Doubts and clues

The two wept silently through the window.

Flord clearly saw that Lake had found the answer; she leaned helplessly against the window, her expression of weeping more complex than Lake's.

She kept growling and banging on the table:

"Why, why did you do this to me? Why did you do this to Maxford? Why is this really Dusk Play?!"

I just love this art, what did I do wrong!

Why is Destiny punishing me like this!

Mrs. Flord wept bitterly, unable to make a decision due to gratitude for her former employer, yet unwilling to accept Maxford's tragic death.

Lake observed her struggle and inner turmoil. After a long while, he took a deep breath, suppressed his grief, and solemnly addressed Mrs. Flord, word by word:

"Mrs. Flord... it may be selfish to say this, but the Dusk Play is my home, and it was once your home. It cannot fall... at least not because of Fitt's mistakes, and not be nailed to the pillar of shame for circus arts!"

Flord was filled with hatred, and she snarled:

"What about Maxford? He died for nothing!?"

What will Morning Cheer do then?

What about those actors who diligently and conscientiously study acting in pursuit of artistic excellence!?

Did they deserve it?!

Lake lowered his head and mumbled:

"No, they didn't deserve it, they deserved to win."

Dusk Play's failure was Fitt's doing, and he should bear all the blame, but Dusk Play is innocent.

Mrs. Flord, I have a way to solve all this, but only if... please, I really beg you, let the Dusk Play a moment.

I can't watch Dusk Play fall like this, even if it loses to Morning Cheer and only deserves second place, it really can't fall in disgrace!

Upon hearing this, Flord sneered:

"Secondly? Morning Cheer's Clown is dead! Your leader killed him with his own hands!"

What right does Morning Cheer have to compete for first place? Do I have to make a comeback and stand on the Stage again?

Yes, I have had my moments of glory, but it's true that I haven't been on Stage for a long time and am not as good as you guys.

Morning Cheer is not Dusk Play; we cannot accept a victory that is not earned through fair competition.

Even if you wanted to go easy on me, I wouldn't agree.

Maxford is dead; I cannot allow a second Clown, so devoted to art, to die on Stage.

I will inform the Royal Family of all this; Fitt should pay with her life.

As for Dusk Play... history will give Dusk Play a reputation, good or bad, let future generations say. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for choosing a ruthless and merciless commander!

With that, Flord turned and walked away.

Lake grabbed her arm, his pleading expression written all over his face. He begged:

No, Morning Cheer will win, and she will win fair and square.

Please let me finish.

Maxford wasn't wrong; he shouldn't have missed this Circus Extravaganza. The one who was wrong Fitt, it was Dusk Play, it was... me!

Fitt is willing to pay with her life, and so am I. I only ask that the Dusk Play doesn't collapse because of this.

"Mrs. Flord, I have a plan to bring Maxford back to the Stage, but only if you spare the Dusk Play."

"You can resurrect him!?" Flord was overjoyed.

"I'm sorry, I can't..."

"You're kidding me!?"

"No, you misunderstood me. What I meant was... I'll play Maxford and give Morning Cheer her final performance."

And Lake... this coward will disappear because of his fear of battle, causing the Dusk Play to lose the performance.

Can a disgraced Clown quell your anger and make you let Dusk Play go?

"You!?" Mrs. Flord's eyes widened in disbelief, "... What did you say!?"

"Please, this is the last thing I can think of."

I know Fitt. If the Centennial Dusk Play loses to Morning Cheer, as the leader, he will definitely take his defeat and commit suicide.

We will pay the price for Maxford's death...

Can you accept this outcome?

Flord looked shocked, but quickly struggled again.

Considering Morning Cheer's honor and taking into account her background in Dusk Play, this seems to be the best solution; there is no better way to achieve the best of both worlds.

Fitt's mistake shouldn't be the sole responsibility of the entire Dusk Play.

After thinking for a long time, Flord's expression changed several times, but he finally agreed, both for the sake of Dusk Play and for the sake of Morning Cheer.

"But this will damage your reputation..."

"Ha, I don't deserve any fame. I misjudged people, and I should pay the price for it."

Please wait for me a while, Mrs. Flord, until I say goodbye to this place. I will become the new Clown of Morning Cheer...

The dead cannot be brought back to life, so perhaps winning this victory would be a consolation for Maxford.

I'm sorry to him.

That night, Lake made a pact with Flord. The next day, to confirm the situation, Lake disguised himself as another actor, bumped into Fitt, and mentioned the pair of boots that had been burned.

Fitt laughed and said the boots were missing, probably stolen by a tourist.

At that moment, Lake felt utterly hopeless.

He looked at this friend who had accompanied him, encouraged him, and fought alongside him for more than a decade, and the more he looked at him, the more unfamiliar he felt.

