I Became the Villainess, But My Beast Husbands Can Hear My Mind?!-Chapter 161: When a Bird Learns from a Bossy Cat

After teasing Azul for a while, Roxanna’s playful smile slowly faded. Her expression softened, turning calm and serious. This time, she truly didn’t want fear to linger in her husband’s heart.

"Azul, listen to me carefully," Roxanna said gently. She kept her eyes on him. "I know you’ve done everything you could to take care of Calen. And I really appreciate it... more than you realize."

Her voice was soft but sincere. "I know Calen’s condition is frightening. I know that if I came home and saw that he was gone, I would be completely shattered, but..."

Roxanna took a deep breath, pausing for a moment to let Azul process her words. "...but even if that happens, I will never blame you or Zeir." She gave him a small smile. "I won’t blame anyone, because in the end... death is a destiny that cannot be avoided."

This time, Roxanna fell silent.

[How can I say this so calmly... when just days ago I was drowning in guilt? When I nearly tore myself apart for almost failing to bring the doctor back?]

[I sound like a hypocrite, but at least... Azul does not know that.]

Unbeknownst to Roxanna, Azul could hear every thought running through her mind. Even though he couldn’t bring up her thoughts directly, he could still respond in his own way.

"You should remember your own words," Azul said gently. Roxanna blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting that. "We’re not the ones who decide death," he continued, his voice calm but firm. "The only thing we can do is try our best to heal Calen. That’s all."

His gaze softened as he looked at her. "I know you’ve done everything you could, so don’t blame yourself if something bad happens, okay?"

Roxanna, who had remained silent because she thought of herself as a hypocrite, finally let out a soft sigh and nodded. "Mhm..." She added, "I understand."

Without realizing it, they leaned toward each other, staring into each other’s eyes without saying anything.

The breeze passed between them, causing their hair to flutter in the air. For a moment, they felt as though the world had become peaceful, and all the bad thoughts buried in their minds were pushed away, even if only briefly.

They never expected that each other’s presence alone would be enough to lift their spirits.

If Roxanna had the power to stop time, she would have frozen that very moment, a moment where she could remain with her five husbands without fear, without the thought that one of them might leave her.

"I think we should go," Azul said at last, breaking the silence. Roxanna followed his gaze and noticed the sun sinking lower in the west, the sky slowly darkening. "It’ll be hard to look for tubers once it gets dark."

Roxanna blinked several times, as if trying to wake from her reverie. She then turned her head, noticing the sky growing darker. "Yes, yes, you’re right," she replied quickly. "I just need a few more potatoes, then we can leave."

Azul nodded. He stood first, then extended his hand to help Roxanna up. Unlike before, Azul’s expression was much softer now, no longer shadowed by fear. He even seemed lighter, more willing to talk.

"Oh, right." Azul turned toward her as he was about to dig up the wild potatoes in front of him. "All this time, Cyrus has always been the one cooking for us. How about you teach me how to cook today?"

"When you and Cyrus are away," he added, scratching the back of his head, "Zeir and I honestly don’t know how to make anything taste good."

For years, they had eaten raw meat without adding any seasoning. But after tasting real, delicious food, going back to bland, raw meals felt unbearable.

Maybe that was also why Azul had been feeling more down lately.

"Of course!" Roxanna answered brightly.

As long as her husband didn’t look sad, her own mood lifted too. "I’ll teach you and Cyrus how to cook lots of new dishes today!"

"That sounds terrific." Azul walked toward her and stole a kiss from her lips before returning to dig up the potatoes.

Meanwhile, Roxanna froze in place. Even though her husbands had stolen countless kisses from her, she still couldn’t grow used to it. Especially since it was always a different husband, and each of them gave a completely different sensation.

[Isn’t it strange that my face always turns red after they kiss me?!] Roxanna slapped her cheeks with both hands, feeling her skin grow warmer. [This isn’t even my first kiss, and yet I still act like a teenager in love!]

