Chapter 86 - The Circus Comes To Town

I opened my eyes and was instantly irritated.

Several inches away from my face were three sobbing faces, two of which were being held back.

"BABY GIRL! OPEN YOUR EYES! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE IN THIS CRUEL WORLD!"

That was the wailing of my father who grabbing my arm in a panic while my mother tried to hold him back.

William sobbed on the other side of me, "She can't die! If she dies, I will never forgive myself!!!" He whimpered, "She must have passed out because I made fun of her too much... If she lives, I won't make fun of her again!!!"

Dante held him by the collar with an emotionless expression. Deep down, he was worried that my unpredictable father would attack them for touching my body.

Apparently neither had realized I had opened my eyes and was a few seconds away from smacking the sh*t out of them.

Millie was at my feet crying with such a twisted expression. Even Lona looked as if someone had stolen something precious from her.

Why are they overreacting so much?! Do they really think I'm dead or something?!

"Oi." I said in a harsh tone, "Get your snot nosed faces away from me this instant."

William and my father's faces lit up at my voice. My father hugged me tightly, almost crushing me.

"Baby girl!!! You're alive!"

I struggled under his grip, "Yes, now get off of me."

My mother pulled him back, "Husband. You're hurting her."

He pouted a bit, but knew she was right. There was no way he would let me get more hurt. So he reluctantly kept his hands to himself.

With him now off of me, I sat up and rubbed my eyes. I looked around and realized that I was in my bed. Judging by everyone's reactions, I was most likely rushed here in a panic. I looked around at everyone and they looked back at me with expectant eyes.

How annoying.

I wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone right now. That distasteful memory left a bad taste in my mouth.

My father looked at me with puppy eyes, "Are you okay? Do you need something?"

Bad memories like that seemed to always trigger my sweet tooth.

"I want a chocolate bar." I said mumbling with an irritated expression.

He stood up abruptly, "I have one from my company somewhere! I will go find it and bring it back!"

He rushed out of the door with lightning speed, almost breaking the door down in the process.

My mother sighed, "You should rest. I will leave you be."

Luckily it seemed my mother could sense I wanted to be alone.

Millie rushed to my side, "Serrri..." Her eyes watered and her lip trembled.

Ah. I can't be irritated at this angel. She looks so cute when she cries... But perhaps... Also a bit crazed?

I patted her head, "It's okay. Don't cry. I'm fine now."

She sniffled and indulged in my pats, "I just.. Was so worried... If - If you didn't wake up, I was about to go crazy."

I chuckled, "There's no need for that."

I paused.

Or wait... I'm kind of curious to see her behave like that. I wonder what would happen.

I shook my head to get rid of that thought.

No, no. Nothing good would result from that. Curiosity killed the cat after all.

Even though I wanted to be alone, there's no way I could kick this crazy girl out. She had already cried so much, I can't make her cry more.

Or can I? She is rather cute when she's upset.

"We called for the Royal Doctor already. He should be here soon. I will go meet him at the door." Lona spoke, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I nodded to her and she left. Bertram also seemed to understand my desire to be alone, so he stepped outside of the room. That only left the two idiots and Millie.

Are they really too dense to understand I want to be left alone? Or do they just not care?

William sniffled and rubbed his eyes, "You... You shouldn't have fainted like that. It looked like you had died. Everyone was worried."

I smirked at him, "Perhaps you were actually worried about me as well?"

His face stiffened. He looked away in embarrassment, "Wha- Me? No! I wasn't worried about you a bit." His eyes glanced at me timidly, "Are you... Okay though?"

I chuckled, "Yes. I'm fine. So stop crying. You look ugly when you cry."

His nose flared in anger, "What?! No I don't!"

Actually, he looked as handsome as ever while he cried. It was one of the reasons why I felt so irritated upon waking up.

How can a person cry so gracefully? That's just not fair.

I scratched my head and glanced at Dante. I no longer felt the need to avoid his eyes. The entire memory from that secret room was now shrouded by the memories of my brother.

His face looked at me passively, but he almost looked like a puppy staring at me in expectation.

Was he happy to see me alive? Or was it happiness that I was no longer avoiding him?

I ignored these thoughts and smiled at him, "What about you Dante? Did you also cry?"

He blinked at me, "Should I have?"

