Chapter 268: Chapter 268

She took a deep breath and began typing:

Subject: Leave Request

Dear Principal Dante,

I’m really sorry for the sudden notice, but I’ll have to take leave for the next few days. My aunt has been hospitalized and is under medical observation. Her condition isn’t stable, and there’s no one else at home to look after her son, Ethan. He’s in the middle of his exams, and I can’t leave him alone.

I promise to return as soon as things stabilize. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

She read the message twice, biting her lip, then clicked Send.

As the screen blinked and the message disappeared, she let out a long breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Her chest ached from the stress. She leaned her head back against the wall, eyes burning.

Through the small window at the end of the corridor, the city lights shone faintly.

Monday morning greeted Dante not with peace but with irritation wrapped in disappointment. He sat behind his desk, the faint glow of his monitor reflecting against his crimson eyes as he read Alina’s email again, line by line, as if his mind refused to accept it.

So, she wasn’t coming today.

The universe truly had a cruel sense of humor. When he had spent all of yesterday quietly thinking of excuses to visit her classroom again, to perhaps speak to her casually about something trivial, just to see her smile but she vanished from his plans with a polite leave request. Check latest chapters at 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✦𝓷𝓮𝓽

Her words were simple, apologetic, responsible: "a family emergency... a sick relative... I’ll return soon." But even the neat tone of her message carried exhaustion, something that made his chest tighten in concern.

Still, his face showed nothing but calm professionalism as he leaned back in his chair. "Family emergency," he murmured under his breath. "Then... I hope she’s fine."

But inside, he felt the sting of impatience, as though life itself had poured a bucket of cold water over his quiet anticipation.

He sighed deeply and turned to his schedule. "Since there’s only one teacher for Class D," he muttered, scanning the roster, "we’ll have to merge them again with Class A and B."

He clicked the intercom. "Miss Kelly," his deep voice echoed through the system, "you’ll handle Class A and B together today. Have the little ones seated by groups."

"Yes, Principal Dante," came her cheerful voice, though he could almost hear the nerves behind it.

Next, he looked at the following name. "And... Professor Hobb," he said with slight hesitation.

Moments later, the door opened, and Professor Hobb entered, already frowning. His round spectacles sat crookedly on his nose, and his mustache twitched like an irritated cat.

"Principal," Hobb said, adjusting his files, "I just received the notice that my schedule has been rearranged?"

"Yes," Dante replied smoothly, rising from his chair. "Miss Alina Hart has taken emergency leave for personal reasons. Until she returns, you’ll oversee Class D."

Professor Hobb groaned dramatically. "Class D?" His eyes widened. "You mean the monster class?"

Dante’s brows lifted slightly. "They’re children, Professor. Not monsters."

"Children?" Hobb sputtered, clutching his papers like a shield. "Months ago, one of them tried to steal my tie! And another tried to use my bald spot as a ’crystal reflection experiment’! Principal, you cannot possibly—"

"They’re manageable," Dante said, his voice calm but final. "Miss Alina manages them just fine. I’m sure a senior professor like you can handle it."

Hobb looked scandalized. "Miss Alina is... different, sir! She has this—this way of making them listen. I have logic, not... hugs!"

Dante almost smirked but hid it beneath his composed expression. "Then perhaps today, logic will have to learn patience."

Professor Hobb groaned again, muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "She tames demons, not teaches them," before storming off toward the classrooms.

Dante pinched the bridge of his nose, suppressing the faint amusement rising inside him. The day had barely begun, and yet he could already imagine the chaos waiting to unfold.

Still, somewhere beneath his stoic composure, a quiet thought lingered.

I hope she’s alright.

Gabriel’s worry rippled through the halls before he even reached Dante’s office.

The moment he heard that Alina was on leave, something in him panicked—a quiet, trembling instinct that told him something wasn’t right. He called her phone once, twice, then thrice, but it kept ringing unanswered. A hollow unease settled in his chest.

Without thinking, he clasped his hands and whispered a soft incantation under his breath, sending out a wave of protective golden energy: the pure light of a guardian’s aura, directed toward her. Please let her be safe, he thought, his invisible bright wings flickering faintly behind him. Only then did he head straight for the principal’s office.

He knocked hurriedly, and the moment he heard Dante’s cool "Come in," he pushed open the door.

"Sir!" Gabriel said, a little out of breath. "What happened to Miss Alina? Is she alright? Miss Kelly said she took leave because of a family emergency—did something happen?"

Dante looked up slowly from behind his desk, crimson eyes sharpening. The sunlight falling through the tall windows made his shadow stretch across the floor..dark, heavy, and commanding. The air thickened instantly.

"Why do you care so much, Angel Gabe?" Dante asked, his tone deceptively soft, but the cold glint in his eyes betrayed something sharper.

Gabriel froze. The title—Angel—spoken aloud in that tone made his heart skip. He had always known Dante could sense energy, but being addressed so directly sent a chill down his spine.

"I... Miss Alina is my colleague," he managed to say, his voice cautious. "And my friend. It’s only natural to be worried when a friend is in trouble."

Dante’s expression didn’t change, but his aura shifted slightly—shadows curling faintly behind him. "Make sure she remains just a friend," he said quietly, though the intensity in his voice was enough to make Gabriel’s heart ache. "Because if your feelings grow beyond that, you’ll only end up hurting her."

Gabriel blinked, confused. "Hurting her? Sir, I would never—"

"You would," Dante interrupted, standing from his chair, his presence filling the room like a dark tide. "You know what happens when an angel meets their true soulmate. The bond consumes everything else. Every feeling you thought you had for anyone else burns away like smoke. And when that day comes, your affection for Alina will vanish, but she’ll still carry the wound."