Jackpot Baby

The appearance of Prince Dante had become a regular occurrence at my family’s bakery for a few weeks and I was more than willing to prepare some extra pastries for him and his family every morning. I hummed softly to myself as I watched the sun begin to rise into the morning sky once Dante left to go back to the castle for the remainder of the day. I continued on with my daily tasks and listened for the chime of the bell that hung above the door to the bakery. Hours began to pass before I heard the gentle ringing of the chime as the door was pushed open and the sound of boots clicked against the wood flooring.

I quickly wiped my hands off on the damp cloth I kept by the table that I worked on and rounded around the table to walk out into the front of the shop. I put on my best smile as I stepped out into the front and looked towards the front door.

“Good morning! Welcome to (L/N)’s Bakery!” I said, only to stop in my tracks and stare at the person who was currently standing in front of me.

His posture was prim and proper, his clothing tailored to him perfectly, the fabric a few different shades of blue, and the gloves on his hands fit snugly against his fingers. Looking up towards his face I examine his features with a gentle gaze. His jaw was set, his nose slightly rounded at the tip but suited his face well, his brow was slightly creased as he took in his surroundings with his icy blue eyes that held a look of intensity in them. He reached up with his gloved hand and pushed back the falling pieces of white hair from his face and turned his gaze to me.

I gave him a smile and took hold of the sides of my skirt, curtseying to him as I bowed my head out of respect. “Prince Vergil! To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit to our humble bakery?” I asked as I raised my head to look up at him.

“Ah, good morning.” He said, his voice a little higher than Dante’s. “You must be the baker girl my brother tends to go on about.” He said as he adjusted the cuffs of his jacket a little.

I blinked a few times, my cheeks heating up slightly at the knowledge that I had made enough of an impression on the young Prince for him to speak of me to his family. “I suppose I am Your Highness,” I said as I moved some of my hair behind my ear.

Prince Vergil nodded his head as he looked around the bakery once again. “Your bakery is quite quaint.” He said as he took in the minimal decor that we had around the building.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” I said as I looked around the shop as well. “May I ask what brings you to our humble bakery this morning Your Highness?” I asked as I turned to look at him.

Vergil hummed and nodded his head as he turned to face once more. “I came here today to speak about your services and possibly hire you or someone within your bakery to complete something for me.” He stated matter of factly as he began to walk around the bakery, looking at the different displays of bread and pastries that were placed around the shop front.

“And what might that something be, Your Highness?” I asked as I tilted my head to the side out of curiosity.

He ran his finger over the top of one of our wooden tables as he pondered his request for a moment. “My mother’s birthday is coming up, it’s next month on the thirteenth, and I am looking for someone to bake her a cake that is fit for a Queen. And since my brother has spoken so highly of your pastries, and my mother has grown quite fond of your apple pastries, I thought it to be a grand opportunity for you to have something like this offered to you.” He said as he motioned to me with his gloved hand.

My eyes widened and I pointed towards myself. “You want me to make a cake for the Queen, Your Highness?” I asked, wanting to clarify it once more.

Vergil turned to look at me with a raised eyebrow. “Yes, that is what I said.” He said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Will that be a problem?” He asked, his eyes slightly narrowing at me.

I quickly shook my head and gave him a smile. “I’m honored that you would ask this of me, Your Highness! And I am even more honored that my pastries have made such a wonderful impression that I am even considered to bake the Queen her birthday cake!” I stated as the smile continued to spread on my face.

Vergil looked at me and hummed softly through his nose. “Yes, they did indeed. I am glad to hear that you are willing to take on this task. I will have one of our servants bring you the instructions on what kind of cake to make and how it should be presented.” He said as he turned to walk out of the bakery.

“Thank you, Your Highness!” I said as I watched him walk towards the door. “Ah, Your Highness!” I called out, making him stop just before reaching the door. I walked over to the small basket of cherry pastries and took one out.

“A thank you for allowing me to do something like this for the royal family,” I said as I held it out to him with a gentle smile.

Vergil regarded the pastry in my hand before nodding his head and taking it from my hand. “Thank you.” He said and turned back to the front door and walked out of the doorway and down the street back to the castle, his coattails moving in the wind as he disappeared from my sight.

I blinked a few times, placing my hand over my mouth and giggled loudly as I spun around the front of the bakery. “Mother! Father! I’m going to be making the Queen’s birthday cake!” I called out as I ran to the back of the bakery to tell them more about my encounter with the eldest Prince of our kingdom.

