Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands
Chapter 71 --71

Chapter 71: Chapter-71

The scent that rose wasn’t exactly mouth-watering, but it was food.

When it was done, they all sat in their respective corners, quietly eating.

Kaya took a sip.

It wasn’t satisfying. Not really.

The flavors didn’t sing—they barely whispered.

But it was warm.

And it had taste.

Which was already better than most nights.

Between tasteless meals and overly sweet fruit, this odd, lukewarm soup was a strange middle ground. But it filled her stomach.

And that night, Kaya ate better than usual.

The fire crackled softly in the background. No one spoke. The sparrow had curled up, facing the wall, still refusing to acknowledge Kaya’s existence. Cutie poked at the flames with a stick, quietly sipping from his bowl.

Time passed gently, like a slow breath.

Before she knew it, morning arrived.

After freshening up, Kaya dropped beside Cutie, her movements sharp, decisive. The flickering firelight cast dancing shadows on the cave walls. She didn’t look at him right away—just stared into the flames, speaking casually, but her voice carried weight.

"I know you don’t know much about this island." A pause. "But you live here. You must know something."

Cutie flinched, just slightly.

She turned to him, brows raised. "So let me ask you something simple. Is there an ocean nearby?"

He stiffened.

His jaw tightened. Hands curled into fists over his knees. He opened his mouth—but before the first word could break free, a cool, low voice sliced clean through the silence.

"There is."

Both Kaya and Cutie whipped around.

There, in the cave’s entrance, stood Vayu.

That damn snake.

Gone without a word during the vulture ambush, now returning like he’d only stepped out for a breath of air. He held a freshly killed boar over one shoulder, blood trailing down his arm, eyes gleaming like polished obsidian. He looked untouched, like the chaos never reached him.

Kaya’s expression didn’t change, but something in her eyes cooled.

Kaya blinked once. "So," she said flatly, "where is it?"

Vayu dropped the boar onto the cave floor with a careless thud and met her gaze. "No questions?"

Kaya didn’t even look at him. "Why? Are you my lover? My child? Do I need to ask where you sneak off to?"

Vayu didn’t argue. He just grabbed a stick from the side, crouched, and started sketching a rough map into the cave’s dusty floor.

"We’re here." He pointed at a circle. "East side of the island."

He drew another mark farther away.

"The ocean’s five or six days from here, depending on how fast we move."

Kaya watched silently. Her eyes followed the movement of the stick.

Then he added, "But there’s a tribe. That’s the problem."

Her eyes narrowed. "A tribe? Near the ocean?"

"No. In it."

Kaya blinked. "What? Like... they live in the water?"

Vayu looked up at her, unbothered. "Yeah. Their homes are submerged. They only come to the surface when they want something. And when they do... people go missing."

The silence that followed was sharp. Even Cutie seemed to shrink further into the corner.

Kaya’s voice lowered, a touch wary. "So, they’re hostile?"

"Not always. But they’re not friendly."

Kaya frowned at the rough sketch in the dirt, processing what she just heard. Then, with a bit of disbelief in her voice, she asked,

"So you’re telling me... one tribe rules the entire ocean?"

Vayu glanced up at her, his expression unreadable—but there was a flicker of something dry in his gaze. Almost like amusement. Almost.

"The ocean’s huge," he replied flatly. "What kind of tribe rules all of it?"

Kaya blinked, slightly caught off guard by his tone. "So there’s more than one?"

Vayu nodded slowly, his tone calm but firm. "Yes. Just like on land, where tribes are divided by race, the underwater world is no different. There are various kinds of beings—fishers, octopuses, different breeds of sharks... many others. Most of them can shift into human form."

He paused, glancing toward the distant waves.

"They live in separate territories beneath the sea. The ones closest to the shore aren’t the most powerful, but even they’re dangerous enough to kill anyone foolish enough to approach them. It’s said... very few have ever seen them and lived to speak of it."

Kaya leaned forward, curiosity sparking in her eyes. "So, has anyone actually seen them?"

"There’s no one credible. Only the seagull tribe claims they have," Vayu answered, a flicker of something dry and unimpressed crossing his face. "According to them, the sea-dwellers are hideous."

Hearing that, Kaya let out a small scoff, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "Seagulls say that? Seriously? What do they even know? Half of them mistake shiny trash for treasure."

For a moment, Vayu just looked at Kaya, his eyes lingering on her with quiet calculation. He paused, as if weighing something in his mind.

Noticing the silence, Kaya tilted her head and pressed again, "Okay, next question—Is there any place where there’s a source of water... but no cave?"

At that, Vayu’s gaze sharpened slightly. "Are you asking about a location without caves," he asked slowly, "or are you asking if there’s a place where no tribe lives?"

Kaya blinked. Her lips curled slightly, impressed. This person... She hadn’t expected him to read between her words so easily. With a slight nod, she admitted, "Yeah. Just like that—no tribes, no watchful eyes."

Vayu nodded faintly, as if confirming his thoughts. "I thought so."

He turned, crouching down as he began drawing another rough circle on the ground with his finger. "Here," he said, pointing. "Directly opposite from where we are now. If we walk from our current spot toward west side, we’ll reach a piece of land."

He traced a faint line leading from their current location to the new circle. "There’s a water source there. It’s clean. No cave nearby, and the trees surrounding it aren’t too tall. Sparse enough to see through, but thick enough for cover. There’s an open space in the middle."

He glanced up at her. "No tribes live there. At least... not yet."

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