"Wife, why are you crying?!" From a distance, Calen looked terrified the moment he saw the tear marks on Roxanna’s cheeks. He quickly shoved the firewood in his hands into Zeir’s arms and rushed toward her.

"Did this fish make you cry?" he growled, glaring at Azul as he pulled Roxanna close from the side.

"No, no, no! Don’t get it wrong! Azul just did something sweet for me!" Roxanna quickly raised the letter in her hand and showed it to him. "See? This is called a love letter. Azul worked hard on it for a whole week just to make this for me."

Calen stared at it for a moment, then said bluntly, "It looks like worms."

"At least I can write now!" Azul defended himself before Roxanna could say anything. Then he suddenly showed a smug smile at Calen. "And now, maybe I can talk to our wife secretly through letters, and you’ll never know!"

Calen’s eyes widened right away. "That’s not fair!" He grabbed Roxanna’s shoulders and shook her lightly. "Wife! Wife! I want to exchange secret words with you too! You have to teach me! You have to teach me!"

Roxanna laughed at his reaction because Calen looked so excited, maybe a little too excited.

"She can teach you later," Zeir said as he finally walked over to them. He calmly handed the firewood back to Calen. "For now, go start the fire so we can cook dinner."

"Why me?" Calen turned toward the window and spotted Luan. "Luan can do that while Roxanna teaches me how to write secret words!"

Zeir let out a soft sigh. "Because... earlier, you already promised to do it. Do you want to break your promise? A husband shouldn’t go back on his word like that."

Calen frowned. "Well, I’m not your husband."

With patience, Zeir said, "But you’re Roxanna’s husband, and she will be hungry if you keep standing here instead of lighting the firewood in the kitchen."

Calen opened his mouth, ready to argue, but then stopped. He frowned, realizing he didn’t have anything to say back.

"Alright, alright, I’ll do it!" he said at last before running into the hut to start the fire.

Cyrus clapped his hands a few times, calling the others’ attention. "Come inside! It’s going to get colder at night!"

Zeir gave a small nod, then gently guided Roxanna toward the entrance. "Let’s get you warm."

Roxanna wasn’t actually cold, but since her husbands had asked her to go inside, she didn’t want to argue. Besides, it felt nice to be cared for like this.

"What do you want to eat tonight?" Azul asked as they stepped into the hut. "I caught some fish earlier. Do you want grilled fish?"

Roxanna smiled warmly. "That sounds really good."

And just like that, they spent the night eating a warm meal together before going to sleep in their new, clean hut.

===

A week later, it was finally time for Aelin to say goodbye.

In such a short time, she had done so much for the Vixeria Tribe. She had taught Skiv and Azul about poisons and herbal medicine, and she had given Roxanna and the others many helpful tips on how to take care of their growing farm.

"You have such a beautiful tribe, Roxie," Aelin said with a bright smile as she stood at the entrance of the settlement. Her eyes were filled with so many emotions that Roxanna couldn’t quite understand what she was feeling. Aelin added, "I’m really happy you let me stay here for three weeks."

Roxanna, on the other hand, had been holding back her tears from the very beginning. She kept wiping them away, not wanting Aelin to remember her as someone who only cried before she left.

"No... I should be the one saying that," Roxanna said softly, her voice shaking a little. "I’m really grateful that you took your time to help my husbands and my tribe. I owe you so much... and I’m sorry if I ever made you feel uncomfortable while you were here."

Because of some misunderstandings, she had often ruined Aelin’s experience in this tribe. But even then, Aelin had never been offended, and she even respected Roxanna’s feelings, something that truly made Roxanna feel valued.

Roxanna also realized that she could finally build trust with a female friend, without being afraid that she would try to take her husbands someday.

But honestly, as long as her husbands didn’t want to betray her, then an affair would never happen.

[Ding! Ding!]

The system suddenly rang in Roxanna’s head.

[Side Mission Activated: Strengthen the Bond of Sisterhood]

[Goal: Give Aelin a meaningful farewell and secure a lasting connection]

[Conditions:

- Express your true feelings honestly

- Give Aelin a farewell gift OR promise

- Receive Aelin’s sincere response]

[Progress: 0/3]

[Reward:

- Passive Skill: Sister’s Trust (Increases trust gain with female allies by +20%)

- Herbal Knowledge Pack (Advanced Poison & Medicine Recipes)]

Roxanna twitched at the corner of her eyes because the system had, once again, ruined the moment. Her tears even started to rise again because now she had to think about the mission.

Honestly, the mission itself wasn’t that hard. Roxanna had already prepared some gifts for Aelin. But the problem was... if she did it and then got a reward from the system, it made her feel like her actions weren’t completely sincere.

[Host, why are you thinking like that?] the system asked, sounding confused. [Of course your actions are still genuine! The system only gives you conditions, it never asks you to fake your feelings!]

[Besides, isn’t it a good thing? You get to build a bond with a female friend and receive a reward at the same time.]

Roxanna let out a soft sigh, her gaze lowering slightly. [Maybe you’re right.]

[Not maybe, Host. The system is always right!]

Roxanna almost rolled her eyes, but she held it back.

"Not at all!" Aelin’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "I had so many good times while staying here! If my brother hadn’t forced me to go back, I might not have left."