Chapter 37 Wizard's Umbrella

March 1894 Prague Circus of Dreams put a big notice on the gate tonight, hanging from a rope of ribbon wrapped around the iron rod above the big lock.The font is large enough to be legible from a distance, yet people still walk straight up to it to read. closed due to bad weather It says so in pretty fancy fonts, with gray clouds playfully drawn around it.People read the notice, sometimes twice in a row, then looked at the sinking sun and the clear purple-blue sky, and then scratched their heads.They stood around, some waiting to see if someone would move the sign and let the circus open.But there was no one in sight, and at last the little group had to scatter and find other activities to pass the night.

An hour later, the weather began to change, with torrential rain pouring down and strong winds undulating the surface of the striped tent.The notice on the gate fluttered in the wind, glistening wetly. The other end of the circus has a fence that doesn't look like a gate at all but is still open, Celia.Bowen stepped out from the shadow of the dark tent at one part of the fence, walked into the rain, and opened the umbrella with a little difficulty.It was a large umbrella with a rather bulky curved handle; once Celia opened it, it could keep out rain and water smoothly.But the bottom half of her burgundy gown quickly drenched to an almost swarthy hue.

She walked into the city without attracting much attention, but in such heavy rain, she couldn't attract the attention of many passers-by.On the paved street, she only passed a few passers-by, and the umbrella hid part of everyone's face. Celia stopped at last in a well-lit cafe, which was crowded and lively despite the inclement weather.She added her own umbrella to the pile of umbrellas gathered on the shelf by the door. A few tables were unoccupied, but it was the empty chair by the fireplace, opposite Isobe, that caught Celia's eye.She sat there, buried in her book, with a cup of hot tea for company.

Celia was never quite sure what to think of the fortuneteller.Still, she has an innate distrust of people whose careers involve telling people what they want to hear.Moreover, Isobe sometimes reveals the expression that Celia often sees in Yuezi's eyes, showing that the other party knows more than what she admits verbally. Perhaps, however, this phenomenon is nothing unusual for someone who makes a living out of divination. can i sit with youCelia asked.Isobe raised his head, unable to hide the surprise in his expression, but the surprise soon changed into a bright smile. Sure, said Isobe, putting the book aside after marking the page you were reading, I can't believe you're still out the door in this weather.When it started raining heavily earlier, I nearly got caught in the rain, then decided to just wait for the rain to clear up.I was going to meet someone, but with the weather like this, I don't think the other party will come.

I can't blame others.Celia said, pulling off the wet gloves.She flicked the gloves with gentle motions, and they dried in no time.Being outside is like walking in a river. Are you trying to escape the bad weather party? I showed my face before sneaking out, I'm not in the mood for a party tonight, and I don't want to miss my chance to get out of the circus and get some air, even if I almost drown myself. I sometimes want to sneak out myself, and Isobe said: Are you letting it rain just to take a night off? Of course not, Celia said: But if the rain is really my fault, I'll feel like I've gone too far.

Even as Celia spoke, the wet dress gradually dried up, and the almost dark color returned to a rich wine red, but it was difficult to tell whether this was due to the burning fire nearby, or herself. The subtle transformation technique performed. Celia chats with Isobe about the weather, Prague and books.Although the two did not deliberately avoid talking about the circus, they continued to keep a distance from that topic.For a while, the two of them were just women sitting at the same table, not fortune tellers and illusionists, and this kind of opportunity was really rare for them. The doors of the café flung open, sending in a gust of rain-laden wind, patrons clamoring impatiently, and umbrellas on the shelves rattling.

The irritated waitresses stopped by their tables, and Celia ordered mint tea.When the waitress left, Celia looked around the room for a long time, her eyes swept across the crowd, as if she was looking for someone, but she couldn't find a focus. What's wrong?Isobe asked. Oh, nothing, said Celia: just a feeling that someone is watching us, but maybe it's just my imagination. Maybe someone recognized you.Isobe tip. I don't think so, Celia glanced at the customers around and said, people will see what they want to see if they don't find the sight in their direction.The circuses are in town, and I'm sure the place is getting more than its usual amount of special customers.It becomes easier for us to integrate into the environment.

I've always been amazed that no one recognizes me outside of the work situation, Isobe said: "I've been reading for several people in this room over the past few nights, and none of them have even given me a second glance."Maybe without the candles and velvet around me, I don't look so mysterious.Or they were focusing more on the cards than on me. Do you carry cards with you?Celia asked. Isobe nodded.Do you want to have a look at divination?she asked. If you don't mind. You've never asked me to do the math for you before. I usually don't really want to know anything about my future, Celia said: I was a little curious tonight.