--

Vergil stepped into the courtyard of the castle and quickly made his way back to the study he kept himself hidden inside for most of the day so that he could study more on battle strategies. He wasn’t seated for long before he heard his brother’s voice call out to him.

“And where were you?” Dante asked, a smirk to his tone and Vergil could tell that he was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest and one leg crossed in front of the other at the ankle.

“I made a trip to that bakery you go to every morning,” Vergil stated as he flipped the page of his book.

“And what were you doing there?” Dante asked as he raised an eyebrow at him.

Vergil sighed through his nose and turned to look at his brother. “Well, you spoke so highly about the baking of the girl that works there so I took it upon myself to ask her to make mother’s birthday cake next month.” He stated and watched as Dante’s eyebrows raised out of surprise.

“Huh, I didn’t even think about that,” Dante stated. “Damn, baker girl’s gonna have her hands full with making mom’s cake and everything else she makes in the bakery.” He mumbled as he rubbed at the back of his neck.

“But, I think that she’ll do great. Mom loves her apple pastries so I have no doubt that she’s going to make an amazing cake for her.” He said as he gave Vergil a little smirk. “Good choice Verg.” He said before pushing off the door frame and walking out of the study.

Vergil sighed through his nose once more and turned back to his book. He looked up from the page once more and glanced at the pastry he had covered by a piece of parchment paper. Reaching over he gently pulled the plate that held the cherry pastry and stared at it for a few moments before picking it up and taking a bite of it.

I inhaled deeply through my nose as I stood in front of the table that I use every morning and leaned forward on my hands. Another day passed by rather quickly and the meeting with Prince Dante didn’t feel real. It felt as if I dreamt the encounter up and the entire day after it went by in a blur due to me having the thought of the royal family trying the pastries I made on my mind. Before I knew it I was in my bed and up the next morning to continue doing my daily routine. I moved a lock of my (H/C) hair from in front of my eyes and went back to kneading the dough once again. There was no need to get my hopes up on Prince Dante returning to give me the opinions he said he would get, but it gave me something to look forward too.

“Hey, there baker girl.” I heard the voice of Prince Dante call out to me.

I looked up quickly and gave him a smile. “Good morning Prince Dante! Would you like another strawberry pastry?” I asked as I motioned to the basket of pastries to my left.

Dante grinned widely as he laid his head on his arm like he did yesterday morning. “Hell yeah. That pastry was amazing! I kept thinking about it all day after I ate it.” He hummed as he had a dreamy expression on his face.

I smiled a little more and nodded my head. “Of course Your Highness!” I said as I walked over to him and took the basket he was dangling over the windowsill and to the pastries so I could put at least four in the basket for him.

“Ah, right. Mom loved the apple one, she was wondering if she could have a few, she even put some gold coins in there to pay you for everything I’m getting this morning.” Dante said as he motioned to the basket. “Dad practically melted as soon as he took a bite of the raspberry one and Vergil he said it was acceptable. He’s an ass so I’m not surprised that he said it like that. I bet he liked it just as much as we like ours.” He said, practically rambling as I put the pastries into the basket one by one.

I smiled widely to myself as I listened to the compliments that the royal family had said about my baking. “I cannot thank you enough for telling me these compliments Your Highness! It makes my heart feel light and makes me happy to know that the royal family enjoyed my pastries that much!” I giggled as I placed the cloth over the pastries once more. “Ah!” I said as I looked at the gold coins the Queen had given to me. “This is quite a lot for the pastries!” I said as I looked up at Dante.

Dante shrugged and gave me a grin. “Think of it as payment for yesterday’s pastries. Mom would send me straight back if I came back with even one piece of gold, so you might as well take it all.” He chuckled as he looked at my wide-eyed expression.

“Are you certain Your Highness? I don’t want to seem as if I’m taking too much.” I said as I stepped up to the window and held the basket up to him.

Dante nodded and placed the basket next to his head as he continued to look at me. “Yeah, completely.” He said as he shifted to where he was pushing himself up by his hands on the windowsill. “Thanks again, baker girl. I have a feeling I’ll be coming back again tomorrow morning for some more.” He hummed as he gave me a wink before dropping off the windowsill once more and disappeared from my sight.

I waved to Dante as he lowered himself down and onto the ground before smiling to myself and bounced on my feet a little. “I cannot believe this!” I giggled. “The royal family likes, no no, it sounded like they loved my pastries! This is amazing!” I giggled a little more before moving back to my work and happily continuing my morning duties.

