Alina followed Gabriel quietly down the hall, still processing everything—from Boo's gossip to Felix's seven tails to the fact that she was literally sitting next to an angel not five minutes ago.
Gabriel stopped in front of a wooden door she hadn't noticed before.
When he opened it, her eyes widened.
The staff dining room wasn't a regular break room.
It was gorgeous.
The staff dining room looked like something out of a classy hotel.
A long, polished wooden table stretched through the center of the room, with soft-cushioned chairs neatly placed around it. The lights were warm and gentle, hanging from above in simple gold fixtures. A few framed paintings hung on the soft cream walls, and the whole room smelled faintly like fresh toast and flowers.
Alina whispered, "Am I… in a fantasy novel?"
Gabriel smiled and guided her toward one of the empty seats beside him.
She sat down carefully, trying not to look like a peasant in a palace.
A moment later, a few staff members entered pushing a trolley. Without a word, they began serving breakfast and it wasn't the kind she was expecting.
No plain toast. No watery porridge.
Instead, fluffy pancakes topped with cream and fruit, warm buttered croissants, small bowls of chopped apples and honey, and tall glasses of fresh juice were neatly placed in front of them.
Alina blinked.
"Wait… this is real?"
She looked at her plate like she was dreaming with her eyes open.
"Do they serve this every day?" she whispered.
Gabriel nodded, cutting his pancakes calmly. "They believe well-fed staff make calm classrooms."
Alina looked down at her plate and slowly picked up her fork.
"…I might never leave this place."
She took one bite of the croissant and nearly cried.
Delicious.
****
After breakfast, Alina walked back to Class D with a full stomach and a soft smile.
She had never eaten such a delicious school meal in her life and now she understood why the teachers here always looked mysteriously calm… good food was magic.
As she opened the classroom door, the kids turned toward her.
"Good afternoon, Teacher!" they shouted in unison—some louder, some out of tune, some still chewing something.
Alina's heart did a little happy skip.
"Good afternoon, sweethearts," she said with a smile. "Guess what time it is?"
"ART TIME!!" shouted Drake, already running to the coloring shelf.
She chuckled as she walked to her desk and looked around.
Vlad Jr. was sitting with both hands squished against his cheeks, stretching his face while looking at himself in the shiny lid of a crayon box.
"Are you… drawing or modeling for your own royal portrait?" Alina asked.
Vlad Jr. didn't even blink.
"Beauty takes focus, Miss Alina," he replied seriously, cheeks still smooshed.
She had to bite her lip to stop from laughing.
Meanwhile, Luna was glaring at her drawing paper like it had insulted her family.
She growled softly, gripping a red crayon like a sword.
But her little angry face, with scrunched eyebrows and puffed cheeks, made her look like an upset marshmallow.
"Even her anger is cute," Alina whispered to herself, melting on the inside.
Then she looked around, Sable was drawing in the shadowy corner with charcoal, Boo was painting with his fingers and somehow got glitter in his ears again, and Rocky was carefully placing pebbles on paper like it was a treasure map.
Chaos. Cute, magical chaos.
And Alina loved every second of it.
"Alright, sweethearts!" Alina clapped her hands gently, her voice cheerful. "Let's sit in a circle today!"
Some of the kids looked up from their drawings, their faces covered in marker smudges, glitter, and questionable artistic confidence.
She pointed toward the open space near the wide classroom windows. The sunlight poured in warmly, casting soft golden rays across the wooden floor.
"Right here, where the sunshine is nice and warm."
As expected, the extroverts moved first.
Drake jumped up and ran in a circle before actually sitting down.
"Yay! Circle time! I love circles! They're my favorite shape!"
Boo (Max) floated over in a dramatic sideways pose, spinning like a falling leaf before landing with a sigh.
"At last, the royal circle is formed."
Vlad Jr. walked over slowly, adjusting his collar like he was arriving at an important dinner party.
He didn't sit until the spot directly in front of Alina was free.
"For maximum eye contact," he explained softly, like a prince giving an interview.
Luna marched over like a warrior going to battle and plopped down with crossed arms, keeping just enough space around her that no one could "accidentally touch" her.
But the shy ones?
They didn't move.
Rocky was still quietly rearranging the colored stones on his desk, his hands trembling slightly.
Sable was staring at the circle from under his bangs, his shadow curling protectively under his chair.
And Kelpie… was looking out the window, pretending he didn't hear anything at all.
Alina's heart softened.
She walked gently toward them, crouching beside Rocky first.
"Sweetheart, it's okay," she said softly. "You don't have to say anything. You can just sit next to me. I'll be your stone wall."
Rocky looked up at her with wide blue eyes, then slowly—carefully—picked up one of his favorite stones and stood up.
He didn't speak, but he followed her.
Then she walked over to Sable.
She sat on her knees and tilted her head.
"Would it help if the sunlight didn't touch you?"
Sable blinked.
She smiled and added, "You can sit near the edge of the circle. The part that's in the shadow."
He gave the tiniest nod, and his shadow slithered gently toward the shaded floor as he followed behind it, sitting quietly with his legs crossed.
Finally, she approached Kelpie.
He didn't look at her.
But she sat beside him anyway.
"You don't have to talk. But… I'd really love it if you sat with us. Even if it's just for a little while."
He glanced at her, then at the group in the sunshine.
Then he picked up his little bowl of water, held it to his chest like a comfort blanket, and tiptoed to the very edge of the circle.
Alina watched as each child took their place, the sun warming their little faces—some relaxed, some cautious.
Then, she turned her gaze to Felix