I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!-Chapter 434 Stunning

Next morning

"Oh my god... so cute," Aunt Lyla exclaimed the moment she saw them. Her hands flew straight to her chest as if her heart might burst from the sight. Sable stood there looking like a tiny, cute gentleman in his crisp white shirt, which was tucked neatly into little pants that fit him just right. His cheeks were round and full, and he was practically beaming. Right beside him stood Lucien, calm and steady, wearing a white shirt and pants that were just the same. He looked very serious about it all. Even Dante was part of the picture, dressed in a plain, simple shirt of the same light color, looking elegant without even trying. Together, the three of them looked like they had stepped right out of a beautiful painting or a fancy family photograph.

"Mom told us to wear the same," Lucien announced very seriously, his tone making it clear this had been a very important instruction that they had followed to the letter.

Aunt Lyla’s eyes flickered for just a second at the word mom, something quiet and unreadable passing through them like a shadow, but then her smile returned, warm and genuine. "You all look perfect," she said softly, her voice full of affection.

"Are you guys ready?" Alina’s voice came from the hallway behind them. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Everyone turned at once.

She stood there in a simple white dress. Around the edges of the sleeves and the hem was a thin, pretty border the color of ripe cherries, a soft red that made the white look even brighter. The neckline dipped down just a little in a modest V-shape, looking both sweet and elegant. Her chestnut-brown hair, loose and free, flowed over her shoulders and down her back, catching little gleams of the morning light. Her hazel eyes seemed brighter than usual, almost like they were glowing from within, and for a long moment Aunt Lyla could only stare. Ever since she had started working at the kindergarten, Alina had changed. It wasn’t just the clothes or the way she stood. She looked calmer, confident, like someone who had found a piece of herself she’d been missing. She looked more alive.

"You look stunning," Aunt Lyla said, and she meant every single word.

Alina blushed immediately, the pink spreading across her cheeks as she lowered her lashes. "Thank you," she murmured, feeling suddenly shy under the attention. She didn’t need to look to know she was being watched. She could feel Dante’s gaze on her, quiet and intense, taking in every detail without saying a single word.

"Stunning," Sable repeated proudly, copying Aunt Lyla’s word happily.

"Yes. Beautiful and stunning," Lucien added, looking up at her with wide, starry eyes full of pure admiration.

Alina laughed softly, the heat in her cheeks growing warmer. "Okay... okay... that’s enough," she said, waving her hand gently in front of her face as if to fan herself. "If you keep this up, I might melt before we even leave the house. Come on, now. We’re getting late."

Dante leaned down and lifted Lucien easily into his arms, the little boy settling against him like it was the most natural place in the world. Alina bent and picked Sable up, resting him comfortably on her hip. Sable immediately wrapped his arms around her neck in a snug, trusting hug. Then, side by side, they walked out the front door toward the car waiting in the drive.

Once outside, the boys were buckled safely into the backseat together, where they immediately started whispering and pointing at morden new things they saw out the window, their little legs swinging with excitement. Alina slid into the driver’s seat, smoothing her dress beneath her, and Dante took the passenger seat beside her, his presence filling the space quietly.

The car door closed with a solid thud.

Alina looked over at him, a simple glance as she got ready to drive, and she saw it right away. He hadn’t put on his seatbelt. The sight made her pause. Her brows drew together, just a little, in a soft line of worry.

Dante felt her eyes on him and turned his head. A question seemed to pass over his face—What is it?—but he didn’t say it out loud. He just watched her, waiting.

"Your seatbelt," she said, her voice low and gentle. She didn’t wait for him to move. Almost without thinking, she began to lean across the space between them.

Her hand reached out, her fingers finding the smooth, cool strap of the belt where it rested against the side of his seat. She pulled it slowly across his chest. And just like that, she was there, close—closer than she had been all morning. The clean, soft scent of her shampoo, something like vanilla and sunshine, filled the air between them. Dante looked down. From here, he could see everything: the way her eyelashes brushed her cheek when she blinked, the faint dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose that you could only see up close, the warm pink that had risen gently in her skin. He held his breath without meaning to.

The car was very quiet. The only sound was the soft shush of the fabric as she drew the belt across him, and then the clear, solid click as it locked into place. That sound should have been the end of it. But her hand didn’t pull away. It stayed there, resting lightly near his shoulder for a heartbeat too long, as if her hand had forgotten how to move.

Then, she looked up.

Her eyes met his. Hazel, warm, and suddenly very clear. In that moment, the outside world went soft and blurry. The trees outside the window, the sound of a distant bird, the whole waiting day—it all melted away. There was only this: the quiet of the car, the warmth of her so near, and the unspoken thing that hung in the space between their shared breath.

Slowly, she drew back, settling into her own seat again. She cleared her throat softly and turned her eyes to the steering wheel, pretending her heart was not beating hard and fast against her ribs.

Dante did not move. He stayed perfectly still, his gaze resting on her profile.