"Happy birthday Lucien!!" all the babies sang together at the top of their lungs.
The song, of course, sounded chaotic—Boo stretched the words into a ghostly wail, "Haaapppyyy boooorrrthdaaaay~~," while Drake roared it like he was calling an army to battle. Luna howled halfway through instead of singing, making Kelpie giggle so hard water droplets splashed on Rocky, who hummed very off-key like a pebble vibrating. Felix wagged his fox tails and tried to sing with his mouth full of excitement, while Vlad Jr. sang stiff and serious, as if he was reciting a vampire anthem.
Alina clapped along, smiling so wide her cheeks hurt. Her heart melted at their effort, even if the song sounded more like a monster choir than music.
Finally, they all ended together with Boo’s long dramatic "Wooooooo~~" that echoed through the hall, making everyone laugh.
Alina clapped her hands again. "Alright sweetheart, blow your candle."
Lucien leaned forward, his little face glowing in the candlelight. He puffed gently and the flame went out, and all the babies squealed and clapped as if magic had just happened.
"Cut the cake!! Cut the cake!!!" Drake shouted, wings fluttering, while Sable shyly tapped his hands together.
Lucien picked up the small knife, his hands a little shaky, and carefully cut through the soft cream. Everyone clapped again like he had won a big award, and Alina’s eyes softened as she whispered warmly, "Happy birthday, Lucien."
And Dante just stood behind them, his tall figure calm and composed, yet his crimson eyes softened. He had never seen Lucien this happy before, his usually quiet son’s eyes were glowing brighter than the candle flames. It struck Dante deep inside that it had indeed been a good decision to celebrate his birthday.
Lucien carefully picked up the first slice of cake, holding it with both little hands. His expression was serious, his lips pressed tight in determination, as though this was the most important mission of his life. He turned, his steps slow and deliberate, heading toward his father. Dante raised a brow, surprised but quietly touched, his chest feeling tight as he realized his son wanted to feed him.
But before the sweet moment could reach its peak, there was a sudden blur of wings.
Drake appeared out of nowhere, his mouth already full of cream as he somehow managed to bite the cake right out of Lucien’s hand. "Mmmmm!! So tasty!!" he shouted with his cheeks stuffed, cream smudged across his lips.
Lucien froze mid-step, staring at the empty crumbs left in his palm. His crimson eyes widened in disbelief, his lips parted as though words had failed him.
"DRAKE!!!!" Boo screamed, pointing dramatically like he had just witnessed the biggest crime in ghost history. "He robbed the birthday boy!!!"
Luna gasped and stomped her tiny foot, "That’s not fair!! Lucien was giving it to his daddy!!"
Vlad Jr. pulled out his handkerchief again, looking disgusted. "How utterly barbaric..."
Even Sable frowned and whispered softly, "Poor Lucien..."
Lucien’s little fists clenched at his sides, his face flushing red—not from shyness this time, but from pure speechlessness. He had wanted to make his father happy, and instead his cake had been stolen mid-air by the gluttonous dragon.
Dante’s aura darkened slightly, his sharp eyes cutting toward Drake, who immediately froze mid-chew, his wings twitching nervously.
"Drake," Dante’s voice was calm, but it rumbled like thunder under the surface. "Whose cake was that?"
Drake gulped, still chewing, and pointed at Lucien with frosting-covered claws. "...Lucien’s..."
The silence grew heavier until even Boo whispered, "Uh oh... the principal’s mad..."
Dante’s crimson eyes narrowed, and the atmosphere shifted, heavy enough that even the candles on the cake seemed to flicker nervously. "So you admit... you stole your friend’s cake."
Drake’s wings drooped, his chubby cheeks still bulging with cream. He tried flashing his most innocent smile, the one that usually melted his mom’s anger at home, but under Dante’s cold gaze it wobbled and died halfway. "Uh... it was an accident?" he squeaked, licking the frosting off his nose as he fully shifted into his human form.
"Accident?" Dante’s voice was low, dangerous. "Do cakes leap into your mouth on their own?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel·fire.net
Boo immediately floated behind Alina’s skirt like a frightened little ghost balloon. "He’s gonna eat Drake next!!" he hissed.
Vlad Jr. Smiled behind his handkerchief. "This will be entertaining..."
"Lucien Daddy!! Don’t roast Drake!" Luna shouted, stomping her foot and baring her tiny fangs, though her legs were already shaking.
Drake’s eyes widened and he held up his sticky fingers. "Nooo! Please don’t roast me!! I’ll be crispy chicken!!" He spun in panic. "Ah—uhhh—I’ll be crispy dragon nugget!!" he corrected dramatically.
The babies burst into giggles despite the tension.
Dante raised a brow, unimpressed. He stepped closer, and poor Drake backed up until he bumped into the cake table. "If you want food, you wait your turn," Dante said coldly. "You do not take what belongs to someone else. Do you understand?"
Drake nodded furiously, cream flying from his mouth as he mumbled, "Yeff sirrr!!"
Alina quickly stepped in before Dante could make the boy faint from fear. "Sir," she said gently, placing a hand over Lucien’s shoulder, "it’s just cake. Let’s give Lucien another slice, and this time, no stealing." She smiled at Lucien, crouching to meet his eyes. "Sweetheart, would you like to try again?"
Lucien hesitated, his little lips pursed, still hurt from earlier. But when Alina softly brushed his hair from his forehead and whispered, "I think your daddy would be very happy," he nodded slowly.
Another slice was cut and carefully placed in Lucien’s small hands. This time, everyone held their breath as he walked—one step, two steps—Drake practically tied himself to a chair with Boo’s help so he wouldn’t be tempted.
Finally, Lucien held the cake up to his father. Dante’s crimson eyes softened at once, and he leaned down just slightly, allowing his son to feed him. "Thank you, Lucien," he said, his voice gentler than Alina had ever heard.
Lucien’s cheeks glowed, his lips curving in a proud little smile.
And in the background, Boo whispered dramatically to Drake, "You survived... but barely."
"Barely?? I almost became barbecue!!" Drake muttered pitifully, his head plopping onto the table.
The whole class dissolved into laughter, and at last, the party felt like a party again.