The storm still rumbled outside, a low hum that seed to seep through the very walls. Noel sat at the edge of his bed, a broad and finely carved fra draped in dark velvet. The chamber was larger than any other student’s—an Estermont vessel didn’t cut corners, especially when Elyra’s word carried weight. Still, even surrounded by polished wood, golden trims, and soft lanternlight, the tension of the mana storm pressed into his chest.
The walls shuddered with another surge. The lantern above flickered.
Then—tock, tock.
Noel lifted his head, his hand instinctively brushing against Revenant Fang at his side. ’Who would be out in the hall right now? They were ordered to stay in their rooms.’
He stood, crossing the rug-padded floor with quiet steps, and unlatched the door.
Standing there was a girl with hair the color of burnished red and soft hazel eyes. For a split second Noel froze, his expression narrowing.
"Charlotte?" he muttered.
The girl didn’t speak. She simply stepped forward, brushing past him with hesitant urgency. The mont the door clicked shut behind them, the disguise lted away like mist. The crimson strands shifted back into soft pink, and the hazel eyes flared gold.
Noel’s hand slid from the sword, though his brows stayed furrowed. "You’re really wandering the halls in this ss?"
Charlotte didn’t answer imdiately. She stood there, her breathing shallow, her gaze flickering to the trembling lantern above. Her hands twisted lightly in front of her dress before she finally whispered, "...I just didn’t want to be alone."
The storm outside roared, rattling the glass panes of the window.
Charlotte lingered near the door, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. Another wave of the mana storm rolled past, the walls of the cabin shuddering with a low groan. She flinched, pressing her lips together.
Noel tilted his head. "So? Are you just going to stand there?"
Her golden eyes lifted to him briefly, uncertain, before drifting away. "...Can I stay here tonight?"
There was no teasing in her tone, no playfulness. Just a quiet vulnerability.
Noel raised an eyebrow, but his arms softened as he crossed them. "You don’t usually ask."
Charlotte moved further inside, her steps small. She sat down on the edge of his bed, her hands clasped together tightly in her lap. "The storms scare ," she admitted, her voice low. "Even knowing the ship is safe, I can’t... I can’t stop my chest from tightening when it hits."
Noel stayed silent for a mont, watching her shoulders tremble as another surge rattled the lantern above them. For soone who carried herself as the saint in front of the world, she looked so different here—just a girl her age, afraid of sothing she couldn’t control.
Finally, he exhaled and sat beside her, close enough that their shoulders brushed. "You should’ve just said so from the start."
She glanced at him, startled by the bluntness, but the faintest smile touched her lips. "You make it sound easy."
"Because it is." His tone was flat, but his hand reached over to cover hers. She squeezed back quickly, almost desperate.
The next rumble made the wood creak, but this ti Charlotte leaned into him instead of flinching away. She rested her forehead lightly against his shoulder, whispering, "I just... don’t want to be alone."
The storm pulsed again, the hull trembling faintly. Charlotte shifted, tugging at Noel’s hand. "Lie down with ..."
Noel gave her a look, but she was already pulling him toward the bed. He sighed and let himself fall back against the mattress, the velvet quilt soft beneath them. Charlotte imdiately curled against him, resting her head on his chest.
Her breath was uneven at first, her golden hair brushing his chin as the ship shuddered again. He lifted a hand, slowly running it through her hair until she settled.
"Better?" he asked quietly.
"Mhm," she murmured, her voice muffled against him. "It’s easier to breathe like this."
They lay there in silence for a while, only the faint flicker of the lantern filling the room. The weight of the storm outside seed distant compared to her warmth pressing against his chest.
Then Charlotte spoke again, softer. "Do... Elyra and Elena ever get scared like this?"
Noel blinked at the sudden question. "...Sotis," he admitted after a pause. "Elyra hides it behind that sharp tongue of hers. Elena... she blushes so much it’s impossible not to notice when she’s nervous."
Charlotte gave a tiny laugh, though it was tinged with lancholy. "So I’m the only one who runs to your room when the world shakes apart?"
Noel glanced down at her, brushing a thumb over her shoulder. "You’re the only one who admits it."
She shifted, her cheek pressed more firmly against him, as if she were hugging his heartbeat. "I don’t mind them," she said quietly. "Elyra, Elena... they care about you. I can see it. I just... want to know if there’s space for , too."
Noel’s chest rose slowly, his arm tightening around her. "If you’re asking that, then you already know the answer."
The storm rattled the cabin again, but Charlotte didn’t flinch this ti. She only exhaled, her body sinking deeper into his embrace.
For the first ti since she’d entered, her trembling stopped.
Her breathing had evened out, soft and steady against his chest. Her golden eyes were closed, lashes resting lightly over her cheeks.
Noel glanced down at her, brushing a strand of pink hair away from her face. "Out like a light," he muttered under his breath. She didn’t move, only nestled closer as if she could lt into him.
He leaned back against the headboard, careful not to wake her. For once, the silence felt safe.
’Three of them,’ he thought, his eyes wandering to the ceiling. ’Elyra, Elena, Charlotte... sohow they’re all still here. Still with , even after everything I’ve dragged them into.’
His arm tightened slightly around Charlotte. The weight of her against him was real, grounding. And yet, he could still picture Elena’s shy smile when she thought he wasn’t looking, Elyra’s smirk when she teased him in that bold, fearless way of hers.
’They deserve better than half-truths. Better than the silence I keep giving them.’
The lantern above flickered with another surge from the storm, but his thoughts were far louder than the noise outside.
’Once this is over... once what’s coming finally ends... I’ll tell them. All of it. No more hiding.’
Charlotte murmured sothing in her sleep, her fingers curling lightly into his shirt. Noel stilled, watching her face soften again.
A faint smile tugged at his lips, rare and fleeting. ’I don’t know why they chose ... but I won’t waste it.’
Outside, the storm groaned one last ti, but the worst of it was already passing. Inside, the room was calm—Charlotte asleep in his arms, Noel awake with thoughts heavier than any thunder.
He closed his eyes briefly.
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