaned internally. Jonathas, I swear, if you’ve been narrating my life story like a proud mom at a parent-teacher conference... She didn’t even want to think about the embarrassing childhood stories he might have shared. Hopefully, he left out the ti she tried to fight a goose.
Then a thought struck her.
She straightened, expression serious. "My lord... I’ll be direct since I really need to know. Do you practice forbidden magic? Is my brother’s disappearance related to—"
"Forbidden magic?" Adolfo cut in smoothly, his smile completely unbothered—like she had just asked if he enjoyed afternoon tea. "Yes."
Katherine stared at him.
...Excuse ?
She was expecting at least so hesitation, maybe a bit of ’Oh no, I would never!’ But nope. This man just casually admitted to illegal magic like he was confessing he enjoyed putting pineapple on pizza.
Adolfo set his teacup down. "But just in case, my lady, your brother can’t use magic at all, so you don’t have to overthink this and assu he used it to make himself disappear or sothing ridiculous like that." He glanced at her, smiling lightly. "And if you’re curious, I do have a license to practice forbidden magic. But it wasn’t my magic."
He took a sip of his tea, then stared into his cup like he was pondering sothing. "I suppose my master was just... desperate."
Katherine frowned. "Desperate?"
He shrugged. "Your brother was simply doing his best to see you again."
She blinked. "?"
"Yes. Like I said, he adores you. Almost to a worrying degree. Sister complex, you know?" Adolfo gave her a long, amused look before adding, "Though, now that I’ve t you, I can understand why."
Her fingers curled around her cup. Why did he have to say things like that? She was here for answers, not for unexpected complints that made her stomach do weird things.
Also... a license for forbidden magic?
She glanced at Adolfo. So he actually practices it.
Well. That wasn’t really a shocker. But sohow, hearing it confird made it feel different.
She shook her head. Not the ti to worry about Adolfo’s magical resu. She needed to know more about her brother. But at least this confird her and Ruel’s theory.
Was she disappointed?
...Surprisingly, no.
If anything, it made more sense now. Her brother must have known about this too, which explained why he kept Adolfo around.
She cleared her throat. "So... my brother went to look for in the North?"
Adolfo nodded. "Most likely. He wanted to pick up my father’s research."
Katherine raised a brow. "Research?"
"My father disappeared because he was intrigued by two worlds. He was researching forbidden magic—he wanted recognition for his findings. Marquis Jonathas probably thought there was sothing in that research that could help him communicate with you, so I granted him passage to the North—since he was my guardian, anyway. Then he disappeared."
He leaned back, eyes thoughtful. "Honestly, I think he expected it. Even his wife seed to. Then... you appeared. I believe my master might have really touched sothing there."
Katherine stared at him, processing everything.
So basically, her brother might have followed the footsteps of a missing researcher into the magical equivalent of a black hole.
...Great. Just great.
She took a deep breath and grabbed another cookie. This was a stress-snacking kind of conversation.
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