Fat and Ugly Villainess Wins Back Her Five Beast Husband

Why should they go to that wolf?

The more Xavier thought about it, the more furious he became.

Unfortunately, charging out now to reclaim the eggs would only expose the truth—that he had been secretly following Sora over breakfast.

Absolutely not.

His pride would never allow such disgraceful behavior.

After a long silence, Xavier suddenly smiled again.

Only this time, the smile looked dangerous.

Very dangerous.

”If she wants to cook...” he murmured softly, golden eyes gleaming, ”then let her cook.”

He turned gracefully and disappeared into the shadows without another sound.

_ _ _ _

Among Xavier’s many abilities, one was known as Shadow Tracking.

Once activated, his presence melted into darkness itself. No footsteps. No scent. No sound.

Invisible.

It was because of this ability that neither Lukan nor Sora realized the serpent beastman had been lurking nearby the entire time, listening to every word they exchanged.

And it was also why they had no idea he had already slipped away ahead of Sora.

Meanwhile, completely unaware that one husband was irritated while another was plotting something suspicious, Sora remained focused on her cooking ambitions.

”If your cooking fails,” he said calmly, ”don’t poison yourself.”

Sora gasped dramatically.

”You doubt my skills?”

Lukan almost smiled.

Almost.

”So...” she said hopefully while staring at Lukan, ”can I borrow a little salt?”

The wolf beastman studied her quietly for several seconds.

Finally, he reached into a leather pouch beside him and handed over a small wrapped packet.

”Only a little,” he warned.

Sora’s eyes immediately lit up.

After a brief hesitation, he reached into the pouch tied at his waist and withdrew a tiny bundle wrapped carefully in animal hide.

”This is all I have.”

Sora blinked as he handed it over.

Salt.

Real salt.

Not the coarse gray kind mixed with dirt that poorer tribes sometimes traded for, but fine white crystals protected carefully inside softened hide to prevent moisture from ruining them.

Her expression softened slightly.

In this primitive world, salt was more valuable than most food. It came from the distant city-states controlled by nobles and merchants, and tribes often exchanged large quantities of prey just to obtain a little.

The fact that Lukan willingly shared his personal supply meant far more than the small amount suggested.

Hunters carried salt during long expeditions to preserve meat or season food while away from the tribe. Every grain mattered.

Yet he still gave some to her.

Sora accepted the pouch carefully.

For ordinary beastmen, salt was practically a luxury.

Especially hunters like Lukan, who spent days away from the tribe tracking prey through dangerous territories.

The wolf beastman carried only a small amount for emergencies.

Yet he still gave part of it to her without hesitation.

Sora looked down at the carefully stitched animal-skin pouch thoughtfully.

Even though the amount inside barely measured several spoonfuls, Lukan had protected it carefully from moisture and waste.

That alone revealed his personality.

Careful.

Reliable.

Quietly considerate.

Sora accepted the pouch sincerely.

”You’re the best!”

The words escaped naturally before she could stop herself.

Lukan stiffened faintly.

Even Sora blinked awkwardly afterward.

Oops.

Too familiar.

The atmosphere suddenly became strangely quiet.

Clearing her throat, Sora quickly accepted the salt and stood up.

”I’ll make enough for two,” she promised cheerfully. ”Wait for me.”

Then she hurried away before the awkwardness could grow worse.

Lukan watched her retreating figure silently.

After a moment, his gaze lowered toward the whetstone in his hand.

For some reason...

The corners of his lips lifted ever so slightly.

The system chimed softly inside her mind.

[Lukan Favorability +1]

[Current Favorability: 2]

Sora nearly laughed aloud.

Cooking really was the path to civilization.

* * * * * *

By the time Sora returned to her bamboo stove near the forest edge, the castor oil was nearly finished processing.

Golden oil floated above the boiled residue while faint fragrance drifted through the air.

Sora sighed in relief.

”Good. It didn’t burn.”

The oil extraction process had taken longer than expected. If the fire became too strong earlier, the entire batch would’ve been ruined.

As she crouched beside the stove, a familiar cold voice suddenly sounded nearby.

”You’re finally back.”

Sora froze.

Her head snapped upward.

There, crouching beside her carefully built stove, sat Xavier.

The snake beastman rested one elbow lazily against his knee while staring directly into the bamboo tube containing oil.

His emerald-gold eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Apparently, he had been studying the process for some time already.

Sora’s heart jumped violently.

Her first reaction wasn’t embarrassment.

It was fear.

Fear that he had ruined the oil.

After all that effort, if this man accidentally kicked over her stove—

She’d cry on the spot.

Suppressing the urge to panic, Sora slowly forced a smile onto her face and approached carefully.

”What are you doing here?”

Xavier raised a brow lazily.

Instead of answering immediately, he extended his hand toward her.

”Hand them over.”

Sora blinked.

”...What?”

”The eggs.”

Ah.

So he really had followed her.

Sora immediately became cautious.

”What eggs?”

Xavier let out a mocking laugh.

”Do I need to remind you?” he drawled. ”Six duck eggs. Hidden inside the reed marsh.”

Sora narrowed her eyes instantly.

”How do you know there were six?”

Did he count them beforehand?

Had he truly been watching since the beginning?

