Chapter 71: The Secrete Behind Sora Fiancé

The tribe’s beastmen had been grumbling since dawn.

It wasn’t because prey had become scarce or because hunting had suddenly become dangerous.

No.

It was because Kaelira’s six beast husbands had unknowingly started a fashion war.

The moment Lucas, Xavier, Ace, Ryan, Lukan, and Damien began bringing back piles of animal hides for Kaelira, every female in the tribe turned to her own mate with sparkling eyes.

"Look at Kaelira."

"Look at all those hides."

"Why can’t you be like them?"

And just like that, the poor males found themselves dragged into the most exhausting competition in tribal history.

Unfortunately for everyone else, Sora’s husbands were monsters.

Lucas, Xavier, Ace, Ryan, and Lukan were all Fifth-Rank beastmen. Hunting enough hides for clothing was practically a morning warm-up for them. They disappeared into the forest, and before anyone had even finished breakfast, they were already returning with fresh pelts slung over their shoulders.

Compared to them, the average beastman in the tribe was only around Third Rank.

That gap wasn’t just a little difference.

It was the difference between jogging to the market and climbing a mountain barefoot.

The lower-ranked males had no choice but to leave before sunrise if they wanted to return with even two decent hides before noon.

Every single one silently cursed the "fashion disaster" Sora had accidentally started.

Fortunately...

Lucas and a few of the faster hunters were exceptional cases. The rest of Sora’s husbands weren’t quite as ridiculously efficient, which mercifully lowered the average enough that the other beastmen didn’t completely lose hope.

Still...

The competition was brutal.

The moment the exhausted hunters staggered home carrying two precious animal hides, their wives didn’t even ask whether they were injured.

Instead...

"Good! Hurry! Let’s go find Kaelira!"

"..."

One beastman looked down at the claw marks across his chest before silently following his excited mate.

His sacrifices clearly ranked below leopard-print fashion.

...

As expected, the females rushed to Kaelira’s house carrying their newly acquired hides.

Rather than asking Kaelira to make every outfit herself, they all begged for one thing.

"Kaelira, can you draw the pattern for us?"

"Kaelira, please!"

"I want one too!"

"My husband finally brought me hides!"

Seeing dozens of hopeful faces staring at her, Sora immediately surrendered.

Teaching every single female individually?

Absolutely not.

She valued her sanity.

After thinking for a moment, she came up with a much better idea.

She handed the design to Clare and Zainabu.

"From now on, you two are my assistants."

Clare blinked.

"Assistants?"

Sora nodded seriously.

"I’ll teach both of you. Then the two of you can teach everyone else."

It was the perfect system.

One teacher becoming two.

Two becoming four.

Eventually...

The entire tribe could sew without her needing to repeat the same explanation fifty times.

Clare was naturally cheerful and loved talking to people.

She could probably convince a rock to wear clothes if given enough time.

Zainabu, on the other hand, was quiet and meticulous.

She rarely spoke, but every stitch she made was incredibly neat.

The two complemented each other perfectly.

Within only a few days, the whole tribe had learned how to make Sora’s new design.

Then...

Something unbelievable happened.

One morning, Sora stepped outside her house carrying a basket of herbs.

She froze.

Her eyes slowly widened.

"..."

"...What..."

She looked left.

She looked right.

She looked behind her.

Everywhere.

Absolutely everywhere.

Females walked around wearing the exact same halter-style animal hide outfit she had designed.

One...

Five...

Ten...

Twenty...

Almost every woman in the tribe had become a walking copy of her.

Some wore leopard hide.

Some wore deer hide.

Some had fox fur trimming.

Others experimented with braided vine belts.

Although each version had small differences, they all shared the same basic design.

Sora stood there speechless.

"...Did I..."

"...accidentally become a fashion influencer?"

She suddenly imagined herself standing on a giant rock shouting,

"Welcome back, everyone! Today I’ll be teaching you five easy ways to style animal hide this season!"

The mental image almost made her laugh out loud.

Who would’ve thought that surviving in a primitive world would somehow turn her into the tribe’s biggest trendsetter?

