The Freak Show Foreman

Eventually, it slowed down even further, to the point where walking might have been faster.

As I worried whether we would arrive on time, the carriage suddenly picked up speed again.

This was because the police had set up barricades from City Hall to the theatre to secure the entrance.

Was this what it felt like to race down a clear road after being stuck in traffic?

The coachman informed us that we would arrive in three minutes.

As the estimated arrival time was moved up, the inside of the carriage grew bustling.

Anais received help from her maidservant to adjust her hat’s decoration, Ella straightened her uniform’s collar, and even Maya, who had seemed indifferent to her appearance, combed her disheveled hair.

I watched them quietly as they prepared.

I didn’t need to put any effort into dressing up like they did.

Wonderstein’s physique was different from that of an ordinary human.

It always maintained its perfection without the need for bathing or grooming.

External invaders like germs and dust were naturally repelled by the skin layer over time.

For me, cleaning my body was nothing more than a time pass.

The carriage stopped in front of the theatre, and the door opened.

A tremendous wave of cheers and excitement washed over us.

If it had been the old me, I might have been overwhelmed and unable to breathe in this atmosphere.

But the smiling man calmly attracted the attention of the crowd.

We walked to the theatre entrance under the police escort.

There was a red carpet on the ground and cabaret staff welcoming us.

Ella, Maya, and I decided to part ways here.

"If you get tired of sightseeing, you two can return to the lodging first," I said.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment and then nodded simultaneously.

"We would go together. You need to tell us what you saw inside, okay?"

"I’ll wait for you."

"Huhuhu, then let’s meet in four hours. Enjoy the sights."

"You, on the other hand, don’t cause any trouble. Don’t pick fights with other circus groups or anything."

"I’ll do my best."

The two girls walked side by side behind the police officers.

It was fortunate that they seemed to get along well.

When Maya first joined the circus, I had worried that her personality might not mesh well with Ella’s…

But perhaps because they were of the same age, they quickly became close.

"Ringmaster, may I request you to escort me?" Anais blushed and extended her hand.

I had learned etiquette from the instructor she had invited over the past few days.

With a graceful gesture, I bent my waist and took her hand.

"Huhuhu, of course. Shall we go?"

My response seemed appropriate, as she rewarded me with a bright smile.

But was it just my imagination, or did that smile seem somewhat sad?

We entered the lobby together like that.

There, journalists from all over the world were taking photos and conducting interviews with the participants of the Circus Grand Prix, which had resumed after a whopping 17 years.

"Isn’t this the competition that has been resumed after 17 years? It’s a great honor for me to finally step onto the stage I admired it as a child. Qualifying rounds is not my goal. I’m aiming for the championship…"

Someone arrived before us.

In the lobby, a deep, booming voice resounded.

I recognized the face.

It was Minova, known as the "Rooster."

His bright red mohawk, beard, and the large black feather adornment resembling a rooster’s tail were all distinctive features.

The man with an overly muscular upper body, who always boasted of himself as the manliest of men, was famous for his slovenly behavior.

Journalists found his long-winded and loud speeches tiresome. While he spoke, he continued to look around, clearly distracted.

During one such occurrence, a journalist made eye contact with us.

He looked at Anais with wide eyes and suddenly exclaimed, "Lady Vergsong!"

"What?"

"Seriously?"

"Lady Vergsong?"

The attention of the journalists quickly shifted towards us.

Minova, who had been conducting the interview, became irrelevant.

The journalists urged us to step in front of the cameras, and the event host quickly ushered Minova off the stage.

Minova’s face turned as red as his hair.

He glared at me with resentful eyes.

Well, everyone was already bored with you.

I averted my gaze from him and remembered the prepared lines.

Ella had provided them, just in case I made a mistake during the interview.

Most of the questions were standardized, so memorizing them wasn’t difficult.

"Winning seems distant right now. We’re just doing our best at the moment."

"Is Ursus still your most admired acrobat?"

"That’s a secret. A magician can’t reveal his tricks."

However, we hadn’t prepared for any of the questions being asked now.

"What is the exact nature of your relationship?"

"Are you really dating, as rumored?"

"How did you meet?"

A barrage of questions from countless people.

Flashes popping everywhere.

The content of the questions was also completely unexpected.

I was quite flustered.

What? Anais and I dating?

What rumors?

The smiling man helped me maintain my composure, but it wasn’t helping me on how to handle this situation.

This was a realm unrelated to game strategies.

I stood there, smiling foolishly, but fortunately, Anais stepped forward to clarify the situation.

"Today is the opening ceremony.

We won’t answer personal questions.

We will create an official statement regarding the circulating rumors."

Soon, another participant arrived, and we were able to escape the press conference room with great difficulty.

"What’s going on?"

Her composed response was definitely not improvised.

She must have known this would happen.

She gave a sad smile, as she had earlier.

"I’ll explain everything in the room."