To be honest, Azul and her other husbands didn’t mind her reactions at all. No, in fact, they truly loved it. They always looked forward to seeing Roxanna’s cheeks turn red because of them.

"Here, the last potatoes." Azul placed them into the sack, but he didn’t break eye contact with Roxanna. He smiled mischievously when she didn’t respond. "Do you want another kiss?"

Roxanna jolted and quickly shook her head. "No, no, no—oh, but don’t get me wrong! I liked the kiss." She covered her mouth, eyes widening. "I-I mean... I’m just embarrassed! B-But your kiss wasn’t bad."

She bit her lower lip and lightly tapped her forehead, still unsure how to fix the mess of words she had just spoken.

Azul, meanwhile, burst into laughter. Roxanna looked far too cute when she became this flustered. However, he quickly tried to stop laughing when Roxanna puffed her cheeks and looked as though she might cry from embarrassment.

"Alright, alright, I get it," Azul said, stepping closer. He swung the sack of tubers onto his shoulder and wrapped an arm gently around her. "Okay... don’t cry."

"I’m not crying!" Roxanna protested, elbowing his stomach lightly. Her voice carried a mix of annoyance and embarrassment. "L-Let’s just go home already!"

Azul only chuckled in response. "Okay, okay. Let’s go back."

He took her hand and gently pulled her along as they walked toward their tribe. When they passed by the river, they took a moment to wash the tubers, since it would be easier than cleaning them near the well.

Not long after, Cyrus returned from hunting and came to the river. He brought two deer, one wild boar, and several wild chickens. The lifeless animals were tied together with rope, which he carried across his back.

"Roxanna, look what I found." Cyrus hurried toward Roxanna, who was sitting by the riverbank. He opened the small sack in his hand, revealing a pile of wild chicken eggs inside. "It seems the hens had just laid them. I found many eggs in the nest."

Although Cyrus didn’t smile, his voice sounded bright, as if he couldn’t hide his excitement.

[I didn’t expect Cyrus to look this adorable.] Roxanna thought. [He’s acting like a child who just received a mountain of candy on Halloween.]

Cyrus frowned slightly, unsure what "Halloween" meant. But since she mentioned children, he assumed it was some kind of event for them.

Then why was she comparing him to a child?

He was a tall, fully grown man whose appearance could hardly be called adorable.

Still, when he thought about it, Roxanna often found her husbands cute, even though none of them truly looked "adorable." As strange as it sounded, as long as their wife was happy, there seemed to be no problem.

"I also found many wild chickens there," Cyrus continued. "If you want more, I can go back and catch them."

Roxanna quickly shook her head. "No, I think this is more than enough! Besides, the sky is already dark, so it’s better if we head home now." She took the sack from Cyrus’s hand and added, "Come on, I think we can wash and cut the meat here. That way, once we’re home, we can cook right away."

"Alright." Cyrus placed the animals on the ground, then spoke to Azul. "You wash them with water. I’ll cut them."

Azul frowned and stared at Cyrus as if he had suddenly grown three heads. "Why don’t you just do everything yourself? I just finished washing the tubers."

Cyrus replied casually, "You’re a fish, so you should be able to wash the meat faster."

Azul narrowed his eyes, completely speechless. That made absolutely no sense. Cyrus had only spent a few days with Luan, and now he was already using ridiculous excuses to boss others around.

"It’s fine, I’ll help Azul wash the meat!" Roxanna chimed in brightly.

Hearing that, Azul’s mood instantly lifted. He stuck out his tongue at Cyrus when Roxanna wasn’t looking, then patted the empty space beside him. "Then you can sit here, so we can wash the meat together. Cyrus can sit farther away from the water."

"I think I can wash the meat as well," Cyrus said again after realizing that he had made the wrong decision.

Azul raised his hand and wagged his finger a few times. "No, no, no. Two people are more than enough to wash the meat. You can cut the meat and then hand it to us."