Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands

Chapter 486 --486

More figures lingered in the shadows—lean shapes perched along branches or standing half-hidden behind pillars of root and stone. Their eyes tracked every movement.Quiet.

Unblinking.

At the center of it all—

Vayu.

He lounged against a throne formed from twisted, interwoven roots, one arm draped loosely along its side as if this entire scene bored him. His posture was relaxed, almost lazy—but there was nothing careless about him.

Long black hair fell over his shoulders, framing a face too composed to trust. His golden eyes lifted the moment Kaya stepped into the light, locking onto her with quiet precision.

Taking her in.

Measuring.

A slow smile spread across his lips.

Sharp.

Thin.

Not warm in the slightest.

Like the glint of a fang—just before it sinks in.

Vayu looked at them with those unnerving yellow eyes, his expression shifting from scholarly interest to something closer to exasperation.

( Yeah, because he can utter a few words and now he is a scholar.)

"Anyway," he said, changing the subject abruptly, "how did you even find this place? I don’t exactly advertise my location."

Kaya looked at him with a completely blank expression. "Ah, your dear friend told me."

Vayu tilted his head in confusion, his serpentine nature showing through even in human form. "Friend? What friend?"

Kaya raised her eyebrows slightly. "Yeah, the friend you wanted to eat."

There was a moment of silence as Vayu processed this. Then realization dawned, and his expression turned to one of pure disbelief.

"Damn it," he muttered, pressing his palm to his forehead. "That damn sparrow. I should have known he’d talk too much."

Kaya just looked at him calmly. "So, are we done with all this nonsense, Mr. King?"

Vayu’s head snapped up, and he looked at her with a slightly raised chin, his pride clearly pricked. "I am a tribe leader now, and you cannot touch me. I have status, responsibilities—"

"Uh-huh," Kaya interrupted, her tone completely flat. "Is that so?" She looked around the modest dwelling, at the few structures visible through the doorway, clearly taking stock of what constituted his "tribe." "So how did you even make this tribe? What, did you ask nicely and three other snakes showed up?"

Vayu bristled, his yellow eyes flashing with indignation. "What, do you think I’m some pitiful snake that cannot even have my own tribe? I’ll have you know I worked hard to establish this place, to gather like-minded individuals who value knowledge over—"

Kaya looked at him with an expression that clearly said, *Is that actually true, though?*

Seeing this, Vayu stopped mid-sentence, staring at her in complete disbelief. His mouth opened and closed a few times, no words coming out.

On the other side of the room, Kaya felt a slight sense of satisfaction. Thank God that damn sparrow—Cutie—had the habit of talking too much. He’d been the one who told her exactly where this snake was living after they’d left the Nikala tribe.

Right now, Kaya couldn’t afford to waste time traveling all the way back to Nikala territory. It was too far away, would take too long, and she didn’t even know if it would be useful. But now that she’d found Vayu, she could at least get some information directly.

Vayu seemed to collect himself, straightening his posture and trying to regain some dignity. "Anyway," he said with forced calm, "what do you need? I assume you didn’t come all this way just to insult my tribe."

Kaya looked at him directly. "Well, you see, I literally hit the eagle tribe leader on the head and now he might be in a coma or something."

The reaction was immediate and dramatic.

Vayu’s eyes went wide. His whole body went rigid. For a moment, he just stared at her in complete disbelief.

"Wait," he said slowly. "Who did you hit?"

"The eagle tribe leader," Kaya repeated calmly, as if discussing the weather. "Kael. Knocked him unconscious in his own chambers."

Vayu literally stood up from his seated position, looking at her with bewildered eyes. "Are you crazy?!" His voice rose several octaves. "You—you hit *that* bastard? And now you’re standing here, in front of me, alive?"

Kaya raised an eyebrow. "Obviously. I wouldn’t be standing here if I were dead."

"Do you want to kill my whole tribe with me?!" Vayu gestured wildly, his composure completely shattered. "Do you have any idea what you’ve done? The eagle clan doesn’t forgive insults like that! They’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth, and anyone who helps you—"

Kaya looked at him with complete calm. "Well, I don’t know where else to go, so I thought about coming here."

Vayu stared at her in absolute disbelief. "So you thought—" He had to pause, clearly trying to process this logic. "—that after you put one of the top tribe leaders into a coma, you would come to *me*? To my small, barely established tribe? Are you trying to get us all killed?"

He started pacing, his movements agitated. "Do you even understand the hierarchy here? They are eagles—top-tier predators, one of the most powerful clans. We are snakes. Yes, we’re dangerous, but we’re not equipped to fight an aerial assault! And you—" He pointed at her. "—you just waltzed in here like it’s no big deal!"

Kaya pointed casually to Veer, who had been watching this exchange with growing amusement. "He’s also a tribe leader. Vulture clan."

Vayu stopped pacing for a second, looked at Veer properly for the first time, then threw his hands up. "I don’t care! Whatever! But I am *not* going to help you deal with the eagles. I’m not getting involved in that mess. My tribe is small, vulnerable. We can’t afford to make enemies of—"

"Who said I wanted you to deal with them?" Kaya interrupted.

Vayu stopped mid-rant and looked at her. "Then... why are you here?"

Kaya gave him a look that was almost pitying. "You couldn’t even deal with a sparrow, and you’re talking about dealing with eagles? Come on, I’m not such a fool."

Vayu’s eye twitched. "Then why the *hell* are you even here?"

"Well," Kaya said calmly, "I need your help with something else."

"What?" Vayu asked, his voice dripping with suspicion.

Kaya looked at him steadily. "Well, I heard that you snakes are the oldest and most vicious, most corrupt, most bastard-like of all the beastmen. You hoard knowledge, keep secrets, and have records going back centuries."

Vayu raised his eyebrows, his expression shifting from suspicion to offense. "Wait. You’re abusing me—like, verbally insulting me right to my face while I’m standing here in front of you. Do you not have even a bit of fear?"

Kaya looked at him with genuine confusion, as if the question itself was odd. "Well, you could try something," she said, pointing to Veer and then to where Cutie sat in the corner. "But I should warn you—before you could kill me, they would at least tear you apart. And even if they couldn’t—" Her smile grew slowly, taking on a dangerous edge. "—I would do it myself."

She paused, letting that sink in. "After all, have you forgotten? I beat an eagle lord unconscious with my bare hands. You really think you’re scarier than him?"