I Became the Leader of the Monster Circus Troupe

Ella found her usual crimson circus costume.

Although it had gotten soaked in the rain early yesterday morning, she knew that the hotel’s laundry service would have it crisp and dry in just half a day.

She needed that outfit in case she had to take on the role of the ringmaster instead of Wonderstein.

Even though she had promised not to go on stage, she was willing to step up if the situation demanded.

However, her plan was immediately thwarted.

“After finishing the laundry, I found that there were many places where the stitches had come loose on the master’s costume. I entrusted it to a skilled seamstress for repairs. It will take some time.”

“How long will it take?”

“They said you can pick it up on Saturday afternoon.”

Even a fool could tell that the old man’s words were a lie.

It wouldn’t take days to tidy up a few loose threads, and Saturday afternoon was too obvious.

At the very least, it meant she shouldn’t go on stage for this competition.

It was clear that the moment she was allowed to go out, he immediately contacted the laundry to get rid of her clothes.

Ella felt frustrated being thwarted repeatedly by him since yesterday.

But it was unavoidable.

Despite being sharp and quick-witted for her age, she couldn’t match the experience of the butler who had served the family for decades.

Butler Batel, following Anais’s orders, left Vergsong Mansion and arrived in Luz yesterday afternoon.

He came to provide support for the circus so that they could focus on the exam this week.

Wonderstein had asked him to take care of Ella, probably because the hotel staff would find it difficult to confront her.

The old butler saw through Ella’s tactics.

The young lady, who worked tirelessly despite her poor health, was a familiar opponent to him.

When she secretly tried to go to the performance venue last night, he anticipated it and waited under the window. His agile movements, honed from his youth as an excellent mercenary, were not inferior to Ella’s acrobatics. If she had been in good health, she might have escaped from his hands, but in her weakened state, she couldn’t slip away.

Moreover, he noticed that she had secretly spit out the pill hidden under her tongue. In return, he secretly added medicine to her snacks. Thanks to that, Ella slept deeply all afternoon, and her plan to watch the performance using Inspira failed.

When she woke up, almost a day had passed, and Ella felt her heart sink.

She was embarrassed, not just because her skills were repeatedly repelled, but for some reason, it felt awkward.

She tasted the humiliation she used to feel every time she competed with her master.

She looked out the window with a grim face from inside the carriage.

The butler observed her with a satisfied smile.

Ella glared at the butler.

“Gee, is it fun to win against a kid?”

“Haha, you misunderstood my laughter. No, not at all. I was just reminded of Anais when she was young. Just stay calm. I won’t stop you from watching the performance.”

“I’m just worried.”

“Do you not trust Director Wonderstein?”

At his words, Ella trembled.

Not trust him?

It was as if the words had climbed up her throat. Wasn’t it he she definitely wont trust?

But she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Like it or not, he was the director of the circus she belonged to.

She looked awkwardly at the butler.

“Oh, no… It’s just… I don’t know.”

“Why are you so anxious, then?”

“For some reason, I feel worried if I’m not doing it myself.”

The butler nodded understandingly.

“I know that Ella is smart and talented. But try trusting and relying on the people around you a little more. Our mistress also tried to handle everything on her own when she first took on the role of chairwoman. But thanks to Pierre…”

The butler stopped talking.

It was an inappropriate example.

The person she trusted and relied on ultimately turned out to be a traitor.

“Anyway, if you’re the one leading a group, it’s a virtue to entrust and hold your position. Understand?”

“Got it. I’ll wait quietly. Like a good girl. Is that okay?”

With that, she finished speaking and leaned back in her seat.

The butler’s words made sense.

She still had two more years ahead, and there could be worse situations than this.

Each time, she couldn’t handle everything on her own. Waiting was also important.

“That aside, why isn’t Lady Vergsong coming?”

“She said she might be able to make it on the last day.”

“She seems quite busy too.”

“To be honest, she has been quite lazy during this time.”

Anais was the host of the gathering.

In the midst of the chaos within the society due to Pierre, who was already handling practical matters, disappearing and leisurely traveling on a cruise or relaxing at the hotel, the situation seemed absurd.

Rumours that a magician had captivated Lady Vergsong had gained credibility, given the circumstances.

Upon arriving at the cabaret, Ella immediately headed to Hall 3.

People were just coming out of the hall after the performance had ended.

She stood there, frozen.

Cold sweat covered her back.

She was afraid of finding disappointed, angry, or mocking expressions.

Fortunately, there was no sign of anger; people seemed exhausted rather than disappointed.

No, the fact that they stayed until the end was evidence of a successful performance.

Passing comments reached her ears.

“It was amazing.”

“He’s a good actor.”

