Chapter 391
Emily Garnache set down her makeup brush, admiring her handiwork with satisfaction. The intricate demon makeup perfectly concealed the scars on Fiona Grandelle's face, leaving only a playful charm.
"Check this out!" Emily held up a mirror.
Fiona instinctively flinched away. She never looked at mirrors, and her room contained no reflective surfaces.
When she finally saw her reflection, her breath caught.
Was that girl who looked straight out of a comic book really her? The hideous scars had nearly vanished, replaced by sparkling eyes accentuated by the exquisite makeup.
"Now put this on!" Emily handed over the prepared cosplay outfit.
Standing before the mirror in full costume, Fiona couldn't recognize herself.
"Perfect!" Emily clapped enthusiastically, noticing both the joy in Fiona's eyes and the trembling of her fingers.
"I... should I really go out like this?" Fiona's voice quivered.
Emily threw an arm around her shoulders. "We've got your back!" She turned to Vivian Laurent. "Your turn, Viv!"
Vivian found herself abruptly seated at the vanity. Thirty minutes later, three distinctly styled anime characters stood ready.
None of them noticed Sophia Evans watching intently from her car beneath the villa's shade trees.
"Vivian's been acting so strange lately..." she murmured before quietly following their car.
At the convention center entrance, crowds swarmed. Sophia had barely stepped out when fans recognized her.
"Is that Sophia Evans? Can I get an autograph?"
She coldly pushed away the proffered phone. "You're mistaken." Slamming her car door, she sneered, "How tasteless."
Meanwhile, Fiona stood transfixed by the spectacle. Everywhere she looked, costumed cosplayers proved she wasn't the odd one out.
"Let's take a picture!" "Your makeup is amazing!" Strangers kept approaching her.
Fiona turned helplessly to Vivian.
"Go ahead." Vivian gave her an encouraging nudge. "That's your favorite character, isn't it?"
With Emily cheering her on, Fiona gathered her courage and approached the cosplayer.
"C-can I take a photo with you?" Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
The cosplayer readily agreed, complimenting, "Your costume looks fantastic too!"
Clutching the freshly taken photo, Fiona's eyes grew moist. Was that radiantly smiling girl in the picture truly herself?