The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] - Chapter 815

Capítulo 815: Roots Run Deep

But what do you know?

Maybe he shouldn’t have been so concerned about explanations after all.

Because at this moment, Alexander finally understood where his son’s strange and persistent fondness and passion for all of this had come from.

It came from closer to home.

Specifically, it came from the woman standing beside him.

Countess Jenna Taylor didn’t say a word.

She simply stared.

And then, after a very long, very heavy minute of processing, she burst into tears.

The kind that startled everyone within arm’s reach.

Alexander stiffened in alarm. Luca flinched outright.

“My lady?” the worried cadet asked quickly, already stepping forward. “Are you alright?”

Alexander was beside her in an instant, one hand hovering awkwardly at her back, completely unprepared for this development.

__

But Jenna was crying in earnest.

Hands over her mouth. Shoulders trembling. Tears streaming freely down her face.

Alright?

How could she possibly be alright?

Had she not just heard him say it?

That it was her son.

Her son!

It was actually Jax who had decorated this place.

How could a woman who had spent decades living in a house filled wall-to-wall with screens, terminals, and cold blue light ever be prepared for this?

Her husband loved technology. And their home reflected that. Clean lines. Polished surfaces. Efficient systems. Everything optimized. Everything ready to run something at a moment’s notice. Even their bedside lamp could probably launch defensive maneuvers!

And really, she didn’t particularly mind that. She had always been the sort to encourage passions, no matter where they led.

Besides, she hadn’t thought so passionately about any other aesthetic for their home decor. So she figured it was fine for their home to look like that.

But now she was standing in a living, breathing space filled with green, light, and warmth. A place she never knew could exist, one that quietly opened her eyes to possibilities she had never considered.

Her world was suddenly expanding.

She just didn’t expect the expansion to be largely because of her son!

Because the child she raised had a hand in this!

Didn’t that mean something?

All of a sudden, she could envision a different look for their house, because clearly it was possible for things to look like this!

Jenna laughed through her tears.

A small, broken sound full of disbelief and overwhelming pride.

Alexander stared at her.

Then back at Luca, who looked mildly panicked and very unsure what he had done wrong.

Thankfully, the Countess recovered with the speed of someone who had decided that fainting was wildly inefficient.

One moment she was dabbing at her eyes, sniffing and clutching a handkerchief like she had just survived an emotional ambush. Next, she was upright and moving.

She drifted from path to path with sudden purpose, skirt swishing as her head turned left, then right, then everywhere at once. Her earlier tears vanished as if they had never existed, replaced by bright eyes and a gasp that kept repeating in different tones.

“Oh. Oh this is lovely. This light is perfect. Look at the leaves on this one. Alexander, did you see this? Young Lord Luca, dear, Isn’t it very green?”

Praise poured out of her in a steady, unstoppable stream. Everything was beautiful. Everything was clever. Everything was absolutely inspired.

She leaned closer to the plants, clasped her hands, and hummed like she was touring a private gallery curated just for her. Alexander sent Luca a look that said this was familiar territory, and that once she got like this, there was really no stopping her.

The small woman was like a whirlwind.

Then suddenly, her steps slowed as she approached a tall plant with broad green leaves and a striking red bloom. She leaned in, eyes widening, and let out a soft sound of pure delight.

“Oh my goodness,” she breathed. “This one. Look at this one.”

She circled the plant as if it might take flight if she blinked. Her fingers hovered near the air beside the flower, reverent but restrained.

“The red is so confident,” she declared solemnly. “Not loud. Not shy. Just… present. It knows exactly what it is.”

She nodded to herself, thoroughly impressed, before turning to Luca with shining eyes. “You’ve all done it justice. It looks magnificent here.”

But this time, before the Countess could flutter off again to praise another leaf, another petal, or possibly the air itself, a voice cut through the space.

“Mom?”

She froze.

Slowly, she turned toward the north end of the greenhouse, brows lifting in disbelief. Emerging from between the taller rows was Jax, sleeves rolled up, farming overalls smudged with honest dirt, hair slightly mussed like he had been dragged directly out of work rather than a polite reunion.

He looked broadly the same and yet wildly different, sun-kissed and grounded, as if he belonged here so completely that the sight of him rewired something in the room.

“Jax?” Countess Jenna gasped.

And then she was moving again, faster than anyone expected, skirts lifted just enough to avoid tripping as she rushed toward him. Jax barely had time to brace himself before his mother reached him, hands on his shoulders, eyes shining with fresh tears that were already forming.

“My son!” she said breathlessly.

“You’re actually here. Look at you. Look at this place. I was just saying how beautiful everything is and then suddenly there you are. Of course you are. Of course this is where you’d be.”

Jax laughed, his grin widening as he hugged her back just as tightly. “Wow! Mom, you actually came! And you even got Dad to come inside?!”

Countess Jenna pulled back just enough to look him over properly, already opening her mouth to praise him, his work, his life choices, and possibly the soil quality around him.

But Jax spoke first.

“I’m actually really glad you and Dad finally made it,” he said easily. “Now I can introduce my children to you properly. It’s been a long time.”

She stopped.

Completely.

Her hands slipped from his sleeves. Her smile froze mid-curve.

“…Children?” Countess Jenna repeated faintly.

Jax nodded, utterly sincere. “Yeah. Mom. It’s been a while, so now there are even great-great-grandchildren.”

The greenhouse went very quiet. Even the other guests seemed to be equally shocked.

Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened. No sound came out.

“?” was the only expression she managed, staring at her son as if he had just informed her about a change in his name.

Then, very gently, very dramatically, Countess Jenna swayed.

Jax’s brows knit together. “Mom?”

She didn’t answer. Couldn’t.

For the soft-hearted woman promptly fainted.

Jax yelped, lurching forward just in time to catch her as she collapsed, overalls and all, staring down at his unconscious mother in absolute surprise.

“…Oh,” he said while tilting his head. “Who knew she’d be so happy?”

Off to the side, one Orc King who had been carefully watching the exchange finally let out a breath of relief. For some reason, he could relate to the Taylors and probably every other family standing by.

Then again, not all hope was lost. If even his daughter finally stopped springing surprises that felt potentially lethal to a father’s heart, then surely their son would also get to such a point!

After all, parents like them only had so much they could take, right?