Chapter 63 - I'm the heir

It had all started with a lie from Vicente.

If it wasn't for his father's will clearly stating that Leonardo needed to get married in order to pass Dreamland to the other heir, the supposed son of the deceased partner, he would never have returned there. Although what happened with the sponsor was the trigger for him to go.

However, he did not imagine that he would end up taking a real interest in Benjin.

He never imagined that he could like another guy. Until then, he had only dated girls and no relationship ended well, even though Leonardo did his best.

And there he was.

He had already walked through the park holding Benjin's hand, without feeling bothered by the stares. On the contrary, he was amused by the trapeze artist's silly way of being all surprised by his behaviour so suddenly. Benjin made it so clear how happy he was for each simple gesture of affection that Leonardo couldn't hold back.

He wanted to provoke him more and more, instead of just letting himself be provoked.

The three of them looked at Leonardo with a surprised expression. It wasn't for less, considering the way he had said he was with someone.

Should he have said they were just dating? But... He hadn't asked Benjin to go steady. Just like he hadn't asked him to marry him either. Arching an eyebrow, Leonardo realised that up until that moment he and Benjin were just hanging out, without any definite status to their relationship.

For some reason, Leonardo felt he had made a mistake. Out of the corner of his eye, the boy noticed that expression of pure elation on Benjin. Eyes glowing and cheeks flushed, and the stupid attempt not to grin like a jerk.

— Leo...

— I-I mean...

— Hahahahaha, I can't believe he just proposed! Hahahahaha.

— Stop being scandalous, you pervert — Aslan complained, slapping Ray on the head again.

It seemed that his friends weren't the only ones who were surprised by his declaration. Leonardo could tell by Aslan and Ray's reaction, despite them trying to hide behind the routine bickering. Only that was the second thing Leonardo was sure of at that moment. He was going to marry Benjin.

— W-What do you mean, marry? I thought he was just seeing someone.

— Is this some kind of prank? You met here at the circus, isn't it too soon for that?

— I have my reasons for making this decision, even though it's rushed.

— What reasons? Wouldn't it be just because you two like each other? — asked Gustavo as he leaned over the table.

— It was my father's last wish.

The three boys looked at each other and then shrugged. Rafael had already warned once, talking about Leonardo's father was like walking through a minefield.

— I never imagined you liked men too — Rafael crossed his arms, tilting his head as he watched Benjin — But as long as you're over Patricia, and really like each other, I don't really care about that.

Benjin petrified as he held his young master's hand, casting a sharp glance at Rafael who had dared to mention his ex's name. His jealous side hadn't been completely unravelled, and Leonardo didn't even want to venture into that strange sea.

— Who?

— Patricia? Leo's ex...

— Hmmm...

Leonardo sighed, releasing his hand to stroke Benjin's head, who was already starting to sulk.

— It's ok. I can't stay stuck in the past forever, can I?

Rafael let out a low chuckle.

— I guess so.

— Leo... And the main attraction of the circus... Wow. I want to be godfather! — shouted Gustavo, still excited to be in the presence of those three.

— I want too! — Laughed Ray standing next to the drummer — I want to throw rice in your faces.

— That's so... Old people stuff — Juliano grumbled, grimacing.

— So I can throw something else at them?

— Don't even think about throwing paint, Ray!

— Come on, my piece of cloud, it would be so fun and creative.

Surprised, Leonardo smiled as he realised that his fear was really unfounded. They responded well and chatted to the attractions amiably, seeming to enjoy themselves. Feeling their fingers intertwining, he could tell that Benjin was also enjoying the moment.

Yeah.

It wasn't that bad.

— Yeah, but the food's taking a while to come, don't you think?

— Did you order already? — Aslan asked, pushing Ray by the shoulders to make him sit down again.

— It's been a while, should we go and complain or something?

— It's really taking a while — Leonardo muttered, turning back.

Maybe there was a waiter nearby who could call, but this group of friends were literally the only ones on the third floor.

How strange.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Leonardo shrugged wondering if it was some waiter finally coming with the order. So he just went back to chatting with Rafael, who wanted to know more about his new relationship. However, the completely annoyed voice made that noisy group of young people suddenly quiet.

— It had to be a bunch of teenagers making a ruckus. You had the nerve to cut the restaurant queue, so you think you can do whatever you want, do you?

The tall man looked as if he would explode at any moment, his face completely reddening. His irritation was so obvious that the whole group stared at him.

