I Became the Villainess, But My Beast Husbands Can Hear My Mind?!-Chapter 154: We’re Friends, Aren’t We?

[Remaining Lifespan: 149d 2h]

Since the sky outside had turned dark, they decided to leave the Golden Mountain the next morning.

"What do you think, Miss Fox?" Aelin asked as she opened the hut door where they stored the hydroponic vegetables. "This is the hydroponic setup your mother left to us."

Roxanna stepped into the hut, her eyes widening when she realized it truly looked like a proper farmhouse, and every corner was used wisely. Instead of metal pipes, bamboo had been arranged neatly to hold rows of thriving plants.

"We gather the seeds from the forest at the foot of the mountain and carry them back up," Aelin explained. "Some of these vegetables even needed a bit of magic to help them grow this well."

"Magic?" Roxanna tilted her head. "Do you also have plant-related magic?"

During their journey, Cyrus had once mentioned that some deer or reindeer beastkins could use magic connected to plants. Still, Roxanna had never imagined they could reach a level where they could actually improve how plants grew.

"Not everyone can," Aelin said with a gentle smile. "But I can."

She lifted her hand toward a tiny sprout, and a soft green light flowed from her palm, wrapping around the fragile shoot. Roxanna watched in shock as the sprout grew before her eyes. It stretched upward, bloomed into a flower, then slowly became a ripe red tomato.

"My brother and I were born with this gift," Aelin said with a smile. "It’s something passed down through the families of the first leader of the Golden Tribe."

She picked the tomato and offered it to Roxanna. "Some reindeer beastkins also have plant magic," Aelin added, "but they can only move plants, not speed up their growth."

Roxanna accepted the tomato from Aelin. Hesitantly, she lifted it to her lips and took a small sniff. From that alone, she could tell how fresh it was.

"Take a bite," Aelin said cheerfully. "Tomatoes were your mother’s favorite, so perhaps you’ll like them too."

Roxanna fell silent upon her words. Even her hand froze, so the tomato was still hovering near her mouth.

[I’ve always loved tomatoes too,] she thought. [Even my ex-husband used to say I was weird for wanting tomatoes with every meal.]

[Who would have thought it was one of my mother’s traits?]

She stared at the tomato sadly. [So this is what it feels like to share the same favorite as our mother.]

Cyrus and Luan, who were still standing near the farmhouse door, suddenly felt terrible for her. And how dare her ex-husband mock her just because she liked that red, round fruit?

If they had known Roxanna loved tomatoes from the beginning, they would have gathered piles of them like mountains so their wife could eat tomatoes every single day.

Fuck her ex-husband! Her favorites would never be considered weird to them!

"Miss Fox, is something wrong?" Aelin asked when she noticed Roxanna had been quiet for so long.

Roxanna jolted slightly and quickly shook her head. "No, it’s just... this tomato looks so delicious, so I wanted to admire it properly before eating it."

Aelin let out a soft laugh, relieved. "It really is delicious. You should try it now," she said. "And if you’d like to admire tomatoes, I can bring you the ones we harvested yesterday."

Roxanna didn’t respond to Aelin because she was already too eager to taste it. Finally, she took a large bite, and her eyes instantly widened because the flavor was truly incredible.

The balance of sweetness, acidity, and umami blended perfectly, creating a taste so addictive it was impossible not to love.

[THIS IS REALLY DELICIOUS!] she exclaimed happily in her mind, and even her fox tail started wagging quickly from side to side.

She took another bite while swaying her body slightly. [I’ve never had a tomato this good before!]

When she was about to take another bite, she suddenly fell silent. [My husbands have to taste this too!]

Without another thought, Roxanna spun around and ran toward them, holding up the half-eaten tomato like a precious treasure. "Cyrus! Luan!" she called excitedly. "This tomato is really delicious! You have to taste it!"

Before Cyrus could even speak, Luan leaned in and took a huge bite. "Mm..."

He accidentally caught her fingers between his teeth, though he quickly pulled back, careful not to hurt her.

"It’s really good," he said, his voice slightly muffled by the tomato still filling his mouth.

"Luan! You can’t be that greedy!" Roxanna smacked his arm a few times, though it wasn’t enough to hurt him. "You should always share with the others!"