That night, he packed a few clothes and left this place of sorrow.

Lake recounted everything; no one had expected it to turn out this way.

Was his role as Maxford here out of disappointment with the Dusk Play and to compensate for his disappointment with Morning Cheer?

The story unfolds logically and reasonably, with virtually no flaws.

But it depends on who's listening; at least to a few con Ear, the story is full of holes.

First and foremost, the most obvious question is: how exactly did Maxford die?

Did Fitt kill the rival Clown?

Is it possible? It's not impossible. After all, none of the players present know Fitt. If Lake thinks it's possible, then it means that Fitt isn't a purely good person.

The question is, if Fitt killed Maxford himself, why did he immediately contact the Golden House to find him when Lake disappeared, instead of directly suspecting that Morning Cheer had used the same method to kill Lake in retaliation against Dusk Play?

Could it be that this group leader wants to use the Golden House to expose Morning Cheer's dirty tricks?

But how could he be so confident that the Golden House wouldn't be able to find out about his murder?

Imagine a murderer discovering that his rival has seemingly used the same method to "take away" the Clown of the Dusk Play. Shouldn't he immediately realize that his plan has likely been exposed, inviting retaliation, and thus become even more cautious?

Why would someone contact a third party and put themselves in such a precarious position?

Furthermore, even if Lake was Long Jing in disguise, Fitt's reaction upon seeing Lake was undeniable. He only cared about where the other had gone, without mentioning at all whether Lake's disappearance was related to Morning Cheer. This was completely unlike the reaction of a murderer.

Even if one wants to deliberately avoid suspicion, there should be no attempt to test the waters, but he did nothing, which makes no sense at all.

Thinking of this, Cheng Shi frowned slightly and asked:

Where is Maxford's body?

Lake shook his head. "I don't know... He was probably buried secretly by Mrs. Flord, right? His death couldn't be known to the outside world."

"You haven't seen his body?"

"What's the point of something that's neither visible nor invisible?"

A strange light flashed in Cheng Shi's eyes, and he smiled, "Of course it's meaningful. How can you know how Morning Cheer's Clown died if you don't see it with your own eyes?"

Lake was taken aback. "He was strangled by Fitt."

Oh? Really?

Then let me ask you, if you were the perpetrator, after carefully erasing all traces, inside and out, would you choose to strangle Maxford with a rope riddled with marks?

The other person was clearly drunk and unconscious, and since they offered no resistance when things got physical, why didn't they choose a more discreet method?

Don't tell me that Fitt, who can contact Blackers, can't even buy a bottle of colorless and odorless Poison.

"I..." Lake was stunned.

"Also, what strangled Maxford?"

Although I mentioned a rope, do you know what the real murder weapon was?

"I..." Lake wasn't stupid; he realized something from Cheng Shi's tone, and his face suddenly turned pale. "... I don't know, Mrs. Flord didn't say."

Hearing this, Zhang Jizu narrowed his eyes and said coldly:

"In other words, the whole truth about the murder that you know was told to you by Mrs. Flord. You didn't see the crime scene, the so-called murder weapon, or even the body, yet you simply believed her one-sided account?"

"..."

These words shattered Lake's defenses. He desperately wanted to say that Mrs. Flord's crying was genuine; it couldn't be fake, could it?

But he also knew that this didn't mean anything. He didn't think so at the time, but now he realizes that it's all suspicious.

However, Lake couldn't believe he'd been scammed.

Even if we don't know the murder weapon, what about the footprints? The footprints are definitely Fitt's; he even threw away his own shoes to cover up the traces.

Upon hearing this, even the Grand Marshal began to sigh.

He shook his head repeatedly, sat down in his chair and chuckled, "While I don't use many fancy tricks when it comes to killing, I do know that assassination is all about 'stealth.' Since Fitt knew he should throw away the shoes afterward, why did he wear such 'obvious' shoes to commit the crime?"

Even if you just Morning Cheer, wouldn't you be able to clear yourself of any wrongdoing?

"..."

Indeed, this is riddled with flaws!

Lake was stunned. He huddled in the corner, his face flashing with countless expressions—surprise, fear, worry, and anxiety. He didn't know what was going on in his chaotic mind. He just hoped that the past few days had all been a dream, and that he would wake up from it soon.

However, for him, the nightmare had only just begun.

The three swindlers present sneered at the same time, and Zhen Xin became the "most wicked" villain.

She looked down at the Clown, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"If Mrs. Flord told you all this, and you didn't see it with your own eyes, how can you be sure that Maxford is really dead?"

"!!??"

Lake shuddered violently and collapsed to the ground.

He felt like his world had truly collapsed.