The Villainess Redeems Herself, The Beast Husbands are in a Daily Love Battle-Chapter 49: False Friends
That was a Low Rank Beastman, with somewhat dull fur, tail tightly against its hind legs, paws curled in front.
He didn’t dare look Caleb Shaw in the face, only dared to stare at the buttons on his chest, letting out a slight swallowing sound from his throat.
"Yours."
Caleb Shaw handed over the candy.
The little guy clumsily stretched out his two small paws to receive it.
But Caleb Shaw’s hands were too big, and a casual scoop was almost equal to what the little Beastman could hold in both arms.
The candies clattered into his arms, with a few rolling down along his arms to the ground.
The little Beastman hurriedly bent down to pick them up, accidentally brushing against Caleb Shaw’s hand.
"Thank you, big brother!"
He hugged the candies, looked up, his eyes shining brightly.
As he spoke, his tail lightly twitched.
The little guy was so happy his tail wagged like a propeller.
He had never seen, let alone eaten, so much candy in his life!
He hugged the candies to his chest, afraid of dropping any, bouncing back two steps, glanced at Caleb Shaw to ensure he wasn’t called back, then turned around and ran off in a flash.
One by one, the other children received candies, all smiling from ear to ear, turning around to run home.
The air gradually filled with the sweet artificial aroma.
One little girl was particularly bold.
She was a High Rank female, her family well-off, usually able to eat candy, so she only took a small handful.
She wore a neat dress, her hair tied into two little braids.
Standing quietly at the end of the line, watching the children ahead receive candy.
Just as Caleb Shaw lowered his head to organize the candies, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
Her movements were swift, as if afraid of changing her mind.
After the kiss, she immediately took a step back, her face turning bright red.
"When I grow up, I want to marry a male as handsome as brother!"
She spoke loudly.
Selene Kane couldn’t hold back, bursting into laughter on the spot.
She raised a hand to cover her mouth, shoulders slightly shaking, tears of laughter at the corners of her eyes.
She looked at Caleb Shaw frozen in place, then at the scattered pile of candy, laughing even harder.
"Oh my, such ambition you have, come, sister will give you a kiss too!"
Caleb Shaw was bewildered.
He, the Commander, had actually been ambushed by a little girl.
The girl was too quick for him to react, leaving a warm sensation on his cheek.
She was the first female to kiss him.
He instinctively took half a step back, eyebrows slightly furrowed, scanning the surroundings.
Not only were the other children not surprised, but they burst into laughter.
Not to mention others, even Selene Kane.
He always kept his distance, never overstepping.
Their marriage was force-matched by the system, with no emotional basis.
He was used to maintaining stability through rules and distance, to prevent unnecessary trouble.
But this scene completely shattered his self-restraint.
When the children finally dispersed and the noise faded away.
Only the two of them were left in the clearing, the wind blowing through Selene Kane’s bangs.
She clapped her hands, exaggeratedly wiping nonexistent sweat.
"Oh my, I’m exhausted."
Her voice carried a hint of complaint.
She bent down to pick up a flattened candy wrapper from the ground.
Casually stuffing it into her pocket, the action practiced as if done many times.
Caleb Shaw was silent for a moment, his gaze falling on her bulging pockets, then frowned and spoke.
"You’re not short of money now, why buy this cheap candy?"
He knew Selene Kane was financially comfortable.
Owning multiple properties and receiving living allowances from him.
Logically, such poor-quality candy with yellowing packaging shouldn’t appear on her shopping list.
He came from a privileged background, living entirely within the military.
The food, clothes, and items were all quality supplies selected through layers of scrutiny.
It was only after marriage that he truly encountered civilian life, and it was then he acquired several properties himself.
The villa they currently lived in was bought specifically for dealing with the marital situation.
Excellent location, tight security, exquisite decoration matching his status standards.
After all, he didn’t want to squeeze into the slums with Selene Kane.
He felt living there would be a downgrade for himself and a discredit to the military’s dignity.
Even for the sake of reputation, he couldn’t let others know the Commander’s wife lived in such a place.
Selene Kane widened her eyes, staring at him for a few seconds, then lightly smiled.
Her smile carried no sarcasm or helplessness.
"People here are poor, anything of value is exchanged for food, who would give candy to children."
She took out an unopened pack of candy from her pocket, the paper corners already frayed, exposing the grayish-white hard blocks inside.
In this slum, females most hope to marry a Beast Husband, preferably more than one.
More labor means more income, more food to eat.
A Beast Husband can work, hunt, carry heavy loads, protect the family in crises.
Having one more Beast Husband means one more income, a little more hope for survival.
Typically, a female with three or four Beast Husbands barely enough to feed herself.
Any more, and the food would be insufficient.
Kids born may not survive.
Medical resources are tight, medicines scarce, many minor illnesses dragging on become terminal.
People are accustomed to birth and death, emotions compressed to the minimum.
They have to bear a bunch of children, if a few are lost to predators, besides the father, no one is truly saddened.
Mothers must calculate how many days each mouthful of food can last.
They must weigh which child shows more potential, worthy of focused nurturing.
Caleb Shaw then realized he didn’t really understand this female.
What he saw in the past were just the data in the files, system-matched scores, and her surface-level amiability and compliance.
He assumed she was like other females, only caring about status.
Or rather, since the beginning, he resisted the forced match, biased against her.
He never expected her to come to such a place.
Never expected her to squat down to talk to children, let alone use her saved money to buy unwanted cheap candy, just to exchange for a few seconds of children’s laughter.
Later she became increasingly emotional, hysterical.
Her emotional fluctuations not only didn’t elicit sympathy from Caleb Shaw but made him feel irritable.
Selene Kane walked ahead, her face naturally smiling.
She warmly greeted neighbors along the way.
Stopping to ask an old lady at a stall about her situation, even buying two freshly grilled skewers.
Her vibrant energy made Caleb Shaw subconsciously twitch the corners of his mouth.
"Selene! You’re back?"
A black-skinned female with braided hair rushed out from the alley.
She wore whitewashed overalls, had some freckles on her face, and some dust on her nose.
Although not meeting mainstream standards.
But she smiled brightly, revealing neat white teeth, her eyes sparkling.
"You haven’t come back in so long, I thought your household had done away with you!"
She finished speaking and patted her own mouth.
Selene Kane raised an eyebrow, stopping her steps.
"What do you mean by that? Am I not to be cherished by a Beast Husband?"
