Chapter Text
“Yes Erin, I’ve got it. Need I remind you how David still hasn’t gotten his paperwork from Tuesday completed? Maybe you should be reminding him about that instead of bothering me after hours.” Nox rolled his eyes, shifting the phone to his left hand as he sifted through various pieces of junk mail.
“Yes, I know that, but-“
He tuned out his coworker’s high pitched voice as his pale fingers landed on an envelope that caught his eye. It was addressed to him, but it was from Wilson Legal Matters, some company he’d never heard of.
“Uh- I’ll have to call you back.” He grabbed his phone, ignoring her protests as he hung up.
“Weird…” He murmured, leaning against the counter as he gently tore it open.
“We hope this letter finds you well.” He read aloud. “It is with great regret that we inform you of the death of Edward Lenore…“ His voice trailed off, his eyes widening. The old man was finally dead. Why was he just now finding out? He had plenty of siblings who should’ve told him, even if he only was on good terms with Violet. Maybe they hadn’t known either, but Nox doubted that.
“We’re writing to formally notify you that he has transferred certain assets to you as an inherency gift.” His eyebrows furrowed. The old man hated him, Nox didn’t understand why he would be giving him anything.
“The deceased has told me to give you a monetary deposit of three million, fifty three thousand, and four hundred US dollars.” Nox choked on the air he’d been attempting to inhale, bending over and coughing.
He eventually recovered, reading over the words to make sure he hadn’t imagined them. Since when has his great grandfather had that much money?? Nox’s eyes quickly scanned the rest of the note, pausing on a specific sentence.
He also wished to entrust you with his property in Transylvania, Romania.
Nox’s jaw dropped, although he was quick to shut it. He had remembered the mansion vaguely, but none of his memories of the place had been warm.
“There’s no way.” He shook his head, checking the other side of the letter.
It was empty, but whenever he checked the envelope again he found a smaller slip of newspaper. He pulled it out, freezing once he read it. It was a newspaper clipping- an obituary.
“Edward Lenore.” He read softly, before laughing shakily. “So it’s real.”
Nox chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully, double checking the letter. That was much more money than he’d ever expected the man to have. Did he not split it between Nox and his siblings?
Nox frowned, pulling out his phone and scrolling until he found Violet’s contact. He pressed the call button, tapping his foot anxiously as he waited for an answer.
“Nox?”
He sighed from relief at the sound of Violet’s voice. “Hey- uhm, have you checked your mail lately?” He asked nervously.
“Yes, why?” Her answer was short, and Nox could practically hear her raised eyebrow.
“I got a letter from some legal association. It says- well, great grandpa is dead apparently.” There was a moment of silence, filled with Nox anxiously fidgeting before Violet answered.
“Really? Gosh, it’s about time.” She paused, letting Nox stew in his nerves for a bit longer. “I’m double checking and I didn’t get anything in the mail.”
“Maybe it’s a scam then.” Nox sighed. “I don’t know, I got a letter saying he gave me his mansion and- you won’t believe this- three million dollars.”
“What?!”
“Three million dollars?” He repeated hesitantly.
“That’s insane.” Violet argued. “Google the company, see if they look legitimate.”
After a long pause and some tapping, Nox said “It looks legit. And how else would they have known about his property? No scammer is willing to put in that much effort.”
Violet sighed, and Nox shifted uneasily against the counter. “I suppose it’s real then. It’s strange, I don’t understand why he would give the place to you- no offense.”
“None taken.” Nox scoffed. “I guess I’ll be visiting Romania?”
.˳·˖✶𓁺✶˖·˳.
The door creaked open, and Nox shivered at the stale, cold air as he stepped inside. He trailed his feet through a thin layer of dust, wincing as the wooden door slammed itself shut.
“I think I can smell his corpse.” He muttered to himself, crossing his arms and looking around.
The place was dim, the only lighting being the sunlight filtering in from the windows. They reached up to the ceiling, which was tall enough that Nox didn’t bother trying to guess how high they were.
“Anyone home?” He called, knowing it would be a futile attempt. After a long stretch of silence he sighed, looking around. The room was large, with two doorways on either side and a larger one in the center. He hesitated before going through the nearest door on the right.
A long hallway stretched before him, and he waved away a cobweb on the door frame before continuing. “Surely if the old guy was still alive he would have greeted me…” He murmured, walking down the hall.
Suddenly he jumped at a loud creak, whipping around to see what- or who, it was. There was no one there, but the door he’d accidentally left open was shut now. Nox’s eyebrows furrowed, and he sighed as he turned back. This place was chilly, it must’ve just been the breeze.
He shoved a hand in his black coat, opening one of the doors at the end of the hall with his other. Something brushed against his legs and darted into the room, causing him to yelp and jump back.
“I have a weapon!” He lied loudly, digging through his pockets and digging out a hopefully menacing pen.
He quickly scanned the room, taking note of the large wooden desk and the various papers scattered on it. This must’ve been the old man’s office. “If this place is haunted I’m selling it.” He growled to himself, his grip on the pen tightening.
Meow
Nox looked down, his eyes landing on a small grey cat. It was skinny, and glaring at him with bright green eyes.
"You're joking." He scowled, shoving the pen back in his pocket. "Get out, cat. I'm not looking for a new pet."
The cat meowed again, this time louder like it was trying to protest. Nox huffed, giving it a glare. "Fine- you can stay, just don't get in my way."
He walked over to the desk, ignoring the feline’s hiss. He shifted through the shuffled papers, looking for anything that might give him a hint of what the old man had been doing before his death.
“Awesome, nothing.” He huffed, setting them back down. He crossed his arms, getting a better look at the room.
It was dark, but there were curtained windows giving him a glimpse of the foggy weather outside. He walked up to the window, gently tugging the lace curtain open. The landscape was misty, but the green hills rolling against each other still stood out. The sky was cloudy, like a storm was possibly coming. It was a stark contrast to the bright, bustling city, but Nox didn’t exactly hate it.
He dug out the keys to the house, looking at them thoughtfully. The house was his now, for better or for worse. He might as well attempt to make it home.