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

After the Countess fainted, the other parents reacted as if this outcome had been carefully anticipated.

To the cadets’ surprise, no one panicked.

Someone cleared space. Someone knew to call a physician. Another already knew to look for the temporary lounge. Countess Jenna was moved with practiced ease, settled comfortably, and only after the findings came out did everyone disperse to continue exploring the booth.

By the time the physician finished checking her pulse and calmly declared that she was perfectly fine and would wake up anytime soon, the atmosphere had already returned to that earlier excitement.

It was after this that Luca finally found the chance to speak with Jax.

Count Alexander had waved them off and told them to go fetch the children.

Well. Technically, he had only instructed Jax to do that. But as the guilty critter in question, Luca had immediately volunteered with far too much enthusiasm—much to his own father’s shock. He might have even clung to Jax’s leg if the redhead had not readily agreed to let him come along to help.

Still, despite all that, Luca didn’t even get the chance to start his apology.

Because, in the end, it was the perceptive Jax who noticed things first.

He turned around and squinted at him. ”Hey. You look really pale. What’s wrong?”

Unfortunately for the inexperienced cadet, that was all it took for the dam to break.

Luca froze, hands clasping together so tightly his fingers went white. His shoulders shook, and then the words spilled out all at once.

”I’m sorry,” he blurted. ”I really am. Something’s been bothering me and I didn’t know how to say it and I think I messed up and I should’ve been more careful and I just... I needed to apologize.”

”Huh?” Jax blinked.

Luca winced at the sound, somehow flustered and mortified at the same time. ”I should’ve asked privately first instead of putting you on the spot like that.”

Jax stared at him.

”Ask what privately?”

The redhead tilted his head, utterly confused, looking like a very friendly dog who had just been told there was trouble but had no idea what it was all about.

Luca’s voice dropped to a small, trembling mumble. ”I should’ve asked if you wanted your family to come. Instead of assuming you did.”

Jax blinked once.

Then, after three more blinks, he smiled.

”Of course I wanted them to attend,” he said easily as they resumed walking. ”Isn’t it perfect? Now they get to see everything. The place, the plants, all of you.”

Luca’s golden eyes widened. ”What? Really?”

”Yes, of course!” Jax said without hesitation.

The relief hit so fast it almost made Luca dizzy. But then another thought crept in, stubborn and heavy.

”...Then why did it sound earlier like you didn’t expect them to come?” Luca asked hesitantly. ”And like your dad wouldn’t normally even go inside?”

Jax stopped.

Luca’s heart jumped.

Then the redhead looked thoughtful instead of upset. ”Oh? That?”

Luca nodded, gaze dropping. He was sad now. And more than a little nervous.

Jax scratched his cheek. ”That’s because there haven’t really been many events since I was young that my parents could attend.”

Confused golden eyes blinked at that.

”?”

”For example,” Jax continued casually, ”our Junior Academy graduation. The captain, Kyle, and I didn’t even go. We signed up for a mission instead of attending the ceremony.”

”...What?”

”I think the same thing happened for all our graduations,” Jax added, thinking back. ”Except kindergarten. That one I remember.”

Luca stared.

”And the mercenary exam,” Jax went on. ”I forgot that parents could be invited, so I didn’t tell them either. I think my mom cried for three days.”

”?”

”Ehh?!”

__

Jax could understand that look.

The wide eyes. The frozen expression. The quiet kind of shock that sat somewhere between disbelief and worry. Luca looked like his thoughts were tripping over each other, and honestly, Jax figured that was on him.

The redhead rubbed the bridge of his nose, a little sheepish. ”Yeah. I really didn’t think parents could watch us take that exam.”

Then his tone shifted, just slightly, a little gentler now.

”Well, when I was younger, there was also that time when my mom was pretty sickly,” Jax said. ”It was unusual considering the technology, and unfortunately, it was chronic. She had flare-ups, and for a good while she really couldn’t go out much.”

He glanced ahead as they walked, voice steady but thoughtful. ”She missed a lot of parent-child events because of it. And she hated that. But that was okay because in turn, we’d do all sorts of things together and get into all sorts of mischief at home instead.”

He really did like that last bit. But Jax still remembered those really early years. His parents were trying everything. Specialists. Treatments. Long discussions and different commissions for possible cures. They did succeed in the end, but it took time.

By then, Jax was older.

And given the state of the Empire, there wasn’t really a lot of focus on things like play and fun for those who had become old enough.

Moreover, by then, he already spent most of his days running around with friends who were also in that state where they really didn’t want to draw attention to themselves by emphasizing who their parents were.

That especially wouldn’t be good when they were out there trying to hide Xavier’s identity.

When he looked back at Luca, he noticed the way the golden eyes shimmered.

Oh no.

He slowed his steps immediately. ”Hey,” Jax said quickly. ”I actually have a good relationship with my parents. Really. We are just a little unconventional, so it’s really okay!”

”Unconventional?” Luca asked softly, clearly trying very hard not to sniffle.

Jax chuckled. ”Yeah. And because we’re rather unconventional, the way we show affection can be a little odd.”

”Oh,” Luca breathed.

”You know about my dad’s company and his job, right?” Jax asked.

Luca nodded earnestly.

”Well, normally he doesn’t accept jobs easily because he’s always busy,” Jax said. ”But whenever it came to those very few school events where security would be requested, he would always accept. Every time. So technically, he was always there.”

He paused, then added, ”But over time, people started saying my dad had really, really bad luck.”

He emphasized it enough that Luca stiffened.

”!!!”

”Because every single time he showed up for one of my events, something bad would happen,” Jax continued. ”An attack. A security breach attempt. Nothing ever succeeded because of my dad’s measures, but someone would always try.”

Luca gasped.

Well, in truth, it didn’t actually sound so bad when he just said it like that. But Jax could still remember being young and his family receiving comments that both praised and blamed his father.

”So eventually, my dad decided not to risk it anymore,” Jax said. ”He still came. Just not inside. He would oversee everything from a satellite booth outside instead.”

Back then, Jax hadn’t really understood what that was all about. It only made sense later, after being told repeatedly that he had insane luck, which was extremely ironic.

He smiled faintly. ”Funny thing is, I never really believed my dad had bad luck.”

Luca blinked. ”Huh? What?”

”If anything,” Jax said, grinning now, ”I think I’m mainly lucky because he has been giving all the luck to me.”

”...Giving it to you?”

”I grew up carefree because I always knew I had a hidden guardian,” Jax said brightly.

”A hidden guardian...?” Luca echoed.

The redhead nodded while grinning, putting his hands behind his head, before thinking about how it had always been like that.