--

Dante strolled onto the castle grounds, a little pep to his step, with the basket of pastries in his hand once again. He knew that his mother and father would be rather excited to find the pastries paired with their morning breakfast. His mother would most definitely appreciate the fact that there were multiple this time so she could have it with her afternoon tea as well.

“You seem rather giddy this morning brother,” Vergil said as he stepped up behind Dante and tapped him on the back of the head with the book he was holding.

Dante sighed and turned around, gently rubbing at the back of his head. “Yeah, is that so wrong?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Vergil rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Of course not. It’s just not like you to be up this early, considering that it is six am.” He stated as his eyes drifted down to the basket that he was holding. “Ah, you went to that bakery again didn’t you?” He asked as he pointed to the basket with his index finger.

Dante huffed through his nose and nodded his head. “Yep, I sure did. Mom and Dad wanted more of her pastries so who am I to tell Mom no?” He said as he shrugged his shoulders. He pulled the basket up and pulled back the cloth. “Here, got you another cherry one.” He said as he held the pastry out to him.

Vergil looked down at the pastry and then to Dante before sighing. “You do not need to do such things. I am not very fond of sweet foods, you know this.” He said as he took the pastry from his hand. “But, I will eat it since it would be rude to let it go to waste.” He stated as he brought it to his lips and took a bite.

Dante gave his brother a knowing smirk. “Yeah, it would be rude.” He said as he walked past his brother, clasping his hand over his shoulder. “There are two more in the basket just so you know. Don’t let them go to waste.” He said as he walked off to go towards the kitchen to give the pastries to the cooks so they could prepare them for breakfast.

--

Vergil looked down at the cherry pastry that he held in his hand and hummed softly to himself as he turned it around in his hand to look at it. “It is… Rather delicious. It seems this baker girl knows how to make these pastries to where they are not overwhelmingly sweet.” He mumbled to himself as he walked down the hall towards the study.

Once inside, Vergil walked over to the table he normally sat at to read his book and gently sat down in the chair after pushing the tails of his coat out of the way. He pulled the pastry into his view once more and leaned his head into his free hand as he studied it.

(The reader is a simple baker girl who lives in the Angelo kingdom with her mother and father. One fateful morning she meets one of the young Prince's as she's preparing for the day before her. Little does she know that that one fateful meeting is going to change her life for the better. She will fall hopelessly in love but not without a few bumps along the way.)

(This story can be found on my ao3 as well! https://archiveofourown.org/works/23524447/chapters/56419189)

I stretched my arms above my head as I stood in front of the table that held tins of flour, cups of berries, and the dough that I was currently kneading and sectioning out for today. My family’s bakery is well known throughout the Angelo kingdom, especially for the pastries that are handmade by me. My parents and I get up every morning at three am to begin the process of making our delicious baked goods and by six we set them out on display for all of the townsfolk to bear witness to and purchase for their breakfast. A small smile made its way upon my lips as I thought about all the smiling faces I would see and the giggles of children that would grace my ears. I hummed softly to myself as I began to knead at the dough once again and fell deep into my thoughts.

“Wow, that smells amazing.” I heard a deep voice say from the window across from me.

I let out a yelp of surprise and nearly fell backward onto my butt at the sudden sound and stared up at the person, a man to be more exact, with wide eyes. When all the man did was chuckle and smile at me I furrowed my brow out of confusion and concern.

“Haha, sorry about that. Didn’t mean to scare you.” He said as he leaned further into the window, his chin resting on one arm and the other dangling inside the bakery. “I just smelt something really good when I woke up and decided to check it out. Glad I did.” He added with a hum.

I studied the man’s features for a few moments, he wasn’t someone who I had seen before in the shop nor out in the market whenever I was sent to go and get supplies for the next day, then realization dawned on me. The white hair, the blue eyes, and the rather fancy garments he wore, he was not just some random man that happened upon the bakery.

“Y-Your Highness!” I squeaked out as I quickly wiped my flour-covered hands onto my dirty apron, curtsying when I felt clean enough. “To what do we owe the pleasure of your sudden visit?” I asked as I kept my head bowed out of respect.

I heard the man sigh and adjust his position on the windowsill before speaking again. “Aw damn, you caught me.” He said with a soft huff. “Like I said, I woke up to a wonderful smell so I decided to see where it was coming from.” He stated as he gave me another lazy grin when I looked back up at him.

I blinked a few times before smiling back at him and nodded my head. “Of course Your Highness! I’m glad that our baked goods smelled wonderful to you! Would you like me to get you something? It’s all fresh out of the oven.” I stated as I clasped my hands together in front of me.