“Actor? Didn’t he say everything was fake?”

“This guy watched the same show as us, right? The actors were real. Acting is about capturing and devouring people, not a fake show.”

“We saw everyone coming out and greeting at the end.”

Ella’s lips trembled.

The audience’s reaction wasn’t as bad as she had feared.

Moreover, the feedback from people who seemed to be other circus members was positive.

“It gave me chills.”

“Monster Circus… not something to laugh at.”

“I thought it was just a simple human exhibition.”

“They turned it into excellent entertainment.”

Thanks to this, strength returned to Ella’s steps as she headed towards the backstage area.

She ignored the greetings from the Rose Windmill staff who knew her but maintained a cold demeanor.

Right now, other people didn’t matter to her.

Her colleagues.

She wanted to see them.contemporary romance

Quietly, her butler followed behind her.

Finally, the two arrived at the rehearsal room of Hall 3.

The first to notice them as they entered were the triplets who had been stretching at the entrance.

“Assistant Director?”

“Assistant Director! She’s here!”

The triplets chattered excitedly, drawing the attention of the other members.

“What?”

“Ella is here?”

“Is your body completely healed?”

The butler, surprised, stepped back.

Everyone was in their fearsome monster makeup.

“Hey, Ella.”

“Why are you here?”

“Is your body okay?”

Ella reassured the worried members, sitting on the sofa and surrounded by them, listening to their stories.

They chattered about each other’s performances, how the audience reacted, and Wonderstein, who acted as the emcee, showed a surprising performance.

A clown makeup, indeed.

It was more than she had expected.

At that moment, Ella realized that someone was missing among them.

Wonderstein.

“Where did he go?”

“Him? Oh, the director. He’s in the break room back there, all alone.”

“Why?”

Womon scratched his head awkwardly.

“Well, it’s… He thinks that if he’s around, the members can’t rest comfortably.”

“Oh…”

Ella’s complexion stiffened.

It was uncomfortable when someone higher up was in the midst of the lower-ranked members. However, Ella knew that Wonderstein didn’t say that with such intention. He had been the target of avoidance by the members until now. Even though he took the stage this time due to the special circumstances, he usually kept his distance from the members and left the work to Ella. Normally, she would have accepted his behaviour without question, but seeing him act like that on a day like today made her feel uneasy.

As the commotion settled down a bit, Maya, who had been sitting in a corner with a sketchbook, approached Ella.

“Assistant.”

“Oh, Maya! How was it? Any mistakes in the illusion? Oh, and how did the product you planned do? Did it sell well? Were people’s reactions okay?”

Maya endured Ella shaking her shoulders with an expressionless face.

“It went well. The product sold well. More than we expected.”

“Oh, really? That’s a relief!”

Ella let out a sigh of relief, and Maya, with a displeased voice, said, “You should worry about your own body, you fool.”

She wanted to brush off the annoyance, but she couldn’t be rude to someone who was in pain.

“Rest assured, everyone. Let’s congratulate Ella!”

Jobel’s words made everyone stand up.

“Sounds good.”

“It’s our first performance.”

“We have another performance tomorrow, so let’s just have one drink each.”

The members were stopped by the butler as they tried to go to the kitchen.

He came to the Rose Windmill for such occasions.

“Please rest, everyone. I will prepare some snacks for you.”

As he left, the rehearsal room became even more lively.

It included Sven mimicking Yurakne’s actions.

“Ahahaha, nice to meet you. Lovely humans you all look.”

Laughter erupted.

Even Maya, who was drawing alone in the corner, smirked slightly.

Only Yurakne blushed deeply, burying her face in embarrassment.

“Uuh, s-stop that….”

“Hehe, I wanted to show it to Assistant too. What was the next line…?”

“S-stop it, I said!”

“Hahaha, why, Yurakne? It was a splendid performance.”

“Right, right. I bet Yurakne sold the most of that ‘product’ today.”

While the members laughed and chatted loudly, Ella sat quietly on the sofa, looking at the empty spot.

The largest and most ornate chair in the rehearsal room.

It was the seat of Director Wonderstein.

It was empty.

He avoided being present on a day like this.

Probably because the members would feel uncomfortable.

In fact, even now that he could face them, except for Maya, there was no member who felt comfortable with him.

Yurakne overcame it with acting, Sven with jokes, and Ella with resentment.

Honestly, it was better for the atmosphere that he wasn’t there.

Ella also agreed with that.

But…

This wasn’t right.

They went on stage together, performed, and even filled in for an injured colleague.

Despite all that, he was being avoided.

No matter how you looked at it, this situation was not right.

“Uh… excuse me for a moment…”

She quietly slipped away from her seat.

She headed to the break room where Wonderstein was.

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