The Spoilt Beauty And Her Beasts-Chapter 642: I lie around all day, my back hurts more. At least this way I feel useful

Chapter 642: Chapter 642: I lie around all day, my back hurts more. At least this way I feel useful

The aunties’ shoulders shook harder. One of them quietly wiped a tear from her eye. This was better than any gossip.

"Y-you planned this," Osiris said hoarsely.

"Of course." Isabella batted her lashes. "Do you think I asked you to ’be good’ just for decoration? Words must be used properly. Otherwise, my spiritual credit will drop."

He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

"Second task," she continued calmly. "Every time you call me reckless, you will also add, ’but very beautiful.’ In front of everyone."

His jaw dropped. "Absolutely not."

Isabella’s eyes widened in innocent surprise. "So you want to go back on your promise? You want to be a bad boy?"

The way she dragged out the words made heat shoot straight up his neck. He could practically hear the aunties choking in the corner.

Osiris, who could face flames and enemies without blinking, wanted to crawl into a snowdrift and die quietly.

His pride fought for three long breaths. Then he looked at her belly, at the slight puffiness of her fingers, at the faint tiredness around her eyes that she tried to hide with humor.

Fine.

If this stupid soft treatment could make her feel lighter, he would endure it.

"...Okay," he said through his teeth. "I will do it."

Isabella beamed, all fake villain energy instantly replaced with sunshine goddess. "Good boy."

Osiris covered his face with one hand. He knew he should be angry. Instead, his heart felt like someone had poured hot tea into it.

From the side, one auntie whispered to another, "Look at that. Our goddess is terrifying."

The other auntie wiped her eyes again and whispered back, "Terrifying, but very talented."

As Osiris stood there, burning up from embarrassment while Isabella looked at him with satisfied eyes, none of them realized that far beyond their walls, people in dark masks had already begun their quiet march through the snow, heading straight toward their small, noisy, foolishly warm village.

...

The next few days settled into a strange rhythm that felt peaceful on the surface but tense underneath, like a drum with its skin pulled too tight.

The snow outside the village grew thicker. Each morning, the men had to shovel paths along the main road and clear the steps leading up to the wall. The air tasted sharp and cold, but inside the village houses smoke curled up warmly into the sky, carrying the smell of cooked meat, herbal soups, and damp fur.

Life returned to normal. Or at least, it acted like it did.

Children still ran around, their breaths forming white puffs in the air as they chased each other. Females still sat together to mend clothes, fingers busy as they gossiped. The warriors still laughed loudly during breaks, comparing scars and arguing about who had killed more of the masked attackers.

However, if one watched closely, the changes were obvious.

There were more guards on the walls than before. The patrol schedule had been quietly doubled. Torches now burned in specific patterns along the stone at night, creating signals that could be used to send quick warnings between towers.

The watchtower rotations had been adjusted so that no one stayed on duty too long in the cold, which reduced mistakes from numb fingers and sleepy eyes.

All of this had come out of Isabella’s mouth.

She sat in the meeting room with Kian, the captains, and several older villagers, a fur cloak draped over her shoulders, her fan resting on the table, and calmly dismantled their old winter routines as if she were sorting vegetables.

"Our village is no longer invisible," she said plainly. "We cannot act like a small place that nobody cares about. People have tested our walls once. They will come again. We need more eyes at the forest edge, more traps on the paths, and fewer gaps in the watch."

Her tone was gentle, but every suggestion landed solidly. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

She pointed at the map drawn on animal skin. "These two sides are weak. We focus too much on the front. The masked attackers did not push very hard at the gates. They were testing the sides. So we reinforce here and here. Add more spikes. Move two extra warriors to night rotation on the east tower. Also, adjust rations."

That part made everyone wince.

"Winter meat and grain are limited," she continued calmly. "We have to plan for the possibility that future attacks destroy our hunting parties or our storage. We cut luxuries first. No roasted meat feasts for a while. Sorry."

The warriors groaned internally. The aunties sighed. One bold uncle tried to joke, only to shut up when Isabella’s eyes slid over with a slight smile.

She explained each change slowly. Not just what they were doing, but why. She talked about stamina, morale, long-term exhaustion, and how fear built up quietly if people felt unprepared. She did not hide the truth, but she wrapped it with her usual humor, making the bitter medicine easier to swallow.

When the meeting was over, everyone left with complicated expressions. They were worried. They were scared. They were also strangely reassured.

If their goddess could sit there, swollen belly and all, and talk about war like it was a household budget problem, then maybe they could survive this after all.

Kian watched her as the room emptied. His blue eyes were slightly shadowed from lack of sleep. Over the last few days, he had barely rested.

Isabella noticed.

After the old villagers left, she reached out with her fan and gently tapped the back of his hand. "Lion king," she said, "if you keep frowning like that, your handsome face will get stuck."

Kian lowered his gaze to her, the stern line of his mouth softening just a little. "You are the one who should be resting," he said. "Not shifting patrol lines and ration lists. Your back hurts. I can tell."

Of course he could tell. This man was always watching without saying much.

Isabella rolled her eyes softly. "If I lie around all day, my back hurts more. At least this way I feel useful."