The Prince grinned at me and nodded his head. “Hell yeah, that would be great.” He said as he began to look around at the many different baked goods that were lying about. “How about some of those?” He stated as he pointed at the different fruit pastries I had made a little earlier.

I looked over to where he was pointing and smiled brightly. “Of course! Is there a certain fruit you would like Your Highness?” I asked as I walked over and grabbed a little basket to put the pastries in for him.

“Oh yeah, I like strawberries.” He hummed. It seemed like he was in thought when I looked at him once again, but before I could ask if something was wrong he began to speak again. “Would you be alright with me getting some for my parents and brother? I can hear them nagging when I think about what will happen when I get back. I can take one for each of them if you want. Don’t want to take too many of your sweets before everyone else.” He teased with a wink.

I giggled softly and shook my head as I grabbed a strawberry pastry. “Of course not Your Highness. Take as many as you like.” I said as I looked back up at him.

He grinned and nodded his head before he began to speak again. “Sweet! Alright so, Mom likes apples, Dad likes raspberries, and for some weird reason, Vergil likes cherry. I never really understood why he liked cherries, they’re too tart. Do you have all of them by chance?” He asked as he pointed at the pastries once again.

Ah, so this was Prince Dante. No wonder people say that he is a little rambunctious and wild compared to his brother Prince Vergil. I smiled and nodded my head as I grabbed one of each fruit pastry and placed them in the basket. “Of course Prince Dante. I make sure to have every fruit that is known to our kingdom so there are plenty of options!” I said as I covered up the pastries with the cloth I placed inside and walked over to the windowsill, holding it up to him.

“Here you are, Your Highness. Please let me know how you like them, I made them myself this morning.” I said as I gave him a genuine smile.

Dante looked at me for a few moments before smiling right back and nodded his head as he took the basket from me. “Sweet! Thanks! Oh right,” He looked down at the basket and then to me. “How much do I owe you? I don’t want to take these for free just because of… You know.” He said with a small smile.

I smiled back and shook my head. “There’s no need to worry about that. It’s on the house. Think of it as a welcoming gift to our bakery. Please do let me know how you like the pastry if you decide to come back.” I said as I gently pushed the basket towards him.

Dante grinned and nodded his head as he moved to where he was sitting upright. “Thanks, baker girl. I’ll come back tomorrow to let you know my thoughts on it.” He said as he disappeared from the window and a soft thud could be heard as his feet hit the ground.

I walked over to the window and placed my hands on the bottom of it and pulled myself up on my tiptoes so that I could see over and into the ever lightening morning sky. I smiled to myself and leaned my head to the side as I watched Prince Dante walk away from our humble bakery.

---

Dante hummed softly to himself as he pulled out the strawberry pastry that I had so delicately placed in the basket for him and inhaled deeply. “Man, I knew getting up was a good idea.” He hummed as he opened his mouth to take a bite.

“And where were you?” The sound of his brother’s voice rang through the hall of the foyer, making him roll his eyes. “And why are you up so early? Normally you sleep without a care in the world until noon, or until Mother comes to wake you.” Vergil said as he stepped up to his brother.

Dante rolled his eyes again and shrugged his shoulders. “I woke up ‘cause I was hungry and I caught the most wonderful smell drifting through the air and I just had to know where it was coming from!” He said with a hum to his tone.

Vergil raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at his younger brother. “And what might that smell be dear brother?” He asked and watched as Dante grinned and motioned to the basket that he was holding.

“Only the most delicious pastries in the kingdom! You know that little bakery that’s past the blacksmith and bookstore that you like?” Dante asked and Vergil only nodded. “Well, apparently the girl that works there, real cute might I add, makes pastries every morning with every fruit that can be found in our kingdom.” He said as he pulled out the cherry pastry and held it out to him.

Vergil stared at the pastry before huffing through his nose and turned his head away. “I do not have time to indulge in sweets this early in the morning Dante, and neither should you.” He said as he began to walk away.

“Aw, come on Verg. Give it a taste! One bite isn’t going to hurt you! Plus she said it was fresh out of the oven!” Dante pleaded. “And uh,” he cleared his throat a little. “I kind of told her that I would come back tomorrow with everyone’s opinion about it.” He stated.

Vergil took a deep breath and sighed heavily through his nose. “Fine.” He said as he turned around and took the pastry from his hand. “I will eat this later and tell you my thoughts on it. But after this, do not ask me to do something that does not pertain to the task of the day.” He said as he turned back around and began to walk off towards the study.