The courtyard had gone still. The anger, the accusations, the pain — all of it lingered in the air like smoke after a fire. Mirelle stood trembling beside the fountain, and Albrecht… he just stared at her, wordless.

Noel exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand across his face. "I'll give you both a moment," he said, turning away. His tone wasn't cold, just… done. There was nothing left to add.

Before he could take another step, Albrecht's voice reached him — deep, weary, but still carrying that authority that always seemed to silence a room.

"Noel."

He stopped, glancing back.

"Later tonight," Albrecht continued. "We'll talk. Just you and I."

Noel hesitated, then gave a single nod. "Alright."

Noir peeked halfway out of his shadow, golden-purple eyes flicking between the two adults.

'They look… broken,' she murmured in his mind.

'Yeah,' Noel answered silently, shoulders tense. 'Maybe they always were.'

He turned away fully this time, walking through the open archway that led back into the mansion. The moonlight caught on the edge of Revenant Fang at his hip, its faint black sheen reflecting the night.

As he walked the dim corridor, his thoughts circled the same phrases Mirelle had spat at him — You were the reminder he couldn't bear to see.

He didn't want to admit it, but part of it made sense. For years, he'd wondered why the Thorne family had treated him like an unwanted shadow. Now he finally had an answer — one that hurt more than he expected.

Reaching the main hall, Noel stopped beside a window, looking out toward the distant forest where the moonlight touched the trees.

'Less than twenty days to save this family,' he thought, eyes narrowing slightly. 'And I still don't know if it's worth saving.'

Noir nudged his mind again. 'But you'll do it anyway, right, Dad?'

A faint, tired smile crossed his face. "Yeah," he whispered. "I will."

When Noel and Albrecht had split up in the corridor, Noel's last words before leaving were simple but firm:

"Elyra—fill the others in. I'll handle Father."

So when he finally returned to the guest wing, he found all four girls gathered in the sitting room, the air heavy with unease.

Elyra was the first to spot him. "Finally," she muttered, arms crossed though her eyes softened the moment she saw his face.

Charlotte stood next to her, looking anxious. "We've been waiting for almost an hour. Elyra told us what happened… Are you okay?"

Noel gave a short nod, brushing a bit of dust from his shoulder. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Elena tilted her head, sharp amber eyes studying him. "You don't look fine," she said plainly.

"I've looked worse," Noel replied dryly, and that at least earned a small, knowing smile from Elyra.

Selene spoke next, her voice calm but serious. "So it's true. Mirelle was working with them?"

Noel didn't answer right away. He moved toward the table in the center of the room, leaning against it as Noir's shadow stretched faintly beneath him. "Yes. We caught her meeting the Pillars. Noir saw everything."

Charlotte frowned. "And Albrecht?"

"He's… trying to come to terms with it," Noel said carefully, his tone low. "He doesn't want to believe it yet."

The girls exchanged glances — each one understanding what that meant. Denial was dangerous.

Elyra exhaled slowly, stepping closer. "You told me to update them." she admitted. "You should rest, Noel. You look exhausted."

Noel gave her a faint grin. "You sound like Charlotte now."

Charlotte blinked, flustered. "H-Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Noir's small laugh echoed faintly in Noel's mind, and for a brief moment, the weight in his chest eased — surrounded by the people who made this cursed mission a little easier to bear.

Noel leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face. The adrenaline from earlier was gone now, leaving behind only fatigue — and questions he didn't really want to ask. Noir yawned softly from her spot beside him, curling up again near his feet, her tail twitching lazily.

Elyra broke the silence first, her voice gentle but probing. "So… what's he going to talk to you about?"

Noel's eyes drifted toward the window, watching how the light from the torches outside flickered faintly on the glass. "I'm guessing… about my mother."

That caught everyone off guard.

Elena tilted her head slightly. "Your mother?"

"Yeah." He exhaled, the sound sharp. "The timing makes sense. After what Mirelle said earlier — about how everything changed after she died… how all their pain started with her. I've never even met her, and somehow I've been paying for her existence my whole life."

Charlotte frowned, leaning forward slightly. "You never knew her at all?"

Noel shook his head. "Not a single memory. Just what others say — and even that's filtered through resentment." His tone softened, quieter. "I guess Father wants to clear the air, finally."

Selene crossed her arms, her eyes thoughtful. "Do you want to hear it?"

He gave a small, humorless smile. "I don't know. Part of me wants to. But another part…" He trailed off, then finished flatly, "Another part's tired of finding new reasons why my life turned out like this."

Noir's voice echoed faintly in his thoughts, soft as a sigh.

'You'll be fine, Dad. You always are.'

He almost smiled at that, glancing down toward her shadowy form. "Guess we'll see, huh?"

Elyra reached out, her tone firm but warm. "Whatever happens, we'll be here. You're not dealing with this alone anymore."

Noel met her gaze, then the others'. For once, he didn't argue — just nodded quietly.

"Yeah," he said. "I know."

The conversation lingered for a while longer before tapering off into quiet.

Elena had drifted toward the window, tracing lazy circles on the glass; Charlotte sat cross-legged on the couch, nibbling a sweet; Selene leaned against the wall, arms folded but eyes soft. Elyra, as always, watched Noel the closest — the way his gaze seemed distant even while surrounded by warmth.

Noel finally pushed himself up from the couch. "I should go," he said, breaking the stillness. "If Father wants to talk, better not make him wait."

Elyra rose with him. "You sure you want to go alone?"

"Yeah," he replied. "It's probably something I have to hear by myself."

Charlotte stood too, concern etched in her features. "Then at least promise you'll come back right after. Don't… disappear on us."

That earned a faint smirk from him. "You make it sound like I do that often."

Elyra gave him a look. "You do."

He lifted his hands in mock surrender. "Fine. I'll be back before midnight."

Selene's eyes flickered, thoughtful. "If it's about your mother… try to listen, even if it hurts. Sometimes knowing why people broke makes it easier to stop the cycle."

Noel paused for a heartbeat, meeting her gaze. "You've gotten good at this whole empathy thing."

"Don't get used to it," Selene murmured, but a faint smile tugged at her lips.

Noir, half-asleep near the door, raised her head as he moved. 'Want me to come too, Dad?'

'Not this time,' Noel thought back. 'Stay here with them. Make sure they don't tear the place apart while I'm gone.'

Her tail flicked. 'No promises.'

The girls chuckled softly at his blank stare. He exhaled, shaking his head and moving toward the door.

The hallway beyond was dim, lit only by scattered lamps that painted long shadows on the marble floor. As he stepped out, his expression shifted — humor fading, replaced by something quieter.

'So… my mother, huh?' he thought, eyes narrowing slightly as he walked down the silent corridor toward his father's office.

'Guess it's time to find out what really happened back then.'

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