Seeing suspicion appear on her face, Xavier sneered coldly.

”I’m not bored enough to follow you around.”

Liar.

”I spotted those eggs yesterday,” he continued. ”I planned to collect them this morning. Then you stole them first.”

Sora almost laughed aloud.

”Your eggs?” she repeated incredulously.

”What confidence.”

Xavier’s eyes darkened dangerously.

”If you hadn’t interfered, they would’ve belonged to me.”

Sora crossed her arms immediately.

”The wild belongs to everyone. Whoever gets there first owns the food.”

”I saw them first.”

”And I collected them first.”

”I was preparing to take them.”

”But you didn’t.”

”I saw them first.”

”I saw them today.”

”I found them yesterday.”

Sora snorted.

”Then I can claim I found them the day before yesterday.”

Xavier: ”...”

For a moment, the serpent beastman genuinely looked stunned by her shamelessness.

Then his expression became colder.

”Believe whatever you want,” he said flatly. ”Return the eggs.”

The two stared at each other stubbornly.

Neither willing to back down.

Honestly, Sora found the situation absurd.

Who argued this seriously over six eggs?

Then again...

Food disputes probably mattered greatly in primitive societies.

Especially for beastmen.

Meanwhile, Xavier’s patience gradually vanished.

Without warning, he reached toward the bamboo stove.

”If you won’t return the eggs,” he said flatly, ”then I’ll pour this out.”

Sora’s face changed instantly.

”No!”

That oil had taken forever to make.

Seeing her panic, Xavier smirked slightly in satisfaction.

At last.

A weakness.

Sora quickly switched tactics.

”Wait, wait—let’s discuss things properly.”

”I have nothing to discuss.”

”Don’t be so unreasonable.”

”You stole my breakfast.”

Sora clicked her tongue internally.

Snakes really were possessive creatures.

”Give me the eggs.”

”All six?”

”Yes.”

”You won’t even leave me one?”

”No.”

Sora nearly choked from disbelief.

How domineering.

After a moment of rapid thinking, her eyes suddenly brightened.

”How about this?”

Xavier paused slightly.

Sora pointed proudly toward the stove.

”I’ll make all six eggs into fried eggs, and we can eat together.”

”Fried eggs?”

The snake beastman narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Earlier, while hidden near the rocks, he had overheard her explanation to Lukan. Still, hearing the phrase again now only deepened his skepticism.

Could eggs really taste good prepared this way?

Especially if Sora was cooking them?

The original owner couldn’t even roast meat properly.

Sora noticed his hesitation immediately.

To convince him further, she patted her chest confidently.

”If you don’t trust me, I’ll make two for you first.”

Then she triumphantly revealed the salt pouch.

”I even got salt.”

At the sight of the precious salt, Xavier’s expression shifted subtly.

Salt changed everything.

Even badly prepared meat tasted better with proper seasoning.

After several moments of consideration, the snake beastman finally relented.

”...Fine.”

His gaze sharpened.

”But only two.”

Sora immediately grinned.

”Deal.”

The forest soon filled with crackling fire and sizzling oil.

First, she rinsed another section of bamboo carefully by the river before placing it over the fire.

The water inside slowly evaporated while the processed castor oil shimmered golden-yellow in the heat.

Using a wooden stick, she pushed aside the dark residue before pouring the clean oil into the bamboo pan.

Soon, the oil began to sizzle softly.

Then—

Crack.

Even Xavier unconsciously leaned closer.

Sora cracked one duck egg into the bamboo container expertly before sprinkling salt over the surface.

Then she stirred quickly using wooden chopsticks.

The pale mixture transformed yellowish color.

Finally—

She poured it into the heated oil on a stone shaped pan.

Sizzle.

A rich fragrance exploded instantly into the air.

The egg bubbled softly as the edges crisped into beautiful golden brown. The scent of cooked oil and salted egg drifted through the forest like irresistible temptation.

Xavier froze completely.

His eyes widened slightly.

What... was this smell?

It was unlike roasted meat or boiled roots.

Warm.

Savory.

Rich.

The snake beastman unconsciously swallowed.

Meanwhile, Sora skillfully flipped the egg using two wooden sticks.

Both sides turned perfectly golden.

Even she felt proud.

Not bad.

Primitive conditions aside, her survival cooking skills remained impressive.

When the first two fried eggs finished cooking, she handed Xavier a pair of wooden sticks casually.

”Try it.”

The snake beastman hesitated only briefly before taking a bite.

The moment the egg touched his tongue—

His eyes widened.

The crispy edges shattered lightly beneath his teeth while the center remained soft and fragrant. Salt enhanced the flavor perfectly, blending with the rich oil into something unbelievably delicious.

Xavier immediately took another bite.

Then another.

His expression remained cold, but his eating speed increased noticeably.

Seeing him distracted, Sora’s eyes flashed cunningly.

Quickly, she cracked the remaining duck eggs into the bamboo bowl.

More oil.

More salt.

More sizzling fragrance.

By the time Xavier realized what was happening—

All the remaining eggs were already frying inside the bamboo pan.

The snake beastman stared blankly at the scene.

Then slowly looked down at the empty sticks in his hands.

”....”

He had been tricked.