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

”It’s nothing!” Calen puffed out his chest proudly. ”I could bring you a hundred prey animals if I wanted to!”

Luan rolled his eyes. ”You’d make them go extinct.”

Before Calen could argue back, Cyrus came out of the kitchen. ”Come on, help me bring the food out.”

Then he looked at Zeir. ”Can you call Aelin to come back here?”

Zeir nodded without a word and left right away.

It took him almost thirty minutes, because apparently Aelin kept wandering around the tribe and had even eaten lunch with some of the elders.

”For God’s sake, Roxie! Your tribe is amazing!” Aelin burst into the hut excitedly. In her hand, she carried a freshly grilled rib. ”And your people are so easy to teach! Look, they even followed my advice to grill their ribs!”

Roxanna welcomed her warmly and gestured for her to sit. ”I’m really glad you’re enjoying it here.”

After a short pause, Roxanna spoke again, her tone turning a bit more serious. ”I know this might be too soon to ask, but... since you’ve been looking around the whole tribe, do you think vegetables could grow well on this land?”

The Golden Tribe used hydroponics to grow their crops because they couldn’t plant anything in the soil. But for the Vixeria Tribe... growing things in the ground was possible.

But the question was... was their soil fertile enough for vegetables and fruits to grow?

”I haven’t checked the soil directly,” Aelin said, thinking for a moment. ”But judging from how many trees grow here, I’d say this land is actually very good for farming.”

Roxanna nodded slowly, but she still looked unsure. ”I get that... but trees and vegetables aren’t the same,” she said softly. ”Vegetables and fruits are more fragile, right?”

Aelin nodded, taking a small bite of the grilled rib before answering.

”You’re right. They’re not the same,” she said. ”Trees are much stronger. They can survive in tougher conditions. But vegetables and fruits... they need more care.”

Roxanna listened carefully, her ears twitching slightly.

”So... it’s still possible?” she asked.

”It is,” Aelin replied. ”But we need to check a few things first, like the soil, the water, and how much sunlight this place gets.”

Roxanna lowered her gaze slightly, her thoughts turning more serious.

[We can’t rely on Aelin forever...]

Even if Aelin could make plants grow faster, that kind of help wouldn’t last. Sooner or later, they would have to depend on their own strength.

”If we start testing the land tomorrow... will you help me check it?” Roxanna asked.

Aelin nodded without hesitation. ”Of course. I’ll show you what to look for, so you can do it yourself later.”

Roxanna felt a small sense of relief. ”That’s good...”

Before she could say more, Zeir returned to his seat after placing the water down beside her.

”Drink first,” he said calmly.

Roxanna nodded and took the water, her fingers brushing lightly against his hand. ”Thank you...”

She took a small sip, then looked back at everyone. ”Tomorrow, we’ll pick a small area near the edge of the tribe,” she said. ”Not too far, but not too close either.”

”That way, we can keep an eye on it easily,” Cyrus added.

”And if anything tries to touch it,” Calen cracked his knuckles, ”I’ll deal with it.”

Luan sighed. ”Try not to scare the crops before they even grow.”

”I won’t!”

Roxanna couldn’t help but smile again. Even though they argued, they were all willing to help and that alone made her feel... warm.

”Then it’s settled,” she said softly.

Her tail swayed gently behind her. [This is just the beginning...]

[But if we do this right... our tribe won’t have to worry about food anymore.]

And maybe, she could make this tribe even greater than before. But still, there was a part of her that worried she might fail.

”Oh, you don’t need to feel that worry, Roxie!” Aelin patted her hand a few times and said, ”I believe Michaela has also given you guidance on farming in her book. Have you read it yet?”

Roxanna pressed her lips together, then shook her head slowly. ”No... not yet. Maybe later.”

After all, she really hadn’t had the time to read the book by herself.

Aelin softened her gaze. ”Take your time. I know it won’t be easy for you.”

Roxanna smiled warmly, but anyone could see there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. ”Yes, I’ll take it easy.”

After lunch, Azul and Calen decided to train their fighting skills with their new weapons, while Cyrus cut up the supply of hunted meat to store in the refrigerator later.

Zeir went back to the training ground, and Luan followed him because he also wanted to train his body today.

While everyone was busy, Roxanna decided to walk around the tribe with Aelin. They occasionally greeted the people they met along the way, and Roxanna could see that they were no longer as awkward as before she left for the Golden Mountain.

It seemed that her determination to find a doctor for Calen—even climbing that dangerous mountain—was enough to prove that she was truly different from the evil Roxanna.

”Leader! I heard you slipped earlier!” Skiv ran toward Roxanna as soon as he spotted her. He carried Lilo in his arms, and Primrose could swear that the cat hadn’t lost even a little bit of fat.

”Are you alright?” Skiv asked, his face full of concern.

Roxanna felt like her head was about to explode because she didn’t expect the news to spread so quickly throughout the entire tribe.

Who would have thought that Marlow had such a loose mouth?

”Ah, I’m fine,” Roxanna said awkwardly. ”I just accidentally spilled some water on the floor and slipped. But don’t worry, I wasn’t hurt at all.”

Skiv still looked at her with concern. ”But Comma—I mean, Marlow—told me that you sounded like you were in pain.”

Roxanna had never wanted to be buried alive this badly before.