Chapter 55

It felt like hearing about something that didn’t exist in this world.

When both siblings thought the same thing at once, Melissa smiled warmly and spoke.

“You can’t take your eyes off each other. What a wonderful bond you two have.”

“Absolutely not!”

“Damn it.”

Demius stiffened as he waved his hand in denial, while Natalianne cursed under her breath, then quickly tried to cover it up.

“That wasn’t directed at you, Teacher! Anyway, we are not close at all!”

“A strong denial is a strong affirmation.”

Melissa folded her hands over her chest, looking sincerely moved.

“I once read that in a book. And how true it is. Every time I see the two of you, my heart just feels so warm.”

I’ll burn that book someday.

The siblings thought the same thing but couldn’t bring themselves to say it to Melissa, whose eyes sparkled with delight.

Then suddenly, a quick rhythm of drums echoed through the air, drawing everyone’s attention.

Drumroll, crack!

A lively trumpet followed, and a man stepped onto the stage.

“Oh, it’s starting!”

Melissa whispered excitedly, eyes fixed on the stage.

Demius and Natalianne exchanged silent, murderous gestures before reluctantly closing their mouths to let her enjoy the show in peace.

“Ladies and gentlemen, noble guests and fine gentlefolk, thank you for waiting!”

A man wearing a neat tuxedo and a rabbit mask bowed dramatically.

When he lifted his head again, his grin widened as he continued his flamboyant introduction.

“This stage represents grandeur, majesty, grace, splendor, solemnity, and deception all combined at their peak, the true pinnacle of art!”

His lips curled unnaturally high as he whispered softly,

“Please enjoy the show.”

Whoosh.

In an instant, every candle around the tent went out.

“What’s happening?”

“Is it starting?”

The crowd murmured in confusion. Then, a single beam of light shone down in the center of the stage.

In the darkness stood a woman dressed in a pure white swan costume.

With arms as slender and pale as a swan’s neck, she slowly raised them above her head, drawing a wide circle in the air.

Pop!

With a small burst, white doves flew out from the circle.

The birds flapped their wings wildly, swelling larger and larger until they turned into shimmering orbs.

They floated upward to the top of the tent, and then

Bang!

Pop!

Bang!

They burst like fireworks.

The crowd gasped in amazement.

“What was that?”

“Was that real? Did they really explode?”

“Are you stupid? It’s just an illusion.”

“But it looked so real!”

As feathers and petals drifted down, everyone’s eyes followed them. When they looked back at the stage, the woman was gone, replaced by several animals.

Playful music began to play. A tiger, an elephant, and a bear sat together in a circle while a man in a butterfly mask cracked a whip in rhythm.

At the sound, the tiger leapt from its chair and kicked the elephant beside it.

The elephant rose slowly, then nudged the bear next to it with its trunk.

Startled, the sleepy bear stood upright, blinking in confusion.

As if realizing that everyone’s eyes were now on him, the bear scratched its head awkwardly and shuffled to take the tiger’s vacant seat.

“Hahaha!”

“Look at that! They move like people!”

The audience laughed, their initial tension gone, pointing at the beasts in amusement.

But not everyone laughed. Some people whispered uneasily.

“Are those real? They don’t even have cages.”

“This feels dangerous.”

“That’s insane.”

Then a man in the audience threw his skewer toward the stage.

“Make it more exciting!”

The skewer flew and hit the tiger squarely on the head.

Thud.

The tiger’s dull eyes flashed suddenly with sharp light.

A deep growl rumbled from its chest, echoing like thunder inside a cave.

“Wh-what the…”

The man who had thrown the skewer trembled, lowering his gaze.

Amber eyes met his directly.

A predator’s eyes.

He’s going to kill me.

The man’s mind filled with a vivid image of the tiger’s massive fangs sinking into his neck.

The growl deepened, low and menacing.

The tiger crouched, muscles tightening as it fixed its gaze on him.

Everyone froze.

Then the tiger’s body coiled, ready to pounce.

Crack!

The whip cracked sharply through the air.

The sound sliced through the crowd, shrill and cold.

At once, the tiger stopped moving as if frozen.

No one breathed.

Then the cheerful voice of the host rang out again.

“There will be a brief intermission while we adjust the stage!”

As the host returned, upbeat music filled the tent once more.

The tiger’s fierce eyes faded back into a dazed, vacant look. It turned around sluggishly, sat back in its chair, and curled its tail neatly around its paws.

The crowd blinked, murmuring in confusion.

“What… what was that?”

“Wasn’t that dangerous just now?”

The whispers grew louder. The man who had thrown the skewer stood frozen for a moment before snapping out of it.

“Ugh.”

He stared at the tiger with trembling eyes. When he confirmed it wasn’t moving, he shouted, voice cracking.

“How dare you endanger your guests like that!”

He made sure everyone could hear him.

“Leaving that beast without a cage, no leash, no restraint! I could’ve been killed!”

“Our circus is perfectly safe. You saw it yourself. One crack of the whip and the animal obeyed.”

The host’s calm voice didn’t soothe him. The man stood up, shouting louder.

“This won’t stand! Get the owner out here! Whoever’s in charge, come out! Do you know who I am?”

“Please come this way, sir.”

A large woman, likely a security guard, approached him.

The man flinched at her presence but quickly turned his anger back toward the host, who smiled pleasantly beneath the rabbit mask.

“You’ll pay for this! I demand compensation for the trauma, and yes, for my heart condition! You’ll pay for my treatment too!”

“Ah, how unfortunate. But what can we do? No one can have everything in life, can they?”

Hahaha!

The host laughed loudly as if it were a joke, clutching his stomach before bowing deeply.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. If you wish to file a complaint, please follow this lady here.”

“You should’ve said so earlier! Tch!”

The man puffed out his chest and swaggered after the guard toward the exit.

As the two disappeared outside, the host turned to the remaining audience and spoke cheerfully again.

“We deeply apologize for the earlier disturbance. To make up for it, we’ll now present an even more thrilling performance, just for you!”

Bam bam bam!

The drums and brass instruments burst into a lively tune once more.

At the same time, the animals stood upright on their hind legs.

“Wow!”

The crowd cheered.

But that was only the beginning.

The animals began jumping through flaming hoops, juggling, and even riding unicycles.

One dazzling act followed another, accompanied by clowns dancing and laughing.

“Are you all having fun?”

Waaah!

The audience erupted into wild applause.

The host bowed repeatedly.

“Thank you, thank you.”

When the applause faded, his voice dropped low beneath the rabbit mask.

“Now, that was the family-friendly portion.”

The cheerful tone melted away.

His voice turned cold enough to send chills through the tent.

“Tell me, do we have any children here tonight?”