Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands-Chapter 309 --

Kaya paused, studying their eyes. The truth in their gaze gave her a moment of pause.

Meanwhile, Veer’s lips twitched into a sly smile. It was true—the healer had boiled the water and instructed him to handle it. What Kaya didn’t know, though... the healer had never said this water was actually meant for sparrow. The healer, busy preparing to cook chicken, hadn’t the slightest idea about the real plan.

Kaya paused, studying their eyes. The truth in their gaze made her stop mid-step. Something unspoken passed between Veer and Cutie, and she felt a small tug of curiosity—just for a moment.

The sparrow, still perched—or rather lying awkwardly on the bed—felt it too. Shivers ran down his thin back. He could hear everything. Everything. And yet he couldn’t make a sound. His throat was still raw, rasping painfully with every attempt to speak.

The steaming bowl of water sat before him, innocuous yet threatening. He stared at it like it was a trap. I’m not drinking that.

Veer leaned forward, amber eyes narrowed with patience that teetered on irritation. "Come on, little idiot. Drink it."

Cutie mirrored him on the other side, hands folded neatly, his expression the perfect picture of calm, though the tight line of his jaw betrayed how much he was holding back. "It’s just water. You’re fine. Drink."

The sparrow tilted his head, blinking rapidly. His beak—or lips, in human form—opened, then closed again. Nothing came out. The words he wanted to say jammed in his throat like stubborn feathers.

"Hey! Stop staring at it like it’s some kind of spell!" Veer snapped, lifting the bowl slightly. "Drink it before it cools off!"

The sparrow’s eyes widened. Before it cools? Are you kidding me? He flinched back, curling his fingers around the fur hide on the bed. No way. Not today.

Cutie crouched down, tilting the bowl just enough toward him to make the steam curl around his nose. "Look. I’ll hold it for you. You sip. One small sip. Nothing more."

The sparrow’s mind raced a million miles an hour. One sip. I can’t. I won’t.

Veer huffed and muttered under his breath, "This is why you’re the most stubborn bird I’ve ever met."

The sparrow froze at the words. The most stubborn? Yes! Finally, someone gets it!

Kaya, observing silently from the doorway, shook her head slightly, a small smirk tugging at her lips. The scene unfolding before her—two grown beastmen coaxing a squawking, human-sized sparrow into drinking water—was absurd.

The sparrow, still refusing to drink, squirmed under their gentle nudging, eyes darting between the two of them and the steaming bowl, silently praying that maybe.

Veer sighed, his amber eyes narrowing as he crouched closer, holding the bowl just under the sparrow’s nose. "Seriously, little idiot. Just drink it. It’s water. Not poison. Not magic. Water."

The sparrow froze, glaring at the steaming liquid like it had personally insulted him. Drink it? Over my dead wings.

Cutie, crouched opposite him, added softly, "One sip. That’s it. Don’t make this harder than it has to be."

The sparrow’s tiny hands clenched the fur hide even tighter. His throat burned, and he still couldn’t speak, but the message was loud and clear in his frantic, darting eyes: No. Never. Not a chance.

Veer groaned and moved a finger toward the bowl, gently nudging it closer. "Little bird... just a sip. Come on..."

The sparrow snapped. In an instant, he shifted, feathers sprouting along his arms and back, his legs shrinking into clawed talons. Within seconds, his human form collapsed and he became a small brown sparrow once more.

"Charp! Charp!" he squeaked indignantly, flapping furiously.

Veer blinked, then exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his beak—or rather, his nose—trying to stay calm. "You’re ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous."

Cutie chuckled, though he still maintained a stern gaze. "Go ahead. Fly away if you want. But don’t expect me to hold the bowl forever."

The sparrow chirped again, ruffling his feathers. Then, with a burst of speed, he flapped straight toward the window, wings whirring so fast the steaming water shivered in the bowl.

Veer lunged, but the sparrow was already airborne, diving and twisting, a blur of brown feathers. "HEY!" Veer shouted, his tone half exasperated, half amused. "Come back here!"

Cutie moved to block the doorway, arms outstretched. "Don’t make this harder than it is! One sip! That’s all!"

The sparrow banked sharply, avoiding the hands with precision, and zipped toward the rafters. Veer groaned, dropping to a crouch, while Cutie sighed, shaking his head. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

From the rafters, the sparrow chirped triumphantly, hopping from beam to beam. "Charp! Charp!"—his message perfectly clear: I’m free. I’m clever. You can’t make me drink anything!

Kaya, standing silently by the doorway, watched the chaos unfold. A faint smile tugged at her lips. She shook her head, amused despite herself. Ridiculous little fool, she thought.

At last, the sparrow had survived—thanks to his quick thinking and the transformation into his bird form. If he hadn’t, Veer and Cutie would have already boiled him without a second thought.

Perched shakily on a nearby tree branch, he took deep, shuddering breaths, trying to calm his racing heart. His chest heaved, wings twitching nervously, as he replayed the scene in his mind.

At first, he had only feared the vulture, with his imposing amber eyes and towering presence. But now... even the sweet, gentle-eyed rabbit—Cutie—felt terrifying. There was something in the way Cutie’s calm eyes and careful movements belied a quiet, unyielding authority that made him want to shrink into himself.

He ruffled his feathers, trying to shake off the memory of the steaming water and the hands that had hovered far too close for comfort. How is it possible... that someone so soft-looking, so seemingly harmless, could make me want to escape like this?

He perched there, trembling slightly, wings half-folded, glaring down at the hut where Cutie and Veer were still standing, probably plotting the next attempt to force him to drink. Survival today had been a miracle—but deep down, he knew the next encounter would be just as terrifying... if not worse.