I Became the Villainess, But My Beast Husbands Can Hear My Mind?!-Chapter 160: A Fish Can Be Scared Too (2)

She thought that rather than making wild guesses, it would be better to ask Azul directly about the problem.

Azul sighed. "I’m not angry with you. You don’t have to worry about that." He paused for a moment before finally saying, "Actually, I don’t even know what I’m feeling right now."

After making sure her hands were cleaner, she gently held Azul’s arm because she wanted him to know that she would always be by his side.

"You can tell me about it slowly," Roxanna encouraged him. "I will try to understand."

Instead of replying right away, Azul suddenly lowered his head and rubbed his face roughly. "I’m sorry," he muttered with a groan. "I must look stupid. Calen needs you right now... and here I am, acting like I just want your attention."

Roxanna’s eyes widened.

"Azul, don’t say that!" She quickly grabbed his arm, giving it a small shake so he would look at her. "You don’t have to feel guilty for wanting my attention. You’re my husband, so you’re not doing anything wrong."

"N-No, it’s me who’s wrong!" Roxanna suddenly raised her voice.

Azul blinked, surprised. "Why would you say that?"

"B-Because..." Her grip on his arm loosened. "I’ve been thinking about Calen all the time. So much that I didn’t really pay attention to anyone else."

She lowered her head and murmured, "Even earlier, when I came home, I ignored Azul’s hug and ran inside to see Calen."

"Azul, I didn’t mean to ignore you..." Roxanna lifted her head, looking at him with her round eyes. "I just wanted to see Calen quickly because he’s sick, and I’m worried about him. But I love you too, Azul, just like I love Calen!"

Azul froze. He did not even blink when he heard Roxanna’s words.

If he remembered correctly, wasn’t this the first time Roxanna had confessed her love to her husbands? And even better... Azul was the first to hear it.

"You love me?" Azul asked, almost teasing.

Roxanna’s face immediately turned as red as a rotten tomato when she realized what she had just said. "O-Of course..." she stammered, suddenly embarrassed. "You’re my husband, so... I love you."

Azul’s expression slowly darkened. "But the one who married me in the beginning was the evil Roxanna, not you. If you had met me when we had no bond at all... would you still have married me?"

Now it was Roxanna’s turn to fall silent.

To be honest, she did not know. No one could guarantee that she would still have married Azul if they had not been bound together from the start.

But Roxanna also had no reason not to marry him. The only thing that might have been different was that she was not sure she would have chosen to marry more than one husband if she had been given a choice.

All her life, she had believed in monogamy. And her ex-husband’s betrayal had made her completely unwilling to ever cheat on someone.

In that sense, perhaps it was fortunate that she had entered the body of the evil Roxanna after Roxanna had already married all of her husbands.

Otherwise, she might have chosen only one of them, and honestly, she could no longer imagine choosing.

[My husbands are too precious to me,] Roxanna thought quietly.

[If I were to lose even one of them... I would be completely devastated.]

"Forget my question," Azul said suddenly. "There’s no point in creating imaginary scenarios like that. What matters is that I’m your husband now, and I will always be your husband."

Roxanna immediately let out a sigh of relief. She nodded quickly. "That’s right! Azul will be my husband forever!"

Azul stared at her for a moment after she said that.

The fading sunlight filtered through the leaves above them, casting soft shadows across his face. His earlier tension eased, little by little, as if Roxanna’s words had untied something tight inside his chest.

"Yes, forever," he repeated softly.

He pressed his lips against hers, stealing a few soft kisses before pulling back. "Honestly..." Azul’s voice dropped. "I was just... scared."

Roxanna blinked, surprised. "Scared? Of what?"

Azul let out a heavy sigh. "While you were away, I was the one who stayed by Calen’s side, since Zeir had to train the warriors."

His fingers curled slightly at his side. "And during those days..." He hesitated. "There were moments when I thought he might not make it until you came back."

He lowered his gaze. "I kept thinking... if he were gone before you returned, you would be shattered, and maybe... maybe you would look at me and think I failed. That I wasn’t good enough to protect him."

He paused, then quickly shook his head. "No, no, no, I’m sorry!" He raised his voice. "That sounds selfish."

Azul’s eyes darkened with guilt. "Thinking about myself like that... when Calen is the one fighting for his life." He rubbed his face roughly. "Damn it... that’s not what I meant!"

"I understand." Roxanna gently took his hands, holding them between hers. She looked at him with calm, reassuring eyes. "I really do understand your feelings, Azul."

Azul’s eyes widened slightly. He did not expect Roxanna to say that instead of getting angry and calling him selfish. "You do?"

"Mhm." Roxanna nodded. "That’s not selfish at all." Her thumbs lightly brushed over the back of his hands. "Sometimes, when someone is given a heavy responsibility, it’s normal to feel scared."

She spoke softly, carefully. "We start thinking about all the bad things that could happen... not because we only care about ourselves, but because we’re afraid of failing. Afraid of hurting the people we love."

Before Azul could say anything, she spoke again. "I know that deep down, Azul was afraid he wouldn’t be able to take good care of Calen. It’s not just because you were afraid of disappointing me, but also because you were afraid of losing Calen."

Her smile grew warmer as she continued, "Azul must love Calen so much to carry such a big fear."

Azul snorted, feeling slightly offended by Roxanna’s words. "I don’t love him that much!"

Roxanna chuckled softly. "It’s alright. Sometimes, the more you love someone, the harder it is to admit it."

Azul’s frown deepened, especially when he shouted, "It’s not like that!"