The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]

...Waa...

It was barely a sound. Just a drop. Soft and distant, like a tear hitting water.

Countess Jenna didn’t open her eyes, but her brow furrowed.

Waa...

There it was again—fragile. The kind of sound that tugged at something deep and instinctive before thought could catch up.

Her heart tightened and her ears sharpened in uncertainty.

The crying grew louder, the sound wobbling and breaking as if the little voice were running out of breath. Panic stirred. Without knowing how or why, Jenna moved, her body already responding before her mind fully woke.

”It’s alright,” she murmured, voice soft, soothing, practiced from years she had not thought about in a long time. ”Shh, shh. I’m here.”

She reached the source and gathered the unseen baby close. The crying hitched before slowing. And eventually, the sound softened into small, tired hiccups before finally fading away.

”There, there.”

Relief washed through her.

And then—

Waa!

Waa!

Waa!

Her head snapped up.

Another cry. Then another. Then many.

They came from all directions now, overlapping and echoing, rising into a chorus that made her chest feel too tight. Jenna turned in place, breath catching as the space around her filled.

Babies.

So many babies.

They were everywhere, tiny arms reaching, small hands grabbing, clinging to anything they could reach. And in the middle of it all—

”Mom!”

Her heart stopped.

Jax.

Her son stood there, eyes wide, half-laughing and half-panicked, as babies clung to him like vines. One hugged his leg. Another latched onto his arm. More crowded his back, his shoulders, his neck, tiny hands tangled everywhere as if he were the center of a very loud, very determined storm.

”Mom!” he called again.

”Son!” Jenna shouted, already moving, terror and disbelief crashing together as she pushed forward. ”Hold on, I’m coming!”

She reached out—

And woke up.

Her eyes flew open as she jolted upright, breath sharp and uneven.

”Jax!” she cried, spinning in place. ”Jax! The babies! Oh no! The babies?!”

Her heart hammered as she searched wildly, hands reaching out and grasping at nothing. She blinked once. Then again. And again. The world felt oddly out of focus, like her thoughts were lagging behind her body.

And then a voice cut in, bright and very real.

”Mom?! Wow! Dad’s really right!”

She froze.

”Huh?”

The Countess stared forward, her mind still half adrift, because standing right in front of her was her son.

Jax.

Only... he was buried.

Not under distressed babies.

But under... leaves?

Yes. Leaves.

Large green leaves spilled over his shoulders, brushed his arms, and poked out from behind his head. Several potted plants were cradled against his chest, tucked under one arm, and somehow balanced along his back like he had decided to become part of the greenhouse itself.

”...?”

Her gaze dropped. Then rose. Then dropped again.

Jax beamed.

”He said you’d definitely look for the children when you woke up!” Jax continued cheerfully. ”So he told me it’d be better to fetch them first!”

He shifted, leaves rustling loudly as one pot almost slid, only for him to catch it with practiced ease.

”So here are some of my children, Mom!” he said proudly. ”I couldn’t bring everyone because the others can’t be moved!”

He was practically drowning in foliage, but he looked happier than ever.

”Children...?” Countess Jenna repeated faintly, eyes bouncing between her son and the plants in his arms.

”Yes! Here!” Jax said, grinning even wider as he tilted one pot forward like an introduction.

”...”

”...”

The silence stretched.

Jax’s grin wobbled just a little. ”Mom?”

That was when she moved.

Countess Jenna surged forward and wrapped her arms around his head, pressing him close with a shaky laugh that turned into a sob. She held him there, relief pouring out of her as her free hand reached up to gently pat one of the nearest leaves.

”Oh thank goodness,” she breathed, tears slipping free. ”You’re alright. You’re all alright.”

She sniffed, then looked more closely at the ”children” that weren’t crying, eyes softening.

”Such healthy-looking leaves,” she murmured, fingers brushing over a small bud. ”And so many of them too!”

Jax seemed momentarily surprised, but as if hearing things he definitely agreed with, the red-headed plant father suddenly said, ”Oh yes, Mom! You should have seen them before they were pruned! But now, don’t they look great?!”

The temporary lounge was suddenly alive.

Laughter bounced off the walls. Praise flowed freely. Compliments were handed out with such enthusiasm that even the plants Jax had brought in seemed to be basking in it. Countess Jenna moved from pot to pot like a proud grandmother at a debut banquet, fussing over leaves and buds while Count Alexander watched from nearby, arms folded, eyes warm, saying very little and somehow saying everything.

Off to the side, one golden-eyed cadet observed quietly.

From the way Countess Jenna hovered over her son and the way Count Alexander stood just close enough without interrupting, Luca felt something click into place.

Xavier had been right.

Jax had been right too.

There really were so many ways to show affection!

And that sometimes, it’s not always as simple.

But why was he suddenly thinking about such a thing?

Ah. Well...

Because just moments ago, Luca managed to speak to Jax about something he realized he had never truly asked before.

His family.

The little concerned chipmunk had never wanted to pry. He knew from prior experience that such a topic could be complicated. That not everyone may be open to discussing such private matters.

But somewhere along the way, he realized he might have overstepped and put unnecessary pressure on his friends.

He had been so happy. So genuinely happy about having a family that he wanted everyone he cared about to have the same warmth. The same sense of belonging.

So he had encouraged his friends to invite their families without thinking too deeply about what that might mean.

Theo and Noah had hesitated. Not because they didn’t want their families to come, but because their families worked. Missing a few days meant losing income. Moreover, it wasn’t like the capital was just steps away.

When Luca realized that, he panicked quietly and then, with the help of his parents, went straight to the Belgraves and the Emorys. Sponsorships were arranged. Work arrangements discussed. Solutions found.

At the time, it felt right.

And honestly, up until the moment he greeted the families and told them where to find their children, Luca had been incredibly happy.

He had been just as elated when Jax’s parents arrived. He hadn’t met them before, but they had looked so taken by the venue their son had carefully and expertly decorated that Luca felt warm all over.

It had been a great first meeting in his opinion.

But then he heard Jax’s words and suddenly felt uneasy because it seemed that he didn’t get to see his parents a lot.

Moreover, he sounded like a gathering like this was entirely uncommon to them

”!!!”

Jax may have smiled the entire time, but Luca knew better than most that someone could smile even when there were tears behind it.

So the mortified little chipmunk felt shaken and had to ask and apologize to his friend.

He just didn’t particularly expect to hear an odd response!