I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!-Chapter 425 Approval

Then she took a small breath.

"Can I speak with you alone for a moment?" she asked Dante, her tone polite but firm.

Dante’s eyes met hers. A single cool nod.

"Of course."

Sable’s little fists tightened in Georgia’s dress. Lucien’s eyebrows drew together in a worried line. Alina just stood there, twisting her fingers together, as Dante followed her aunt a few steps into the hallway. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

They stopped near the end, where a window let in a soft square of afternoon light. It fell across Dante’s face, making his green eyes look almost transparent.

Aunt Lyla turned to face him fully. She wrung her hands for a second before clasping them in front of her, like she was holding onto her own courage.

"I... I want to apologize properly," she began, her voice lower now, stripped of its earlier defensiveness. "And I need to say something to you honestly, Dante."

He didn’t say anything. He just waited, perfectly still, for her to go on.

She swallowed. "I wasn’t trying to insult you. I was scared for Alina. She’s never had an easy time of it. Never had much to call her own. And now, for the first time, she seems... happy. Truly happy. I was afraid someone with your... your power, your world... might break her heart without even realizing it."

Dante’s expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes gentled. Just a little. Just enough to show he heard her, and that he understood her fear came from love.

"And the children," Lyla continued with a sigh. "I didn’t want her to be thrown into a role she wasn’t ready for. It all seemed so fast."

Dante finally spoke. His voice was steady, deep. It filled the quiet hallway. "I understand your concern. But I won’t hurt her." He paused, letting the words sink in. "And I didn’t choose her because she could be a mother to my sons. I chose her because my heart wants her. That’s all."

Alina couldn’t hear the words from where she stood, but she could feel the weight of the conversation. She saw the way her aunt’s face changed, the worry softening into confusion, then into something else. Something like surprise.

Aunt Lyla’s eyes got a little wider. She hadn’t expected an answer like that. She swallowed hard, pressing on with the last of her doubts. "But the mothering part—"

"Let me be clear," Dante said, cutting her off gently but firmly. "Alina loves children. She runs a whole kindergarten class alone. She has a patience with them that I’ve never seen in anyone. She never complains. She never gets tired." His voice warmed just a fraction as he went on. "And she loves my boys with that same heart. I’ve never seen her hesitate with them. Never seen her act like they’re a burden. She treats them as if they were her own. So don’t think she was pushed into anything. She chose them. Just like they chose her."

Aunt Lyla fell silent. Her lips trembled for a second as she took that in.

Dante’s voice grew quieter, and a raw note crept into it. "My boys... they’ve always needed a mother. They grew up without one. So when someone finally gave them that kind of warmth... of course they clung to her. They adore her. They love her more than I can even say."

His voice cracked almost imperceptibly on the last words, a subtle break that only someone listening closely would catch.

Aunt Lyla’s face softened completely, though a shadow of worry remained. "But... your family," she said gently. "You mentioned the kindergarten was private, for... important royal families. You’re clearly a powerful man, Dante. What about your own people? Your family? Will they accept Alina?"

There was a long pause. Dante’s eyes dropped to the floor for a moment. His long lashes cast shadows on his cheeks. Aunt Lyla waited for him to say more, to explain or reassure her.

He didn’t.

When he finally looked up, his face was blank. His voice was flat, almost empty, when he said, "I don’t have a family. Other than my boys."

He didn’t explain. He didn’t need to. The words hung in the air, heavy and final. His parents were gone. His brother was gone. There was no one left. If not for Lucien and Sable—those two small, unexpected lights in his life—the loneliness might have swallowed him whole a long time ago.

Aunt Lyla didn’t ask anything else. She just nodded slowly, her eyes full of a new understanding.

Upstairs, Alina and Georgia hauled the suitcases into the guest room. The boys trailed behind them, peeking back down the stairs every few seconds as if to make sure their dad was still there. Even on the steps, Sable was whispering to Lucien, "Dad looked sad before, right?" Lucien just nodded, his little face solemn.

In the room, Georgia helped push the window open. A cool, city-scented breeze drifted in.

When they came back down, the feeling in the house was completely different. Aunt Lyla was smiling...a real, warm smile that reached her eyes. And Dante... the tightness was gone from his shoulders. He looked calm. Settled.

"Lina, why don’t you show Dante to his room? The one next to yours, where he stayed last time," Aunt Lyla said, her tone light and almost teasing now. The approval in her voice was clear, and Alina felt a knot of tension melt away in her chest.

"And Sable, Lucien—come here, my little ones. I’ll show you both around," Aunt Lyla added, stretching her hands toward them.

Sable and Lucien immediately looked to Dante. He gave a small nod. Only then did their faces brighten, and they scampered over to Aunt Lyla, who led them toward the kitchen, promising snacks. Georgia followed, throwing a warm smile over her shoulder.

And then it was just the two of them. Alina and Dante, standing in the sunny living room. Light streamed through the windows, painting warm stripes on the floor. Alina’s heart did a funny little flip when she saw Dante looking at her. His gaze was soft. Tender. Unreadable, but full of something that made her breath catch.