I frowned at him. I can never tell if he's teasing me or being serious. "Yes. Yes you should have."

Dante crying... Hmm... I wonder if that would be interesting or horrifying.

"Oh." He said in response without a slightest change in expression.

I laid back down with a groan. These children sure can be a pain in the a**.

Millie stared at me with a worried expression, "Are you still upset over the news of having a younger sibling? Did it really make you that jealous?"

I frowned and didn't bother answering her question. It wasn't that I was so horrified over the prospect of a younger brother that I freaked out. It was because that news forced me to recall a bad memory.

But I can't very well say that my memory was the reason why I overreacted so much. The truth would make me sound crazy.

No, it was better if they did think I was just a jealous child. Thus, my refusal to answer her made them think that I was in fact jealous.

That is, except for Dante. He continued to stare at me, eyes full of understanding that there was more to the story. I noticed this, but didn't dare confirm it.

The last thing I wanted was to talk about it.

Millie clapped her hands together making all of us jump. She smiled warmly at me, "I know what we can do to cheer you up! The circus is coming to town in a few weeks. We could all go there to cheer you up!"

"The circus?"

She nodded, "Yes! It's been so long since they visited our town. It's such an incredible experience. There's so many cool shows and they even have some rides! They also have these really fun games where you can win prizes!"

"Hmm." I responded a bit disinterested.

She smiled, "There's also really good food."

My ears pricked up at this, "Well... Maybe we could go."

William nodded. He too liked the idea of going and could barely contain his excitement. "I think that would be a good idea. It is really a joyous occasion. I'm sure it would cheer you up."

I sighed, "Alright, alright. We can all go."

Both William and Millie cheered silently at my approval. Dante didn't really care for the circus, but he would tag along as well.

Lona knocked and entered the room, "The doctor is here to see you."

I nodded, "Let him in."

The doctor who had cared for me before walked into the room. He looked the same as last time.

Except....

He was drenched head to toe in water.

Why the f*ck is he drenched?! Is it raining?!

I glanced out of my window. The sun shined in, revealing no rain clouds.

How the hell did he become drenched then?!

He nodded to William, "Prince William. How do you do?"

He nodded back, "I am well. Thank you."

I looked back and forth between the two. Are they really not going to bring up why he is dripping water on my floor?!

How is no one curious about this?!

I was about to ask, but Lona shook her head. She had the look of, "Don't ask."

William bowed, "Well, I will leave you to it."

Millie smiled at me, "I will see you later."

I nodded and waved them off. Dante went to the door and paused. He glanced back at me with a strange expression. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it repeatedly. Unable to speak, he gave up and walked out of the room.

Really... That boy needs to be a bit more honest.

The doctor sat down next to me and pulled out his instruments. He began to check my vital signs.

He put away his tools, "Well, your body looks fine. I believe you fainted because you had a mental shock. It's nothing severe, but I will leave you some medicine in case you have a hard time sleeping."

I nodded, "Thank you."

"Do you have any questions for me before I leave?"

I nodded, "Yes. Why are you drenched in water?"

You're getting it everywhere in my room.

He responded apathetically, "I was in the middle of my bath when some men broke in and dragged me here."

"Oh..."

"Yes."

Well now I have even more questions.

______

A few weeks later, the circus came to town. Apparently this town really enjoys and respects the circus people. It was beginning to feel more like a holiday.

The town was bustling with people, giving the city a very lively atmosphere. Even at school all we heard about was the circus.

I sighed, "Is it really that exciting?"

I had been to many carnivals and circuses before. I didn't find them that fun. Most of their games were rigged and their otherworldly wonders... Well.. They weren't wonders at all.

So to me, a circus wasn't interesting at all.

I merely agreed to come in order to appease Millie and William.

Millie nodded her head excitedly, "The circus is so incredible! I really want to play the games. This time I'm determined to win that giant stuffed bear."

The carriage stopped, unable to go any further due to the massive crowd. My jaw dropped at the vastness of the people.

"This is like a festival! Not a circus!"

Along the street, food stalls were lined up selling various sweets and foods. The smell was so strong, it immediately made me drool. Men walked on stilts in costumes while other's danced with fire.

It was quite the sight to behold.

Suddenly I was very excited to experience this world's circus.