I Became the Villainess, But My Beast Husbands Can Hear My Mind?!

Roxanna’s shoulders slowly slumped as she finally understood why her mother had decided to abandon her in the freezing winter.

Michaela—the name of her mother that she had only just learned—might have thought that her life would surely be ruined if she had to take care of a child while she herself was still a child.

Roxanna still didn’t know for certain what had happened to her mother, but she was sure that her mother had simply been confused and afraid, so she decided to leave her newborn daughter in front of the orphanage door.

But because she was afraid that people would see her, Michaela ran away immediately after placing her there.

Now Roxanna knew that the reason her mother did that was not because she didn’t love her daughter, but because she believed that the people at the orphanage could take care of Roxanna better than a sixteen-year-old girl.

”She left this for you.” The white-haired elder held out an object shaped like a book, but its pages looked thicker and larger than any paper Roxanna had seen in the modern world.

”Your mother told us that this is called a book, and she said you could read it.” The elder asked hesitantly, ”You can read, right? Your mother used to scold us a lot because we couldn’t read properly.”

Roxanna pressed her lips into a thin line, thinking that it was rather funny to imagine. After all, she had once intended to teach her husbands and the people of the Vixeria Tribe how to read.

People who had lived their entire lives without knowing letters would surely feel confused and struggle to understand the lessons.

She made a mental note to become a patient teacher when she taught the people of the Vixeria Tribe to read.

”Yes, I can read well,” Roxanna said. ”What kind of things did she write here?”

”A lot of things,” the elder replied. ”We were not allowed to open this book, so none of us knows what’s inside. She told us that only her daughter was allowed to read it.”

When Roxanna received the book, she was shocked by how heavy it was. It felt as though she were holding a large stone. Fortunately, with her current body, she was able to lift such weight—otherwise, her hands might have broken by now.

”D-Did she write state secrets or something?” Roxanna muttered to herself.

The book contained hundreds of pages, and at a glance, Roxanna could see that Michaela had deliberately written the letters extremely small so she could fit more information inside.

[Oh... I’m definitely going to get a headache when I read this later,] Roxanna thought.

The system suddenly chimed in.

[Host, the system can offer a service to scan the entire book and turn it into an online book. That way, you can read it more easily and even search for words using a search bar.]

Without wasting any time, Roxanna asked straight away, [How much do I have to pay?]

Something that helpful couldn’t possibly be free. Still, she felt relieved knowing there was finally an easier way to read all the information her mother had left behind.

[For the entire book, you only need to pay 8,000 SP, Host!]

Roxanna sighed inwardly. She was starting to feel annoyed every time the system said ”only” when mentioning the price of its services.

[Fine,] Roxanna replied in her mind. [I’ll use the service.]

[Scan service for Michaela’s old book purchased: 8,000 SP.]

[Remaining Spirit Points (SP): 120,300]

”You may take the book with you back to the Vixeria Tribe, Miss Fox,” the elder said gently. ”It has always been yours.”

Roxanna lifted her head to look at them again.

Back to the Vixeria Tribe?

She had thought they would force her to remain at the peak of the Golden Mountain. But if they were saying this, didn’t that mean they were allowing her to return peacefully?

But why?

”You don’t want me to follow in my mother’s footsteps and stay here?” Roxanna asked.

Elior answered calmly, ”Why should we? Your mother left behind a great legacy, allowing this tribe to continue the knowledge she shared with us.” He then added, ”On the other hand, I believe you are the one who needs your mother’s information, and I think that information is contained within that book.”

Roxanna glanced down at the book once more. She felt grateful to receive something filled with so much knowledge, but the book was not the only thing she wanted to bring back to the Vixeria Tribe.

”If my mother really did so much for your tribe,” Roxanna said, her voice firm, ”then shouldn’t you also help me?”

Her eyes did not waver. ”Michaela gave her entire life to this place. She taught you how to farm. She taught you how to strengthen your women’s wombs.”

Her grip tightened slightly. ”So I believe checking on my sick husband is the very least you can do.”

Elior and the elders exchanged uneasy glances. They didn’t say a word, but Roxanna could read it clearly from their faces that they were silently urging Elior to handle the conversation, while the others chose to remain quiet to keep the atmosphere calm.

”Miss Roxanna... it isn’t that simple,” Elior said at last.

His voice was steady, yet there was a trace of hesitation beneath it. ”I brought you here because we made a promise to your mother. We were entrusted to deliver that book to you.” He paused briefly. ”But allowing my people to descend the Golden Mountain... that is an entirely different matter.”

Roxanna frowned deeply. She truly hadn’t expected Elior to refuse her, even though he was fully convinced that she was the daughter of his ancestor.

The white-haired elder said, ”But I believe that the book also contains various kinds of medical information you might need—”

”I need this tribe’s great doctor to check on my husband,” Roxanna said firmly. Her entire demeanor suddenly became more serious, and her eyes looked colder than before. ”He’s dying, and it would take a long time to study the information in this book.”

”Leader Elior, I truly don’t want to force you to fulfill my request, and I’m not happy to act this impolitely, but please...” She took a deep breath before continuing, ”...please, I need your help to save my husband. My mother once helped you when your people were struggling. Don’t you want to repay her kindness by extending your hands to me?”

In truth, Roxanna didn’t like manipulating others through emotions like this. To her, it was one of the most destructive forms of manipulation because it played heavily with a person’s feelings.

However, she had run out of options. She also didn’t want to stay away from her tribe for too long. That was why she decided to take a chance using this tactic.

Elior and the elders seemed to consider Roxanna’s request, but hesitation still lingered in their expressions. Perhaps the dangers they feared in the outside world were so severe that they were reluctant to help even the daughter of their former savior.

Just as Roxanna began to think that her attempt would fail, Aelin suddenly spoke. ”Miss Fox, if you don’t mind... I can go with you to the Vixeria Tribe!”

Elior’s eyes widened because he hadn’t approved anything yet, but Roxanna had already grabbed Aelin’s hands. She even bounced slightly in excitement.

”Really?! Aelin, you truly want to come with me to the Vixeria Tribe?!”

Aelin smiled, though the nervousness in her eyes was hard to miss. ”If it means saving your husband,” she said softly, ”then yes... I want to help!”

”Aelin, I haven’t approved that!” Elior spoke up, his voice slightly raised, sounding as though he were holding back his anger. ”How could you decide something that important so casually?!”

”Oh... brother—”

”Brother?!” Roxanna cut Aelin off the moment she said that word. ”Y-You two are siblings?”

It was hard to believe. They didn’t look alike at all. Elior had dark hair, while Aelin’s golden hair seemed bright enough to rival the sun.

Not only that, but their entire demeanor was different. Elior was calm and composed, while Aelin always seemed lively and full of energy when she spoke.

”Yes, Elior is my older brother,” Aelin said with a smile. ”I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. You must be a little shocked.”

A little shocked? Roxanna was utterly shocked.

While Roxanna was still lost in her thoughts, Aelin turned back to Elior.

”Miss Fox is asking for this tribe’s great doctor,” Aelin said gently. ”And I am one of them, aren’t I, brother? Besides, she’s right. It’s time for us to repay Michaela’s kindness and the hard work she gave for our tribe.”

The words settled heavily in the air. Elior stared at Aelin, his expression torn between disbelief and frustration.

”Aelin,” he said, his voice lower now but far more intense, ”being one of our healers does not give you the right to make decisions that affect the entire tribe.”