Netori Harem: New life as a hunter and gatherer

Chapter 299: A nightmare

"How do you feel now?" Luke asked.

Roxanne remained sprawled across his chest, her breathing steady once more, her thoughts no longer clouded.

She couldn’t remember ever feeling that close to passing out. Earlier, her consciousness had nearly slipped away several times.

Yet after Luke had given her a small vial of fluid, the exhaustion gradually faded. Her breathing eased, and strength slowly returned to her body.

"I would have let you sleep," Luke said apologetically. "But I’ll be leaving soon, and with everyone else resting, I need you to stay alert."

Guilt lingered in his voice. He still felt bad for waking her after forcing her body to recover with the potion.

Roxanne shook her head.

"Don’t feel bad about it. I understand your reasoning."

He was simply being cautious. If he was going to be away, someone had to remain awake and keep watch.

He had every reason to be wary, yet at the same time, she couldn’t bear to see him forced into living like this.

"Luke," she called, turning to face him. "What are we going to do? I don’t think we’ll be staying here much longer, will we?"

Luke nodded.

"You’re right. As much as I wanted to spend more time in this beautiful village and give you a chance to be with your sister, we simply can’t." His gaze remained fixed ahead, his eyes turning cold. "Maybe it’s because of everything that happened yesterday, but I can’t bring myself to trust anyone in this village. I hope you can understand."

Roxanne nodded without hesitation.

"Of course. Anyone would be cautious after that."

After a brief silence, she asked, "So we’re leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes," Luke replied. "First thing in the morning. I’ll let Rel know so he can have the carriage ready."

The plan was simple. They only had to make it through the night. As soon as dawn broke, they would leave without delay.

If possible, Luke intended to request an escort until they had put a reasonable distance between themselves and the village.

Even without one, if he managed to get enough rest, he was confident he could protect his family.

If circumstances had allowed it, he would have preferred leaving under the cover of night. With Lunar Warden active, the chances of anything threatening them would have been nearly nonexistent.

Unfortunately, Rel had already explained why that wasn’t an option. Traveling through the dense forest after dark would be too difficult for the horses. More importantly, the darkness wouldn’t just conceal potential attackers. It would also bring the beasts lurking within the woods into play.

After giving it more thought, Luke reached the same conclusion. Traveling at night would only grant both sides an advantage. Waiting until morning was the wiser choice.

"I’m sorry you had to part with your sister so soon," Luke said. "Especially after finally seeing each other again after all these years."

Roxanne gently shook her head.

"Don’t feel bad. Mila and I weren’t on good terms in the past." A faint, bitter smile appeared on her lips. "When I returned for Father’s last rites, she barely spoke to me. But maybe after finding her mate, she became more mature. She started valuing family and relationships. At the very least, she didn’t try to throw me out the way Mother did."

Hearing the bitterness in her voice whenever she spoke of her mother filled Luke with both sadness and anger.

"That woman has quite the sharp tongue," he muttered. "I mean, who speaks to their own daughter like that?"

Roxanne slowly shook her head.

"I don’t know what changed. Something must have happened for her to become like this. But Mila told me not to approach her or ask any questions."

Luke nodded in agreement.

"She made the right call. This might sound rude, but whatever your mother says will only leave a bitter stain on the precious memories we’ve made during these brief moments of peace."

Roxanne nodded, though a part of her still felt guilty. Leaving without even speaking to her mother weighed heavily on her heart.

In the end, she chose to trust both her sister and Luke.

Some relationships were simply better left behind.

"Haah... let’s get going," Luke said as he climbed off the bed and began putting on his clothes.

Roxanne wrapped the bedsheet around her bare body before asking,

"Going to meet the chief?"

Luke nodded.

"Yes. He should have arrived by now. And if Ibris was right, he won’t be giving me an attitude when we meet."

"I hope so too," Roxanne replied as she climbed out of bed.

"Here."

Luke handed her folded clothes.

"Thank you," Roxanne murmured, her cheeks flushing crimson.

Luke grinned.

"You thought I was going to hand you that revealing outfit again, didn’t you?"

Roxanne averted her gaze.

"I... I don’t plan on wearing it again. Unless we’re alone."

Luke nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Because I won’t tolerate anyone else seeing you dressed like that."

Roxanne froze for a brief moment, her heart skipping a beat at the possessiveness in his voice.

Luke met her eyes and spoke without hesitation.

"Roxanne, no one else is going to lay a hand on you."

"But, Luke..."

"You’re worried about what might happen between me and Baldon?"

He asked the question calmly, and her silence was answer enough.

Luke smiled faintly as he gently caressed her cheek.

"Don’t worry about that, Roxanne. I’ll take care of it."

Countless questions lingered in her mind. Worries she couldn’t voice. Fears she didn’t know how to overcome.

Yet the moment his hand brushed against her skin and he promised everything would be alright, those thoughts quietly melted away.

It was as though he could solve anything.

And she trusted him enough to believe it.

A foolish smile found its way onto her lips.

"I understand."

Not long afterward, she changed into her clothes, and the two of them headed downstairs.

Before leaving, Luke leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I’ll be back soon."

He flashed her a warm smile before stepping out through the door.

Roxanne remained standing there for several long moments, replaying everything that had happened between them, along with every word he had spoken.

Eventually, she let out a quiet breath and shook her head.

She was about to check on Monica when the door suddenly burst open.

"Monica?" Roxanne asked in alarm. "Is everything okay?"

Monica stood in the doorway, drenched in sweat, her face frighteningly pale.

"Luke... has he come back? Where is he?"

Roxanne immediately grabbed Monica by the shoulders.

"Calm down and tell me what happened. He just left to meet the chief."

Monica took a shaky breath, trying to steady herself.

"I... I just had a terrifying nightmare." Her voice trembled. "I need to see Luke. Right now."

She hurried toward the door, only for it to swing open before she could reach it.

A man neither of them had ever seen stood outside.

"Hello, ladies." He greeted them with an easy smile. "You probably don’t know me, but I’m Mila’s mate."

He gave a slight nod before introducing himself.

"My mate calls me Kirb, but everyone else knows me as Manbaru. Nice to meet you two."

The moment that name left his lips, both women stiffened.

Their expressions froze.

That name...

They had heard it just last night.

It was the very name spoken by the ambusher moments before he took his own life.

Stepping forward he said, "Now, how about we go out for a walk?"