Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands
Chapter 140 --140

Chapter 140: Chapter-140

Rin exchanged quick glances with the others, then took off at once, scanning the perimeter as instructed.

Now, only a handful of people remained.

Kaya’s eyes moved to the last three standing in front of her.

One of them was the bear-man she remembered from before, towering with a slightly hunched back. Beside him stood the boy who had been beaten before—he was still a little pale, but far more stable now. The third was someone she hadn’t interacted with yet. A foreigner. His skin tone was lighter, features unfamiliar, eyes sharp and unreadable. When Kaya looked at him, he met her gaze head-on, refusing to look away.

Good, she thought. At least he has spine.

"You three," she began, her voice just as firm, "go gather firewood. A lot of it. Dry, usable, and quick to burn. We’ll need it soon."

They nodded and moved.

Only one figure remained now.

"Cutie," Kaya said, and the girl looked up.

"You—set up a stove. Whatever we need for basic cooking. Stones, clay, mud—whatever works."

Cutie nodded instantly, no questions asked. She turned on her heel, already assessing the ground.

Just then, Kaya’s eyes fell on someone else—someone she hadn’t called out.

The sparrow.

He was standing off to the side, arms crossed, feathers twitching with indignation. His expression was unreadable at first... but the moment their eyes met, Kaya blinked—and then turned her head away, as if she hadn’t seen him at all.

Not even a nod. Not even a word.

The sparrow was stunned.

What the...?

He stood there blinking, his wings slightly puffed out in disbelief, mouth parted like he’d just been personally betrayed.

As Kaya started moving around to inspect the area, she felt it—that familiar presence.

Of course.

The sparrow had begun following her, his feathers practically bristling with irritation. With every step she took, he crept closer.

Creep. Creep. Creep.

(Hey why are you ignoring me)

He hovered near her ear, muttering complaints under his breath like an angry mosquito with wings.

Creep. Creep. Creep. Creep.

(Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey)

Whisper-whine.

"Can’t believe she ignored me—me! The one who found her the dried fruits that one time. The one who distracted that boar. The one who—"

Creep. Creep. Creep.

Kaya didn’t even flinch. She was already used to this idiotic bird’s antics. Her face remained calm as she scanned the area, pretending as if the noisy bird didn’t exist.

She focused on the land around her.

From what she could see so far, this place was good—no, better than good. The ground was flat, the soil solid enough to build on, and the space was wide—large enough to raise houses for everyone, with room to spare.

Now the next important question: water.

They could build, sure. But if there was no water nearby, all of this would be pointless. Kaya sighed quietly. She’d have to check the area further for any signs of a stream or underground source.

But the plain was massive, and she was just one person.

Even after walking for half an hour, she’d only covered about half a kilometer. Her boots crunched softly against the earth as she kept moving, eyes constantly shifting.

Then—

A rustle in the air.

The five she had sent out to scout for danger were returning.

They came from the sky—swooping low with practiced grace, their wings slicing through the breeze before they touched down softly onto the earth. Their movements were sharp, alert, still fully in their beast form as they landed, wings slowly tucking in.

Their eyes met Kaya’s.

They had seen something.

As the five landed gracefully on the ground, their wings folded in and shimmered—before, in seconds, their bodies shifted. Feathers dissolved into skin. Claws receded. And just like that, they were back in their human forms.

And believe it or not, Kaya still wasn’t used to it.

Honestly—how could anyone get used to this?

One second they were terrifying, snarling beasts with fangs and fur, and the next... drop-dead gorgeous men with jawlines so sharp you could slice bread with them. She blinked, deadpan.

Some of them were still a bit disgusting though. Not all transformations were equal.

Anyway.

Kaya crossed her arms and faced them. "What? Something wrong?"

The group exchanged glances.

"Um," one began carefully, "we searched the area... but the problem is... it’s all empty."

"Empty how?" Kaya asked.

"No caves," the guy clarified. "None. The land is just open."

Kaya shrugged. "Okay. And?"

They looked at each other again, confused by her lack of reaction.

"Uh—we mean, like, really open. No natural shelter. And also... we couldn’t find any food. Nothing to hunt here."

Kaya raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, so?"

They blinked. "Um... well—"

"Any dangerous beasts around?" she cut in.

They shook their heads in sync. "No."

Kaya’s gaze narrowed slightly. "Poisonous herbs? Anything fatal nearby?"

This time, one of them scratched the back of his neck. "Well... we did find some herbs, yeah. But they’re not dangerous for us. They’re pretty far from our area anyway."

Kaya exhaled and rolled her shoulders back.

"Okay then," she muttered, rubbing her temples. Her voice dropped into a tone of mild sarcasm. "So, let me get this straight. No cave, no food, and some herbs that aren’t even an immediate problem."

They nodded.

"Right," she said dryly, "thanks for the very dramatic delivery."

She paused, then glanced toward the direction where Cutie had gone.

"Take Cutie with you when you head back. Let him see the herbs. he’ll know what to do with them—or whether we can use them."

The beastmen nodded quickly, slightly sheepish.

They glanced at each other, worry flickering in their eyes, like words were on the tip of their tongues but tangled too tightly to come out.

Kaya looked at them and asked, "Is there anything you want to ask?"

They all immediately turned to Rin.

Rin stared back at them, confused. His eyes clearly said, Why am I the one talking?

But still, no one said a word.

Kaya sighed, scratching her head. She was clearly getting annoyed.

"If you want to say something, then just say it. If not, then bye."

With that, she turned around and started walking away.