As Alina continued her quiet walk around the room, she reached the desk by the window where Kelpie sat, hunched over his worksheet with intense focus.
His pale little hands gripped the pencil carefully, and his tongue peeked out between his lips as he slowly tried to copy each number with all the concentration in the world.
His royal blue eyes narrowed at the page, and his hair swayed slightly every time he leaned closer. Alina smiled, touched by his effort until she noticed something odd.
The paper beneath his pencil was starting to… glisten. Little drops of moisture pooled on the edge of the page, and the corner had started curling in a soggy, wet fold.
A tiny rivulet of water had begun running toward the number six, which now looked like it had been washed by a tiny waterfall. Kelpie didn't seem to notice. He was sweating—literally. Being made of water, even his stress leaked gently.
"Kelpie, sweetheart," Alina said softly, crouching beside him. "It's okay. Just take your time. And maybe don't lean too close?" He blinked, looking up nervously, and gently moved his head back.
"S-sorry, Teacher…" he whispered, cheeks turning pink with embarrassment as he wiped the paper gently with his sleeve—though that only made it wetter.
Alina chuckled under her breath and passed him a dry-cloth from her bag. "Here you go. We'll call this practice page one." Kelpie looked up at her with such gratitude, it made her heart squeeze. Even soggy worksheets couldn't dampen how precious these babies were.
And just like that, the soft scribbles of pencils and the quiet concentration of tiny minds faded as the bell rang—a cheerful chime that echoed through the colorful classroom like a gentle announcement of freedom.
Immediately, chairs screeched as the little monsters sprang into action. Drake leapt from his desk like it was the start of a race, Luna darted out in wolf form with her usual flair, and even Lucian packed up neatly before calmly walking out.
One by one, the classroom emptied as the babies made their way to the breakfast hall—except for Boo, who floated lazily near the ceiling, blinking at Alina with a mysterious smile.
She chuckled softly, hands on her hips. "You're not hungry, Boo?"
He drifted down like a sleepy cloud, plopping into her chair backwards and resting his chin on the backrest.
"Miss Teacher," he whispered, eyes wide like he was about to reveal government secrets, "do you want to hear something that will make your soul laugh?"
Alina blinked, curious. "What now?"
Boo leaned closer with a proud smirk. "Yesterday, I was floating behind the principal's office bookshelf. Stealth mode. Completely invisible."
Alina's brows lifted. "You were spying on the principal?"
Boo nodded, very seriously. "And then… when no one was there… when he thought no one was looking…" He paused dramatically. "He farted."
"What?" Alina blinked.
Boo grinned wider. "The scary principal! Demon Lord Dark-and-Broody. He farted. Secretly. Quiet but deadly." Alina stared at him. Then burst into laughter.
She tried to hold it in, hand over her mouth, but Boo was already laughing too, floating upside down in joy.
"Boo, you're making this up."
"I swear on my bed!" Boo gasped. "It echoed. Slightly. I heard it."
Alina couldn't stop giggling, feeling funny, "Please don't ever tell him I laughed at this."
"Too late," Boo said dramatically. "He might already know. His horn glowed for two seconds when I laughed."
Alina shook her head, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. "You're unbelievable."
Boo bowed deeply. "Thank you."
Even as she watched Boo float out of the classroom, giggling to himself like he just won a prank war, Alina was left standing there—trying very, very hard to compose herself. But it was no use.
The image in her head had already taken root. Dante Nightshade, the cold, sharp-edged demon principal who walked like royalty and spoke like thunder—farting.
Her mind betrayed her further by adding imaginary sound effects, and before she knew it, another soft laugh slipped out, followed by her own hand clapping over her mouth.
Oh no. She bit her lip, her shoulders shaking as she tried to stop the laughter bubbling inside her chest.
"What if I run into him right now?" she thought with horror. She could already imagine it—his unreadable glare and her entire soul shattering because she couldn't hold in the giggle.
Please don't let me meet him in the hallway, she silently begged whatever supernatural force was listening.
She quickly gathered the leftover worksheets and smoothed her dress, still grinning as she stepped out of the classroom.
The last thing she needed was to break into laughter in front of a tall handsome principal because of a toddler's fart story.
As Alina stepped into the hallway, she took a deep breath, willing her heart to calm down and her brain to erase any mental images of the principal's... incident.
But fate, of course, had other plans. Because right then—right then from the far end of the corridor, Dante Nightshade appeared, walking with the calm, commanding grace of someone who didn't even need to try. Her feet froze. Her heart tripped. Oh no.
He wore a black suit, the jacket slightly unbuttoned at the top to reveal a high-collared silver underlayer that hugged his neck with precision.
His broad shoulders moved in smooth rhythm with each step, and his tall figure practically glided down the hallway like a shadow.
The sunlight from the window kissed the sharp line of his jaw, and his dark, ancient eyes scanned the corridor lazily until they landed on her.
Alina almost dropped her worksheets.
Why—why does he have to look like a seductive villain walking out of a perfume ad? Her eyes darted away as heat rushed to her cheeks.
No. Don't think of it. Don't think of Boo's gossip. Don't laugh. DON'T LAUGH. She clenched her jaw, trying to breathe normally as Dante passed by—his steps slow, his scent faintly spicy and dangerous, like cinnamon and hellfire.
"Miss Hart," he said in that deep, thunder-silk voice. Just two words. Nothing more. But the moment he passed her, her throat squeaked and she made the mistake of biting her lip… and a small snort-laugh escaped her.
Her eyes widened in horror. No no no no— She quickly ducked her head down and pretended to cough, her shoulders stiff as stone, praying to all known deities that he didn't hear. Behind her, Dante paused for a second… then kept walking. Alina let out a silent scream inside her soul. Why am I like this?!