“After you disappeared, Sister Debbie, the head of the Anduin family came to Clown Town and found a little boy among the clan, adopting him as a foster son. He was only seven at the time. Ten years later, at seventeen, when the family head passed away, he took over as the clan leader.”
At the dining table in the room, Clown Girl Dani enthusiastically recounted her connection to “Debbie.”
As for her address of Debbie, though she initially wanted to call her Grandma, Lesa, with some embarrassment, persuaded her to use Sister Debbie instead. In truth, Dani was likely older than both Debbie and Lesa, but given the family hierarchy, calling her sister wasn’t an issue.
Now, Dani sat closely beside Lesa, continuing eagerly, “That little boy was my grandfather! But he passed away over thirty years ago due to illness. He mentioned you, Sister Debbie, saying you visited Clown Town when he was a child and even beat him up. Sister Debbie, do you remember hitting a snotty kid in Clown Town? That was my grandfather!”
Lesa and Ye Chui both turned to look at Debbie.
Debbie wore a thoughtful expression, whispering to Ye Chui, “I think I did hit a snotty little brat. His snot got all over my new dress… Oh, so that snot-bubble kid was the one the old man adopted after I disappeared. If I’d known, I might’ve been nicer to him.”
“Maybe because you hit him, the old man remembered him and decided to adopt him,” Ye Chui said with a smile. From Dani’s story, he picked up on certain details: thirty years ago, her grandfather.
From the Clown Girl’s memory records, Ye Chui knew the Demon Clown from thirty years ago was her grandfather’s doing…
“This morning, I rushed to Ganglu City to meet the Sixth Prince and heard you were here, so I hurried over. I haven’t even had breakfast,” Dani continued, her eyes drifting to the food on the table. Though veiled, Ye Chui sensed her swallowing hard, her beautiful eyes looking expectantly at Jacob.
Jacob had been quiet since sitting at the table. Catching Dani’s gaze, he instinctively looked to Ye Chui, who winked, reminding him to stay in character. Jacob quickly said, “Well, if you don’t mind, have some food here. There’s fresh mushroom soup in the pot. I’ll get you some.” He started to stand.
Ye Chui stood first, “President, you stay put. Let me handle small tasks like this.”
Ye Chui then served Dani a bowl of soup, accidentally spilling a bit as he placed it before her. After all, with his esteemed status, serving soup was usually the logistics minister’s job.
He smiled at Dani, about to apologise, when her delicate eyebrows rose, “President Ye Chui, your servant is utterly incompetent. Hey, what’s your name?”
“Heh…” Ye Chui’s smile stiffened, “I’m Jacob.”
“He didn’t mean to spill it,” Jacob quickly interjected.
But Dani clearly had a severe case of princess syndrome, “That’s no excuse. Ye Chui, you’re the president, possibly the old emperor’s illegitimate son, maybe even a future emperor. Your subordinates must follow proper etiquette. Hey, Jacob, do you know you messed up?”
Ye Chui’s mouth twitched as he said to Dani, “Yes, yes, Jacob’s at fault. It’s all Jacob’s fault. Blame him!”
Jacob: “…”
President, you’re so petty…
Dani nodded, satisfied. Seeing Ye Chui about to sit back down, she grew displeased again, slapping the table, “I’ve been wondering since earlier, how does a servant like you just sit with us so casually? Get up and stand to the side. Don’t you know your place?” Then she suddenly turned to Debbie, who was snickering at Ye Chui’s expense, “And you, flat-chested girl, what gives you the right to sit here? Get up and stand aside!”
Veins popped on Debbie’s forehead, “What did you call me!?”
Ye Chui quickly held her back. The room’s dining table was small to begin with. Earlier, Guni and Green had stood aside after Ye Chui’s group sat down. Now, Ye Chui and Debbie joined Guni and Green standing to the side.
Though Debbie’s Random Magic Guild had various member titles, the members were practically equal, with no rigid hierarchy in daily interactions. They all ate at the same table. This arrangement felt unnatural, not just for Ye Chui, Debbie, Green, and Guni, but also for Jacob and Lesa at the table.
Still, they endured to extract information.
Lesa turned to Dani with an amused smile, “Nini, why are you and the Ninth Prince here in Clown Town?”
“To find you, of course,” Dani said, stirring her mushroom soup with a small spoon. “I heard about your situation, that you were attacked, so I came specifically to meet you. Sister Debbie, you’re an Anduin, and President Ye Chui, your status is highly respected and powerful, plus you’re close to Sister Debbie. So, our Anduin family has decided to support you for the throne!”
“Huh?” Everyone was stunned. Lesa pointed at the Ninth Prince sitting nearby, “Doesn’t the Anduin family support the Ninth Prince?”
