Chapter 563: The Clown's Performance
Chapter 563: The Clown's Performance
"..."
"..."
"..."
In his thirty-odd years of life, Prince Andrew had never faced such a vicious attack. After listening to Leon's gentle assessment, he couldn't help but stop in his tracks, sinking into a long silence.
"Why did you stop? Weren't you just about to take me to perform for your parents?"
Watching the young prince's back tremble uncontrollably, hearing the squeaking sound that could only be made by teeth grinding against each other, causing everyone's scalp to tingle, Leon couldn't help but smile. He then gently reassured him, "Don't worry, I'm just a fairly skilled clown. I won't say anything to your parents. I'll just do a little trick and perform some juggling, and that's it."
After all, my humor as a fake clown is only in my juggling. At most, I'll just make your parents laugh. But your humor is in your heart, and all you need to do is..."
"Shut up!!!"
A sudden roar interrupted Leon's consolation. Prince Andrew abruptly turned around, his face, still bearing traces of his youth, contorted with rage.
"You guessed right. I also have to follow the rules of this world and can't do anything that goes against my identity as a prince. But if you think you can provoke me with words and make me release you willingly..."
"No need. Everyone here is talented. I love it here."
Waving his hand to interrupt Prince Andrew's words, Leon tied a balloon around his waist and took out four colored balls from his pocket. With a mischievous smile, he began to juggle the balls with both hands, occasionally alternating and raising his legs to throw the colorful balls between his legs, immediately earning him a round of applause.
"Well done!"
"Amazing!"
"Add another one! Can you add one more ball?"
"Add! Add as many as you like!"
Responding to the guests cheering in the distance, Leon continued his juggling without pause. As he slowly walked towards the open space in front of the stage, something strange happened. The four balls suddenly became five, and in a blink of an eye, they transformed into six.
"Wow!!!"
"He's juggling six balls at once?"
Watching Leon's continuous movements, like a butterfly fluttering its wings, leaving afterimages in his wake, the guests paused their feasting and turned to watch, some even clapping and cheering, a little tipsy from the wine.
"Beautiful!"
"What a talented clown!"
"You're too kind!"
After a final flourish, alternating the balls from hand to hand, Leon pinched his bright red nose and bowed to the guest who had praised him. Then, with a hint of embarrassment, he said, "I'm not that great. In our clown world, there's a senior clown named Andrew who's far more skilled than I am.
I'm just an ordinary clown, juggling ordinary colored balls. But Senior Andrew can juggle incredible things—plates, chairs, tables, and benches. He can juggle anything..."
As he said this, Leon turned his head slightly towards Prince Andrew, giving him a gentle look, and then silently mouthed the words, 'Even his dead parents.'
"..."
Including him in my painting was my biggest mistake!
After personally experiencing Leon's terrifying aggression, Prince Andrew watched as Leon approached a guest, borrowing a few small items. His face contorted with discomfort, he clenched his fists tightly, then lowered his head and made his way through the guests to find the Queen, who was watching the performance with great interest.
"Mother."
Prince Andrew tugged at the Queen's sleeve, took a deep breath, and tried to put on his most innocent and cheerful expression. Pointing at Feliya, who was lying among the guests, fast asleep, he pleaded, "My friend is tired and has fallen asleep. Could you have someone send her home?"
"Of course."
The Queen glanced at Feliya and then lovingly caressed Prince Andrew's head. She whispered a few words to her attendant before turning to the young prince, "I've already sent for Baggs to take your friend home... Come, Andrew, sit in Mother's lap."
She extended her arms and hugged the young Prince Andrew, holding him close. As she gently played with his soft earlobes, she said, "The clown's performance is truly wonderful. It's been a long time since I've seen such a talented clown. Andrew, I know you love watching clowns perform. You even wanted to be a clown yourself. Why aren't you watching now?"
"I..."
Having just been harshly punished by Leon's 'clown theory', Prince Andrew couldn't bear to watch Leon's clown performance, let alone hear the word 'clown'. He wished he could escape from the painting of the Royal Banquet.
