The rain drenched the forest all night long, making the already cold air feel even colder. But since Roxanna's blood ran warm, she no longer shivered when the night breeze brushed against her skin.
She spent the whole night curled up beside the campfire, and maybe for the first time in her life, she finally experienced a peaceful sleep, even if her bed was only made of leaves and branches.
When she opened her eyes, sunlight had already slipped into the cave. Her husbands had finished removing the wooden logs they used to block the entrance.
She rubbed her eyes and yawned a few times before realizing something soft was covering her body.
Oh, wait, it wasn't a blanket, rather, it was animal skin clothing, and judging from the size and smell, it was definitely Zeir's. She also knew that because he was one of the few who didn't wear anything on his upper body, along with Calen and Azul.
Roxanna's face warmed up every time she looked at their bare chests and toned bodies. Beastkin were always physically active, so their muscles were hard and beautifully shaped.
[They even have those perfect six-packs,] Roxanna thought, feeling shy. [I want to touch them.]
Her ex-husband wasn't the type of person who often did physical activities, so she never had the chance to touch a six-pack. Even so, that bastard still had the audacity to comment on her body all the time.
Cyrus, who was closest to her, immediately heard that thought and tilted his head in confusion. Why was she embarrassed?
Beastkin touched each other's muscles all the time, mostly to compare strength and show off. Even the beast women often compared their chests, wondering who had the plumpest breasts.
The plumper their breasts were, the easier it would be for them to provide milk for their babies.
Before this, Cyrus actually didn't want to have children because he didn't want them to have such an evil mother. But since the demon had gone and the angel had taken over her body, maybe he should consider making a little bird with her.
"Cyrus, are we leaving now?" Roxanna gently grabbed his hand to get his attention, but he jumped slightly at the sudden touch.
His reaction made her panic. [Dummy! Why did I touch him so suddenly?! He must feel traumatized because the evil Roxanna always touched him forcefully.]
She pulled her hand back right away, but Cyrus caught it in a second. His gesture confused Roxanna, but since he didn't seem bothered, she shyly used his hand to help herself stand up.
"We're going to use the fog to hide from the demon beasts," Cyrus said softly. "We must move quickly, so be ready."
Roxanna only nodded in response. If she truly wanted to survive in this world, then she had to listen to her husbands' instructions properly, at least for around thirty hours or so.
[Ding!]
[Life Span: 33:06:00]
[Reminder: Host must mate with one of your husbands unless you want to die in thirty-three hours.]
Roxanna had decided that she would enjoy her life in this half-heaven, half-hell world for the next thirty hours. That was why she didn't really pay attention to the system's reminder.
[Host! Why are you so calm about this?!]
[Other Hosts would panic and do anything to survive!]
[You're lucky you only need to have sex with your husbands, not slay demon beasts or save the world!]
Roxanna sighed and answered in her mind, [But I can't just treat my husbands like tools. My quest may not be as hard as killing a demon beast, but sex isn't just sex. It's more than that.]
To have sex, they would need to strip completely. Beastmen might be used to being naked, but Roxanna still carried human values in her mind.
For humans, willingly being naked in front of someone else was a sign of strong trust. But if someone was forced to strip, it was the same as stealing their sense of safety and their pride.
[If I have to force someone to have sex with me in order to live, then I'd rather die,] Roxanna thought firmly. [I can try to kill a demon beast, but I can't bring myself to crush someone's trust like that.]
All of her beast husbands froze at the same time. They had never met someone who thought so deeply about sex.
Sure, they hated it when the evil Roxanna touched them while they didn't want it. But they always saw it as mere bad luck, since they thought sex was just… sex, nothing more.
However, once Roxanna mentioned dignity and virtue, everything suddenly made sense. No wonder they had grown to truly hate being touched these days.
"Roxanna, come here," Calen called from the cave entrance. "We need to go before the mist fades."
Roxanna jogged toward Calen and then showed him a sweet smile. "I'm ready now. But I'm not familiar with the forest paths, so I'm sorry if… I end up slowing you down."
Calen frowned. "Walk? Who said you're going to walk?"
He turned around and bent down in front of her. "I'll carry you."
Roxanna blinked several times, surprised that Calen wanted to upgrade the way he carried her. Yesterday, he carried her like a sack of potatoes, but now he was offering a proper piggyback.
"But don't we need to move fast?" she asked nervously. "If you carry me, you'll be slower."
Calen glanced back at her, raising a brow. "Was I slow yesterday when I carried you?"
Roxanna puffed her cheeks and quickly shook her head. Alright… he won this round. Without another word, she climbed onto his back.
As soon as he stood up, she gasped softly because the world suddenly looked so high from his shoulders.
After all, Calen was the tallest among them, around 1.94 meters or at least that's what Roxanna guessed, since they didn't exactly have a ruler lying around.
"Wrap your arms around my neck," he said gently. "And hold on tight."
"Okay…" she whispered, tightening her grip with a fluttering heart.