Chapter 57: An Ugly Beastman Husband

Suppressing a sigh, Sora resigned herself to handling the situation alone.

While she was considering what to do, Serena spoke again.

"Kaelira, do you want to go meet him? He looks quite devoted. He keeps saying he’s been thinking about you."

Thinking about me?

Sora didn’t believe a word of it.

No normal beast husband would fall in love at first sight with someone who still looked like she did.

Serena’s performance was so fake it was almost laughable.

She wasn’t afraid lightning might strike her for lying so shamelessly.

Seeing Kaelira remain silent, Serena secretly felt delighted.

This was exactly the outcome she’d been hoping for.

The newcomer was a black bear beastman—not someone ordinary—and she couldn’t wait to see what would happen.

Didn’t Kaelira get along wonderfully with those five handsome beast husbands now?

Then how would those men react after seeing another beast husband suddenly appear?

Surely they’d think she was fickle and unfaithful.

Just imagining Kaelira becoming the most despised female in the tribe made Serena inwardly smile.

Of course, she kept her expression perfectly gentle.

She couldn’t afford to let anyone think she was enjoying the spectacle.

---

Martin frowned when he heard that Kaelira supposedly had another beast husband.

Before he could speak, Lyra beat him to it.

"I already told you to be more careful as a female. You disappeared for an entire night, and now you’ve brought home another beast husband. What do you expect everyone in the tribe to think?"

Since Lyra had always believed Kaelira seduced males whenever she had the chance, she immediately began lecturing her.

Martin pressed his lips together.

As tribal chief, maintaining proper order was one of his greatest responsibilities.

If Kaelira continued acting recklessly, wouldn’t it encourage other females to imitate her?

It was one thing if she spent time with her own bonded beast husbands.

But this mysterious newcomer...

That was another matter entirely.

Just as Martin was about to lecture her, Sora calmly spoke first.

"Mother... aren’t you jumping to conclusions a little too quickly?"

She spread her hands helplessly.

"Do you know what your daughter looks like?"

"Who would willingly choose someone like me?"

Silence.

That single sentence struck Lyra like an arrow through the heart.

She had always hated the fact that she had given birth to such an unattractive daughter.

Hearing Sora say it aloud only made her more irritated.

Sora herself wasn’t upset.

She knew exactly how she currently looked, but she also believed she could continue changing for the better.

If anything, she deliberately emphasized the point simply because Lyra had looked down on the original Kaelira for so long.

Martin, who had been ready to scold her, quietly closed his mouth.

She had a point.

Anyone in the tribe might secretly have an affair...

But Kaelira?

That seemed almost impossible.

Who would cheat with someone like her unless something was wrong with their eyesight?

As cruel as it sounded, it was reality.

If Sora had truly been beautiful, would she have once thrown herself into rivers or climbed into the beds of unwilling beast husbands?

Her current harmony with Lucas, Xavier, Ace, Lukan, and Ryan was clearly the result of recent changes—not because they had been captivated by her appearance from the beginning.

Thinking this through, Martin relaxed considerably.

Lyra, however, was trembling with anger.

Unable to endure another moment, she turned around and stormed off.

Martin quickly followed after her.

The surrounding beastmen remained where they stood, eager to see how the drama would unfold.

Naturally, Serena had no intention of missing the entertainment.

She glanced at the five beast husbands standing behind Sora, all of whom were quietly watching, before smiling gently again.

"Kaelira, if you don’t want to meet him, I can go tell him for you."

Sora almost laughed.

Since when did she need Serena handling her personal affairs?

The woman was simply looking for another opportunity to stab her in the back.

Ignoring the hidden malice, Sora smiled politely.

"Thank you, Sister, but this is my business. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself."

She then asked,

"Where is he?"

Serena had just raised her hand to point when a black bear beastman walked toward them from the edge of the village.

Her eyes immediately brightened.

"It’s him."

Everyone present—including Sora and her five beast husbands—turned simultaneously toward the approaching figure.

The moment Sora saw him, the corner of her mouth twitched.

*This... is the person?*

Even Serena struggled to hide the mockery in her eyes.

She had always believed Sora was already unattractive enough.

Yet this newcomer somehow looked even worse.

His hair resembled an unkempt bird’s nest, completely covering most of his face.

The only clothing he wore was a filthy black beast-hide skirt that looked as though it hadn’t been washed in ages.

His entire body was smeared with dirt from head to toe, making him appear almost pitch-black.

His facial features were largely hidden beneath the tangled hair, though what little could be seen wasn’t particularly impressive. His nose and mouth seemed to blend together beneath the grime.

Only his tall, lean frame was somewhat presentable.

Compared to Sora’s five beast husbands, however...

He was worlds apart.

Many of the watching beastmen looked disappointed.

Then they glanced at Sora.

After a moment, quite a few of them silently concluded that the two actually seemed rather well matched.

After all...

What ordinary beastman would willingly fall for Kaelira?

Perhaps only someone like this could truly see her as appealing.

Sora’s mind filled with suspicion.

Could the original owner have found this man herself after being rejected by her five beast husbands? Had she simply settled for anyone willing to accept her?

But that thought didn’t quite make sense.

After seeing men like Lucas, Xavier, Ace, Lukan, and Ryan, could anyone really lower their standards so drastically?

It was like admiring the moon every night, then suddenly deciding a lump of mud was just as beautiful.

Sora couldn’t make sense of it.

Meanwhile, Serena watched Sora’s stunned expression and felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

See? she thought smugly. Someone like Sora is only suited to someone like him.

His arrival couldn’t have been more perfect.

Perhaps now Sora would finally understand that the five outstanding beast husbands she had somehow won over were never truly meant for her.

Serena discreetly glanced toward Lucas and the others, eager to witness their reactions.

The surrounding beastmen exchanged knowing looks.

Given the newcomer’s shabby appearance, many instinctively accepted Serena’s assumption that Sora had secretly taken another beast husband.

After all...

He and Sora seemed to be a perfect match.

Sora, meanwhile, was completely speechless.

Seeing that Sora remained silent, Serena decided to press the advantage.

She stepped toward the black bear beastman with a gentle smile.

"Are you the one who told me you’re Kaelira’s beast husband?"

The black bear nodded.

Serena’s smile widened.

Earlier that day, while gathering wild fruit outside the tribe, she had encountered him by chance.

At first, she hadn’t intended to pay him any attention.

He was filthy, carried an unpleasant smell, and looked like someone who had spent weeks wandering through the wilderness.

But then she had noticed the pair of black bear ears protruding from his tangled hair.

That had made her stop.

Kaelira’s adoptive mother had also been a black bear beastwoman.

Perhaps this man knew her.

So Serena had casually asked whether he was looking for Kaelira.

He had nodded.

She then asked what his relationship with Kaelira was.

Without hesitation, he had answered,

"I’m her beast husband."

The reply had surprised Serena for only a moment.

Then delight quickly replaced her shock.

She immediately told him to wait outside the tribe while she hurried back to fetch Sora.