But reluctant to leave the Queen's warm embrace and not having witnessed Feliya being sent home, Prince Andrew endured the situation like a true child, sitting in the Queen's lap and watching the performance.
From a distance, Leon seemed to have truly embraced his new profession. He shuffled in oversized yellow clown shoes, walking with a comical gait, and displayed his juggling skills to the guests in the front row.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you've all seen and touched it, and it is indeed an apple, not a prop I brought with me."
Following the gaze sharper than a blade, he found the location of the young prince. Without a trace, Leon turned his face towards the prince and the Queen, then used his finger to make an indentation on the apple's skin, grinning as he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, this nail mark is proof. Next, I will perform an extremely difficult trick. I'm going to make this apple disappear..."
"Huh!"
After hearing Leon's declaration, the guests in attendance immediately played along, booing in unison, "That's boring! That's boring!"
"Is that all?"
"What's so difficult about making an apple disappear?"
"Change it! Change it! This won't do!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, please don't be impatient. This trick of mine is not just about making the apple disappear; it's far more advanced than that!"
Leon raised his hand and gestured downward, signaling for everyone to remain quiet. His expression turned solemn as he rolled up the sleeves of both arms and spoke mysteriously, "Those who make apples disappear usually hide them in their sleeves or block them with their arms. But I'm not going to hide anything. I'll do it right in front of you, and not only will I make the apple disappear, but I can even transform it into something else!"
Not hide anything? And he can transform the apple into something else?
Leon's mysterious words piqued the curiosity of the guests, and they unconsciously held their breath, staring intently at Leon's hands.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm about to begin!"
After nodding solemnly to those around him, Leon, amidst the bewildered gazes of the guests, took a bite of the apple with the nail imprint, crunching it cleanly in two bites. Then, with his cheeks puffed out, he held the apple core by its stem and walked around the room, announcing proudly, though somewhat incoherently, "Look! I've transformed the apple into an apple core!"
"..."
"Oh my! So that's how it's done!"
"Huh!"
"Hahaha!"
"You're nuts, hahaha!"
It was unclear whether it was the effect of the Clown Mime's badge or if they were genuinely amused by Leon's joke, but almost everyone, except for Prince Andre, was on the verge of laughter.
However, just as everyone was laughing and booing, Leon suddenly exclaimed, "Oh no! Oh no! This apple... this apple!"
Could someone have poisoned it?
The head guard, who was holding Princess Felicia as ordered, ready to take her back to her room, was startled. He quickly put her down and was about to run back, but...
"How... how did this apple grow back?"
Amidst the guests' panic, Leon's hands, which had been covering his mouth, slightly arched upwards. Then, he straightened his back and opened his hands, and the apple that had just been eaten down to its core was now lying in his palm, perfectly intact. Even the nail imprint made earlier was still visible on its skin.
"..."
"..."
After a moment of silence, the quiet room erupted into a thunderous applause.
"Wow!!!"
"It's still the original apple?"
"Amazing! So amazing! I've never seen such a skilled clown!"
"Thank you, thank you, everyone, for your praise!"
After bowing to the applauding guests, Leon grinned and said, "These are just simple tricks. If we're talking about skill, we must mention that Clown Andre is the most skilled. He can make things disappear, even living creatures. Chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, pigeons, and even plates and horses can all be made to vanish."
Upon hearing Leon mention himself again, Prince Andre couldn't help but shudder, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he glared at Leon.
The guests around them were also intrigued by Leon's praise, and one curious person asked, "If this Clown Andre is so skilled, why didn't he come with you?"
"That's a story for another time."
At these words, Leon sighed and continued, his eyes filled with sympathy, "I won't hide it from you. The most difficult part of our trick is not making things disappear, but bringing them back. Clown Andre learned the first half very well, but he didn't understand the most crucial second half.
One day, for reasons unknown, he made his most important thing disappear. Then, he went crazy because he couldn't bring it back. As for what that important thing was..."
At this point, Leon smiled knowingly, as if to say, "You know what I mean."
"..."
I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you!!!
(End of Chapter)
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