Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands
Chapter 83 --83

Chapter 83: Chapter-83

Kaya gave another shrug, unfazed. "Because I want clean seawater," she said sweetly. "Not something you’ve... you know, pooped in."

Gasps echoed around the room. A few mermaids recoiled like she’d just insulted the entire sea itself.

The master’s eye twitched.

And Kaya? She just smiled.

The master stared at her.

Completely bewildered.

He blinked once. Then again.

She did have a point—though it was wrapped in the most bizarre, unfiltered delivery he’d ever heard. But still... who in the seven tides marched into the sea and questioned a dozen guards if they had pooped in the water? Who did that?

Apparently, she did.

The master rubbed his temples, trying to make sense of what kind of madness he had willingly invited into his kingdom. Then, looking at her like she had personally offended logic itself, he muttered, "Are you... crazy or what?"

Kaya looked around, dead serious, then shrugged. "What? Did I say anything wrong?"

She raised a brow, folding her arms as much as her bindings allowed. "You guys live in the water, right? I mean... you don’t just not use the bathroom. You’re living creatures, so you go, right?"

Murmurs began rippling through the surrounding merfolk. A few tails twitched uncomfortably.

"And if you go, you probably wash afterward. Which means... it’s the same water. You wash it in the sea. It’s all swirling together!" She made a dramatic little motion with her hands like mixing soup. "Look, I don’t judge what anyone does—but if I’m going to use this seawater for something important, I need it clean. Not... poop-flavored."

A sharp intake of breath came from one of the mermaids. Another dropped their shell-staff in sheer offense.

"Wait," he said, holding up a hand. "Did you just say you want seawater... to use it?"

"Yes," Kaya said brightly.

"For what, exactly?"

"To extract the salt," she replied with nod

The master pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing like he’d aged twenty years in the last two minutes.

"You said... salt?" he asked, voice tight. "You wanted to separate the salt from the seawater?"

Kaya nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course. I’m here to extract pure salt. And I need the seawater to be as clean as possible. Can’t have impurities messing up the formula. I’m kind of... particular about that."

There was another long pause.

One mermaid leaned toward the master and whispered, "Is she... okay?"

The master didn’t answer. He just stared at Kaya, this bizarre, land-dwelling creature with her nonsense talk, her cleanliness obsession, and her uncanny ability to throw a room full of merfolk into existential crisis.

And then he sighed. Again.

The Master stood still for a long moment.

Then he slowly rose from his massive oyster-like throne. The movement was subtle, but the silence it summoned was immediate. Every mermaid in the chamber straightened, tails tense, eyes darting between Kaya and their ruler.

He took one step forward, then another, his golden tail gliding smoothly through the water like a blade through silk. His eyes, sharp and glowing like molten amber, were fixed on her.

Kaya, still tied up and still entirely unimpressed, looked up at him with one brow raised.

"So," he began, his voice calm—too calm—"let me get this straight."

He leaned slightly toward her, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop just a little.

"You dived into my territory. Fought off my guards. Got yourself tied up and dragged before the ruler of the sea—me—all because you wanted a bit of... clean seawater. For salt."

Kaya blinked. "Well, when you say it like that, it sounds dramatic."

"It is dramatic," he said sharply, straightening up again. "Do you know what your little entrance almost caused? A full-blown defense lockdown. And all this for salt?! Not even a magical relic? A weapon? A trade negotiation?"

"Well, what can I do?" Kaya said, throwing her hands up. "Those damn land beastmen use salt as money. They don’t even accept paper! So now, I have to use salt, and I can’t get it from anywhere else. So I thought, fine, I’ll just come to the sea."

The Master cut her off mid-sentence. "Is it really because you had no other option," he asked calmly, "or did you come here because you thought it would be easier?"

Kaya opened her mouth to speak but paused.

She had nothing to say.

And then—suddenly—a new voice chimed in, a little rough, but playful.

"Honey, what are you doing?"

Kaya blinked, stunned. Did he just say honey?

Her face twisted into a mix of confusion and second-hand embarrassment. "What the hell..." she whispered. "That’s seriously cringy."

She turned to look, and sure enough, a tall man with long black hair was swimming toward them. He looked strong, powerful—and way too casual for the situation.

But he wasn’t heading toward her.

Kaya’s eyes shifted.

The golden-haired Master—yes, the same serious guy who’d been grilling her—now had a faint smile on his face.

Next to him, another mermaid lowered their head respectfully, as if someone important had just arrived.

Kaya’s jaw dropped slightly. "Wait... he’s the honey?"

And just like that, the room’s atmosphere shifted.

Something told Kaya this was about to get a whole lot more interesting.

The man rushed forward without hesitation and wrapped his arms around the Master—tight. Like, real tight. His grip looked more like a bear hug than a greeting.

Then, without a hint of shame, he leaned in and pressed a loud kiss against the Master’s cheek.

Smooch.

The sound echoed slightly in the water.

Kaya just stood there, eyes wide, completely caught off guard. Did that seriously just happen?

The Master didn’t even flinch. He just exhaled quietly, like this was something he was used to. His face stayed mostly calm, but there was a slight twitch at the corner of his lips—almost a smile, almost not.

Around them, a few mermaids exchanged glances. One looked down, trying to hide a grin. Another awkwardly cleared their throat and shifted their weight. It was clear they weren’t used to seeing their leader kissed like that in front of others.