— What's up?

— Don't try to be funny with me. I saw you cutting in line and walking in like you owned the place!

— Hey, we didn't cut in line!

Quickly Aslan intervened, showing the same calmness that Leonardo had seen among the customers earlier.

— Excuse me, sir, but we are Dreamland employees and it's lunch time.

— I don't care if you're employees or what, you should respect those who were in that damn line for hours.

— Hahaha, I think I'll do a little trick...

— Sit down, Ray — said Leonardo.

Immediately, the magician sat back in his chair, although he looked at him with a clear smile. Not only him, but the main attractions were not at all happy to see someone being disrespectful.

— Look, I understand that you're angry about waiting in line and all that, but that doesn't mean you can come here and make trouble — Aslan continued.

— I intend to file a complaint anyway. Where have you ever seen yourself treated like this? An acquaintance of mine is the director of the circus and will surely agree with me about this!

— Argh, this sucks — complained Juliano — We just wanted to have a nice lunch, and now we're going to be kicked out of here.

— And what makes you think that a director of a circus show could meddle in a restaurant? — Smiled Benjin, though there was no kindness in his words — You are arguing with the managers of all sectors of Dreamland, and yet you want to call a cheap show director to help you?

The man shut up staring at the boys, especially the three who were wearing costumes. Still, he opened a debauched smile.

Ah... Leonardo knew that kind of person.

While he worked at the mechanic's, he had seen several customers trying to cause trouble just to get something. Whether it was a discount, the money back, or simply to ruin the morale of the place to the point of closing it after tarnishing its reputation.

Considering the debauchery that this guy didn't even make a point of hiding, Leonardo could already imagine the direction of that conversation.

— Managers? A bunch of kids trying to play at being adults? Don't try to fool me with this kind of joke.

Clapping his hands on the table, Gustavo stood up irritated.

— What stupidity, they're the biggest attractions here!

— I know the owner of this place, and I'm sure I'll complain about this lack of respect for the customers who waited so long to be treated like this!

The air was suddenly cold, it was fantastic. Leonardo was with his head resting on his hand and with his legs crossed in his usual sloppy pose, but the cold look and all the tension that his presence transmitted was already an alert for the main attractions that someone was angry.

Very angry.

— Leonardo, what a shout... — Vicente appeared on the stairs, stopping when he saw that group of friends completely annoyed with someone next to them — What is going on?

Quickly the guy ran to Vicente, all happy as if he had found the lifeboat right in front of him.

— It's great that you have arrived, I would like to know how you intend to resolve this. My family and I, as well as several other customers, have been queuing for over an hour and a half to get a table so that we can eat, and then these kids just walk in and take an entire floor to themselves? Look how much space could be used by the customers! Please sort it out, Sir.

— Yes, Sir, explain this.

Vincent hesitated when he heard the voice of his young master. Turning towards him, it did not take long to make another poor victim of his discontented presence. Without losing his composure, the administrator bowed his head to the customer.

— I am sorry, but the third floor of this restaurant is only used for large-scale events and for the staff.

— This is inappropriate! Leaving people standing for so long because of something like that.

— Well, aren't you the one who knows the owner of this place? Why don't you complain directly to him? — chided Ray.

— I will! You bet I'm going!

Leonardo could feel the look in the eyes of those who knew the truth behind it. He was already irritated because that type of customer was right in front of him, talking such nonsense, but the situation seemed to get worse when he realised that Ray, once again, was provoking him.

The first time, that magician had revealed his identity to Giovani. And now he wanted the same thing to happen in front of his friends.

He knew he couldn't hide it forever, especially now that he had accepted his position. And precisely because he accepted his position, Leonardo would not allow himself to be taken in by Ray's provocations.

That's why he kept silent.

The man walked off stomping and complaining, leaving behind a group of young men sighing tiredly as they relaxed their shoulders. Having his hand held by Benjin, Leonardo closed his eyes, scratching the back of his neck, swallowing the lump that formed in his throat.

He wanted to say a few good things.

— Vinnie, ask for our lunch to be delivered soon. We need to get back to work soon.

— I'll check right now. Excuse me.

— I can't believe what just happened. How could he not recognize you guys? And yet he doubted the authority...

— He knew — murmured Leonardo discontentedly — He knew very well who they were, but he put them down for having such baby faces.

— Come on, is that a compliment? — smiled Ray, pointing to his own face.

