Chapter 374: Carla’s Big Misunderstanding

"That would be great!" Roxanna replied happily. "And since we can also use colors to help the children learn, maybe we can ask them to help collect colorful things too."

The children probably wouldn’t be able to gather anything difficult, but there were plenty of flowers, leaves, berries, and other colorful things they could easily find.

Darla thought for a moment before suggesting, "We can do that. How about we let them search near the river? It won’t be as dangerous as going into the forest."

"That should be fine." Roxanna considered it for a moment before nodding. "I’ll ask Calen to look after them around the river as well."

There hadn’t been any demon beast attacks lately, but Roxanna still thought it was better to be safe than sorry. If a group of children was going outside the settlement, she would feel much better knowing that one of her husbands was there with them.

[Azura really likes Calen whenever he takes care of her, so... I think he’s actually pretty good with children,] Roxanna thought.

It was honestly a little surprising considering how rough and wild Calen could be.

Then again, maybe that was exactly why children liked him.

He was the kind of person who would probably let them climb all over him, run around with them for hours, and somehow turn collecting flowers and berries into an adventure.

[He really does have the perfect personality to be the fun uncle.]

"Alright," Sonya said with a smile. "I’ll go tell the others now."

The females began leaving one by one, eager to spread the news and gather everyone who wanted to help. However, just as Carla was about to slip away with them, Roxanna suddenly called out to her. "Carla, wait. There’s something I want to talk to you about."

Carla immediately froze. Her entire body stiffened, and instead of walking toward Roxanna, she stayed exactly where she was. For some reason, she didn’t even seem willing to take another step closer.

Roxanna frowned at her strange reaction because there was no way this ox beastwoman was actually afraid of her, right?

"Yes?" Carla finally asked, swallowing hard.

Roxanna stared at her for another moment before deciding to ignore her odd behavior.

"Carla, I realized that you and the others have been living here for more than three months now," Roxanna began. "And from what I’ve seen, the people from the Sky Tribe seem comfortable living in their huts too."

Carla held her breath for a moment before slowly nodding. "Yes," she replied carefully. "They’re definitely comfortable here."

Roxanna smiled. "That’s good to hear. I was actually thinking about what we should do from now on."

Carla’s heart immediately dropped to her stomach.

To be honest, she had been expecting this conversation for a while now. After all, when she and the others first came to Vixeria, they had never planned to stay forever.

They were only supposed to remain here until the people from the Sky Tribe had proper homes and could settle down safely.

Now, more than three months had passed. The Sky Tribe had their own huts, they had enough food, and they were slowly becoming part of the settlement.

Carla nervously rubbed her palms against her clothes. "Leader, if you’re worried that we’ve stayed for too long, I understand. We can leave whenever you want us to."

Roxanna blinked at her. "What?"

Carla forced a small smile, although she clearly looked reluctant. "You don’t have to feel bad about telling us to leave. You already helped us more than enough. We have a place to sleep, food to eat, and everyone has treated us well. I know we can’t keep taking advantage of your kindness forever."

The longer Carla spoke, the more confused Roxanna became.

It took her a few seconds to finally understand why Carla had been acting so strangely since she stopped her earlier.

"Wait." Roxanna quickly raised her hand. "Who said anything about making you leave?"

Carla stopped talking. Her eyes widened slightly. "You’re... not asking us to leave?"

"Of course not!" Roxanna immediately replied. "Why would I suddenly kick you out?"

Carla stared at her in silence.

Roxanna sighed before explaining, "I brought up how long you’ve been here because I wanted to ask if you’re planning to stay permanently."

Carla’s lips parted in surprise.

Roxanna continued, "You’ve already been living with us for months, and everyone seems comfortable together. The Sky Tribe people have their own huts now, and they’re slowly getting used to life here. You’re also always helping around the settlement."

A smile slowly appeared on Roxanna’s face. "So, instead of wondering when you’re going to leave, I was thinking that maybe you don’t have to leave at all."

Carla stared at her as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. "You mean... you want us to stay?"

"Yes." Roxanna nodded without hesitation. "If you and the others want to stay, then Vixeria can become your home too."

For a moment, Carla didn’t say anything. The tension that had been filling her body finally disappeared, and her shoulders relaxed. She let out such a long breath that Roxanna almost laughed.

"So that’s why you looked terrified earlier?" Roxanna asked, finally understanding everything. "You thought I was going to kick you out?"

Carla looked slightly embarrassed. "Well... you suddenly asked me to stay behind after everyone else left. What else was I supposed to think?"

Roxanna burst into laughter. "Oh, Carla, I like you a lot, and it seems like you’ve also been a great help whenever I’m away."

Carla scratched her cheek before muttering, "I was already thinking about how I was going to tell the others."

"You were worrying for nothing." Roxanna shook her head, still smiling. "I don’t want you to leave. I just wanted to know whether all of you feel the same way.

"Besides that, the reason I wanted to know whether you want to live here permanently or not is because I want to suggest building more huts for your people."