Chapter 144
The speech contest began promptly at 2:00 pm. The auditorium was packed with students, while six
teachers sat as judges in the front row.
Lily, the first contestant to take the stage, seemed particrly nervous. Despite the chilly early
November weather in Norburgh, she stood on the stage in a sky-blue strapless dress, facing the
vast audience.
Her voice quivered uncontrobly, perhaps due to the cold or her nerves, promptingughter from
her peers.
However, being a member of ss A for two consecutive years, Lily possessed a solid grasp of
Terranish, though her pronunciation wasn''t wless.
Despite some stumbling due to her anxiety, she managed toplete her speech. The judges
awarded her a score of 80, given that she was the inaugural contestant.
Aware that her chances of winning the Belle title were slim, Lily found somefort in her score of
80, considering her nervous performance. She believed that other contestants might not fare as
well.
However, as she watched the contest unfold from the backstage prep room, her expression
darkened as she realized that her score remained at the bottom.
When Christopher, contestant number 17, took the stage in his impably tailored ck suit and
styled hair, he immediately drew screams from the female audience.
Despite being recognized as the top student in the school, Christopher had put considerable effort
into improving his Terranish over the years, aided by his frequent travels to Terrania, resulting in his
clear and fluent pronunciation.
Delivering his speech with natural poised and emotional depth, Christopher captivated the audience
with his clear and readilyprehensible content, prompting enthusiastic apuse.
"Thank you, Christopher, for the wonderful speech. And the score he received is… 95! Ladies and
gentlemen, that''s the highest score we''ve seen today!" the host announced.
Once again, the audience erupted into apuse, cheering for Christopher to be crowned as the
hunk of the year.
Backstage, Zyler grew even more confident about surpassing Christopher''s score. While
Christopher might excel academically, Zyler knew his Terrainsh were superior.
As Cindy prepared to take the stage, she nced toward the hallway, still no sign of Hera. It
seemed she couldn''t make it after all.
Adorned in a creamy feathered dress, Cindy walked onto the stage gracefully, her fair skin radiant
under the lights.
Passing Christopher as he descended from the stage, she greeted him with a blush,
"Congrattions on the highest score, Christopher."
"Where''s Hera? She''s up after the next two contestants… " Christopher hurried past her, pulling out
his phone to make a call.
Feeling slighted by Christopher''s oversight, Cindy took a deep breath, reassuring herself that the
Belle title would be hers if she could achieve a score of 95.
As Cindy stepped onto the stage, the male students in the audience showered her with whistles. As
a member of ss A, Cindy''s Terranish pronunciation was almost as fluent as Christopher''s.
In the end, her graceful performance and well-written speech won her a 95 score—the highest
among the female participants.
Hearing the audience cheering for her to be crowned as the Belle of the Year, Cindy smiled
confidently, assuming that the title was hers to earn.
Meanwhile, Lily, who remained in the prep room, felt embarrassed upon realizing she had earned
the lowest score among the female contestants.
Nevertheless, she consoled herself with the thought that she wouldn''t be inst ce. Even if Hera
were to show up for the contest, Lily was confident that Hera couldn''t outperform her.
This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.
Zyler, thest male contestant, had a long history of participating in various pianopetitions and
performances since childhood. As a result, he had a keen understanding of stage lighting.
For his performance, he specifically opted for a bright red suit, styled his hair into a mature
pompadour, and applied makeup to his face.
As he stepped onto the stage, his features appeared strikingly attractive under the bright lights,
eliciting screams of admiration from his fangirls.