— There are idiots everywhere, don't talk.

Even with all the tension of the recent discussion, the boys soon started talking again. Especially when Gustavo asked several questions to the attractions, still excited about being so close to them. Thanks to this, the tension dissipated completely, and they were able to enjoy the lunch that arrived shortly afterwards.

— Ah, it's already time to get back to work — Aslan warned as his watch beeped.

— Let's get the bill then.

— Don't worry, it's on us.

— No, no, come on. Imagine, we'll split it.

Ray quickly cracked a wide smile.

— It's ok, we're celebrating that we finally have an heir. So he's the one who's going to pay.

— Is this supposed to be some sort of welcome gift?

— Ah, let's go to the circus — Leonardo announced, smiling cheerfully to his friends.

— Huh? And can we go even if we are not employees?

— You are with me, so it is ok.

Leonardo didn't usually talk about his workplace to his friends, at least not after he started his internship at the circus. But it was a fact that they would be curious about what he was doing in such a prestigious place.

Just being able to enter the circus area, which is usually closed to the public until show time, was already enough to get those three excited. The comings and goings of employees carrying boxes and heavy objects, the sound of machinery and the noise of music playing from inside the main tent already demonstrated the day to day life behind the curtains.

Mr Barley's tent soon filled up with the group's presence alone. The main attractions didn't let go of them either, although Leonardo didn't complain completely. Gustavo was from another course, and seemed to be enjoying Ray and Aslan showing him other parts of the circus while Leonardo introduced Mr. Barley to the others.

Of course, the satisfaction of seeing the surprise and receiving the compliments of his friends was enormous. Leonardo knew that there he was learning to make technological machinery that he had never imagined getting his hands on. There, the three university students entered the world of engineering being guided by Mr. Barley's explanations.

Benjin watched from afar with a satisfied smile on his face.

His young master was happy, so the world was simply perfect.

But there was still someone who was a risk to that moment of happiness.

— Honestly! Kids nowadays have no idea of things. The owner of this place should be stricter, you know?

— But you said the attractions were involved?

— They weren't even attractions, man! I swear, it was just kids in costumes. It has nothing to do with the main attractions.

Benjin drummed his finger on his crossed arm just watching from afar. And he didn't look away when their gazes crossed. Quickly the man they had argued with earlier pointed in their direction.

— Those ones over there! It was them!

The other man accompanying him also looked at Benjin, and seemed to stroke the back of his neck. They chatted something between whispers before heading towards the tent.

— Hi Benjin... How are you?

The trapeze artist cracked a condescending smile.

— After having had a very good lunch, I am energetic enough to train. And you, director?

— Haha, I'm fine. Listen, I heard there was a mix-up at the restaurant in the Bluemoon earlier.

— Yeah, some people are really rude, aren't they?

— Benjin... I know you've been chosen as the main attraction of the circus, but that doesn't mean you can walk all over people like that. What are you going to do if the customers start talking bad about this place?

— Hm... But even if we weren't there, the restaurant wouldn't open the third floor to customers. We all know it's only used for events.

Benjin was innocent itself, which cornered the director even more.

— I-I know, but the customers don't.

— So there's no point in complaining to me. But I wouldn't recommend complaining to the restaurant manager either. You know... The new heir really hates this kind of problem.

His cold, husky voice caused the director to shiver. He spied his complaining colleague standing behind him, still looking very unfriendly, but Benjin duly cornered him. Everyone knew that the main attractions were the only ones to meet the new heir.

— All you have to do is stand in line at the restaurants. Customers are priority.

— Hey, hey, what's the problem, director? — Barley intervened after a while.

The director grimaced when the foreman approached, making no point of hiding his displeasure.

— Nothing a cheap foreman should be meddling with, I'm just talking to my trapeze artist.

— Your trapeze artist? A cheap foreman? — An arm wrapped around Benjin's shoulder, and once again his irritated presence was present. Despite this, the trapeze artist was quite happy to be hugged by the university student — What makes you think he's yours? It's quite abusive to treat them like that in front of me.

The director frowned, irritated.

— Ha, I know who the troublemakers are. You're just a trainee and you're behaving like this? Who do you think you are?

It was not necessary for the others to say anything, although Mr. Barley was about to push his trainee to calm down. However, the boy extended his hand to the headmaster.

— Pleased to meet you, I am the son of Mariane and Rohan Evilian, my name is Leonardo Evilian. I am the heir to Dreamland.