Isobe hesitated and glanced at the guests, most of whom were poets sipping absinthe and arguing about art. They won't even notice, Celia said: I promise. Isobe returned her attention to Celia, and then took out a stack of cards from the bag; not the black and white circus cards, but her original Marseilles, worn and faded. Isobe began to shuffle the cards.Such a cute playing card.Celia said, looking at the moving stack of cards that blurred into clumps. Thanks. But only seventy-seven. Isobe's hand shook momentarily, but one card fell from the deck onto the table.Celia picked it up, quickly glanced at the two cups on the card, and then handed them back to Isobe.Isobe put that card into the deck and continued to shuffle, the cards falling seamlessly from one hand to the other.

One of them is elsewhere.Isobe explained. Celia did not pursue further. The waitress brought Celia's mint tea without even glancing at the cards before leaving again. how did you do itIsobe asked. Yes, I diverted her attention.Celia said after blowing on the surface of the steaming tea.That's not what she really meant, but the veil of invisibility she's draped over the table seems hard to explain.And despite the presence of the veil, the lingering feeling of being watched bothered her. Isobe stopped shuffling the cards and placed the entire deck face down on the table. Celia divided the cards into three parts without waiting for Isobe's instructions.Carefully grasping the edges of the cards, she arranged the stacks in a row across the table.

