Chapter 7: Baby Steps

Not long after his first words, Dante showed more proficiency in speech, but he also didn't give up on regaining control of his body.

He had already turned into a vampire, but he hardly felt this "blessing" that his mother seemed so proud of; the ritual happened while he slept, so he felt nothing or didn't remember the ritual occurring. Valentina was very meticulous about it.

At this moment, Dante and Valentina were in the mansion's garden. Valentina sat in a small chair at a table while sipping black tea and watched Dante on the lawn trying to stand up. He swore that today would be the day he could rise! Valentina smiled as she watched the comical scene of her son trying to stand.

"Don't laugh at me!" Dante mentally shouted as he looked at his mother with an irritated pout. Valentina saw the scene again and couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

Her son was simply adorable.

Valentina continued to enjoy her tea when she sensed a disturbance around her and quickly stood up. Dante noticed the movement, but when he blinked, he was already in his mother's arms again.

"Leave." Valentina roared as a golden portal appeared in the environment, and a maiden emerged from within.

The woman was about Valentina's height, very beautiful, with an hourglass figure, golden eyes and long black hair that reached her knees. She wore a black dress with purple trimmings and carried a large hat.

"Hey, lower that thing!" The woman roared, observing Valentina's reaction. Dante didn't notice, but Gungnir was aflame in Valentina's hands, ready to strike the woman.

"Morgana," Valentina murmured with an aggression that initially startled Dante, as his mother didn't react this way even to a messenger from the Queen.

"Hey, I just came to visit, okay? I heard news that you had a son! Valentina, the Queen of Virgins, finally had a son!" Morgana roared with a smile on her face.

Dante quickly understood the situation; Morgana was a close friend. If not for her, she would have visited the warm lap of Lucifer in the seventh biblical inferno.

"Oh! Little Dante wants to stay close to Aunt Morgana?" Morgana noticed that Dante wanted to get closer to the table.

"Making mommy angry," "Mean lady," Dante said, pointing at Morgana.

A silence hung in the air. Valentina tried to hold it in; she held on as much as she could, but when Dante said "Mean lady," she exploded.

"PFFFFF..." Valentina began, putting her hand over her mouth to muffle it, but she wasn't the only one. Morgana also couldn't hold it in.

Both of them let loose and started laughing uncontrollably, causing a small earthquake around them, and when Dante realized this, he pouted; being a child was hard. Nothing he did sounded anything but cute.

"Darn it! They're laughing at me!" Dante said while trying to stand up. He felt so frustrated; he wanted to show that he wasn't a joke.

Dante focused on his legs, and for the first time, his legs supported his body, and he stood up.

Valentina and Morgana hadn't noticed yet, but Dante made sure to get their attention and said, "Mommy!" He shouted for the first time, and Valentina looked at Dante near her legs, tapping them lightly.

"Mommy!" He said again and let go of Valentina, turning to the garden and starting to walk in that direction.

Valentina was speechless, and Morgana just chuckled softly at her old friend's reaction.

"Being a mother changed her more than I thought... Almost killing the Vampire Queen for interrupting Dante's feeding time... She's definitely changed. She would have personally gone and dismembered the queen, set fire to the castle, and left a message in blood telling Vlad to take care of his dogs properly..." Morgana thought as she watched the friend run and hug Dante with moist eyes...

"My son is amazing," Valentina said while hugging Dante tightly between her breasts.

"Cozy," Dante thought mentally, and a smile enveloped him as he hugged his mother.