Luan slowly shifted his gaze to the side. The reason he ate the whole tomato was because he wanted to taste something Roxanna had eaten, and without thinking—or maybe he had thought about it—he didn’t leave anything for Cyrus.

"Miss Fox, I still have more to—"

Aelin stopped mid-sentence as she watched Cyrus suddenly lean forward and kiss Roxanna on the lips. He even briefly licked her lips, tasting the remaining traces of tomato.

Without any shame, he licked his own lips and said, "You’re right. It tastes delicious."

"That’s not fair! If he gets a kiss, I should get one too!" Luan protested.

Cyrus covered Luan’s mouth with his palm and pushed him back. "You already stole my share of the tomato," Cyrus said flatly. "So just eat the tomato."

Luan grabbed Cyrus’s wrist, eyes burning with protest. "T-That’s different!" His voice rose in frustration. "I want a kiss too!"

Before things could escalate, Roxanna quickly stepped between them, pressing her palms against their chests. "Don’t fight, don’t fight," she said, flustered. "Everyone can get a kiss—"

Before either of them could move, Aelin loudly cleared her throat so they could all hear her clearly. "In case you forgot, I’m still here," she added with her head lowered. "Here, we usually go to a room if we want to do something... naughty."

Cyrus and Luan frowned. How could a kiss be considered something naughty? Beastkins were already used to showing affection in front of others.

"We’re sorry!" Roxanna lowered her head, then forced Cyrus and Luan to bow as well. "I-In our tribe, this isn’t considered a bad thing."

[Even though the Vixeria Tribe doesn’t shame couples for being affectionate in public, I still feel embarrassed!] Roxanna thought. [Maybe this tribe thinks the same way I do, since my mother came from the modern era.]

Meanwhile, Cyrus and Luan still couldn’t see anything wrong with kissing their wife in front of others. It wasn’t like they were mating in public. But even if they were, what would be wrong with that? It was normal behavior.

On the other hand, Roxanna had a different thought. [I need to correct my husbands’ behavior! If they keep acting like this, one day they might not even feel embarrassed about us having sex in front of other people!]

’What was so wrong about that?!’ Cyrus and Luan grumbled silently to themselves.

"T-That’s alright," Aelin said gently. She cleared her throat again, trying to shake off the awkwardness still sitting in her chest. "Our tribes just have different cultures."

Roxanna lowered her head even further, her cheeks warm with embarrassment. Still, the sweet, fresh taste of the tomato lingered on her tongue, slowly pushing her shyness aside. "A-Aelin... if you don’t mind," she asked softly, "may I bring some tomatoes back to my tribe?"

She hesitated for a second before adding, "I’d love to share these delicious tomatoes with my other husbands too."

Aelin’s face instantly lit up. "Of course, Miss Fox!" she said brightly. "My brother even told me to give you some seeds so you can grow your own vegetables at home!"

She clasped her hands together, clearly pleased. "And if you’re not sure how to plant them, I’ll gladly help when I visit."

Roxanna’s eyes immediately sparkled. "Really?!" Her ears perked up, and she bounced slightly on her feet, unable to hide her excitement. "Thank you, Aelin! I really appreciate your help!"

Then, after a brief pause, she smiled shyly. "Anyway... could you call me by my name instead?" She scratched her cheek lightly. "’Miss Fox’ sounds a bit too formal. Since I call you Aelin, I think it’s only fair if you do the same."

She laughed softly. "Besides... we’re friends, aren’t we?"

Roxanna actually felt hesitant about asking that. After all, they had only known each other for a few hours, and it seemed impossible for people to form a friendship in such a short time.

However, in the past, she had often heard others say that this kind of thing was completely normal. The reason Roxanna had never experienced it herself, she believed, was because she simply wasn’t attractive enough.

Because of that, she felt afraid that Aelin might find her strange.

But all her doubts instantly disappeared when Aelin said, "Yes! We’re friends!" She then added, "If you’re uncomfortable with being called Miss Fox, then from now on, I’ll call you Roxie!"

Roxanna blinked several times, tilting her head slightly. They hadn’t even known each other for long, yet somehow, Aelin had already given her such a cute nickname!