I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Queen Serafina’s elegant hand froze mid-reach for Luna’s hair, Lady Maris’s aquatic eyes went wide, Queen Granite’s stone face cracked into an expression of shock, Lady Isadora’s composed features softened into something almost like wonder, and Aine’s golden tails stopped swishing altogether.

They exchanged glances.

Oh my goodness. Mom. The boys had called her Mom. Not Teacher, not Alina, but Mom.

And judging from Alina’s face, she looked completely used to it, not surprised at all. Which could only mean one thing. Lord Dante and Miss Alina were together.

Lady Isadora was the first to speak, her voice careful and measured. "Miss Alina, the boys... they call you Mom."

Alina looked up, still holding Sable in her arms. "Yes."

"You’re... you and Lord Dante..." Lady Isadora trailed off.

Alina’s cheeks turned pink, but she didn’t deny it. "We’re together. Yes."

The mothers stared.

Queen Serafina’s hand dropped from Luna’s hair as she asked, "Together? As in—"

"Together," Alina confirmed. "Dating, partners, whatever you want to call it."

Lady Maris pressed her hand to her heart. "Oh my. The Shadow Lord and a human teacher."

Alina simply shrugged. "Love doesn’t care about species."

Aine burst into laughter, her tails swishing back and forth with delight. "I knew it! I knew it the moment I saw you two together at the parents’ meeting. The way he looked at you—"

"He looks at her like she hung the moon," Lady Isadora said gently, her eyes soft.

"Like she’s the only person in the room," Queen Granite added, her stone face still carrying traces of shock.

"Like he would burn the world down for her," Queen Serafina murmured, almost to herself.

Alina’s face was completely red now. She looked down at Sable, then at Lucien, then back at the mothers.

"It’s not—I mean, we haven’t—it’s still new—" she stammered.

Lucien looked up at her with his calm, knowing eyes. "It’s not new, Mom. You’ve been together for months."

Sable nodded enthusiastically beside him. "Yeah! Lots of months!"

Queen Serafina shook her head, still smiling. "I never thought I’d see the day. The Shadow Lord, tamed by a human."

Alina lowered her hands, her cheeks still pink but her eyes soft and steady. "He’s not tamed," she said quietly. "He’s still... him. Just... him with me."

********

A week passed and the worms—every last one of them—went extinct.

It happened because all the races finally united. The shadow clans, the snake domain, the dragon lords, the wolf packs, the vampire knights, the stone kingdom, the water courts, everyone put aside their differences and worked together. They hunted the worms through tunnels and caverns, through mountains and forests, through places where the sun never reached.

And leading them, guiding them, was Sir Santo.

The priest used his power to track the remaining hidden worms. His golden light pierced through darkness, through stone, through the deepest underground chambers. He found nests that had been hidden for centuries, eggs that had been waiting to hatch, worms that had been preparing to attack again. He found them all and he helped destroy them.

Because killing and fighting were strictly prohibited for priests. The rules were clear, the vows were sacred. A priest who killed would lose their power, would be stripped of their halo, would become mortal again.

But Sir Santo didn’t kill. He couldn’t.

Instead he tracked, he guided, he illuminated. He showed the warriors where to strike, where to dig, where to burn. His hands remained clean of blood but his heart was set on vengeance.

The other priests watched him carefully and the council debated. Some argued that his intentions were impure, that his fury was unseemly, that he should be punished for his rage. But others reminded them that the worms had eaten children, had eaten babies, and Sir Santo had not killed, had not broken his vows, had only helped others do what needed to be done.

In the end the council decided. Sir Santo would not be stripped of his power.

In the end everything became peaceful.

And many commoners were overjoyed because the worms were gone. Most of the time the common people had suffered the most because of the earth worms. The worms had taken many children, and because of them the birth rate had decreased dramatically. No one wanted their babies to be taken. Normal children were kept hidden and were never taken out freely.

Now the worms were gone. Parents could finally let their kids play outside without fear. It was such a happy occasion.

******

Meanwhile Dante stood by the window of his chamber watching the evening sky turn from gold to amber to deep velvety blue. The stars were beginning to appear, one by one, scattered across the heavens like tiny promises.

He had been gone for days. Hunting, fighting, making sure the worms would never return. He hadn’t returned home in days.

But now he was back.

Alina stood in the doorway looking at him standing in the dim light, his silhouette framed by the window. He was still wearing his traveling clothes, dark and worn, stained with dirt and something darker. His hair was disheveled and his jaw was shadowed with stubble.

But his eyes, when he turned to look at her, were soft.

She had just found out from a servant that Dante was back, so she had rushed here as quickly as possible.

"You’re back," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I’m back," he replied.

She wanted to run to him, to throw her arms around him, to hold him and never let go. But she held herself back.

"You should take a bath," she said instead, a teasing note creeping into her voice. "You smell like worm."

His lips twitched. "That’s not very romantic."

"You want romantic? Take a bath first."

He chuckled, a low tired sound and disappeared into the adjoining room.

She heard the water running, heard him moving around, heard him sigh, a long deep sigh of exhaustion and relief.

When he came out his hair was damp and curling at the ends. He was wearing a simple black shirt and loose trousers and he looked younger like this. The tension in his shoulders had eased and the shadows under his eyes were still there but they seemed lighter.

They had dinner together in the small dining room, just the four of them. Lucien sat on one side of Alina and Sable on the other, their small bodies warm against hers, their eyes heavy with sleep. Dante sat across from them watching his family with quiet contentment.

"Are all the worms really gone?" Lucien asked, looking up from his plate with barely hidden excitement.

"Yes," Dante replied.

"For good?" Lucien pressed.

"For good," Dante confirmed.

Sable nodded seriously, his small face thoughtful. "Good. They were rude."

Alina laughed, the sound bright and warm in the quiet room. "Very rude," she agreed.

Dante’s lips curved into a small genuine smile.

After dinner, after the dishes were cleared and the children were tucked into bed with stories and goodnight kisses, Dante took Alina’s hand.

"Come with me," he said softly.

She didn’t ask where. She just followed.