Chapter 64: The Arclight family

"Do you want to go to my place?"

After slipping her phone into her pocket, Eris linked her arm through mine and leaned lightly against me.

As my face began to heat up, I spent several seconds trying to make sense of what she had said.

Her house?

Together?

My mind quickly wandered toward possibilities it had no business considering. Wasn’t her family home? Was I going to spend the night there? Or did she want to take me straight to her room?

My heart began beating faster when I remembered how casually she had run her hands over my body in the bridal shop’s fitting room. Then what had happened in my bed a few days ago and our joke about showering together became tangled inside my mind.

But why did she want to go to her house? Mine was already empty. As always, we could have gone there instead. Unless she had another reason...

"Eris..."

"What?"

"Are you home alone?"

Eris stared at my face for several seconds before raising one eyebrow.

"No. My mother just asked where I was. When I told her I was with you, she asked me to bring you over for dinner too."

Every inappropriate image forming inside my head shattered at once.

"Dinner?"

"What else did you think was going to happen?"

"Nothing."

My answer came far too quickly, making the suspicion in Eris’s eyes deepen.

"Noc, why is your face red?"

"The mall is hot."

"The air conditioning is on."

"You ask too many questions."

I looked away, feeling like an idiot. Eris had merely suggested having dinner with her family, yet within seconds, my imagination had taken us all the way to waking up in the same bed.

Spending time with her was truly starting to damage my mind.

Eris studied me for several more seconds, trying to figure out what I had been thinking. A mischievous smile eventually appeared at the corner of her lips, but she didn’t pursue the subject.

"My mother said she misses you. Apparently, you haven’t visited in several months."

The Arclight family...

Noctis’s memories contained many scenes involving them. As children, Eris and I had run through the mansion’s gardens, stolen sweets from the kitchen, and broken an expensive vase while hiding in her father’s study.

Eris’s mother had always welcomed me like one of her own children whenever I visited. Her father seemed more distant, but he had always treated me kindly.

They had also been the first people who wanted to take me in after the Evernight family threw me out.

Eris’s mother had offered to prepare one of the rooms in the mansion for me. Her father had offered to cover all my expenses until I started university and allow me to continue living under the Arclight family’s protection afterward if I wished.

However, the old Noctis had refused their offers.

He had thought they pitied him, hadn’t wanted to become a burden on Eris’s family, and feared causing problems between the Evernight and Arclight families. His pride hadn’t allowed him to accept help even when he needed it most.

As I thought about these memories that didn’t belong to me, a strange warmth formed inside my chest.

They had invited me not simply because I was Eris’s childhood friend, but because they considered me part of their family. Since arriving in this world, I hadn’t sat down for a meal with a real family.

"All right," I said. "I’ll come to dinner."

A pleased smile appeared on Eris’s face.

"My mother will be happy."

"I have some decent clothes now too. At least she won’t see me in this shirt and start worrying about my life."

Eris laughed when I pointed at the pink-haired anime girl printed across my shirt.

Before leaving the mall, we returned to the clothing store so I could put on some of the clothes I had just bought. I wore the dark green overshirt over a plain black T-shirt and replaced my loose pants with the straight-cut black jeans.

When I stepped out of the fitting room, Eris examined me from head to toe for several seconds.

"You really do look different."

"Is that bad?"

"No, it suits you." She adjusted the collar of my overshirt with her hand, then smiled slightly. "You look a little more masculine."

"A little?"

"There isn’t much we can do about your face."

"Oiii!"

Eris laughed as she moved away from me. After putting my old clothes into one of the bags, we headed toward the mall’s main entrance.

A long black car was waiting outside. The moment the driver saw Eris, he stepped out, opened the rear door, and helped us place our bags in the trunk.

Eris sat in the back as if this were completely normal.

I remained beside the open door for several seconds, staring at the polished interior and the small drinks cabinet between the seats.

"Are you getting in?" Eris asked.

"Yes."

I climbed into the car and closed the door. The driver pulled away without a word, and the mall disappeared behind us within minutes.

I knew from Noctis’s memories that the Arclight family was wealthy, but knowing it and seeing the reality were completely different. Since Eris usually took public transportation after school or training, she rarely displayed her family’s wealth in her daily life.

As the car left the city center and entered a district filled with wide streets and large houses surrounded by gardens, the buildings around us gradually became more impressive.

Eris spent the journey looking at her phone, probably telling her mother that we were on our way. When the screen briefly turned toward me, I saw the picture we had just taken on her lock screen.

Our cheeks were pressed together, and we were both making peace signs. The half-hearts on our shirts joined to form a complete shape.

"You made that your lock screen?"

Eris immediately turned the phone toward her chest.

"So what?"

"You said you wouldn’t post it anywhere."

"I didn’t. My phone is my private space."

"What happens if someone sees your screen?"

"Then they’ll be jealous."

"Jealous of what?"

Instead of answering, Eris turned toward the window. When I noticed the faint redness at the tips of her ears, I decided not to ask any more questions.

After a journey of about twenty minutes, the car stopped in front of a vast estate surrounded by high stone walls.

The Arclight crest, resembling flames surrounding a sun, stood at the center of the black iron gates. The moment the guard inside the security booth recognized the car, the gates silently opened to either side.

Once we entered, perfectly trimmed trees, flower gardens, and small statues lined both sides of the long stone road. Orange lights glowed around the large fountain in the center, while the colors of the sunset shimmered across the water.

The mansion rose in all its splendor several hundred meters ahead.

It looked more like a small palace than a large house. The three-story building was made from pale stone and had wide balconies, tall arched windows, and a dark red roof. Stone statues of birds with their wings spread stood on both sides of the stairs leading to the main entrance.

I had seen this place countless times in Noctis’s memories.

Even so, I couldn’t hide my surprise when I saw it in person.

"Only three people live here?"

Eris shrugged.

"There are staff too."

"If I get lost in this house, it’ll take you several days to find me."

"You got lost three times when you were a child."

"..."

The car stopped in front of the wide staircase. As the driver opened our door, two employees collected the bags from the trunk. I tried to tell them that I could carry the bags myself, but Eris had already started climbing the stairs.

I followed her through the large double doors and entered a spacious foyer with marble floors. A crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling filled the hall with warm golden light, while a staircase across from us split in two and led toward the upper floors.

Portraits of former members of the Arclight family and flame-shaped decorations covered the walls. Despite its grandeur, the mansion didn’t feel cold. The dark wooden furniture and plants along the walls gave the interior a warmer atmosphere.

After greeting Eris, the staff members who welcomed us turned toward me.

"Welcome back, Young Master Noctis."

Being addressed that way wasn’t something I could imagine getting used to.

"Uh, thank you..."

As I tried to think of what else I should say, one of the doors beside us opened.

A woman appeared in the doorway.

Her dark crimson hair, which reached below her waist, had been tied loosely, leaving several strands framing both sides of her face. She had a more mature and gentler version of Eris’s sharp features.

She wore a simple cream-colored dress that was clearly expensive. The moment she saw me, her green eyes lit up with joy.

Eris’s mother... Miranda Arclight.

"Noctis!"