He turned his head at once, his body reacting before his mind caught up. The voice hit him like a punch, carrying a familiarity that unsettled him. Though his face stayed composed, his stance shifted, weight settling into his heels as if bracing for whatever came next.
"I knew the moment I saw your carriage outside you would be here."
A figure stepped out from the corridor ahead. Blonde hair, pale blue eyes, her presence carrying a certainty that needed no introduction. He recognized her instantly. Aline Noriel.
She crossed the space between them in hurried steps. Before he could say anything, she closed the distance and drew him against her. Her arms wrapped around him with the kind of ease only family dared, the kind that demanded he stand still and accept it.
