Chapter 142: A Stunning Appearance

Sora sat in front of her simple mirror.

She carefully examined her face.

Her skin wasn’t particularly fair, so she had made the foundation close to her natural skin tone rather than trying to make herself unnaturally pale.

Her biggest problem wasn’t her complexion.

It was the unevenness of her facial features.

Her eyes, in particular, appeared slightly sunken.

Sora didn’t try to completely change herself.

Instead, she used makeup to create the illusion of sharper and more balanced features.

She applied a little highlighter to the areas that needed to stand out.

Then she used shadow around other areas to create greater depth.

Finally, she carefully emphasized the area beneath her eyes, using subtle shading to make her eyes appear larger and more defined.

She studied herself in the mirror.

Her appearance had changed.

Not dramatically enough to make her unrecognizable, but enough to create a completely different impression.

Sora smiled.

"Not bad."

She wasn’t finished yet.

She changed into the colorful feather skirt.

It was the same feather skirt Ace had made for her.

She had initially thought it was hideous.

But once she had adjusted it properly, she realized that the strange combination of feathers could actually work.

She paired it with the turquoise earrings Damien had given her.

The pearl bracelet Lucas had made was placed around her wrist.

And she wore the grass shoes Lukan had carefully prepared for her.

For the first time, the ridiculous collection of gifts from her beast husbands had come together into a single outfit.

Sora looked at herself again.

Then she nodded.

"Let’s go."

She returned to the festival.

The next performance began.

The moment Sora stepped onto the stage, the atmosphere changed.

She didn’t walk out wearing an elaborate fox-fur skirt.

She wasn’t dressed like a flower.

She wasn’t trying to imitate an animal.

Instead, the colorful feathers wrapped naturally around her body.

The skirt accentuated her figure without making her movements appear awkward.

Her earrings caught the firelight.

The bracelet around her wrist reflected the glow of the bonfire.

Her grass shoes completed the unusual outfit.

And the makeup transformed the impression of her face.

The beastmen in the audience fell silent.

For a brief moment, nobody spoke.

Sora didn’t have the lightness required for a butterfly dance.

She had no intention of trying to imitate Serena.

Instead, she chose a completely different performance.

She took several broad leaves.

Then, beneath the moonlight, she began playing a cheerful melody she had named Colorful Clouds Over the Southern Sky.

The soft sound carried across the square.

It was simple, but beautiful.

The melody was unlike anything the beastmen had heard before.

Their attention was gradually drawn toward her.

The colorful feather skirt moved gently whenever she shifted.

Under the moonlight and the glow of the bonfire, the feathers seemed to shimmer.

The combination of her makeup, clothes, jewelry, and music created an entirely different image.

The beastmen stared.

Some openly admired her.

Others whispered among themselves.

"Who is she?"

"Is that Kaelira?"

"She looks completely different!"

Even beastmen from other tribes couldn’t help looking at her.

Sora calmly continued playing.

She didn’t seem nervous at all.

She had already expected this reaction.

But one person didn’t look pleased.

Xavier.

His eyes slowly turned red as he noticed several beastmen from other tribes staring at Sora without restraint.

His expression darkened.

A dangerous aura seemed to gather around him.

If I had known this would happen...

Xavier clenched his fists.

I would never have let Sora go on stage.

He had wanted Sora to win.

He had wanted everyone to see how beautiful she was.

But he had never considered one small problem.

If everyone else realized how beautiful she was...

They would want her too.

And Xavier suddenly found that he didn’t like that at all.

Sora gently lifted the leaves to her lips and blew.

A lively melody immediately floated through the night air.

The tune was light and cheerful, completely different from the performances that had come before her.

There was no heavy rhythm.

No complicated movements.

No attempt to imitate an animal.

Instead, the simple melody seemed to carry a strange warmth that gradually spread through the entire tribe square.

The beastmen who had been talking among themselves slowly quieted down.

One by one, their attention turned toward the stage.

The melody was something they had never heard before.

It was fresh.

It was pleasant.

And somehow, it made them feel energized.

Several beastmen exchanged surprised glances.

"Who is that female?"

"I’ve never seen her before."

"Is she a newly matured female from the wolf tribe?"

"That melody is really beautiful."

"It makes me feel strangely energetic."

"And look at her figure..."

One beastman stared openly.

"I prefer her figure. The previous female was too thin."

His companion nodded.

"Me too. She looks much healthier."

The comments quickly spread through the audience.

Sora continued playing as though she hadn’t heard them.

Her fingers moved steadily while the melody carried beneath the moonlight.

She didn’t need to dance.

She didn’t need to shout.

She simply allowed the music to speak for her.

The colorful feather skirt wrapped around her body moved gently whenever she shifted.

The turquoise earrings dangling from her ears reflected the light from the bonfire.

The bracelet Lucas had given her rested around her wrist, while the shoes Lukan had made completed the outfit.

Combined with the makeup she had carefully applied before coming onto the stage, Sora looked completely different from the female everyone had mocked earlier.

Serena had been waiting for Sora to embarrass herself.

She had imagined Sora walking onto the stage wearing her ordinary clothes and standing awkwardly before everyone.

She had expected the surrounding beastmen to laugh.

She had expected them to compare the two of them.

And most importantly, she had expected herself to win easily.

But when Sora appeared beneath the moonlight, Serena’s expression froze.

Her eyes widened.

For a moment, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Is that really Sora?

Sora’s face hadn’t changed completely.

Her basic features were still the same.

But the overall impression was entirely different.

Her skin looked smoother.

Her eyes appeared larger and more defined.

The shading around her face made her features seem sharper.

Her complexion looked even and healthy.

The makeup had enhanced her natural beauty instead of completely covering it.

Combined with the weight she had lost recently, Sora’s features had become much more noticeable.

It was almost as though she had undergone an astonishing transformation.

Serena’s fingers tightened.

She must have done something to her face.

There was no other explanation.

Sora couldn’t possibly have become this beautiful in such a short period naturally.