Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands
Chapter 85 --85

"Leo. Out."

Leo froze. For a heartbeat, disbelief flickered in his eyes. He looked at the Master like a dog suddenly cast out into the cold, lips parting as if to argue—but he didn’t. He swallowed whatever protest he had, gave Kaya one last sharp, lingering glare, and turned. His movements were slow, almost reluctant, as he swam away into the dark currents.

Kaya exhaled, quiet but steady.

The Master turned back to her. His eyes, still like stone, held none of the warmth they’d had moments before.

"You said you’d give us something in return. Fine. Give me what I want."

He leaned in, his voice like the ocean right before a storm. "Get the shark tribe out of my territory."

Silence dropped like an anchor.

The air—or rather, the water—seemed to thicken. Even the distant hum of the currents felt muffled. The shark tribe. Everyone knew their reputation: ruthless, territorial, bloodthirsty. Taking them on was a death sentence for most. And he was asking her to do it alone.

Kaya didn’t flinch.

"Fine," she said evenly. "But what will I get in return?"

A smirk flickered at the corner of the Master’s lips. "You really think you can handle them?"

She didn’t answer. Just held his gaze.

"I asked," she repeated, "what will you give me?"

His eyes narrowed, amused and dangerous. "You wanted pure seawater, didn’t you?"

Kaya gave a faint smile. "I did. But now? No thanks."

His brow twitched. "Didn’t you come here for that? We’re offering it."

She tilted her head. "I came here alive. And what you’re asking might not let me leave that way. So yeah, I want something more."

He studied her for a moment—too long, too quiet—then stepped in. Close enough that the space between them felt like a trap. He reached out and lifted her chin, his fingers cool and firm against her skin.

His voice came low, almost a whisper, but it carried sharp edges.

"Do you really think you can leave this place... unless I let you?"

Kaya looked at him.

Then—unexpectedly—she smiled.

A quiet, unreadable smile. And the next second, she burst into laughter.

Loud, free, and bitter.

The Master stared at her, confused, caught off guard. Water surged into her mouth mid-laugh, making her cough—once, twice, three times—but even that didn’t stop her. She wiped her mouth, straightened up, and looked right at him.

(Her hands were tied in front so she could wipe her mouth, and water was not rushing into her mouth, nose, or ears because of a mermaid tribe trick that is revealed later.)

"You think," she said between fading chuckles, "that just because you dragged me down here, I can’t kill you and walk out?"

Her smile turned razor-sharp. "How many of you are here, huh? Ten? Twenty? A tiny tribe—just a ripple in the ocean. Not the whole merfolk. Not even close."

She stepped forward, voice low but clear. "Just because you rule the edge of this sea, near the shore, you thought I’d follow your orders like some... servant? Like I’d kill for you just because you asked nicely?"

Her eyes narrowed. "And what did you say? I can’t leave unless you let me?"

She scoffed, her voice rising with every word.

"If I want to leave, I will. And none of you can stop me. Not you, not your guards, not your stupid tides."

She took another step, her tone sharp enough to cut through coral.

"But let’s say, for argument’s sake, I can’t escape. That you kill me here. Tear me apart. So what?"

She raised a brow, her grin stretching—wild, defiant.

"At most, I’d lose my life. And these three beasts I dragged along—sure, they’d die too. I was going to cook them anyway."

A beat. Then her voice dropped to something cold and final.

"But you?"

She pointed at him. "You’d lose a lot more. Because when the sharks completely overtake this area they won’t stop at tearing your tribe apart. They’ll flood through these waters like a curse. And by then, no one, no one, will be able to stop them."

She took one last step closer, her voice now barely above a whisper.

"Because believe me, Master... except for me, there’s no one in this whole sea who can get those sharks out of your territory."

Her words hung there like a sword, suspended between them, heavy and true

The Master narrowed his eyes at her.

"Aren’t you a little too confident?" he asked, voice low but sharp.

Then, after a pause, he waved his hand.

"Fine. Do it. I’ll give you two days. If you get the Shark Tribe out of this territory—peacefully or not—then we won’t just give you the pure seawater."

He stepped closer again, his gaze calculating.

"We’ll also give you the Moonleaf Herb."

The name landed like a stone.

"It’s rare," he continued. "Eat it once, and your body will start to heal faster than any other being. Wounds, poisons, even curses—it’ll fight them all."

Kaya’s eyes didn’t widen, but her smile did.

That was what she wanted. Exactly that.

"Fine," she said smoothly, brushing invisible dust off her tied wrist. "Then how about untying me now?"

But the Master only gave her a glance... and then turned his back to her and swam away without another word.

Kaya stared after him, blinking once.

"So cold," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head.

Moments later, the so-called little lord stepped forward. He looked younger than the others, but his presence had a quiet edge to it. With a sigh that sounded a bit too amused, he crouched down and untied her wrists and ankles.

"You’re really something, huh?" he said, shooting her a sideways look.

Before she could answer, another mer swam past them, grabbing the three unconscious creatures—her "idiots," as she called them—and began dragging them along, clearly ordered to follow.

The little lord grabbed Kaya’s hand and began swimming. Fast.

She didn’t resist. In fact, she kept pace.

Effortlessly.

His brows knit together slightly as he glanced at her from the side. "You swim... well. For a land female."