I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!-Chapter 546 Shadow Priest Ak

"I’m sorry."

Dante’s voice was quiet as they walked through the long corridor of the castle. The tension from the elders’ tower had not fully left his body yet. It clung to his shoulders, tightened his jaw, and flickered behind his dark eyes. His arm remained around Alina’s shoulders, his hand resting firmly but gently against her upper arm as if he was still making sure she was truly beside him. That she was real. That she was safe.

"Those elders have completely lost their minds," he continued, his voice low but threaded with barely restrained anger. "I know how frightened you must have been. Being taken like that. Surrounded by those cold old fools."

He stopped walking.

Then he turned her gently to face him.

He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Then another.

And another.

Small, repeated kisses, as if he was trying to erase every moment she had spent in that tower. Every second of fear she might have felt. Every cold word the elders might have spoken. His lips lingered each time, warm and gentle, a silent promise.

Alina blinked up at him, caught off guard by the tenderness.

"Dee, I’m not scared at all," she said honestly, her voice soft but certain. "I knew you would come."

He stopped moving again.

His brows pulled together immediately, confusion flickering behind the lingering anger.

"No," he said quietly. "Do not lie to me."

Before she could protest, his arms closed around her again, pulling her gently but firmly into his chest. The embrace was strong and warm, and she could feel the tension still lingering in his muscles. The tightness in his back. The way his heart beat slightly faster than normal against her ear.

"You were kidnapped," he muttered against her hair, his breath warm. "Of course you were scared."

Alina sighed softly, though she did not pull away from him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and let him hold her, letting him believe whatever he needed to believe. If it made him feel better to think she had been scared, she would not argue.

After a long moment, he loosened his hold and they continued walking.

The castle corridors were calm and quiet now. Tall windows let in the soft evening light, painting long golden strips across the floor. Servants stepped aside respectfully when they saw Dante approaching, bowing their heads quickly and averting their eyes. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

When they reached the entrance to the main living room, Alina’s eyes moved ahead.

She paused slightly.

Lucien and Sable were sitting near the low table in the center of the room.

And they were not alone.

A man sat across from them.

At first glance, he looked almost like a shadow given human form.

His hair was long and black, falling loosely over his shoulders like a dark curtain. His forehead and temples were marked with a strange gray ash-like color that spread faintly across his skin like faded smoke. His nose was sharp and tall, giving his face a severe elegance that was almost unsettling.

He wore dark, loose clothing that draped around him like quiet night fabric, shifting subtly even when he was still.

And his eyes.

His eyes were completely black. Deep and endless, like still water at midnight, like pools with no visible bottom.

At that moment, he was speaking calmly to Lucien, one long finger pointing toward the boy’s hand while explaining something. His voice was low and smooth.

Lucien was listening very seriously, his small brows slightly furrowed as he concentrated on every word. His tiny hands rested on the table, following the priest’s gestures carefully.

Sable sat beside him, swinging his legs while watching the man with open curiosity, completely unafraid of his strange appearance.

Alina blinked slowly.

"...Who is that?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Dante followed her gaze. A small, knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Oh," he said casually, as if she had asked about the weather. "That is Shadow Priest Ak."

Alina looked back at the strange man again. His black eyes. His ash-marked skin. His unsettling elegance.

"Shadow priest?" she repeated.

Dante nodded, his hand still warm on her shoulder. "He is the one who approved the order to remove the elders. Without his authority, I could not have acted so quickly."

As if sensing their presence, the man suddenly stopped speaking.

His black eyes lifted.

They landed on Dante first, a brief silent acknowledgment.

Then they shifted to Alina.

For a long moment, he simply watched her. His gaze was intense but not threatening. Curious. Assessing. As if she were a puzzle he was trying to understand.

Then he inclined his head politely, a small and graceful gesture.

"Ah," he said in that smooth, calm voice. "So this is the human who has been causing so much trouble in the realm."

Lucien immediately turned in his seat, his serious face softening.

"Mom," he said, and even in that single word, Alina could hear the relief.

Sable jumped up instantly and ran toward her, small feet pattering against the stone floor.

"Mom!" he echoed happily, his arms already outstretched.

Alina barely had time to react before the small boy gently collided with her legs, wrapping his arms around her knees.

She laughed softly, the sound warm and genuine, and bent down to hug him properly. His small body felt solid and warm against hers.

"I missed you both," she said, looking up at Lucien as he approached more slowly.

Lucien walked over with more restraint, but his eyes carefully scanned her face, checking for injuries, for signs of distress, for anything wrong.

"Are you injured?" he asked quietly, his voice carrying a weight beyond his years.

"No," she said, smiling at him. "I’m fine. Really."

Behind them, Shadow Priest Ak leaned back slightly in his chair and crossed one leg over the other as he watched the small reunion with quiet interest. His black eyes held something that might have been amusement.

Then he looked at Dante again.

His voice carried faint amusement. "You caused quite a storm today. Removing several elders in a single afternoon."

Dante looked completely unbothered. His expression did not change.

"They kidnapped my woman."

Ak raised one eyebrow slowly.

"Yes," he said thoughtfully, a hint of dark humor coloring his words. "That tends to upset people."

Then his black gaze shifted toward Alina again.

For a moment, he studied her carefully. Her face. Her posture. The way she held the children.

Then he smiled faintly, a small enigmatic curve of his lips.

"Interesting."

Lucien looked between them, his sharp mind clearly working. Sable was still hugging Alina’s waist, completely unaware of the tension in the room.

And Dante’s hand had returned to her shoulder again, resting there quietly, as if he had no intention of letting her out of reach any time soon.