The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] novel Chapter 816

Chapter 816: A Chorus of Children

...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.

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