I Became the Leader of the Monster Circus Troupe

The performance time was decided for the afternoon of the 12th day.

The acrobats continued practicing until late in the evening the day before.

When they finished the joint acrobatics of the last scene, the six actors were completely exhausted.

They had repeated rehearsals several times today alone. They had to focus on acting, singing, and acrobatics, which took a toll on their stamina.

Usually, in a play, it was common to smoothly flow while adjusting to the other actors. There was a certain momentum that developed. However, it was not easy to maintain concentration as they had to perform 1-person plays targeting shadows or dolls intermittently.

Above all, the tight training schedule was the problem.

Originally, practicing was supposed to moderately manage their stamina for the main performance. However, the play they had to perform this time ended after just one performance. So, there was no need to conserve or rest. They had to give their all to maintain the best form for the last performance.

“Saving energy would be an insult to Cristian.”

That was Lord Fantastic’s thought. Ella, who often clashed with him, agreed on this.

If they had tried to perfect everything, from the stage, effects, props, costumes, to directing, it wouldn’t have been enough even with a month, let alone two.

When Simon declared the end of practice, Ella and Ruelle sat down hesitantly as if collapsing. Clara and Karen lay down on the stage with chairs. Maya and Reyna just leaned slightly against the wall.

The managers also looked exhausted.

Lord Fantastic had used ‘Mime in the Mirror’ too much, and so as soon as the end was declared, he buried himself on the sofa.

Hopps, who had complained about having to act as extras without lines all day, just lowered his head without a word once practice was over.

Arno was also equally tired.

He had to implement and modify all the illusions alone, and also had to perform voice acting, so his fatigue was no joke.

Minova also threw away the drumsticks he had been playing and panted heavily.

He was in charge as the juggler in the main performance.

In plays, there were often pairs of one actor and one juggler. Although several characters appeared this time, it was structurally similar to a one-person play.

One drum set handled all the music in the play. He had been playing it non-stop all day, so even sturdy Minova was exhausted.

While everyone was quiet, a man with a particularly lively expression came up on stage.

“Ha ha, you all worked so hard!”

While they were rehearsing, Wonderstein had been sitting in the audience, closing his eyes and listening. He was experiencing the performance as the Marquis, through his ears.

To avoid any disturbance in the enjoyment due to what he saw, he had avoided watching the rehearsals as much as possible.

At first, Ella thought that Lord Fantastic was deliberately avoiding him. Whenever she practiced acrobatics, he would force work on him and kick him out of the practice room.

Wonderstein stopped her from getting angry at his continued torment.

He told her about the conversation they had before they started practicing, about him taking on the role of an audience member. It was about how actors’ performances deteriorated when they were conscious of the audience, especially in performances targeting a single audience member like this one.

Ella listened to his explanation and pursed her lips, but she didn’t deny his words.

She knew about it too.

The Cookie Merchant Effect.

It’s a saying that comes from a rumor that when performing for children, you unknowingly start acting childish yourself, meaning that being too conscious of the audience’s bias would lead to the focus of the performance being lost.

If adjustments to the performance were needed, they would be made at the director’s discretion. Each actor consciously adjusting their performance would only cause confusion.

“Today was flawless. It was perfect.”

Since a few days ago, Wonderstein had been watching the rehearsals as the Marquis in the audience.

Which parts were difficult to understand, which parts were difficult to visualize.

Then, subtle adjustments were made to those parts. Since the Marquis wanted to watch the original play as it was, the script couldn’t be changed, but modifications to the stage were possible within the director’s discretion.

Thanks to this, they were able to create a performance that the Marquis could enjoy more easily.

“Everyone, go wash up and go to bed early. We need to rehearse one more time tomorrow morning.”

At Simon’s words, everyone got up from their seats and went back to their rooms.

The six lead actors headed in the same direction.

They were using the largest room jointly to increase the immersion of the play. Like the characters in the play.

The room was large enough for six people to be comfortable. However, the bathroom was not that big. So, they divided into two teams when bathing.

Ella, Ruelle, and Reyna used the bathroom in the room, while Maya, Karen, and Clara used the bathroom in the opposite room.

“Ruri! Should I wash you?”

Ella held up a towel and asked, but Ruelle shook her head slightly and approached Reyna.

“I prefer Reyna washing me.”

“Eugh!”

Ella made a wounded expression.

At first, she was close only to her. But now she was pushing her away and looking for someone else.

After eating together for over 10 days, they should have become close enough. Still, seeing her cling to another sister in front of her made her pride hurt.

“To be honest, it’s annoying, but if Ruri wants it…”

She froze at Reyna’s icy expression. It was a gesture of annoyance, but her lips were pursed, indicating she was holding back laughter.

Ella exclaimed, her eyes glaring fiercely.

“Ruri is the nickname I gave her!”

In response to her words, Reyna frowned and retorted.

“Do you have a copyright on nicknames?”

“Unnies, don’t fight.”

Ruelle intervened between them.

Her actions made Ella even more angry. It seemed like she was trying to stop the fight, but it felt more like she was pointing at her to be quiet.

