The Clown of Life
After saying this, Uncle Leif stopped trying to persuade or dissuade Altair and instead turned and strolled back to the banquet hall.
Watching Uncle Leif's departing figure, Altair weighed the pros and cons in his mind and decided to take his advice. He made up his mind not to get involved in this mess for the time being, and to deal with it later.
"Because this site won't be discovered by others for another two years," she said, "I have plenty of time and opportunity, there's no need to rush."
After thinking it over, Altair turned to Vivian beside him and teased, "Beautiful lady, would I have the honor of inviting you to dance with me?"
As he spoke, Altair naturally bent slightly, raised his palms upward, and made a gesture inviting him to dance.
Upon hearing these words, Vivian's mind went blank for a moment, she was slightly stunned, and paused for a few seconds.
After confirming that Altair was not joking, she slightly lifted her skirt, curtsied, and said, "It is my honor, Your Excellency Count Altair."
After bowing, Vivian slowly rose and extended her hand forward.
After Altair took Vivian's hand, he gently kissed her Lace Gloves. Once the ceremony was over, he took her hand and led her to the banquet hall.
Reaching the center of the dance floor, they began to dance a unique and distinctive rural dance characteristic of Loen.
Upon witnessing the couple's daring actions, the surrounding dancers quickly left, ending their dance and moving to the edge of the dance floor.
They either admired it, or whispered and discussed it.
The two men's "rude" behavior quickly spread like wildfire, reaching the ears of Uncle Leif, who had just returned to the Reception Hall.
Upon hearing about their "restless" behavior, he quickly got up and went outside.
When he saw the two people in the center of the dance floor, his face turned dark and then white, as if to say, "You two, are you trying to drive me crazy?!"
But just as he was about to explode in anger, he seemed to remember something and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
After the music stopped and the dance ended, Uncle Leif, who was standing on the second floor, clapped enthusiastically and loudly, saying, "I never imagined that two ladies dancing together would be so harmonious and elegant."
"I, Leif Strauss, as the initiator of this banquet, am very grateful to Count Altair and Lady Vivian for their impromptu performance."
Upon hearing Count Leif's praise, the crowd standing downstairs echoed his sentiments, clapping and exclaiming, "Yes, yes—"
But this scene lasted less than fifteen minutes, before the banquet was even over, when Altair and Vivian boarded the carriage for their return journey and headed back to the Sheffield Manor.
Because of their "absurd" actions, Uncle Leif has already given his punishment: the two of them will be confined to their quarters for three months, during which time they will have to relearn aristocratic etiquette.
On November 13, 1347, in the afternoon, Altair sat in the audience, watching the Clown perform their best. After letting out a laugh from the depths of her heart, she felt something suddenly shatter, and the environment she was observing suddenly opened up. Upon seeing this scene, Altair quickly got up and left.
Because her "Pleasure role-playing" is "completed," she can now equip herself for an upgrade.
On stage, the performers, who were putting on a great show, felt lost and exhausted when they saw the host suddenly leave. They stopped performing, slumped down, and sat down.
They all started blaming themselves: they thought they hadn't performed hard enough, hadn't brought joy and smiles to the host family, and that they had messed up the deal and dragged their teammates down.
They were afraid of being scolded, afraid of losing their jobs, and afraid of being punished by the nobles.
Feelings of resentment, helplessness, and despair gradually surfaced in their hearts.
As they were blaming themselves, Butler Hahn walked onto the stage, handed over a wad of banknotes, and said, "Today's performance ends here. Count Altair thoroughly enjoyed your performance; the extra money is her reward."
The circus ringmaster, who had been bowing his head and bracing for a reprimand, immediately stepped forward upon hearing Butler Hahn's words. He respectfully accepted the banknotes from Hahn's hand, bowing deeply at an angle far exceeding 90 degrees, and said, "Thank you for your Count! May you enjoy good health and longevity, may the Goddess always protect you, and may your household prosper!"
After Butler Hahn received the blessing and left the stage, the circus ringmaster began counting the banknotes in his hand: 1, 2, 3... 10. As he counted the denominations, his hands trembled more and more.
Upon seeing his reaction, the surrounding crowd quickly stepped forward and curiously inquired, "Captain, this—I mean, this esteemed Count, how much did he tip us?"
No sooner had he uttered these words than the Clown standing beside him quickly added, "Look at this manor! It's magnificent and exquisite, just like the legendary ideal place, the divine kingdom that all the major religions have described."
"I feel like she'll tip at least 30—no, 50 pounds."
After saying those two sentences, the Clown changed three fingers on his left hand to five and showed them to everyone.
After regaining his composure, the circus ringmaster turned to the crowd and said, "200 pounds! This Count has rewarded us with a full 200 pounds."
"It's neither the severely devalued Intisfield King, nor the Kinghorn of Fursauk, but the Rune King of Rune."
As he spoke, he closed his eyes, but his weak eyelids still allowed two lines of tears to flow.
At that moment, he seemed to be lamenting his own powerlessness and the injustice of the world.
It was also like a question, a questioning of why the world was like this—a girl younger and thinner than him, willing to spend so much money just to have someone make her happy.
Why is the world like this? Is it simply because she is a noblewoman and I am Commoner?
Emperor Roselle, you clearly said that the world is fair, so why is this happening?!
When the leader fell into utter despair and decided to abandon his faith in Roselle and convert to other gods.
On a vast, unknown ocean, stands a solitary and primitive—no, not primitive at all.
Because there is a huge building inside this island.
Inside the building, a humanoid black shadow with a black crown on its head was writhing. It shook its head helplessly and said, "Damn it! Another anchor has broken. If this keeps happening, how am I supposed to survive?"
"So what if I don't want to live? At worst, it's just death!"
After sighing, He asked again, "Will I ever see you again?"