which stack?Isobe asked. Celia looked at the three stacks of cards thoughtfully while sipping tea.After a moment, she pointed to the center stack.Isobe folded the deck again, placing the set on top. The cards she placed on the table did not immediately reveal their contents: several cups, two swords, and La Papessa, the mysterious priestess. When Isobe placed Le Batelur (French: Magician) on top of the cards that had already been placed on the table, he managed to hold back the involuntary gasp.She coughed to cover it up.Celia didn't seem to notice anything wrong. Sorry, Isobe said after staring at the cards silently for a while: Sometimes it takes me a while to translate well. You take your time.Celia said. Isobe pushed the cards on the table, focusing on different cards in turn. You carry a lot of burdens, heavy hearts, things that you have lost.But you are on your way to change and discovery, and there are outside influences pushing you forward. Celia's expression did not reveal any information.She looked at the cards, and occasionally at Isobe, attentive but wary. You are not fighting, that is not the right word.Maybe you're in conflict with something invisible, something hidden from you, shadowed. Celia smiled. Isobe put another card on the table. But soon it will be revealed.she says. This actually caught Celia's attention. how fast? Solitaire doesn't present a clear timeline, but it's close, I think almost immediately. Isobe pulled out another card, and two more cups. When it comes to feelings, she said: deep feelings, but you are only on the edge, still close to the surface, it is waiting to drag you in. interesting.Celia commented. I can't tell if it's good or bad, but it's pretty intense.Isobe pushed the cards a little on the table, Le Bateleur and La Papessa surrounded by wands with flaming tips and cups of water.The crackling of the fire around them mingled with the patter of the rain on the windows.It was almost self-contradictory, she said after a moment: as if love and loss were at the same time, caught in some beautiful pain at the same time. Hey, that sounds like a lot to look forward to.Celia said mockingly. Isobe smiled and looked up, but found that there was not much content to interpret Celia's expression. Sorry I couldn't be more clear, she said: If I think of anything afterward, I'll let you know.Sometimes I have to think over and over again about the combination of cards to really understand the meaning.To be precise, these cards are not unclear, but intricate, with many possibilities to think about. No apologies, I'm not too surprised that this is the case.Thank you, I appreciate your insight. Celia changed the subject at that moment, but the cards were still on the table, and Isobe didn't clean them up.They discussed more trivial topics, and finally Celia insisted that she should go back to the circus. At least wait until the rain eases before leaving.Isobe protested. I've had enough of your time, and the rain is just rain.I hope the one you're waiting for will show up. I was skeptical about that, but thank you anyway, thank you for your company. it's my honour.Celia said, getting up from the table while putting on her gloves.She moved freely through the crowded cafe, picked up the dark-handled umbrella from the rack by the door, waved Isobe goodbye, and then mustered up the courage to walk back to the circus in the pouring rain. The cards on the table looked like a tangled line, and Isobe pushed them back and forth a little. She's not actually lying.About the cards, she found she could hardly tell a lie. But the race is so visible that everything else, past and future, is tied to it. At the same time, this card array seems more like a divination for the circus as a whole, rather than for Celia in particular, but the emotions in it are so rich that it overwhelms the details.Isobe folded the cards and shuffled them back into the whole deck.As she shuffled, Le Bateleur floated to the top, and she frowned at the card, then looked around the cafe.A few customers in bowler hats were scattered here and there, but there was no sign of what she was looking for. She continued to shuffle until the magician was buried deep in the deck, then put the cards away, continued reading, and waited alone for the rain to die down. It was raining heavily outside, and there were almost no people in the dark street, and there were shimmering windows scattered on the side of the street.Although the cold wind was howling, the temperature was not as cold as Celia expected. She is not very good at divination with tarot cards, there are always too many possibilities and meanings in it.But once Isobe pointed out specific elements, she could see the complex emotions and the urgency to reveal the secret.She wasn't sure what to make of the divination, but despite her doubts, she hoped it meant she could finally identify her opponent. She wandered slowly and distractedly, thinking about the cards, but slowly she realized that she was actually warm.If not warmer, it was at least as warm as sitting near the fire with Isobe.Not only that, but her clothes were still dry.Her jacket, gloves, and even the hem of her gown are.Although the rain was still strong, and the wind forced the rain to break through the standard gravity-fell pattern and fly in several directions at once, not a single drop of it fell on her.The raindrops splashed up from the pond-like water beach and scattered to the side, but Celia didn't feel it at all, not even her boots were wet. When she reached the open square, Celia stopped walking. She paused beside the towering astronomical clock. Despite the bad weather, the twelve apostles engraved on the clock still showed up on time. She was still standing in the torrential rain, and the rain was pouring densely around her, making it almost impossible for her to see what was a few steps away, but she was still warm and dry.She reached forward and put her hand out of the umbrella's protection, and looked at her hand carefully, but not a drop of rain fell on it.The raindrops approaching her turned and bounced off before they hit the glove, as if she were surrounded by something impenetrable and invisible. It was around this time that Celia was sure that the umbrella in her hand was not her own. Excuse me, Miss Bowen, there is a voice, above the noise of the rain, along the street.She recognized the voice before turning to find Marco standing beside her, wet from the rain, dripping from the brim of his bowler hat.He was holding a closed black umbrella, exactly like the one she was holding. I think you took my umbrella.Almost out of breath, he said, but smiling to the point of presumptuousness, lacking the appropriate shyness to sustain it. Celia stared up at him in surprise.Why on earth Chandrash's assistant came to Prague she couldn't figure out at first, since she had never seen him outside of London.The question that then arises is how he has such an umbrella. She stared at him in bewilderment, and the pieces of the puzzle began to come together one by one.She recalled every encounter she had with the man standing in the rain, the anguish he had shown when she auditioned for the role, and the gazes and comments she had interpreted over the years as shy flirting. There is also the consistent impression in her heart that he always blends seamlessly with the background, as if he is really not there, making her occasionally forget that he is in the room. In the past, she always thought that this was a sign of the assistant's extreme competence, and she never thought about how illusory this appearance might be. She had never considered the possibility that this person might be her opponent, and Celia suddenly felt stupid. Then Celia started laughing out loud, a pleasant chuckle that sang to the noise of the rain.When Marco stared at her, his smile flickered, and he blinked frequently to squeeze out the rain. After Celia calmed down, she bowed to him in a perfect curtsy.She returned his umbrella to its owner, and the moment the handle left her fingers, the rain hit her, causing her to gasp.He handed her the same umbrella. Please accept my sincere apologies.She said, the interest still shining in her eyes. If you'd like to have a drink with me, I'd be more than happy to have a long chat with you.Marco said.The bowler hat had long since returned to dryness when he tried in vain to shade both of them with the open umbrella. When Celia looked at him carefully, the rain in the strong wind hit her face like a wet rope, and at the same time, the raindrops on his eyelashes evaporated. After so many years of wondering, the actual situation facing her opponent was different from her original expectation. She had expected it to be someone she knew.Someone who is inside the circus rather than outside it, but still involved.She had so many questions, so many things she longed to discuss, despite her father's constant nagging that she should not worry about her rival's affairs.However, when she realized that he had always known their respective positions, she suddenly felt exposed.She realized that every time he opened the door for her or took notes for Chandrash, every time he looked directly at her with embarrassingly bright green eyes (as he did now), he always be informed. Still, the offer was tempting. If it weren't for the heavy rain to drown, she might accept it. Of course you'd love to, Celia smiled back at Marco's dimple, maybe next time.She struggled to open her umbrella.When she waved her hand and covered her head with a black silk canopy, she and the umbrella disappeared, leaving only rain dripping down the empty sidewalk. Marco, who stood alone in the rain, stared at the place where Celia had stopped for a long time before stepping into the night and drifting away.