Under the Heiress' Facade novel 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 particularly 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 uncontrollably, perhaps due to the cold or her nerves, prompting laughter from her peers.

However, being a member of Class A for two consecutive years, Lily possessed a solid grasp of Terranish, though her pronunciation wasn't flawless.

Despite some stumbling due to her anxiety, she managed to complete 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 some comfort 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 impeccably tailored black 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 readily comprehensible content, prompting enthusiastic applause.

"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 applause, 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.