The gates of House Thorne groaned as they opened, iron meeting stone with a deep echo that rolled through the courtyard. The midday sun hit the worn path leading to the mansion, its glow catching faint dust motes dancing in the air.

Noel stood at the entrance, one hand resting casually on Revenant Fang's hilt, the other in his pocket. Noir sat beside him in her small form, tail flicking lazily as her violet eyes followed the approaching carriage.

'They're really here,' Noel thought, watching the ornate Estermont crest painted along the carriage door. 'All four of them. Together. Great.'

The wheels stopped with a soft creak. A moment later, the door opened—and Elyra von Estermont was the first to step down. Her long black braid swayed with the movement, and the confident smirk on her lips came as naturally as breathing.

"Well," she said, hands on her hips, "look who's pretending to be responsible."

Noel's brow twitched. "It's called standing."

Elyra grinned. "And doing it well, apparently."

Behind her, Elena descended gracefully, sunlight catching her platinum blonde hair. She looked around with quiet curiosity, her amber eyes softening when they landed on Noel. "You're… okay. That's a relief."

He nodded, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. "You too."

Next came Charlotte, waving cheerfully the instant her boots touched the ground. "Noel!" she called, her voice as bright as her expression. She nearly tripped on her dress hem, catching herself with a nervous laugh. "It's been forever!"

Noel sighed, but there was warmth behind it. "You trip once more and I'm casting Frost Wall between us."

Charlotte giggled. "Still as charming as ever."

Finally, Selene stepped down. She didn't say a word at first—just fixed Noel with her calm cyan eyes. There was no emotion in her face, but her gaze lingered for half a second longer than it should have.

Noel met it and inclined his head slightly. "You made it."

Selene nodded. "Of course."

The air between all of them felt strange—like five pieces from different puzzles trying to fit together again after too long apart.

Noel broke the silence first. "So, the cavalry finally arrives."

Charlotte clasped her hands behind her back, teasing, "We prefer 'girlfriends,' actually."

Elyra smirked. "Same thing, isn't it?"

Even Selene's lips twitched.

Noel exhaled slowly, shoulders relaxing for the first time in days. "Welcome to House Thorne."

Noir barked once, as if agreeing.

Charlotte crouched immediately, smiling wide. "And Noir is here too! You're even cuter now! Wait!? Noir!?"

At her words, the other three turned almost at the same time.

"Noir?" Elyra asked, brow arched.

Elena smiled softly. "It's been a while since we saw her."

Selene tilted her head slightly. "You've grown."

Noir's tail swished once, and to everyone's surprise, she opened her mouth and spoke clearly:

"Hello, everyone."

The four girls froze mid-motion, eyes wide.

Noel blinked. "Wait—what?" He crouched down, staring at Noir. "You can talk to them now?"

Noir looked up, utterly calm. "Of course. You never asked if I could, Dad."

Noel blinked again, jaw tightening as he exhaled. "...Great. Another secret."

Elyra chuckled under her breath. "Guess she takes after you."

Charlotte clasped her hands together, eyes wide. "Wait—she can talk now?"

Elena blinked rapidly. "Since when?"

Elyra leaned forward, curious. "Noir, when did you learn that?"

Selene tilted her head just slightly, her calm voice cutting through the surprise. "You couldn't do that before."

Noir wagged her tail once, looking pleased with the attention. "Since my dad evolved to Ascendant," she said matter-of-factly, her tone almost proud.

The four girls exchanged stunned glances.

Charlotte gasped, grinning. "Dad? That's so cute!"

Elyra smirked. "Well, she definitely takes after you."

Elena smiled gently. "That's incredible, Noir."

Even Selene's eyes softened a little. "So your evolution changed more than just strength."

Noel rubbed the back of his neck, half-amused, half-embarrassed. "Yeah… apparently it came with voice chat."

Noir flicked her tail proudly. "Now I can tell everyone how amazing Dad is."

Noel groaned under his breath. "Fantastic. Just what I needed—public relations."

The laughter that followed lightened the air around them, and for the first time in days, House Thorne didn't feel so heavy.

Noel guided them through the dim halls of the Thorne mansion until they reached his room.

He gestured for them to sit. "Make yourselves comfortable."

Charlotte was already spinning slowly in place, eyes wide. "This place looks… old but kind of nice!"

Elyra gave her a look. "It's called antique style."

Selene simply sat, composed as ever. Elena followed, folding her hands on her lap.

Once everyone settled, Noel leaned back against the desk. "Alright. Let's hear it. How did things go… between you all?"

Elyra's gray eyes narrowed slightly, catching the hint in his tone. "You mean the conversation."

Noel nodded once. "Yeah."

She crossed her legs and let out a quiet sigh. "At first, I was… pissed, Noel. I thought we agreed that any big decision would be discussed between all of us. I was ready to fly straight here and hit you."

Charlotte choked back a laugh. Elena hid hers behind a polite cough. Even Selene looked mildly guilty.

Elyra continued, softer now. "But Elena explained everything—and Selene told me her side too. So…" She leaned forward, smirking faintly. "I'll say the same thing I always do: you'd better spoil all four of us properly, understood?"

Noel exhaled through his nose. "Noted. I'll do my best to survive that challenge."

Charlotte giggled. "You make it sound so hard."

Noel looked at them one by one. "Still… why did you all come here together? You know I didn't exactly want anything to do with the Thorne family."

Elyra's teasing smile faded. "Because my intuition never fails—and it told me something bad was coming."

Noel paused, gaze darkening. "...You're right. I assume Elena already told you what I said before? About something dangerous happening soon."

All three nodded quietly.

He straightened. "Then yeah. That's about it." A moment of silence stretched before he forced a small smile. "Anyway. You want something to drink? Eat?"

Charlotte brightened instantly. "Tea sounds perfect!"

Elena added softly, "If you have sweets, that would be nice too."

Elyra shrugged. "Surprise us."

Selene just nodded vigorously.

"Alright," Noel said, pushing off the desk. "Stay put. Don't break anything."

The moment he left the room, silence settled for half a second—until Charlotte turned to the others, eyes glinting with mischief. "Sooo… we're totally looking around, right?"

Elyra grinned. "Obviously."

And as Noir yawned lazily near the bed, the four girls began to inspect every corner of Noel's room, curious about what secrets the mysterious Thorne heir might be hiding.

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