I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Chapter 638 638: Baby on the way (1)

3 years later....

Dante held up the small white stick, turning it over in his fingers like it was a mysterious artifact from an ancient civilization. His crimson eyes narrowed. His brows furrowed. He looked genuinely puzzled.

"What's this stick?" he asked.

Alina stared at him. Her mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.

"That's not a stick," she said.

Dante looked at the stick. Then at her. Then back at the stick.

"So it's a new toy?" he asked.

"For the children?" Alina said.

"No."

"For the castle?"

"No."

"For—"

"No!" she snatched it from his hands.

Dante blinked. "Then what is it?"

Alina's cheeks turned pink. Then red. Then something close to the color of his eyes. She looked down at the stick. Then at him. Then away.

"It's... it's a pregnancy test," she mumbled.

Dante's expression didn't change. "A pregnancy test," he repeated.

"Yes."

"What's that?"

Alina stared at him. "For detecting pregnancy," she said slowly. "For knowing if someone is pregnant. For—Dante, how do you not know what a pregnancy test is?"

He tilted his head. "I've never needed one."

She crossed her arms. "You have two children!"

He nodded. "I adopted them."

"They didn't come with a manual?"

He shrugged. "No."

Alina pressed her hand to her forehead.

Dante looked at the stick again. Then his eyes widened. Slowly, like the sun rising over a mountain, like a torch being lit in a dark cave.

"Wait," he said.

"Yes."

"Are you saying—"

"Yes."

"That you're—"

"Yes."

Dante stared at her. Then he looked at her stomach. Then back at her face.

"Who is pregnant?" he asked.

Alina's eye twitched. "You," she said.

"Me?"

She held up the stick. "The stick is mine, Dante. I'm pregnant."

His voice came out strangled. "You're pregnant?"

"Yes."

"With my child?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Unless there's another Shadow Lord wandering around."

Dante was quiet for a long moment. He looked at the stick. At her stomach. At her face. Then he sat down heavily on the nearest chair.

"I'm going to be a father," he said.

Alina softened. "You already are a father."

"Again." He stared at the wall. "I'm going to be a father again."

"Yes."

He looked up at her. His crimson eyes were wide. "I'm going to be a father again," he whispered.

Alina smiled. "Yes, you silly old man."

Before she could say another word, Dante scooped her up in his arms. Her feet left the ground. The room spun. He was holding her tight against his chest, his crimson eyes bright with joy, and then he started spinning. Around and around and around.

"Dante! Put me down!" Alina gasped.

He didn't listen. He never listened when he was this happy.

"Put me down!"

Still spinning.

"Old man! I'm going to be sick!"

She wasn't joking.

The room blurred. The walls tilted. Her stomach lurched.

And then she vomited. All over his shirt.

Dante stopped spinning.

Alina stared at the mess on his chest. Then at his face. Then back at the mess.

Her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I told you to put me down. I'm sorry."

The tears spilled over. She was crying now, ugly crying, the kind of crying that made her nose run and her face turn red.

Dante panicked. He set her down gently, carefully, like she was made of glass. His hands cupped her face. His thumbs wiped her tears.

"Little dove, don't cry."

She sniffled. "I ruined your shirt."

"It's just a shirt."

"I vomited on you."

He smiled softly. "It washes."

"I'm pregnant and emotional and you were spinning me and—"

He pulled her close. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, little dove. I was just happy. So happy. I wasn't thinking."

She sniffled again.

He pulled her into his arms gently this time, no spinning. "I'm sorry," he said again, his voice soft against her hair.

She pressed her face into his shoulder. The shirt was ruined anyway.

"You're an idiot," she mumbled.

"Whatever you think," Dante said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

She laughed through her tears.

He held her tighter.

***

When Sable and Lucien came back after shadow training, still in their training clothes with dark pants and loose shirts, their small faces flushed from whatever exercises they had been doing, they stopped when they saw their parents.

Dante was standing in the middle of the living room, his crimson eyes bright, his lips curved into a smile so wide it looked almost unfamiliar. Alina was beside him, her hand resting on her stomach, her cheeks pink.

Sable tilted his head. "Dad, why are you smiling like that?"

Dante raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

Sable squinted. "Like you ate something weird and it made you happy."

Dante's smile didn't waver.

Lucien studied his father's face. Then his mother's. Then his father's again.

"What happened?" Lucien asked.

Dante stepped forward. He put one hand on Sable's shoulder and one hand on Lucien's. He looked at them, really looked at them, like he was seeing them for the first time.

"You're going to have a little sister," he said.

Alina quickly added, "We don't know which yet. It's too early to tell, so it could be a brother or a sister."

Sable didn't hear her. He was already running.

He ran to Alina and stopped right in front of her, his silver eyes fixed on her stomach. His small hands hovered in the air, not quite touching.

"Baby?" he whispered.

Alina nodded. "Baby."

He pointed at her belly. "In there?"

She smiled. "In there."

Sable looked at Lucien. Lucien looked at Sable.

Then Sable gently placed both hands on Alina's belly.

"Wow," he breathed.

Lucien walked over slowly. He stood beside his brother and looked at his mother's stomach. His expression was calm and controlled, but his red eyes were bright.

"A baby," he said.

Alina nodded. "A baby."

Lucien nodded. "Good."

Just "good," but his voice was soft.

Sable pressed his cheek against her belly. "Hello, baby sister. I'm Sable. I'm going to be your big brother. I'm going to teach you everything."

Alina sighed. "We don't know if it's a sister or a brother."

Sable shook his head without lifting his cheek. "It's a sister. I can feel it."

"Feel what?"

He closed his eyes. "Her. She's warm."

Alina looked at Dante. Dante shrugged.

She sighed again.

Sable stayed pressed against her belly, his small hands gentle, his eyes closed.

"Welcome, sister," he whispered. "I've been waiting for you."

Lucien stood beside him, watching. After Sable finally pulled away, Lucien stepped forward. He hesitated for just a moment, then gently placed his cheek on her tummy.

He was grinning with joy.

"Hello, baby sister!" he said.

His voice was soft but full of happiness. His small hands rested on either side of her belly, and his red eyes sparkled.

Alina's heart melted.

She looked at Dante. His eyes were wet. He wasn't even pretending otherwise.

"What?" he said, noticing her stare. "I'm not crying."

"You're crying."

"I'm not."

"Your eyes are leaking."

Dante wiped his eyes. "It's allergies."

Alina laughed. "Old man."

She wrapped one arm around Sable and one arm around Lucien and pulled them close. Dante stepped forward and wrapped his arms around all of them.

Four bodies. One family. And one more on the way.

Sable mumbled against her belly, "I'm going to be the best big brother ever."

Lucien nodded. "We both will."

And for a long moment, no one moved. No one spoke. They just stood there, holding each other, feeling the warmth of their growing family.