I Became the Villainess, But My Beast Husbands Can Hear My Mind?!

Chapter 323: The Hidden Sanctuary (2)

Orion and the other soldiers immediately began digging through the ocean floor beneath them, searching for the entrance to the buried village.

However, since it had been abandoned for many years, layers of soil had piled up above it, forcing them to dig much deeper.

"I had no idea this place still had an entrance after all these years," Azul said in a low voice. "Or maybe... I just don’t remember it."

He couldn’t see his mother’s expression through the invisible cage, but he had a feeling she was uncomfortable talking to him. After all, they had never been close, and it had been many years since they had last seen each other.

"This place was never meant for the public," Maristella replied in her usual calm voice. "Back then, I often came here to meditate. It wasn’t because this place was anything special. It was simply peaceful and quiet."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "That’s why your father had this entrance built, so I could come and go from the buried village whenever I wanted."

"I see..." Azul said in a low voice.

Roxanna looked at him, then at the invisible bubble cage beside him. For some reason, he kept his distance from it, even though he couldn’t see it either.

After a brief silence, Roxanna finally spoke. "Your Majesty, I don’t think I’ve properly introduced myself—"

"You’re Roxanna, aren’t you?" the Queen of Aquillian interrupted, catching her by surprise. "I’ve seen your face in my visions. But... you look different. I thought you would look much meaner than this."

Roxanna swallowed hard. For a moment, it felt as though Maristella was carefully looking her up and down.

Before she could respond, Azul spoke first. "The one you saw in your vision was probably her evil twin," he explained. "They have the same appearance, but they’re completely different people. This Roxanna is her good twin, and she’s a much better person."

Roxanna quietly let out a sigh of relief. She was grateful that Azul had cleared up the misunderstanding before she had to explain it herself. But the more she thought about Maristella’s words, the more something bothered her.

"Your Majesty," Roxanna asked directly, "does that mean you already knew your son would have a miserable life on land?"

Maristella remained silent. A long moment passed before she finally answered. "Yes."

Her calm reply made everyone’s hearts sink. "I knew," she continued softly. "Long before Azul was born, I had already seen many possible futures."

Azul lowered his eyes. "So... you knew everything?" he asked quietly.

"Not everything," Maristella corrected. "The future is never fixed. Every choice creates a different path. What I saw were only possibilities."

She paused before continuing. "But for you to survive, you had to walk this path. The one where you would be left alone and—"

"Suffer?" Roxanna cut her off. She stared at the invisible bubble, her eyes full of disbelief.

"Yes," Maristella answered without hesitation. "He had to suffer to reach his greatest potential."

The more Roxanna listened, the sicker she felt.

For a brief moment, she even wondered if Maristella had deliberately kept her distance from Azul ever since he was a child so he would grow stronger through suffering.

What kind of mother puts her own child through so much suffering just to make him stronger?

[It’s normal in this world, Host.] The system spoke up. [Many parents make their children fight dangerous demon beasts from a young age so they’ll have a better chance of surviving when they grow up.]

Roxanna gritted her teeth. Even so, she still couldn’t accept it.

Maybe she was simply too modern to understand this way of thinking or maybe... she was only this angry because it was Azul they were talking about, one of the men she loved.

On the other hand, Azul realized it wouldn’t be easy to calm his wife down. He reached for her hand, but before he could touch it, he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Roxanna immediately noticed the change in Azul’s expression and asked, "Azul, what’s wrong?"

"Devourers," Azul said. He fell silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on the distance as if he were listening to something no one else could hear. "They’re coming."

Calen frowned. "I thought they weren’t supposed to know about this place."

"They may have found it by accident," Maristella said calmly. "You need to hide."

"No, we can’t." Azul shook his head and glanced behind him. "We’ve already dug up the ground. If they see that, they’ll know someone has been here."

Roxanna held her breath as she asked, "Can you tell how many are coming?" she asked.

"Four... or five, I think?" Azul guessed, but then his eyes widened slightly. Even he seemed surprised by his own answer. "Or... maybe I’m wrong?"

Maristella quickly spoke, "Azul, you’re destined to become one with the ocean. If you feel that something is wrong, it’s because the ocean is warning you."

Azul didn’t answer his mother because his full attention was already on the danger drawing closer.

"If there are only four or five of them, I think we can still fight," Zeir said, lowering his voice. "But if we do, we have to finish the battle. If even one of them escapes, they’ll report this place to the others."

"Then let me fight too," Calen said.

He was about to hand Azura to Roxanna, but Azul stopped him. "No. Stay here and protect my daughter."

Calen clicked his tongue. "Why do I always end up with the fatherly job?"

"Because you’re also her father," Roxanna replied with an innocent smile.

Calen stared at her for a second before letting out a helpless sigh. "Yes... you’re right."

"Your Highness, let us help you!" Caspian said. "They wounded me before, and now it’s my turn to repay them for what they did."

Orion stepped forward without hesitation. "He’s right. We won’t just stand here and watch."

Azul looked at both of them before finally nodding. "Alright. You and Orion will come with me and Zeir. The rest of you, keep digging and make sure my mother doesn’t make any noise."