She really had unlocked the strangest career path imaginable.

...

Not everyone was pleased, however.

Lyra had previously criticized Kaelira for refusing to share her clothing designs immediately.

According to Lyra, if Kaelira had already figured something out, she should simply teach everyone.

Sora had calmly explained that she had been busy researching how to transport refined salt efficiently.

Compared to fashion...

Salt affected the survival of the entire tribe.

Even Lyra couldn’t argue against that.

Once the elders heard Kaelira’s reasoning, they all agreed she had made the right decision.

So the matter quietly disappeared.

Now that the design had finally spread throughout the tribe, no one had anything left to complain about.

Instead...

Everyone admired Kaelira even more.

...

Meanwhile...

Far away from the bustling tribe...

Deep inside an ancient forest...

Damien leisurely walked beneath towering trees with his hands behind his head.

The afternoon breeze gently rustled the leaves overhead.

Birds scattered as he approached.

Unlike ordinary beastmen who carefully searched for prey, Damien looked as though he were simply taking a pleasant stroll.

After scanning the surrounding forest once, the corners of his lips lifted.

"There they are."

He casually snapped his fingers.

A shadow suddenly dropped from a nearby tree and landed gracefully before him.

It was a young beastman dressed in dark animal hide armor.

He immediately knelt on one knee.

"My King."

His voice was filled with absolute respect.

"What are your orders?"

Damien lazily pointed deeper into the forest.

"A few noisy animals are wandering over there."

"I need white hides."

"Only white."

The young guard lowered his head.

"Understood, Your Majesty."

The instant he finished speaking...

Whoosh!

He disappeared like a gust of wind.

Several minutes later...

He returned carrying a mountain of snowy white fox pelts.

"There were quite a few."

"Will these be enough, Your Majesty?"

Damien glanced downward.

"..."

Then he sighed.

"I told you to bring some."

"You brought enough to open a fur shop."

The guard scratched his head awkwardly.

"I wasn’t sure how many Lady Kaelira would like..."

Damien couldn’t help chuckling.

"Keep five."

"The rest can be distributed."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The young guard quickly sorted the hides, carefully placing the five largest and softest pelts together.

Just as he finished...

He hesitated.

Damien noticed immediately.

"If you’ve got something to say..."

"Say it."

The guard looked conflicted.

Finally, he gathered his courage.

"Your Majesty..."

"...are you really planning to complete a beast totem contract with Lady Kaelira?"

Damien lazily leaned against the tree trunk.

"So?"

The guard looked troubled.

"Forgive my boldness..."

"But among all the noble ladies we’ve selected for you..."

"There are countless who are more beautiful."

"They’re elegant."

"They’re refined."

"They’re powerful."

"...Lady Kaelira is..."

He searched desperately for a polite word.

"...unique."

Damien burst into laughter.

"So even you couldn’t find a nicer way to say it?"

The guard immediately lowered his head.

"I deserve punishment."

Damien waved dismissively.

"I know exactly what she looks like."

"But tell me..."

He twirled a blade of grass between his fingers.

"Isn’t she interesting?"

The guard blinked.

Interesting?

Was that really enough reason for a king to choose his future mate?

He still couldn’t understand.

"But, Your Majesty..."

"If your future cubs resemble..."

He wisely stopped speaking halfway.

Damien raised an eyebrow.

"My offspring?"

"You’ve skipped several hundred steps."

He laughed again.

"You’re worrying far too early."

Then his expression softened ever so slightly.

Looking toward the direction of the tribe, his golden eyes carried an unreadable smile.

"Besides..."

"You’re forgetting one very important thing."

The guard looked confused.

"What is it, Your Majesty?"

Damien’s smile deepened.

"This isn’t simply my decision."

"It’s the will of the Sacred Tree."

"And if the Sacred Tree chose Kaelira..."

"There must be a reason."

The forest instantly fell silent.

The young guard lowered his head respectfully.

"I understand."

Although he still couldn’t see what made Kaelira so special...

If it truly was the Sacred Tree’s will...

Then perhaps...

The future queen was destined to surprise them all.