The opening ceremony took place in Rose Windmill’s Hall 1.

This was the same place we had visited when Ella was in charge of the event.

Hall 1’s seating was divided into two main sections.

The first was the ground floor tables, where you could watch the stage up close, and the second was the balcony seating on floors 2, 3, and 4, which offered a view overlooking the stage.

The ground floor was already packed with people.

These were the local dignitaries and patrons who had supported the Grand Prix.

The Grand Prix participants were assigned to the upper balcony seats.

As we were about to ascend the stairs, we encountered someone at the entrance.

"Aren’t you Mrs. Vergsong the sponsor?"

"Lord Dosville."

A young man with dark, tangled hair approached us.

Given that he was addressed as Lord, he seemed like a noble.

After all, how many non-nobles would be present here?

"Well, it seems you’ve become healthier. I don’t see that nasty contraption either."

He looked at Anais’s body with slimy eyes, pretending to have a casual attitude.

Anais scowled in response to his gaze.

"Lord Dosville, what brings you here?"

"Do you not know? I am a VIP customer at this cabaret."

Lord Dosville raised an eyebrow, his reaction and Anais’s response, as well as the expression on the driver standing behind him, all indicated that he was not particularly well-regarded.

"But who is this gentleman?"

He seemed to have just noticed me, and his expression was one of surprise.

"He….He is the ringmaster leading the circus troupe that I sponsored recently, Mr. Wonderstein. This is Lord Dosville, who used to visit my mansion and provide me with tutoring. He’s quite knowledgeable, as you can see."

Despite Anais’s teasing tone, he didn’t show any signs of being offended. In fact, he chuckled.

He exaggerated his expression and expressed his pleasure at seeing me.

"Oh, to meet the famous Mr. Wonderstein! It’s an honor to meet you! By the way, you truly have a remarkable presence. I can understand why Lady Vergsong is captivated. I heard stories about you!

Haha!"

He intentionally raised his voice to attract the attention of the people around us.

Clearly, he was trying to provoke such reactions.

[The reputation of the circus troupe has dropped by 2.]

Darn it.

Between one and two weeks, the reputation of the circus troupe had plummeted.

I initially thought it was because we hadn’t performed for a long time, but it seemed that the rumors were the problem.

Reputation wasn’t just about being talked about; it could also decline if the talk turned negative.

I could easily read the malicious teasing in the glances people were casting at us.

What the heck was that rumor?

"Let’s go inside."

Anais couldn’t bring herself to look at my face directly, or maybe she didn’t want to, and she walked ahead of me.

We climbed the stairs, ignoring the stares of the people around us.

Our assigned seats were on the fourth floor.

The cabaret’s balcony seats were similar to those in other theatres, but they had one unique feature: luxurious bedrooms were attached to the seats.

"Oh… the bedroom is quite lovely."

Anais said with a slightly excited voice.

A bed adorned with provocative red heart decorations, a makeshift stage for dancing, and in the corner, whips, gags, and collars for some unknown reason.

The entire place felt like a love hotel, with red lights and curtains everywhere.

We went out onto the balcony and took our seats.

From there, we had a view of the stage below.

On the table, there were several types of high-quality alcohol and drinks as welcome drinks.

"Do you like tea, Mr. Ringmaster?"

Anais asked as she handed me a glass of iced tea.

I accepted it but didn’t drink. I just wasn’t in the mood for tea, but Anais seemed unable to figure out if I was annoyed.

"Did you feel embarrassed earlier?"

"A little."

I replied with a smile, but it seemed to make her even more uneasy.

She kept glancing at me, hesitant to say something.

Her lack of confidence and hesitation was unlike her usual self. She was always confident, even when facing difficult situations.

I had also been through a lot today, and I didn’t particularly like it.

But seeing her so dejected wasn’t pleasant either.

I wondered what had caused her to become like this.

She cautiously scanned my expression before finally getting to the point.

"Actually, there have been rumors circulating recently. They say that you and I… are in a relationship."

Her face turned red as she said it.

An embarrassed Anais.

Seems like he saw quite a spectacle today.

"But I don’t think that’s the only reason."

If that were the case, our reputation wouldn’t have dropped so dramatically.

Her attitude, the people making mocking remarks about us earlier, and the way people were looking at us—all of it indicated something more.

I realized that there was something else going on.

She nodded.

"I can guess who might have started the rumor."

She tapped her fingers on the glass and mentioned a name I knew.

"Pierre Mopassan."

I didn’t expect that name to come up here.

I chuckled bitterly.

"Your uncle, huh."

"The person who tried to kill me."

"Hasn’t he been caught?"

"He seems to have escaped to some island in the Caribbean. There are over hundreds of nameless islands there. If he goes there, it’s almost impossible to find him."

When I heard his name, I had a feeling that the quest that had ended differently from the original story had come back to haunt me like a butterfly effect.