Ten minutes before her class started.
A soft knock echoed on the staffroom door, and when Alina opened it, a tall helper stood there with a trolley stacked neatly with little folded uniforms…each set tagged with colorful name labels.
"Delivery for Class D," he said plainly, his face unreadable, though Alina thought she saw the ghost of a smile.
"Oh! Thank you so much!" she said, beaming.
He gave a small nod and pushed the trolley along as she guided it down the hallway. Alina's heels tapped lightly on the floor, her heart feeling strangely light. Weeks ago, she was getting yelled at by a café manager. Now she was walking toward a room filled with monster toddlers who drew her into their chaotic little world.
They reached Class D's colorful door, and the helper left without another word. She waved anyway and whispered a happy "Thanks again."
Taking a breath, Alina pushed the door open.
A familiar warmth wrapped around her as she stepped inside.
Drake was spinning in circles with his arms wide open, pretending to fly. Vlad Jr. was perched elegantly on his chair like a tiny vampire CEO.
Rocky was chewing his sleeve, peeking around cautiously.
Luna was sitting cross-legged on the floor with her arms crossed, looking annoyed at a crayon that refused to color properly.
Kelpie sat near the window, doodling swirls on the foggy glass.
Sable was quietly drawing in the corner, and Boo had somehow balanced himself upside down in the bookshelf again.
Her heart instantly melted.
"Good morning, sweethearts!" she called, walking in with a smile and shutting the door behind her.
Seven heads turned.
"Miss Alinaaaa!!" Drake screamed in joy, running straight into her knees like a warm missile.
"We missed you for twenty-four hours," Boo announced from the shelf. "That's like… forty years in ghost time."
Alina laughed. "Well, I missed you all too."
She looked at the trolley and clapped her hands. "Guess what! We got our brand-new uniforms today!"
Luna's ears perked. Vlad Jr. tilted his head with noble curiosity. Boo gasped dramatically. And Rocky… quietly tried to crawl under his desk.
It was going to be another interesting morning.
"Alright, sweethearts," Alina said, rolling up her sleeves like a gentle commander ready to face battle. She stood behind the trolley full of perfectly folded uniforms, their colors neatly sorted and tagged with names.
"I'm going to call out names. When you hear yours, come up and take your uniform, okay? Put it in your bag for now. We'll wear it tomorrow." Her soft, steady voice carried across the room, and several tiny heads bobbed in excitement. She began with the first few names.
Drake practically danced up to grab his set and immediately hugged it like it was made of gold.
Boo whispered something to his shirt as he packed it into his ghostly cloud of a bag.
Rocky approached silently, barely making eye contact as he took his folded uniform with trembling hands and a tiny shy nod. One by one, the students came forward. But when Alina reached one particular name.
"Lucian…?"—her voice paused. She looked up from the list and scanned the classroom, her brows gently drawn together. No one answered.
Just as she moved to call the next name, a familiar excited voice called out, "Teacher! Teacher, he's here!" Drake pointed urgently toward the back corner of the classroom.
Alina followed the direction of his finger and then she saw him. A little boy was crouched near the bookshelf, half-shielded behind a pile of art mats.
His face was chubby and pale, lips pressed in a pout, expression flat like a tiny royal who had absolutely no interest in being discovered.
His deep crimson eyes glared at Drake with quiet wrath, while a pair of small curved horns peeked out from his dark, silky hair. Alina's heart skipped a beat…not in fear, but in sheer awe.
He was Lucian Nightshade—the principal's son. The baby of the most terrifying man in the building.
She blinked, trying to keep her smile warm and natural. "Lucian, sweetheart," she said gently, stepping closer without crowding him, "your uniform is here. Would you like to take it?"
He didn't respond, just blinked at her slowly like a cat who had been awakened from an important nap.
She had a feeling this little prince wouldn't be easy.
To her quiet surprise, Lucian didn't ignore her. Instead, he blinked once, then gave the smallest, most dignified nod she had ever received from a toddler. His tiny brows remained slightly furrowed as if the world owed him answers.
When Alina gently handed him his uniform, folded perfectly with his name tag clipped neatly on top, he accepted it with both hands and nodded again—polite, proper, and completely unreadable. Not a word, not a smile, not even a pout. Just... toddler royalty handling his royal garments.
She watched with growing amusement as Lucian turned on his heel and walked back to his desk without saying a thing.
He sat down in his little chair like a little CEO and pulled out a notebook from his backpack with a soft rustle.
His chubby fingers opened it to a blank page, and he picked up a tiny pencil as if he were about to begin writing war strategies.
Alina blinked, then smiled softly. His legs didn't even reach the floor, yet his face looked as serious as a tax officer. He didn't speak much, but somehow he gave off the energy of someone who secretly ran the whole classroom.
She bit back a giggle. This one… this one was going to be interesting.