I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!-Chapter 540 Imposter

The woman looked exactly like her. The same hair, the same dark silk falling past her shoulders. The same height, the same build. The same soft expressions that Alina had seen in mirrors her whole life. Even the clothes were identical, down to the small button on her sleeve.

The movements were casual, natural, perfectly imitated as the imposter walked confidently through grand corridors.

Stone walls. Tall pillars. Flickering torchlight.

Dante’s castle.

"No..." she whispered, the word barely leaving her lips.

Her chest tightened painfully, crushing the air from her lungs.

"She even carries your scent," Horan added almost playfully, enjoying her reaction. "A very talented one. We paid her well."

On the screen, the false Alina adjusted her hair and smiled gently at passing guards, who bowed without hesitation. They did not question her. They did not stop her. She moved with familiarity, like she belonged there, like she had walked those halls a thousand times.

"She will lure him," Horan continued calmly, narrating like a director watching his play. "Convince him. Win his trust. Perhaps even secure a bond. A mate bond. That would be ideal."

The word felt like poison injected directly into her heart.

Alina’s throat felt dry, scratchy, impossible to swallow.

"She cannot," she whispered, more to herself than to him.

Horan tilted his head, curious. "Why not?"

Alina stared at the illusion, her heart hammering wildly in her chest, her mind racing.

Because he will know.

He has to know. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

He is Dante. He notices everything. He sees.

He has to know.

Meanwhile, inside the castle—

The imposter walked through the main hall with calculated grace, each step measured and perfect. She made sure her heartbeat rhythm matched what she had memorized from watching the real human. Her breathing was slow and even. Her posture was open and warm. The subtle tilt of her head when she approached someone.

She had studied everything. Every recording. Every observation. Every tiny mannerism.

She paused briefly at a tall mirror in the corridor, adjusting her expression into something soft and affectionate, exactly like the human looked when she thought no one was watching.

Perfect.

She even smelled like the human. That had been the most expensive part.

She smiled to herself, excitement flickering in her eyes.

Once she secured Lord Dante’s attention fully, once she guided him into intimacy, once she became bound to him as a mate—

Her status would change forever.

No longer just a shapeshifter for hire. No longer a tool for elders with grudges.

She would become his mate. Equal. Partner. Beloved.

And then power would follow. Influence would follow. Respect would follow.

And the real human would become irrelevant. Forgotten. Discarded.

She walked toward the throne chamber doors, her heart beating with anticipation, her disguise perfect down to the last detail.

The guards opened the massive doors without question, bowing respectfully as she passed.

Inside, the throne room stretched vast and dimly lit, shadows coiling lazily around tall pillars like living things.

Dante stood near the center, speaking with two advisors in low tones. His dark hair caught the faint light. His presence filled the room even in stillness.

He stopped mid-sentence because he felt her presence.

His head turned slowly, dark eyes finding her immediately.

The imposter smiled gently, tilting her head exactly the way Alina usually did.

"Dante," she said softly, her voice warm and familiar.

His eyes fixed on her.

For a moment, silence stretched between them.

The advisors stepped back respectfully, sensing privacy was needed.

The imposter stepped closer, her movements unhurried and confident.

She even let a hint of shyness touch her voice, ducking her head slightly. "I finished work early. I thought I would surprise you."

Dante’s expression did not change.

He simply watched her.

And somewhere in a stone room far away, Alina watched the same scene on a glowing screen, her hands pressed to her mouth, her eyes burning with tears she refused to shed.

Dante lifted his hand slightly in a small gesture.

The advisors understood without words. They had served him long enough to read the smallest signals. Without a sound, they bowed and left the throne chamber in silence, their footsteps fading until the heavy doors closed behind them with a low echo that rolled through the vast hall like distant thunder.

Only the two of them remained.

He turned back toward her, and his lips curved into a smile.

But it was wrong.

It was too smooth, too practiced, too perfect. A mask sliding into place.

"Oh," he said lightly, his voice carrying amusement that did not reach his eyes. "I am truly surprised. I did not expect you today."

The imposter relaxed instantly, mistaking the tone for success. Her shoulders dropped. Her smile widened. She glanced briefly at the now-empty hall, satisfaction flickering across her features.

No witnesses. Perfect.

She stepped closer, bold now with confidence, and slid her hands into his. His hands were large, strong, and warm, wrapping around hers with firm pressure.

Her pulse quickened beneath her borrowed skin.

"Lucien and Sable are missing you," Dante said smoothly, watching her face with quiet attention, his dark eyes missing nothing.

"I know," she replied, her voice soft and familiar, pitched exactly like Alina’s. "But right now we are alone. It has been so long since we had time for each other. Just us."

Her heartbeat sped up. She could feel it pounding in her ears, loud in the silence. Up close, he was even more overwhelming than she had imagined. His jaw was sharp enough to cut. His horns curved dark and elegant in the dim light. His presence was heavy, intoxicating, exactly as the people described.

"Oh?" he murmured, the single word carrying layers she could not read.

She swallowed and looked up at him with practiced affection, her eyes wide and soft.

Desire flickered in her gaze, manufactured but convincing.

She leaned closer, closing the distance between them. Her heart raced as she tilted her face upward, her eyes fluttering shut in perfect imitation of someone waiting for a kiss.

For a second, he did not move.

Then she felt his hands rise.

They cupped her cheeks.

Her breath hitched.

Victory flashed in her mind, bright and triumphant. She had done it. She had fooled him. She was going to win.

But the next second, her breath stopped completely.

His fingers slid from her cheeks to her throat and tightened.

Her eyes flew open, wide with shock and sudden, terrible fear.