The sun was dipping low, spilling bands of amber light through the tall windows of the study. Dust motes floated lazily in the warm glow, and the faint sound of servants preparing dinner echoed faintly through the hall.
Noel sat with the four girls gathered around the small circular table. Noir rested beside his chair, her tail swishing quietly as her ears flicked toward every sound.
He exhaled slowly. "Alright… since we've got some time before dinner, I need to tell you what's really going on."
The air shifted immediately—Elyra straightened, Charlotte's cheerful face softened, Selene's eyes sharpened, and Elena set her cup down gently.
"This territory," Noel began, "isn't just some ancestral land. There's something beneath it—something our family has guarded for generations."
He hesitated. The truth pressed at the back of his mind, heavy and dangerous. He knew what would happen if he pushed too far. Still, he tried.
