I Became the Villainess, But My Beast Husbands Can Hear My Mind?!-Chapter 49: The Past That Still Bleeds

"Calen isn’t acting like this because of the sleeping magic," Luan gently cut her off. "It’s just... the crystal seal carries too many painful memories for him."

Luan then told her about Calen’s past, and not a single part of the story contained anything happy moment.

Calen had been a slave since he was very young, and his old master could be said to be even worse than the evil Roxanna. Of course, two terrible things couldn’t really be compared, but at least in the Vexaria settlement, Calen could breathe a little and feel slightly less trapped.

Meanwhile, in his old settlement, he was nothing more than a slave dog. Every day, he was forced to work; hunting for meat, guarding the settlement, and carrying heavy loads. When he grew older, they even forced him to watch over the demon beasts’ nests.

His life was filled with chaos and violence for so long that speaking softly became difficult for him. Harsh words and raised voices were all he had ever known.

However, that wasn’t the cruelest part.

One day, his old master told him that he would finally be free. He said Calen would no longer be a slave, but only if he could run as far as possible within ten minutes, far enough that his master could no longer see him.

It might have sounded easy, since Calen could run very fast, but unfortunately, his old master had no intention of letting him go that easily.

During those ten minutes, his master ordered several men to shoot arrows at Calen’s legs. Each hit slowed him down, while his master followed behind, watching the whole time.

Of all the torment his former master had inflicted on him, the cruelest was being promised freedom, only to be dragged back into the abyss.

His hands had almost reached the light he had only been able to see from afar, but before he could grasp it, the demons dragged him back into the darkness.

"That’s why, when you released his crystal seal, he thought you did it because you wanted to torment him again later," Luan continued immediately before Roxanna could speak. "I know. I know you wouldn’t do that, and deep down, Calen knows it too. But unfortunately, he isn’t in a good state of mind right now, so he sees you as his old master."

"He reacted the same way back then because..." Luan hesitated, then looked at Roxanna. "...you once released his crystal seal, but you had already drugged him with poisonous fruit."

Roxanna opened her mouth, then slowly closed it again. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Her husbands kept telling her that they had forgotten the evil Roxanna’s past behavior, and some of them even said they would forget it because she had changed.

However... what about their subconscious?

They might say they had forgotten all of the evil Roxanna’s deeds, but trauma couldn’t heal in such a short time. Sometimes, even the smallest thing could trigger it.

"I... didn’t mean to do the same thing I did back then," Roxanna lowered her head, staring at the ground beneath her feet.

[It wasn’t even my fault, and yet I still have to suffer from this guilt.] Roxanna let out a tired breath. [It’s not fair... If only I had met them before they ever met that evil woman.]

Luan wished the same, but unfortunately, some things couldn’t be changed because fate, after all, never asked for permission.

"I know," Luan said.

Roxanna looked at him with pitiful eyes. "I will never hurt you again. I... I have changed."

Luan nodded without hesitation. "I believe you." He gently patted her head and smoothed her hair. "I believe every word you say." He paused for a moment, but his green eyes stayed fixed on Roxanna with complete seriousness. "And I know you’re not the same Roxanna I knew before."

Roxanna’s eyes widened when he said that.

He knew? He really knew she wasn’t the same Roxanna? Did that mean he knew she had taken over the evil Roxanna’s body?

[Does he think I’m a demon beast that can disguise itself as the evil Roxanna?] Panic filled her mind. [What if he decides I’m dangerous and kills me before I can become a threat?]

[I’m not dangerous! I would never hurt anyone like that! I’m really just here to enjoy this life before I die!]

She screamed all of this in her mind, so loudly that Luan frowned.

Truthfully, he hadn’t wanted to say that at all, because they had agreed not to talk about Roxanna’s strange changes in front of her.

However, after hearing about her guilt and sadness—about how she had to carry the sins of the evil Roxanna—Luan could no longer keep that truth hidden from her.

She at least needed to know that some people could forgive her, because they knew she wasn’t the same person they once hated.

Of course, Luan wouldn’t reveal the mind-reading part to her. That would only make her panic even more.

"W-What do you mean, Luan?" she asked, her voice shaking. "I’m not a dangerous mimic!"

Luan took a deep breath. He was about to explain, but a loud BANG suddenly echoed from the hut.

"Let me go! I have to run now!" Calen shouted. He shoved the beastmen around him and burst out of the hut, crashing straight through the wall.

"The wall..." Luan clenched his teeth. He looked like he wanted to yell at Calen, but forced himself to stop. "Why does he keep crashing into the wall, for gods’ sake?"

After smashing through the hut’s wall, Calen bolted out of the settlement. He ran so fast that they soon lost sight of him in the darkness of the night.

Inside the hut, Roxanna’s three husbands stumbled out, looking awful. They hadn’t wanted to hurt Calen, so they had tried to hold him down instead of knocking him out.

However, as a result, the out-of-control Calen had injured them.

"You’re bleeding!" Roxanna cried.

She stood frozen, not knowing where to go. She didn’t want Calen running around alone while losing his mind, but at the same time, her heart twisted at the sight of her injured husbands.

For a moment, she didn’t know who needed her more.