Fat and Ugly Villainess Wins Back Her Five Beast Husband

Meanwhile...

Sora happily stuffed raspberries into her basket.

She popped one into her mouth.

Sweet.

Juicy.

Perfect.

She sighed blissfully.

”This...”

”...this is happiness.”

Lukan glanced sideways.

”You don’t seem bothered.”

”About what?”

”The female.”

Sora shrugged.

”Life’s too short.”

”I already won.”

He looked confused.

”You won?”

She grinned mischievously.

”Of course.”

”I called her an angry chicken.”

”I’ve been smiling ever since.”

Lukan was silent for a long moment.

Then...

A quiet laugh escaped him.

Soft.

Warm.

Almost impossible to hear.

Sora stopped walking.

”...Did you just laugh?”

Lukan immediately returned to his usual gentle expression.

”I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

”Liar.”

”I heard it.”

”I definitely heard it.”

”I didn’t laugh.”

”You did.”

”I didn’t.”

”You absolutely did.”

”I smiled.”

”So you admit smiling!”

”...”

Lukan realized he had accidentally trapped himself.

Seeing his rare moment of helplessness...

Sora burst into uncontrollable laughter.

The cheerful sound echoed through the quiet berry fields.

For the first time since leaving the tribe...

Their journey no longer felt like a solemn pilgrimage.

Instead...

It felt like two companions enjoying an unexpectedly peaceful adventure together, one raspberry at a time.

Once Lukan gently led Sora away from the unpleasant encounter, neither of them mentioned the arrogant female again.

There was no lecture.

No awkward silence.

No, ”You shouldn’t have called her an angry chicken.”

Nothing.

Instead, Lukan quietly crouched beside a large stone. Taking the handful of wild raspberries he’d picked earlier, he carefully wiped each one with broad green leaves until every berry gleamed as though polished.

Only then did he hand them over.

”For now,” he said softly, ”this will have to be breakfast.”

His gentle smile remained unchanged.

”If we keep going a little farther, we’ll find better food.”

Sora blinked.

She’d been mentally preparing herself for a speech.

”Kaelira, violence isn’t the answer.”

”Kaelira, diplomacy is important.”

”Kaelira, please stop comparing strangers to poultry.”

Instead...

He simply gave her the berries.

Her heart warmed unexpectedly.

”...Thank you.”

She accepted them with both hands.

Looking closely, she realized something.

Almost every berry in his hands was bright crimson—the biggest, ripest raspberries from the bushes.

The tiny sour ones...

Were gone.

She looked at him.

”You picked all the best ones.”

Lukan looked genuinely puzzled.

”You smiled when you saw them.”

”So I thought...”

”...you liked them.”

Sora’s lips curved upward.

Sometimes this man was dangerously considerate.

She popped one raspberry into her mouth.

The berry burst instantly.

Sweet.

Juicy.

A pleasant tartness followed, dancing across her tongue.

”Mmm!”

Her eyes sparkled.

”They’re amazing!”

They tasted even better than the raspberries she’d treasured during the apocalypse.

Everything in this primitive world was untouched by pollution.

No chemicals.

No artificial fertilizers.

Just sunlight...

Rain...

Rich soil...

And nature doing what nature did best.

She happily stuffed another berry into her mouth.

”So good...”

Lukan watched her with amusement.

”These are sweeter than the ones near our tribe.”

”They get more sunlight here.”

Sora nodded enthusiastically.

”They’re perfect.”

She suddenly selected the largest berry in the pile.

It was almost twice the size of the others.

Without thinking, she held it toward him.

”Here.”

”The biggest one is yours.”

Lukan paused.

”...For me?”

”Of course.”

”You picked them.”

”You deserve one.”

After a brief hesitation...

He leaned forward slightly and accepted it directly from her fingers.

Their fingertips brushed.

Both of them froze for half a second.

Sora immediately withdrew her hand.

Ahem.

”So...”

”Is it sweet?”

Lukan chewed slowly before nodding.