She reluctantly resorted to a last resort.

“Are you really going to wash with Reyna? Chick and Dub here also want to play with you. Too bad. Since you don’t like it, I guess I have to send them away.”

The Dove and the mouse popped their heads out of Ella’s hat thrown into the dressing basket.

They understood their owner’s intentions and expressed disappointment, drooping their wings and ears.

“Ah.”

Ruelle sighed with a pained expression. Playing with them was one of her favourite things. It would have been fun to bathe together.

The two animals looked at Ruelle with disappointment and resentment, wanting to play with her as well, but feeling hurt because she refused.

However, Ruelle couldn’t give up being washed by Reyna. It was something the other entity sharing her body strongly desired.

Unable to do anything else, she spoke up.

“S-Sorry…guys.”

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Seeing her like that made Ella feel guilty.

What am I doing, making a fuss over a 6-year-old?

In the end, she raised the white flag.

“D-Don’t cry! Haha! It was a joke! You can play with them!”

“R-Really? Wow! Thank you, Unnie!”

Ruelle smiled brightly as she hugged the bird and mouse in her arms.

Seeing her innocent look, Ella and Reyna looked at each other, chuckled, and then got into the bath.

Seeing Chick frolicking freely in front of Ruelle, Reyna said, shaking her head.

“Is it okay? I heard you shouldn’t let water get in a mouse’s ears…”

“I trained the muscles around the ear hole. It prevents water from getting in.”

“That’s amazing…”

“Hey, aren’t you more amazing? How did you manage to persuade Ruri?”

Reyna, who had been chuckling, replied.

“Ruelle prefers me to tie her hair.”

At her words, Ella’s head shot up.

“Hair? Huh? Just for that, you betrayed me?”

“It’s not betrayal…I-I mean, it’s not me, it’s the hair that feels that way… When Reyna washes it…it’s soft.”

“Soft?”

Ella cocked her head in confusion at her words.

Ruelle glanced at her and muttered.

“It’s…her chest…”

“Eugh!”

Ella swallowed her groan as she watched Ruelle lean against Reyna’s chest with her body, her head resting on her.

The words Wonderstein had said two weeks ago passed through her mind.

“If that’s true, then it’s good. It seems that not only men but also girls like big-chested unnies. There were things that couldn’t be overcome with just the talent of taming to win people’s favour.”

At that moment, she wasn’t the only one who remembered what he had said.

Maya, who was in the opposite bathroom, was also thinking about that incident.

“Karen, come on, let’s go wash up!”

“Uh, Clara, se-senior…”

Karen had already lost her mind when she heard that she had to sleep with the girls. But when she heard that she had to bathe together, she almost fainted.

When she saw Maya and Clara’s naked bodies, her face turned red as if it would explode.

It was Clara who dragged her in, since she was sitting in the corner with her head wrapped in her hands, refusing to bathe each time.

Clara had been asked by Wonderstein to take good care of her younger juniors. This sense of duty grew stronger as she immersed herself in the role of the protagonist.

The basic skill of the Jester is endurance.

Originally, it was impossible for Clara to drag her in based on her strength alone. However, she knew Karen’s weakness. By hugging her naked, she could take the strength out of her body.

“Uh, senior!”

It had become a fixed pattern for Clara to drag Karen, who refused to bathe, in naked.

Today, Karen was leaning against Clara’s chest, unable to regain her composure.

Seeing her like that, Maya was annoyed.

“If that’s true, then it’s good. Since the director said that, every woman I meet makes me conscious of my body. And if that woman has bigger breasts than me, I somehow get angry.”

Ella thought she could get along with her after some time had passed.

However, when she saw Clara’s naked body, her confidence waned. And she didn’t even compare herself to Reyna’s body, as she might feel defeated just by imagining it.

While she was fantasizing about how Wonderstein would react if she artificially enlarged her breasts, Karen came in and took off her clothes.

But now, they were both soaking their bodies in the foam tub with Clara and Maya, so she wasn’t as flustered as before.

Maya suddenly felt relieved when she saw her friend’s body. She smiled slightly.

Karen cocked her head, looking at her.

“Huh? Why?”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing.”

After bathing, they gathered in the middle of the room with their pillows.

Usually, girls would chat, but they were acrobats. They preferred using their bodies rather than talking.

“The 10th Marquis Slagbrot Pillow Fight has begun!”

With Ella’s declaration, the six of them raised their pillows and charged at each other with a shout.

The game Ella proposed was one she often played with her friends when she was in school. Reyna and Maya, who were initially passive about the game, also actively participated after being hit in the face with a pillow several times.

The two-week training camp had formed a bond between them. It also influenced the content of the play they were performing.

Originally, they were supposed to sleep early to prepare for the performance tomorrow, but they couldn’t. They were filled with regret that this might be the last day of this kind of life.

The directors didn’t stop them because they knew this.

No, in the first place, the idea of restraining themselves from festivals and parties was unfamiliar to the devotees of Kirku.

The noisy building didn’t quiet down until long after the midnight bell had rung.

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Chapter 211: Wonderland – 14