Chapter 269: Chapter 269

Gabriel swallowed hard, unable to meet his gaze. He knew Dante wasn’t wrong. It was the divine law of celestial energy; every angel was bound by destiny to one soulmate, a twin flame whose presence overpowered all earthly attachments. Once found, no heart could resist it.

Meanwhile, Dante’s thoughts turned briefly inward. Demons don’t have mates, he reminded himself, his gaze flickering toward the window. We don’t need them. We don’t crave that kind of connection. And yet, the faint restlessness in his chest whenever Alina’s name came up made him question that belief.

"I understand, sir," Gabriel said finally, forcing a small, stiff smile. "I only wanted to make sure she’s safe."

Dante studied him for a moment longer, his expression unreadable. Then he said quietly, "She will be. You may leave now."

Gabriel nodded quickly and turned to go, though as he reached the door, he could feel Dante’s heavy gaze still on his back.

Outside, the angel sighed deeply, pressing a hand to his chest. If only you knew, he thought, how hard it is not to care.

Dante’s gaze stayed on the door long after it had closed, the faint echo of Gabriel’s retreating footsteps fading down the corridor. The silence that followed felt heavy and too sharp. He leaned back against his desk, one hand curling slightly against the polished wood, his jaw tightening.

His tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth, a quiet habit that came whenever his restraint began to thin. The air around him darkened, his aura flickering like smoke at the edges.

He didn’t understand it—this irritation, this faint coil of heat beneath his chest. Gabriel’s concern shouldn’t matter. Angels were creatures of compassion by nature; it was their way. Yet the tone in Gabriel’s voice, the desperation in his eyes when he asked about Alina, had stirred something ugly in him.

His lips curved, not into a smile but something colder. "Tch," he exhaled through his teeth, the sound sharp in the quiet office.

For a moment, he tried to push the thought away, reaching for one of the reports on his desk. But his mind betrayed him, wandering to Alina’s voice, her laughter, the way she fidgeted with her pen when she was nervous. He remembered her smiling up at him last week, sunlight catching in her hair. And that warmth... that same warmth he had convinced himself he didn’t need now refused to leave his mind.

He closed his eyes briefly and muttered under his breath, "Ridiculous... she’s just a teacher."

But even as he said it, he knew it wasn’t true. The way she softened every corner of that dark kindergarten, how even shadows seemed lighter when she walked by—it was dangerous. For him, for the balance he was meant to keep.

His fingers tapped once against the desk.

Professor Hobb trudged toward Class D, muttering darkly beneath his breath like a storm cloud in a waistcoat. His spectacles bounced on his nose with every heavy step. By the time he reached the door, his patience had already expired twice.

The moment he flung it open, every baby in the room froze mid-noise, mid-wiggle, mid-mischief. For a heartbeat, there was silence, and then Boo’s wide silver eyes lit up with shock.

"Professor Egg???" the little ghost squeaked.

The word Egg echoed through the room like magic.

Every baby turned at once.

"Egg???" Drake repeated, his tail flapping excitedly. "Teacher Egg??"

"His head looks like a boiled one!" Boo declared proudly, spinning in the air.

Professor Hobb’s jaw dropped. "Excuse me?!"

"Boiled egg with beard," Luna mumbled under her breath, and Felix actually snorted, covering his mouth with his paw.

"Enough!" Hobb barked, his face already flushing red. "Everyone sit down! I am taking attendance, and there will be no nonsense!"

He straightened his tie with dignity just as Drake leaned toward Boo and whispered, "Do you think if I tap his head, it’ll crack?"

Boo giggled, whispering back, "Maybe yolk come out!"

"I heard that!" Hobb thundered, slamming the attendance sheet on the table.

"Where’s Teacher Alina?" Luna demanded, her wolf ears twitching angrily. "You’re not our teacher!"

"Yeah! Where is our teacher?" Drake suddenly turned half-dragon in fury, his wings snapping open as he hovered dangerously close to Hobb’s head.

"Down, beast!" Hobb shouted, waving his pen like a sword. "Sit before I—before I—"

He never finished the threat, because splash!

Kelpie, who had been quietly giggling from his seat, flicked his tiny hand and a perfect wave of water smacked the professor right in the face.

The entire classroom went silent.

Professor Hobb stood there dripping from head to toe, his tie hanging like seaweed, his hair plastered to his shiny scalp. For one long, terrible second, no one dared breathe. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵

Then Boo whispered, his voice trembling with delight, "He’s a wet boiled egg now."

The classroom erupted.

Luna fell over laughing, Drake rolled on the floor clutching his stomach, even stoic Felix bit one of his tails to keep from howling.

Hobb wiped his face with a trembling hand, his mustache dripping like a waterfall. "You insufferable creatures!" he sputtered.

Before he could explode further, Rocky panicked and turned into an actual boulder beside his desk. The professor tripped on him, slipped, and fell back into another puddle of Kelpie’s water.

"Quick! Save the Egg!" Boo cried dramatically, floating around in circles.

But that moment, Sable’s small voice broke through the laughter, and the classroom fell utterly silent.

"No... he took out Teacher," Sable said, his eyes trembling red as he clenched his fists, his small frame shaking with anger. "That’s why Teacher isn’t here today."

Every baby froze. The words hit harder than anything Professor Hobb could have said. Boo stopped spinning midair, Luna’s ears twitched, Drake’s tail stiffened, and even Rocky, who had been half-dozing, turned back into his soft boy form with a thud.

"Teacher... left?" Boo whispered, his little ghost face pale.

"She wouldn’t leave us," Luna said softly, though her voice was trembling.

"But she didn’t come!" Drake shouted, smoke puffing from his nose. "And he—" he pointed dramatically at Professor Hobb "—he took her away!"

"I did not!" Hobb cried in outrage, clutching his wet handkerchief. "What are you talking about, you unreasonable monsters?!"