”...Very sweet.”

His answer sounded suspiciously meaningful.

Sora decided not to think too deeply about it.

Definitely not.

Absolutely not.

Instead she quickly changed the subject.

”You said there’s better food farther ahead.”

”Have you been here before?”

Lukan shook his head.

”No.”

”Only the Chief and his wife have ever completed the pilgrimage.”

”I’ve hunted in forests similar to those near Sky God Mountain.”

”The terrain should be the same.”

Sora finally took the time to observe their surroundings.

The mountain wasn’t one continuous slope.

Instead, it rose and dipped in countless hills.

Some places were covered only in shrubs.

Others disappeared beneath towering ancient forests.

Different elevations.

Different sunlight.

Different rainfall.

It created countless small ecosystems.

”No wonder...”

She muttered.

”This place is practically nature’s supermarket.”

Lukan tilted his head.

”...Supermarket?”

Sora coughed.

”I mean...”

”...a very large food storage area.”

”I see.”

He clearly didn’t.

But he politely pretended he did.

Which somehow made it even funnier.

After another half hour of walking...

The scenery changed again.

Massive trees stretched toward the sky.

Sunlight filtered through countless leaves, painting the forest floor with shifting patches of gold.

Birds chirped overhead.

The air became noticeably cooler.

Sora inhaled deeply.

”This place...”

”...is beautiful.”

Lukan nodded.

”There should be many edible plants here.”

Before he even finished speaking—

Sora suddenly slapped his shoulder.

”Lukan!”

He immediately stopped walking.

”What happened?”

She pointed excitedly.

”There!”

Following her finger...

Lukan saw clusters of dark purple fruits hanging beneath broad green leaves.

The berries resembled tiny elongated grapes.

They swayed gently in the breeze.

Sora nearly squealed.

”Mulberries!”

”My precious babies!”

She practically jumped off Lukan’s back before he had completely knelt.

By the time her feet touched the ground...

She was already sprinting toward the tree.

Lukan watched helplessly.

”...Slow down.”

”You’ll trip.”

”I’m too happy to trip!”

”...”

”...That’s not how balance works.”

She reached the tree and picked an entire handful.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Straight into her mouth.

Her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel preparing for winter.

”Mmmmmm!”

”So sweet!”

”So juicy!”

”So good!”

Purple juice stained the corners of her lips.

Lukan walked over quietly.

”...”

He took out a clean cloth.

”...Hold still.”

”Hm?”

Before Sora realized what he intended...

He gently wiped away the purple juice from the corner of her mouth.

”There.”

She froze.

”...”

”...”

”...Thank you.”

Her face suddenly felt rather warm.

Lukan looked completely calm.

As though wiping berry juice off someone’s face was an everyday occurrence.

Which somehow made it even more embarrassing.

Sora quickly turned around.

”I-I’m going to pick more!”

Lukan watched her practically flee.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

She really was...

Easy to fluster.

A while later...

Sora had collected enough mulberries to feed an entire family.

She looked proudly at her overflowing basket.

”Lunch is settled.”

Lukan glanced at the mountain of fruit.

”...For three days.”

She grinned.

”I’m planning ahead.”

He didn’t argue.

Experience had already taught him that once Sora became excited about food...

Reason ceased to exist.

Just then...

Something bright green caught her attention.

She stopped walking.

”...Wait.”

Lukan looked over.

”What is it?”

She hurried toward another cluster of trees.

Unlike the others preparing for autumn...

These trees remained vibrantly green.

Their leaves were glossy.

Tender.

Fresh.

Sora reached out and rubbed one gently between her fingers.

Then she lifted it to her nose.

A familiar fragrance drifted upward.

Her eyes slowly widened.

”No...”

”It can’t be...”

She quickly plucked another leaf.

Then another.

Finally, unable to contain herself, she shouted—

”Lukan!”

He immediately hurried over.

”What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering...

Sora grabbed both his shoulders.

Her eyes practically glowed.

”We’re rich!”

”...”