The moment Roxanna heard that, her smile slowly faded. "Ah... right. You’ll be leaving this place later."

She had always known that. But somehow, she kept pushing that thought away. Maybe... it was because she wanted Aelin to stay because for the first time in this world, she felt like she had a real friend.

Of course, her husbands could also be her friends. But somehow, a friendship between women filled a different space in her heart, something they couldn’t replace.

"It’s inevitable," Aelin said with a small, bitter smile. "Even though I don’t want to go back so soon, I don’t want my brother to worry either."

After all, despite having her own wishes, Aelin still respected her brother’s opinion. Besides, they only had each other, so leaving her brother just like that was not the right choice for her. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Roxanna gave her a gentle smile. "I understand." She paused for a moment, then added, "But if you—or anyone from the Golden Tribe—ever want to visit the Vixeria Tribe, our gates will always be open for you."

Calen, standing beside her, nodded. "Yes. If you need anything, just tell us." He looked at Aelin seriously. "You saved my life, so I won’t forget that."

"Oh, don’t worry about that." Aelin waved her hand casually. "Your wife’s mother has also helped us a lot, so I’m just returning the favor."

"Then, you can also ask us for help as friends," Roxanna said, still smiling. "You know... friends are supposed to help each other when the other is in trouble, right?"

Back then, she was always the one helping Lisa, her ex-friend, whenever she was in trouble. But now, it seemed like Aelin was not the type of person who would abandon her like that.

More than that, Aelin had never once tried to take her husbands, even though Roxanna had five of them.

"If you say so, then..." Aelin suddenly smiled. "Of course, we will help each other!"

After chatting for a while and shaking hands to seal their promise, Aelin left the hut because she wanted to meet Skiv and someone else.

Roxanna and Calen stayed behind for a bit before heading out. Outside, Marlow and Zeir were already guiding the others, asking them to start rebuilding the settlement.

Since they needed a place to rest together after tearing down the old buildings, the first thing they decided to build was a council hut in the center of the settlement.

"How about you stay here?" Calen said as he spread several large leaves under a big tree, making sure the sunlight wouldn’t hit her directly. "That way, I can help the others and still keep an eye on you."

Roxanna tilted her head. "Can’t I help too?" she asked. "I can carry some things."

Calen frowned. "You’re pregnant, so of course you can’t carry heavy things!" He added, then puffed his chest proudly. "Besides, I’m very strong, so I can carry anything easily!"

Roxanna let out a small laugh. "Still... what if I cook something for everyone? It might help keep their energy up."

Calen quickly shook his head. "No need. Cyrus will take care of that." He let out a quiet scoff. "He and Zeir already tired you out yesterday. Today, they should make sure you get enough rest."

[Are they fighting?] Roxanna wondered.

But when she looked into the distance, she saw Cyrus and Luan working together like usual, even lifting wooden logs side by side. She quickly shook the thought away. [Well... it seems like they’re fine.]

"So... I just sit here?" she asked, glancing at a few beastwomen who were helping carry things and organize the area. "but they’re working too."

"They’re not pregnant," Calen replied simply.

Before she could say anything else, he gently guided her down onto the leaves and spoke in a firm but caring tone, "Just sit here and rest. Think of this as your reward for working so hard on the new settlement layout."

When he put it that way, Roxanna had no reason to argue. "Alright, then. I will stay here."

"Good." Calen smiled widely, patting her head a bit firmly but still carefully. "If you need anything, just call me or the others."

Roxanna only nodded in response, but deep down, she still felt a little uneasy sitting there while the others worked hard to build the settlement.

But it seemed like Calen was right. She really did need more rest. After all, her new recovery skill only worked when she reached orgasm. Now that she wasn’t in that state anymore, her body felt noticeably more tired.

A soft sigh slipped from her lips as she leaned back slightly against the tree trunk. The shade helped, and the gentle breeze made it a little easier to relax.

Maybe... just for a while, it was okay to do nothing.

Moments later, Roxanna drifted off to sleep without even realizing it. One by one, the people who passed by noticed her, but instead of feeling annoyed that she was resting while they worked, they couldn’t help but smile.

"Our Leader is really cute when she’s sleeping."

"It’s really strange. Her face looks very similar to her evil twin sister’s, but somehow she can still make us feel at ease."

They spoke in soft voices, careful not to wake her.

"She feels... different," one of them whispered. "Warmer."

"Yeah," another replied softly. "It’s like just being near her makes you feel safe."

They kept their voices low, almost instinctively lowering the noise around her. Some even adjusted their steps, walking more carefully so they wouldn’t disturb her rest.

Not far away, Calen glanced in her direction. When he saw Roxanna sleeping peacefully under the tree, his expression softened.

"Let her rest," he said quietly to the others nearby.

===

When Roxanna opened her eyes, the sun was almost setting. As she rubbed her eyes, she thought that everyone had already stopped working and was resting.

But to her surprise, the people were still working without showing any signs of fatigue.

"What the—" Roxanna widened her eyes when she saw that the council hut was already standing in the center of the settlement. The roof was still just a frame, but the structure itself was already complete.

The wooden pillars stood tall and firm, and the walls had been neatly put together. Even from a distance, she could tell how much effort had gone into building it in such a short time.

Roxanna slowly sat up, still a little dazed. "How long did I sleep?" she murmured, rubbing her eyes. "Am I still on the same day?"

For a moment, she even wondered if she had accidentally slept for an entire week.

"Wife, you’re awake!" Calen waved at her from a distance, then jogged over like an excited puppy. "Are you hungry? Cyrus saved some food for you."

Roxanna blinked a few times, slowly clearing her head. Once she fully woke up, she looked at him in disbelief. "Calen... how did you all build the hut so fast?!"

"Fast?" Calen tilted his head. "What do you mean fast? We even had to build it in half a day. That’s a very long time! If we worked faster, we should’ve been able to finish it in two hours!"

Two hours?!

Roxanna was completely speechless. Back in her world, there was no way they could build a structure in just two hours!

Well... maybe it was possible, but only if it was a pre-made building.

She was about to say something, but her eyes suddenly caught something unusual.

From afar, she saw Azul and Aelin walking together from the same direction. Skiv was jogging behind them, making the three of them look like a small family.

"Where did Azul go?" Roxanna asked Calen.

Calen raised his eyebrows. "I’m not sure. He’s been away with Aelin for a few hours. That fish... he should be working harder!"

"A few hours?!" Roxanna suddenly spoke a little louder, startling Calen.

When he realized that Roxanna was being serious, Calen straightened his back. "Yes... I think so. He said he wanted to do something with Aelin."

Roxanna bit her lower lip, trying hard to think of positive things.

Just a while ago, she had even praised Aelin because she didn’t act like Lisa. But as someone who had been betrayed before, she couldn’t help but feel a small sense of unease rising in her chest.

"Is that a bad thing?" Calen asked.

Roxanna clenched her fists tightly and then quickly shook her head. "No, no, it’s alright. Maybe they really have something important to discuss. Maybe Azul wants to learn more about medicinal plants from her."

[Yes, yes, I have to keep thinking positively,] Roxanna said to herself.

Moments later, Azul and Roxanna accidentally made eye contact. Instead of panicking, Azul immediately waved at her, showing that he wasn’t hiding anything.

But still, when Azul walked toward her and stopped right in front of her, she couldn’t help but ask in a slightly sharp tone, "Where did you go?"