“Him? He hasn’t got what it takes to be emperor. He’s more suited to being my lackey,” Dani said disdainfully to the Ninth Prince.
The Ninth Prince gave a shy smile, “My father and I have no interest in the throne. I’m content just running errands for Miss Dani.” He looked like a good-natured pushover.
Dani continued, “I came to build a good relationship with you, President Ye Chui, and Sister Debbie. My father told me to get on your good side.” Her eyes flicked between Lesa and Jacob, “Looks like I’ve done a great job, hehe. Sister Debbie, President Ye Chui, you’re such kind people. We’ll be good friends from now on, right?”
Ye Chui and Debbie, standing aside: Girl, your mission has completely failed, you know that?
Ye Chui glanced at his iPad grimoire. He had cast the [Invasion] spell on Dani, and the [Browser] displayed her memory website. When he saw the list of articles on her memory site, his eyes widened, pupils dilating, “This, this…”
Lesa, curious, asked Dani, “Nini, why do you always wear a veil? Don’t you take it off even to eat?”
Debbie whispered to Ye Chui, “She’s probably super ugly, that’s why she hides behind a veil.”
“No, quite the opposite…” Ye Chui corrected, looking at Dani’s memory articles:
“Why am I so beautiful?”
“My stunning looks must be veiled to avoid causing a stir!”
“I envy the man who’ll marry me someday.”
“On the tragedy of being a super beauty.”
“Almost caused another commotion walking down the street today.”
“My beauty is the world’s most dangerous weapon.”
“Because my face is cursed,” Dani answered Lesa, her voice tinged with smugness.
Lesa and Jacob were startled. Debbie, surprised, said, “Cursed? What does that mean?”
Ye Chui leaned to Debbie, “Another way of saying ‘I’m too beautiful.’”
Debbie: “?”
Ye Chui sighed, thinking: I’ve never seen such shamelessness!
He also frowned. On the memory website, articles had timestamps. Last night, during the Clown Town zombie outbreak, Dani’s memory article was titled, “I stunned myself while bathing today,” a private entry. After spending fifty points to unlock it, Ye Chui found it was just Dani bathing in a Ganglu City inn, reflecting on her own beauty.
It included photos of her slender legs partially visible in a rose-petal-filled tub, far tamer than the provocative influencer photos from another world…
Ye Chui had been seventy to eighty percent sure Dani was the Clown Girl, but now his certainty dropped to twenty or thirty percent.
Still, he couldn’t rule out the Clown Girl masking her actions somehow.
He checked Dani’s skill category page.
Basic Summoner Talent!
She was a summoner, not a mage. Under her summoner talents, her only summonable spirit was listed: Fantasy Creature: Beast Hal!
“What’s Beast Hal?” Ye Chui wondered, checking her other life skills:
Appearance Grooming (Advanced)
Courtly Etiquette (Advanced)
Social Skills (Basic)
Advanced Management (Basic)
Gourmet Appreciation (Advanced)
Pearl Appraisal (Advanced)
Feigned Shyness (Basic)
These were skills typical of noble children. Ye Chui found no trace of the shocking “bedroom techniques” skill. Apart from her summoner talent, nothing overlapped with the Clown Girl. Was she really not the Clown Girl?
Dani began enjoying her mushroom soup, not intending to reveal her “cursed” face. She scooped a spoonful, lifted the edge of her veil to reveal a dainty chin, and delicately sipped, resolving Ye Chui’s long-standing curiosity about how veiled heroes in films ate…
“This mushroom soup is excellent, sweet and fragrant, perfectly capturing the mushrooms’ freshness with a unique seasoning. Who made it?” Dani commented, living up to her advanced gourmet appreciation skill.
“I made it, but Green prepared the seasoning,” Jacob said quickly.
“Wow, your cooking is amazing,” Dani said, a hint of admiration in her voice, ignoring Green’s contribution.
Jacob blushed, “Oh, it’s nothing…”
Ye Chui, disappointed, exited Dani’s memory website and cast [Invasion] on the Ninth Prince. This time, his mental intrusion failed.
A pendant at the Ninth Prince’s waist flashed, and the iPad grimoire’s browser displayed an error: “Unable to log in, error occurred.”
The Ninth Prince seemed to sense something, glancing at his waist and frowning, “Huh? Why did my protective pendant just activate?”
“What pendant?” Dani asked, puzzled.
“My father gave it to me on my fourteenth naming day. It protects against mental and magical curse invasions… Strange, why did it activate just now? Did someone try to attack me?” the Ninth Prince said, his eyes scanning the room curiously.
